(1) They were born on or very near our Christmas Day.
A. There's no record of the actual date of Jesus birth, the Roman Church chose a day already celebrated in the Roman world.

(2) They were born of a Virgin-Mother.
A. An emphasis of the Roman Church. The use of artificial insemination was practiced by the Essene community so as not to make one ceremonially unclean to enter Temple.
(3) And in a Cave or Underground Chamber.
A. Mary gave birth on her way to Bethlehem

(4) They led a life of toil for Mankind.
A. Nothing wrong with serving others.

(5) And were called by the names of Light-bringer, Healer, Mediator,
Savior, Deliverer.
A. Lots of persons posed as such but where are their works today?

(6) They were however vanquished by the Powers of Darkness.
A. Any person posing as a usurper of Herod were put to death
Jesus was one of 300 crucified by Pilate for causing a disturbance at the Temple objecting to Temple tax imposed by Rome.

(7) And descended into Hell or the Underworld.
A. A Roman Catholic idea first appeared centuries after Jesus. Christ who said to the person crucified beside him, “Today you shall be with me in paradise.” Hardly call that hell.

(8) They rose again from the dead, and became the pioneers of mankind to the Heavenly world.
A. The kingdom of God is found now in the renewed spirit of man.

(9) They founded Communions of Saints, and Churches into which disciples were received by Baptism.
A. What is wrong with adherents to one's ideas?

(10) And they were commemorated by Eucharistic meals.
A. The concept is spiritual a commitment to live the life of Christ in.

(2) You are most judgmental to your fellow Christians in Catholicism. You are most judgmental to me. That is not consistent with the teachings of Jesus.
A. So it is your intention to judge all by your opinion and others are not to have an opinion otherwise they are condemned. Check our Jesus words did he condemn others ideas and behaviour

Dear Josephus,

The point is that Jesus is in the mould of the pagan gods and incorporates their legends. The Gospels are mainly myth. The Catholic Church did not invent the virgin birth, the resurrection and the miracles attributed to Jesus. The pagan gods do not exist today because of the persecution that pagans were subjected to after the Roman Empire became Christian.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodosius_I

"The Christian persecution of Roman religion under Theodosius I began in 381, after the first couple of years of his reign in the Eastern Empire. In the 380s, Theodosius I reiterated Constantine's ban on former customs of Roman religion, prohibited haruspicy on pain of death, pioneered the criminalization of Magistrates who did not enforce laws against polytheism, broke up some pagan associations and tolerated attacks on Roman temples.

Between 389–392 he promulgated the "Theodosian decrees" (instituting a major change in his religious policies), which removed non-Nicene Christians from church office and abolished the last remaining expressions of Roman religion by making its holidays into workdays, banned blood sacrifices, closed Roman temples, and disbanded the Vestal Virgins. The practices of taking auspices and witchcraft were punished. Theodosius refused to restore the Altar of Victory in the Senate House, as asked by non-Christian senators.

In 392 he became sole Emperor (the last one to claim sole and effective rule over an Empire including the Western provinces). From this moment till the end of his reign in 395, while non-Christians continued to request toleration, he ordered, authorized, or at least failed to punish, the closure or destruction of many temples, holy sites, images and objects of piety throughout the Empire.

In 393 he issued a comprehensive law that prohibited any public non-Christian religious customs, and was particularly oppressive to Manicheans. He is likely to have disbanded the ancient Olympic Games, whose last record of celebration was in 393, though archeological evidence indicates that some games were still held after this date.”

Christians vandalised pagan temples when the Roman Empire became Christian. Later Protestants vandalised Catholic churches and their art during the Reformation. Christianity has a record of intolerance.

Dear Josephus and david f,

I hope you guys aren't getting all of your information off Wikipedia because it sure looks that way. Do either of you have a background in ancient history or religious studies?

'Christianity has a record of intolerance.'

Yep and secularist have a record of bigotry and selective twisting of history. No mention of Stalin, communism (forerunner) to socialist. Murdering millions of babies even now each year while they display their Christophobic natures. And then we have Pol Pot killing over a million but then again they don't fall into the secularist narrative. Well I suppose with Stalin as one of the secularist forfathers nothing surprises. With no moral base telling fibs along with the islamist is common place.

Hi David,

Well, what did the Manichaeans ever do for us ?

Joe

Dear Mr Opinion,

Of course, you're right. Wikipedia is not always reliable and can be most unreliable. However, I have read a lot about religion and what I know points me to areas in Wikipedia. From there I can copy material and post it. I cannot readily copy material from other places.

Recently I have read Philip Jenkins' "Jesus Wars" which tells of the conflicts and councils in the fifth century which determined many ideas that Christians adopted and still have. At present I am reading "A History of Christianity" by Diarmaid MacCulloch. I do not have a degree in religious studies but am most interested in the area.

I think religion has done more harm than good although it has done much good. I think it is quite effective in setting groups of humans against each other.