Martin Luther King Jr. is most noted as a civil rights leader and activist. He was also a Baptist Minister with a seminary education. After attending and graduating from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Dr. King enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity degree. He earned his PhD in Theology from Boston University.
Dr. King’s recognition is well-deserved, he is celebrated for his non-violent approach to the activist protests he organized for the civil rights of black Americans. He is less known for some important papers he authored concerning Christianity and pagan mystery religions. Among these is Mithraism which Dr. King pointed out dated centuries before Christ was born. He wrote in a paper entitled “A Study of Mithraism” dated September 13, 1949 to November 23 1949:
The history of Mithraism lies deep in the roots of the past. Documents which belong to the fourteenth century before Christ have been found in the Hittite capital of Boghaz Keui, in which the names of Mithra, Vanuna, Indra, and the Heavenly Twins are recorded.2 It is also known that they were written long before the separation of the Indian and Iranian races. But to give the exact origin of this cult and to determine exactly where Mithra came from would be merely conjecture…
The fame of Mithra spread as the Persian Empire expanded, and he became particularly strong in Asia Minor. Many of the Persian Kings grew very fond of Mithra and sponsored worship of him. It was during this time that the worship of Mithra developed into an independent religion. It is interesting to know that as Mithraism was spreading through the Persian Empire, it was constantly borrowing ideas from other cultures. When it came in contact with Semitic star worship, it assimilated much of it as well as some of the mythology of ancient Babylon. Also the cult incorporated many local practices and ideas from Asia Minor. Finally it was influenced to a certain extent by Hellenistic culture. After having consolidated its theology and drawing into its ranks many converts in Asia Minor and Persia, Mithraism had almost reached its climax. It was, however, the latest religion of its kind to become popular in the Roman Empire.\ [Footnote:] Mithraism was not popular in the Roman Empire until A.D. 100.\
The greatest agency of propagation of Mithraism was the army. Under the Roman policy of conscription troops from conquered lands were sent to serve in other parts of the empire. Among the forces which were drawn up in that fashion were soldiers from such places as Cappadocia, Commagene, Pontus and Armenia, where Mithraism was extremely popular. When these men were sent out to foreign outpost to serve in the Roman army they did not forget their religious customs. Converts were quickly gained within the army. Evidences of the diffusion of Mithraism by the army has been found in Scotland, Africa, Spain, Germany, and almost every locality where Roman troops were sent…
After the cult became popular throughout the Roman Empire, it received many converts from the upper classes. It had been spread by slaves and freedmen for the most part, but it did {not} remain a religion of the lower classes alone. As stated above, even the emperors gave it their approval.
Every serious Bible scholar should be aware of the influence Mithraism had on the customs and dogma adopted by the mainstream of professing Christianity. The following is a list of them:
Birthday celebration
Christmas
Confirmation (among Catholics)
Wardrobe used by Roman and Orthodox clergy
Father as a name for Roman and Orthodox priests
Heaven as the reward of the saved
Idols and Icons used in worship
Immortality of the soul
Liturgy (primarily that used in Catholicism)
Military Service
Mystical Eucharist
Monks
The Pope
Seven Sacraments
Sunday worship
Trinitarianism
None of these were practiced or taught by Jesus but have been adopted by a false Christianity. Read what Dr. King wrote about immortality of the soul.
The doctrine of the immortality of the soul was another view which was very prominent in Mithraism. Mithraism insisted that the soul was immortal and its temporary sojourn in a body was a period of trial. The worshipper’s action determined the posthumous fate of his soul. Of course, he was not alone in his attempt to attain purity and truth; Mithra stood by his side as a divine helper.10
The background of Mithraic eschatology was provided by that theory of the relation of the soul to the universe. It was believed that the soul descended at birth {from} the eternal home of light through the gate of Cancer, passing down through the seven planetary spheres to earth. As the soul passed through each stage it accumulated more and more impurity. It was possible for the initiate, while in his trial period on earth, to gain purity through the practice of courage and truth.11
After death there was judgment of the soul. Mithra, the protector of the truth, presided over the judgment court. If the soul had lived an impure life, it was dragged down to the infernal depths, where it received a thousand tortures. If, on the contrary, its good qualities outweighed the bad, it rises through the gate of caprocorn, passing in reverse order through the planetary sphere. At each stage the impurities which the soul picked up in its downward flow gradually diminished. The end of this great rise was supreme happiness and eternal bliss.
Dr. King concluded that much of what we call Christianity came from Mithraism as he wrote:
That Christianity did copy and borrow from Mithraism cannot be denied, but it was generally a natural and unconscious process rather than a deliberate plan of action. It was subject to the same influences from the environment as were the other cults, and it sometimes produced the same reaction. The people were conditioned by the contact with the older religions and the background and general trend of the time.
We have been led to believe by mainstream churches that Christianity replaced paganism. It would be more accurate to say that the Christianity practiced by most did not replace paganism, it adopted it.
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