Topic: Early Church Slaughter

[Phidippides]

Alright, stay with me on this one.  I've been debating a guy over on Topix who claims some preposterous link between Mithraism and Christianity, and he claimed this:

"The early Christians called it the "Inner Christ" but they were all slaughtered (burned to death) to protect the Roman version of Christianity based on the Mithra Myth."

Do any of you have the faintest idea of any kind of slaughter that such an account might be based on?

I should add this guy has been citing sources that are really sketchy.  I'm guessing he may have gotten this from a similar source.

[scout1067]

Never heard that one.  Is this guy also one that makes the mythical claim that most wars began because of religion too?

[Donald Baker]

Ask him if he got his information from that Zeitgeist movie.  See what he says.

[Fit2BThaied]

Never heard of Mithra. Sounds mythical. 

[Phidippides]

Never heard of Mithra. Sounds mythical. 

You've never heard of Mithraism?  It was a pagan mystery religion in the Roman Empire, commonly practiced by soldiers.  It originated in Persia, I believe, and "meetings" would revolve around some sort of meals eaten in mithraeums (you can still visit some of these in Italy today).  The common depiction of Mithra has him wearing a phrygian cap, I believe holding a bull with one hand and a knife in the other as he is about to kill the bull.

Anyway, since it's a mystery religion, I don't think we know that much about it.  So for someone to claim that Christianity was based on Mithraism makes the claim even more suspect.

[scout1067]

Never heard of Mithra. Sounds mythical. 

I too am surprised you have never heard of Mithraism.  It was one of the most popular cults in the Roman Empire after traditional religion and Zoroastrianism.