Is Christianity based on older myths?

[pocaracas]

If I write that the early church, Paul, John, Peter, and James (epistle writers) believed that Jesus was God, died and rose again, you (and 10 of your friends) will just reply: prove it.

Actually, I'll tell you that their belief does not mean that it was true.
All the writings attributed to those personalities are so far removed from the, alleged, date of the events, that their belief is similar to your own: Faith - belief without evidence.

If I write that the multiple attestation of miracles is evidence that a miracle did happen, you (and 10 of your friends) will just reply: prove it, hearsay is not evidence (when it is).

Multiple versions of the same story are not evidence that a particular event in the story really happened.

Let's see if this accounts on this list mean that the underlying story was real:

• Rusalka
  
• Disney's The Little Mermaid
  
• The Little Mermaid, by Hans Christian Andersen
  
• Trimark's The Little Mermaid
  
• Once on This Island
  

Get my meaning?

If I write that the alternative is a massive deception and there are not good reasons for a massive deception, you (and 10 of your friends) will just reply: prove it. (Or the more ignorant will say for money and power.)

Sure there are reasons for it!
The Assyrians acknowledged it...
The greek even had oracles influencing rulers...
The Jews also knew about it... think about it, why on Earth would the only god that has ever been, the only god that humankind has ever known, imprint a rule in stone where it forbids people from worshiping other gods? Where would those other gods come from?

The romans were too aware of it when they implemented catholicism in their territory.
And the arabs too when they implemented islam in their caliphate.

Religion is a form of population behavioral control of little cost.It's not about money... nor about power... it's control of the populace. Keep everyone calm, due to the invisible big brother who can punish or reward you in the afterlife.

If I write that most scholars believe that Jesus existed and even that his baptism and crucifixion really happened, you (and 10 of your friends) will just reply: prove it, appeal to authority.

Most scholars are also believers, so that means little.
Did the Teacher of righteousness exist? maybe... Could he have been called Jesus? perhaps. So yeah... maybe there was a person whose life inspired some of the tales.... maybe there was another person who inspired other tales... and then maybe even more people.... Crucifixions happened... using water to cleanse the "soul" happened... and all those may have contributed to what later became the jesus myth.
So what?

So I won't write those things again.

See?
I didn't ask you to prove anything.