If there are many pagan gods born of virgins, among other coincidences with Jesus, how can we be sure that Christianity is the correct religion?

Gustaf said:

How can we know that Christianity can't be considered a plagiarism? Why should it be the religion of the true God?

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Once you realize that your conscience is the voice of God saying that you have a responsibility to Him and that you have fallen short of His will, you have to decide what to do about it. You have many choices offered to you by many religions. Choose carefully, because your eternal soul depends on it. Ask God in prayer, and the Holy Spirit will lead you to the right choice.

Seems Godcrazy was on target initially in stating that Hermes is a fallen angel, all the evidence seems to suggest such and I've been through much of this information before so I'm shocked the name wasn't making sirens go off in my head.

For starters, he was clearly recorded in the most validated historical texts of all time, the New Testament. In Acts 14 we find people making hysterical assumptions that Paul and Barnabas were "greek gods" that showed up in the form or "likeness of men" after Paul commanded a man to stand up who was cripple from birth in verses 8 through 13.

Acts 14:8-13

8And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. 9This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, 10said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked. 11Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. 13Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.

It would follow that if Zeus is the head fallen angel leading them all and a greek god, then Hermes being a greek god as well would also be a fallen angel, so on to establishing that.



This reference states Hermes is considered by the Greeks to be the son of Zeus in the pantheon of Greek gods:

Hermes, often depicted with winged sandals and a caduceus, is one of the most dynamic and versatile gods in Greek mythology. As the son of Zeus and the nymph Maia, Hermes was born into a lineage of power and influence.

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Another reference reiterates the above statement and points out that there is a Christian greeted by Paul in his writings named Hermes after the Greek god presumably by his parents:

In Greek mythology Hermes was the god of communication, trade, and trickery. He was a son of Zeus and is popularly known as the messenger of the gods.


His name appears twice in the Bible. In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul sends greetings to a Christian named Hermes, who was presumably named after the god by his parents

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This excerpt refers to the allusion the Lord Jesus makes in the book of Revelation stating that the throne of Zeus in Anatolia is in fact the throne of Satan:

With the following words to the apostle John, Jesus Christ gives us the the key that opens the door to understanding what Satan’s religious system is, how it operated in the ancient Greek world, how it continues to operate today, and most importantly, Athena’s key role in it:

And to the messenger of the ecclesia in Pergamon write: “Now this He is saying Who has the sharp two-edged blade: ‘I am aware where you are dwelling—where the throne of Satan is . . . “ (Revelation 2:12-13).

The main feature of the acropolis of Pergamon on the west coast of ancient Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) was the altar of Zeus completed in 178 BC. Thus, in the above passage, by referring to the altar as the throne of Satan, Christ reveals to us that Zeus is a guise of “the ancient serpent called Adversary and Satan” (Revelation 12:9).

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A little support from the other side of the aisle... Seems Satan claims the title directly, or at least his followers.

Aratos666 said:

Hi. Are Zeus and Satan exactly the same entity? Or are different entities on the same task? Thanks.

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Yes They are the same.

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I actually enjoyed this little read through, and it was very insightful:

The seven churches of Rev. chapt. 1 - 3 were located in and surrounded the capital city of Asia Minor, the “seat of Satan” in Pergamos (var. Pergamum) (Rev. 2:13.) The “seat of Satan” was a reference to the center of idolatry, as Pergamos practiced sun worship, which originated from Babylonian idolatry, and their priests used the same vestments and title of “pontiff.”


Their people were called “The Temple-keepers of Asia.” They had several gods, the chief of which was Zeus. The last leader of Pergamum gifted his title of Pontifex Maximus to Rome in 133 BC. The rulers and emperors of Rome used the title until 382 AD, when Emperor Gratian refused it as being un-Christian. But, it is interesting to note that it is still used today by the Pope.


Excerpt from Studies in Revelation by Hamption Keathly III, 1997, p. 63:

"Pergamum was very wealthy, the center of emperor worship with many temples devoted to idolatry. This was the place ‘where Satan’s throne is’ (Rev. 2:13). The phrase has been applied to the complex of pagan cults, of Zeus, Athena, Dionysus and Asclepius (Esculapius), established by the Attalid kings, that of Asclepius Soter (the ‘saviour,’ ‘healer’) being of special importance. These cults are illustrative of the religious history of Pergamum, but “Satan’s throne” could be an allusion to emperor worship. This was where the worship of the divine emperor had been made the touchstone of civic loyalty under Domitian.
Here was the magnificent temple of Esculapius, a pagan god whose idol was in the form of a serpent. The inhabitants were known as the chief temple keepers of Asia. When the Babylonian cult of the Magians was driven out of Babylon, they found a haven in Pergamum. "

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I included all of that, in part, to show the extensive connections and widespread nature of these subjects and to illustrate how easily things can be obscured and hidden in specific seemingly unrelated locations, names, or stories.

Here is some more direct content that takes this obscurity found in the subject of the virgin birth and sheds some light on how things aren't as clear-cut as the claims that are made. Bart Ehrman, a well known Biblical scholar for some of his extreme stances for example is not a Christian and doesn't believe in the virgin birth and argues the Bible doesn't claim it, but apparently he seems to state in his teaser (membership required) to an article that it isn't the case Christians are borrowing the virgin birth story.

Aren’t the Christians simply borrowing a widely held view found among the pagans, that if someone is the son of God (e.g., Hercules, or Dionysus, or Asclepius, etc.), his mother is always thought to have been a virgin?

As it turns out, that’s not the case at all.

I don’t know of any parallel to … [THE REST OF THIS POST IS FOR MEMBERS ONLY. If you...]

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Here is a real head-turning statement:

The problem with the claims that the virgin birth was based on pagan myths is that most of the examples given by mythicists are not virgin births. What is claimed as a “virgin birth” are really conceptions with a supernatural element. Often the mother was not a virgin even before the conception and the baby was conceived through intercourse.

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More reading on this subject from same author here also:



This is another semi-exhaustive read on the subject and here is what the author, Mikel Del Rosario, thinks about the topic as a simple summary:

Checking out the ancient sources for alleged parallels is a good place to start when thinking through the idea that the Virgin Birth was borrowed from pagan mythology. In this case, we can be confident that the story of Jesus’ virgin birth wasn’t copied from Horus, Mithra or Augustus because none of them was said to be born of a literal human virgin in any ancient myth.

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Here is the bold claim at the start of an article by James Scott Trimm stating a simple study reveals it is all lies:

Anti-Missionaries, Atheists and other critics have spread far and wide a false claim that the virgin birth doctrine was borrowed from paganism. The fact is that this claim is an outright lie. A close examination of the alleged origins/births of the pagan gods these persons claim were “virgin births” shows that not one of these pagan gods was supposed to be the result of a virgin birth.

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More: https://nazarenespace.com/blog/2020/02/21/those-pagan-virgin-birth-stories-evaporate/




Looks to me like Zeus is Satan, the Greeks were actively worshiping him as Zeus, Hermes was a fallen angel just like Zeus being a pagan deity and god of Greece and the virgin births that everyone claims Christianity stole from concerning Christ's virgin birth are all weightless and empty of any validity.

Am open for further insights or corrections to the post also.

I would consider all this pretty solid evidence that those claims questioning the story the Bible has given us are full of hoo doo.


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A few other references (reached back into old research last minute) for Satan being Zeus. Enlil is Satan, and Enlil is Zeus.

Meaning Satan is Zeus. Further reading:

Gustaf said:

How can we know that Christianity can't be considered a plagiarism? Why should it be the religion of the true God?

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Gustaf not to sure about any pagan gods claiming immaculate conception from virgins. But there be quite a few Christian ladies that have claimed immaculate conception thoughout our Christian history. Perhaps there be more claims of historical accounts of dying and rising gods in the pagan accounts when thinking upon alleged accusations that the Bible plagiarised from pagan sources

For OP, and others, since this subject was brought up as a related topic.

Dying and rising material is Lee Strobel and John Burke's specialty and thought this might be helpful.

Shawn Ryan got them on simultaneously. Enjoy.

Zceptre said:

For OP, and others, since this subject was brought up as a related topic.

Dying and rising material is Lee Strobel and John Burke's specialty and thought this might be helpful.

Shawn Ryan got them on simultaneously. Enjoy.

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Thank you. Xceptre looks a intresting discussion some 3-4 hours long I shall watch later

To say that the gods of mythology are fallen angels has some problems. Except for the magicians in Egypt, they don’t seem to have much power. Human imagination, manipulation, and evil intent are more than enough for the mythology to be a human fabrication. I’m sure evil spirits were/are heavily involved, but I think they are not the original source. It has more to do with humans trying to control and understand the natural world and their ideas being usurped by evil spirits and evil men. God has put a pretty heavy lid on what evil spirits can do in the natural world, but He lets them peek out from time to time. They also take credit for things God has done. I think black magic is real, but it is limited in the grand scheme of things.

Jerry N. said:

To say that the gods of mythology are fallen angels has some problems. Except for the magicians in Egypt, they don’t seem to have much power. Human imagination, manipulation, and evil intent are more than enough for the mythology to be a human fabrication. I’m sure evil spirits were/are heavily involved, but I think they are not the original source. It has more to do with humans trying to control and understand the natural world and their ideas being usurped by evil spirits and evil men. God has put a pretty heavy lid on what evil spirits can do in the natural world, but He lets them peek out from time to time. They also take credit for things God has done. I think black magic is real, but it is limited in the grand scheme of things.

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I think to carry such a notion contradicts the narrative given in Genesis quite directly. (and Exodus, Revelation, Kings, etc...)

The agents that usurped the world and are intent on man's destruction and who God points to are fallen angels, primarily Satan himself in the garden after the fall, and also outlined in Revelation as well.

Not to mention the constant, nonstop, repetitive allusion to the "gods" in the Old Testament and all the details it elaborates on regarding them.

I'm not really going to dive into this any deeper than that because it is just so blatantly obvious that those seeking absolute truth can clearly see they are for a certainty the fallen angels and there isn't really a reason in me trying to convince someone if they don't want to see what God has made so abundantly clear in His Word.

To say they aren't fallen angels I would assert is very, very unbiblical.

Regardless our difference in opinions, beyond these statements you'll have to debate with others or make the case alone, as I don't feel it is worthy of needing any more attention than this for others to see what is and isn't expressly stated in Scripture.

Zceptre said:

I think to carry such a notion contradicts the narrative given in Genesis quite directly. (and Exodus, Revelation, Kings, etc...)

The agents that usurped the world and are intent on man's destruction and who God points to are fallen angels, primarily Satan himself in the garden after the fall, and also outlined in Revelation as well.

Not to mention the constant, nonstop, repetitive allusion to the "gods" in the Old Testament and all the details it elaborates on regarding them.

I'm not really going to dive into this any deeper than that because it is just so blatantly obvious that those seeking absolute truth can clearly see they are for a certainty the fallen angels and there isn't really a reason in me trying to convince someone if they don't want to see what God has made so abundantly clear in His Word.

To say they aren't fallen angels I would assert is very, very unbiblical.

Regardless our difference in opinions, beyond these statements you'll have to debate with others or make the case alone, as I don't feel it is worthy of needing any more attention than this for others to see what is and isn't expressly stated in Scripture.

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I’m sorry you feel that way. I’ll reply in case somebody else is interested. Deuteronomy 4:28 makes it clear that they are idols made by man, They are not fallen angels, but that doesn’t mean that fallen angels didn’t make use of them. I am saying that man created Zeus and the other gods out of their own imagination in rejection to the true God, and then the fallen angels or evil spirits reinforced that false belief to deceive mankind further. Demons or whatever didn’t make the gods but used them to destroy the souls of men. Mankind made false gods from their own free will, and the devil took advantage and tempted them to take it further. People also worshiped demons directly and still do, but the gods of mythology are slightly different but equally bad. People worship money and demons are involved, but money is not a demon.

All these so called gods seem to only reign in this world. That should give you an idea of their limited power.

trophy33 said:

No, he was a part of the Greek mythology. Myths are ancient ways of how to communicate some natural, psychological, social realities or religious ideas in a non-scientific way. In a way of stories.

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They say those myths all comes from the fallen angels coming down demanding worship and destroyed mankind, then turn to tales of "gods"

timothyu said:

All these so called gods seem to only reign in this world. That should give you an idea of their limited power.

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There is only one that deserves worship, that is GOD. God the Almighty. Test the spirits. If they do not acknowledge Jesus as come in the flesh, they are the antichrist.

Yes but the latter was a test for the universal church

timothyu said:

Yes but the latter was a test for the universal church

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I`m like, if it is in the bible it is in the bible and valid

Godcrazy said:

They say those myths all comes from the fallen angels coming down demanding worship and destroyed mankind, then turn to tales of "gods"

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That might be true. However, I think it was the other way around. People came up with the idea of gods, and the fallen angels pretended that they were them. It seems that people had to reject worshiping the real God, and it invited the demons to participate. When the Israelites made the golden calf, some might say that it was a representation of a god from Egypt. Others would say they invented their own new god. The result is the same, but the Bible never gives the calf a name. It is significant in the modern age with A.I.

timothyu said:

All these so called gods seem to only reign in this world. That should give you an idea of their limited power.

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Not only did they merely reign in this world, many only had limited regions of this world.

Jerry N. said:

That might be true. However, I think it was the other way around. People came up with the idea of gods

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Jerry N. said:

It seems that people had to reject worshiping the real God, and it invited the demons to participate.

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2 Corinthians 11:3

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Isaiah 14:12-14

12“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’

Genesis 3:5

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:13

And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Deuteronomy 10:17

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.

Matthew 4:9

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Jerry N. said:

Not only did they merely reign in this world, many only had limited regions of this world.

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1 John 5:19

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

2 Corinthians 4:4

whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

Revelation 12:9

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Zceptre said:

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Isaiah 14:12-14

12“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’

Genesis 3:5

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:13

And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Deuteronomy 10:17

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.

Matthew 4:9

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.




1 John 5:19

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

2 Corinthians 4:4

whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

Revelation 12:9

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

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Satan has an army of devils helping him. Different demons pretended to be different gods. If Satan was pretending to be Zeus, then a different demon was pretending to be Thor. Yet a different demon was pretending to be Odin. Satan may rule this world in many ways, but it is the sinful nature of man that allows him to do it. Mankind created Nazi Germany, but demons helped it along. When mankind does not reject God, the demons have little or no power because his deception has little effect. If a group of people worship the sun, it is people who made it a god, and evil spirits help it along. From what I can see in the Bible, Satan doesn’t create much of anything, but he uses what humans create in their mind and craft. Satan seems to only deceive, lie, and destroy. “The devil made me do it,” is humans trying to deflect blame. I don’t see how you can have any conflict with that. I’m not saying it happens 100% of the time, since there have been many people who claim to see or interact with demons directly, but we were discussing mythology.

You might also know that some Celtic gods had no power outside of their region.

Gustaf said:

Thank you all. I'm sorry. I'm going through a crisis of disbelief, and desperation is driving me to unfair searches. Please pray for me. God bless

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There is no need to apologize for questioning things that raise doubts in your mind.
It's always good to question one's beliefs to be solidly convinced.
That way, you can "be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you." 1 Peter 3:15

Being uncertain, and not seeking to know, is worst than being uncertain and not doing anything about it.
So, you did well here, in asking, and be sure to leave only when you are satisfied you have the answer, rather than feeling as if you are alone.
Lots of persons have uncertainties, but don't worry about them, as they ought to.

Are you covered where this question is concerned?
If I asked, can you tell me in your own words if Christianity is not plagiarized, and how you know this for sure?

Gustaf said:

Thank you all so much for your understanding, attention, and support.

Last night I watched a couple of videos that convinced me quite a bit or a lot about the existence of Jesus, and I think I'm 99% convinced of his existence...
The question is... is it wrong for me to choose to believe based on the content of those videos and not my personal experience?

Actually, both experiences complement each other... because in the videos, they talk about Jesus as an ordinary human (separating him from his divinities), but I don't believe that, and I add my personal experiences, and based on that, I think he was truly God incarnate and our Savior...
I'll rephrase or improve the question... if both things help me believe, is it wrong for me to complement them?
Or should I just rely on my personal experiences directly?
Thank you all so much. God continue to bless you...

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I would say going by personal experience is dangerous, because after all, none of us are the apostles who experience the direct miracles, visions, and like Paul, a personal visit.

The best thing we have to convince us of Christianity and Jesus Christ being legit, is what's written in the Bible.
Starting from Genesis and reading through to Revelation, there is a megaton of evidence... all we need to prove the faith Jesus started, to be true.

You can do a systematic study, by first looking at prophecy.
When you read the Bible, stop at every prophecy, and write it down.
Then ask yourself, if you know where it is mentioned or referred to in the Bible, and how and when it would be fulfilled.
Spend some time on that.
Where you come up empty, move along, and return to it later.
Get help, if you need to.

Soon enough, you will see how all the prophesies in the "OT" pointed to only one person, and would be fulfilled in him - Jesus Christ.
I did something like this, when I questioned if the Jews were right in the claim that the "NT" misapplies the prophesies to Jesus.
I considered that a challenge that would require evidence so solid, it would be enough to refute such claims.
I found that there are scores of prophesies that remain unfulfilled, and just left hanging with no one to fill it, if Jesus is not applied to it.

Several of those prophesies relates to David, who was dead. Jeremiah 13:9; Ezekiel 34:22-24
So, you can do the same. Do a deep study, until you can prove to yourself, and others, that the faith started by Jesus Christ, is on solid foundation.