It was not until universalist teachings began being introduced during the 1950′s and 60′s that that inherent type of knowledge began being removed. One of the first indications was the introduction of children’s music like, Jesus loves All the little children of the world – yellow, brown, red and black and white”, that the universalist doctrines were stealthily inserted and became more prevalent.

Universalist teachings and doctrines were present at the founding of Christianity. In fact, universalism is one of the central ideas of Christian theology. The other one is egalitarianism.

Read the New Testament epistles.

As if picking up on this, Dennis MacDonald’s recent book, “Mythologizing Jesus” picks up the same idea and runs with it so well that even the thickest evangelical can grasp what most pastors used to know: Christianity IS European Paganism for anyone who wants to unpack it only slightly.

Not really. The Christian scriptures, i.e. the New Testament, are chock full of references and allusions to the Jewish scriptures, i.e. the Old Testament. The gospel stories of Jesus, in particular, are just rewrites (sometimes verbatim) of various stories of Jewish heroes and prophets in the Old Testament, particularly Moses, Elijah, and Elisha. Dennis MacDonald and all critical New Testament scholars are well aware of this fact, but they generally try to conceal it from the Christian public for obvious reasons.

Without the Jewish scriptures/Old Testament, the Christian scriptures/New Testament would make no sense and could not have been written in the first place.

You’re both right.

I had an aunt who was a high-ranking nun in the early 60s who was invited to Rome to give a nuns-eye-view report to Vatican II, the council that effectively obliterated the Roman Church as an agent of “racial stability” (to modify Hitler’s comment slightly). She told me at the time (I was 12) that the deck was rigged. She was a Traditionalist and to her, it was as if Rome was selling out to the mob. And as Rome went in 1962, the rest of Christianity seems to have followed at quick-step.

But just as predicted by people back then, the catacombs are back up and running. A pamphlet on Gurdjief, “Digging up the Dog” has exposed his oldest gag as real (His gag was: “Everything good in Christianity they took from the Greeks, then they spoil”.)

As if picking up on this, Dennis MacDonald’s recent book, “Mythologizing Jesus” picks up the same idea and runs with it so well that even the thickest evangelical can grasp what most pastors used to know: Christianity IS European Paganism for anyone who wants to unpack it only slightly. So “Esoteric Christianity” is making a comeback right when we need it.

And MacDonald at no point argues against orthodox Christianity, proving that you can make the case without offending anyone. On page 50 of his book, wonderfully, MacDonald includes the 500 B.C. depiction of Hermes walking on water. A total delight for me because I heard about it decades ago but never expected to see it.