Was Jesus around before the pagans?
957090
bible stories were plagiarized from pagan traditions... which came long before jesus was... um... invented
896946
first of what is of importance is the fact that no where in the bible did Jesus command anyone to celebrate his birthday. he said to celebrate his death but not his birth.  in the third century of our common era as the roman empire was in decline . Constantine in order to solidify his power over the empire merged the Christian faith and the pagan faith, into one, a lot of the false doctrine that we now claim as christian came into being.  Jesus was born when the sheep where in the fields history has shown that DEC is still to cold to keep the flocks out at night.  the Christmas tree came into being in The 19th century, and Santa Claus as we know him today was started in the 17th century, the English oxford dictionary published in 1904 under Santa Claus says see Old nick. under old nick it says Satan the Devil.  the pagans in  Constantine time celebrated the winter solace, and a lot of its pagan roots are in Christmas today the giving of gifts , the mistletoe, etc
900517
There is no evidence at all to suggest Jesus even existed, let alone was born on 25th December.  Well before Christianity polluted the shores of Britain, the date we now know as December 25th was the Pagan midwinter solstice festival.  The Christians stole this festival from the Pagans and built their 'Christ' myth around it.
861452
whites were pagan before ...
787029
we know jesus existed because the romans wrote the history of that time. they were the dominant power and were not fans of jesus or the jews, or any other sub-group of that era. you'll recall that they were the ones who actually crucified him at the jews request. also they persecuted the jews and other religious minorities after the death of christ. rome would be a pagan government for quite some time after the death of christ. your concern is over whether or not jesus was a divine being. did he do the things that are written? was he who he claimed to be? not did he exist. the victors of that period wrote their historys and acknowledged jesus.
886394
Did Jesus speak English?
151411
There are few mentions of Jesus outside religious sources.\n\nThe Roman historian Tacitus mentioned the followers of Christ, in his Roman Annals(written around 115 AD)He states that Christ was executed by Pilate in the reign of Tiberius.\n\nChrist is also mentioned by Pliny the younger in his correspondence with Trajan, about 111 D.\n\nJosephus, a jewish historian also mentions Christ in his writtings on the Jewish War.\n\nA large library of Gnostic gospels and literature found in Egypt around 1950's also tells of Christ from a religious view point.
1009740
Jesus existed 1st, in the form of the Word (John 1:1-3; 8:58). Of the human personalities, Noah came before Moses.  Then Jesus took on flesh and came to earth many years later (John 1:4)\n\nPS they're not fictional "characters," but real persons that actually lived.
926733
yes, historical documents show that many have seen Jesus. the Bible gives reference to this as well as a historian named Josephus, who wasn't a Christian but just wrote what he himself witnessed during the time of Christ.
553433
No......why would you think that? Jesus didnt come until Matthew.
830691
No, it was one of many pagan festivals introduced into the perversion of Christianity that was the catholic church. The best guess is that Christ was born around Purim, a festival of the Jews. This ties in with the enrollment/taxation Luke describes.
1008625
We are saying that the story of Jesus was probably embellished alot down the line. Perhaps he did not claim to be the son of god, maybe he was just a prophet or political activist who gained people's admiration - and ended up being persecuted by the politicians of the time for spreading his political message.
1015332
No one really knows.\n\nThere is no credible evidence to support the claim.\n\n\n"While some historians consider Jesus to largely be a mythological and legendary entity, (Jesus freaks claim he exists)"\n\nSource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus
1074110
zaphira is WAY off base.  Constantine mixed a lot of pagan rituals into Christianity.  The day of worship became 'Sun'day.  There are some other changes but the main problem is that he allowed paganism to be mixed in.  This led to Easter (an ancient fertility celebration for the 'goddess' Isis) being celebrated as resurrection sunday.  Christmas was also supposed to be some other 'god's' birthday.  When persecution ended, Christians let their guard down to let pagan worship get mixed in.  It's not popular, but it's the truth.
235485
I've attached a link as a source to help you begin your search but I think it's going to be like looking for needle in a haystack.  I can tell you (as can anyone else) that Jesus Christ began Christianity but as far as who began all the differences (Catholic vs. Protestant vs. Baptist, etc), I have no clue.  It's just different interpretations of the Bible.
441202
I believe so.  Christians follow Jesus as their savior.  Their savior just happens to be Jewish.  He took part in these observances.
333941
Jesus certainly existed - no serious historian doubts this (the handful of pop religion books on the topic notwithstanding.) There is plenty of evidence, written and otherwise - from the still extant ruins of Peter's house in Capernaum (Jesus' home base), to his mention (the second mention is not interpolation) in Josephus' "Antiquities", and Tacitus' reference to him.\n\nAs to the second coming of Jesus, none knows the hour, or the way. None of us should be confident we'll see it whether  we live five years or five hundred. It happens when it happens, in the way that it happens. "Stay awake", we are told, live an exemplary life. Every day is to be lived as though it were the dawn of the day of the Lord.\n\nAs Mother Theresa said, "Yesterday is past, and tomorrow is not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."