Angela
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Fire-Haired, this isn't something I came up with one day on my own. There are whole courses on this at university, as part of the department of comparative religion.
Here is an introduction, but there are whole books written on it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_comparative_mythology
Or this, specifically on the parallels with the Osiris myth and rituals:
http://www.str.org/articles/is-jesus-simply-a-retelling-of-the-osiris-mythology#.VtTQIOZv7yc
There are also youtube videos.
For parallels with Persian religions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6J8hPr58Qc
Osiris:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM9-8qj_Js8
When you get to university you're going to encounter people who have a lot of this information and will challenge you. It's as well to read and think about it now. That was the point of view of my theology teachers as well. They didn't believe that ignorance was going to be of much use as a defense in the irreligious world.
As for whether or not the Gospels are lies or distortions or just folk tales that formed, you'll have to make up your own mind, just as Mormons have to decide whether Joseph Smith was just hallucinating when he thought the Angel Moroni had appeared to him, or as Buddhists have to decide whether the Buddha really reached Nirvana and his visions were real. It's not my intention to make you doubt your faith, but the believers in these religions also believe their scripture is true. They can't all be true.
As for the differences in Eucharistic theology, just because you don't understand the distinctions, or think it's no big whups doesn't mean you're right. Religions wouldn't have split, and blood wouldn't have been shed if people hadn't thought the differences were profound. I happen to agree with them. Not that they should have tried to settle the disputes in that way, of course.
Here is an introduction, but there are whole books written on it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_comparative_mythology
Or this, specifically on the parallels with the Osiris myth and rituals:
http://www.str.org/articles/is-jesus-simply-a-retelling-of-the-osiris-mythology#.VtTQIOZv7yc
There are also youtube videos.
For parallels with Persian religions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6J8hPr58Qc
Osiris:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM9-8qj_Js8
When you get to university you're going to encounter people who have a lot of this information and will challenge you. It's as well to read and think about it now. That was the point of view of my theology teachers as well. They didn't believe that ignorance was going to be of much use as a defense in the irreligious world.
As for whether or not the Gospels are lies or distortions or just folk tales that formed, you'll have to make up your own mind, just as Mormons have to decide whether Joseph Smith was just hallucinating when he thought the Angel Moroni had appeared to him, or as Buddhists have to decide whether the Buddha really reached Nirvana and his visions were real. It's not my intention to make you doubt your faith, but the believers in these religions also believe their scripture is true. They can't all be true.
As for the differences in Eucharistic theology, just because you don't understand the distinctions, or think it's no big whups doesn't mean you're right. Religions wouldn't have split, and blood wouldn't have been shed if people hadn't thought the differences were profound. I happen to agree with them. Not that they should have tried to settle the disputes in that way, of course.
