Famous Christian scholar and author C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) has said that pagan myths are not random storytelling but are a grasping for the reality of God. If what Lewis says is true we should reasonably expect that there should be "Christ figures" in virtually every myth. The Bible itself confirms this in Ecclesiastes 3:11 which says "He has also set eternity in their heart." The heart of every person longs for eternal life. Any anthropologist will tell you that religion is the centerpiece of every culture. Every culture uses myths or stories to explain life and the hereafter. Many myths involve a central theme having to do with the struggle of good versus evil. Good triumphs over evil often with the aid of a deliverer who could be called a savior or Christ figure. These are themes native to the human heart and are expressed as myths by people who were not exposed to the teachings of the Bible.

I recently read an article about a festival celebrated in the Shinto religion of Japan that contains amazing parallels to the feast of Tabernacles, which is a Jewish high holy day feast that is described in the Bible. There was no contact between Jews and Japanese in antiquity so one could not have borrowed from the other.

My point is that mythology, containing some parallel with the Bible, is virtually universal in human culture and these myths are evidence of human search for the Savior. Therefore pagan mythology, despite its idolatry and distorted view of God, does confirm the truth of the Bible in a backhanded sort of way.

Now we come to the crucial question, the very crux of the matter. Why is the Bible true and all the other stories false? Why is the salvation story of an obscure people on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, namely the Jews, true and all the narratives of the Greeks, Romans, Asians, Africans, American Indians and Norse mere idolatrous myth? Let me assure you that it's not cultural arrogance on the part of us Christians that causes us to assert that our message is true. There are three main areas of solid evidence that compels us to claim that the Bible is true and all others mere myth. (Actually there are more than three but I will limit this discussion to just three.)

Reason number one: The Bible is confirmed by predictive prophecy and fulfillment of those prophecies in real history. The Bible contains thousands of predictive prophecies. No other holy book or occultic source has anything that compares to the Bible's record of prophecy and fulfillment of prophecy. The fact that Christ came in fulfillment of hundreds of predictive prophecies is proof positive that He is not a mere "savior figure" but is indeed the promised Messiah who came to die for the sins of all people. Pagan myths have little or no connection to real history or independent verification by eyewitnesses. By contrast Jesus showed his disciples that He had indeed risen from the dead "by many infallible proofs" (Acts 1:3.)

Number two: The Bible is confirmed as true in our own day by experiential power. Miracles occur by prayers offered to God the Father in the name of Jesus. Occultic activity such as poltergeist activity is halted by commanding it to cease in the name of Jesus. There are many reports of UFO abductions being halted by calling out the name of Jesus. For documentation of UFO abductions being stopped by the name of Jesus see the April 2001 issue of Charisma magazine, page 46.

Number three: The laws of logic, specifically the law of noncontradiction, prove that two contradictory statements can't both be true. Pagan religions contradict Christianity. This necessitates the admission that only one religion can be true. Either Christianity is true and all other religions false or one nonchristian religion is true and all other truth claims, be they mythical or Christian, are false. The evidence is clearly on the side of the Bible which reveals Christ as the promised Messiah and Savior of the world.

Paul, the apostle, in his sermon in Athens recorded in Acts 17:22-31, confronted the idolatry of the ancient Greeks and exhorted them to repent.  It is clear that Christianity did not borrow parts of mythical stories but rather contradicted them at numerous points and confronted them. Christianity is the solid gold truth that the mythmakers, perhaps unconsciously, sought after.   

The Bible is scientifically accurate! Find the evidence at www.icr.org.  

Steps to salvation: Jesus said "Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)

1. Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2. Believe that Jesus the Messiah came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you to take upon Himself the penalty for your sins. (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18)
3. Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness. (Romans 10:13)
4. Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth. (John 1:12, Acts 2:38)
5. Follow Him as Lord. (John 14:21)

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13)

To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

"Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of West Harrison, New York, USA

(C) 2010 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish if credit given

DEFENDING THE FAITH APOLOGETIC ARTICLES Bill Nugent currently writes a series of articles called "Defending the Faith" which, as the title suggests, defend the Christian faith from the many attacks leveled against it in our postmodern world. The articles deal with such topics as evolution, UFOs, cults, modern/postmodern philosophy, liberal theology and popular culture. At the end of each article is an invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. These articles are sent out over the Internet to several opt-in email lists. People who receive these articles are encouraged to resend them to their own lists and in this way reach their own unsaved relatives and friends with the Gospel. All Defending the Faith articles are © 2009 William P. Nugent, permission is granted to email or republish if credit given. To receive these articles which are sent out once per month fill in your email address below and click the SUBMIT button. *Security: Write the characters in the image above (Case sensitive)