History Main / HijackedByJesus

** However, Christianity later adapted many Greek terms for ideas regarding cosmology, morality, and metaphysics to match their Jewish equivalents. The Bible literally presents "Hades" (as in a personification of death or "the grave") as Satan's ally.
** Technically, the references to Hades in the Bible are not as an entity, but as one of the [[IHaveManyNames many names]] for the Underworld itself. In the Old Testament[=/=]Jewish Bible, and probably in the Aramaic originals of the conversations the New Testament reports, "Hades" usually translates the Hebrew concept "Sheol" (which was actually very similar to the Greek conception of Hades' realm).

** The Hades from WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} also shows up in the Franchise/KingdomHearts games, where [[EnsembleDarkhorse he's one of the most popular villains in the lineup]].

** To be fair, ''[[RealityWarper Genie]]'' arranged the wedding, and [[AnachronismStew he isn't exactly known for keeping with period.]]

** Since the ancient Norse never wrote their myths down, the earliest written documents were attempts to Christianize the heathens, by turning the Norse gods into a Christian pantheon, by making the gods out to be demonic, or simply by calling them clever mortals. The portrayal of the gods in "Gesta Danorum" is a transparent example of the latter.

* In some sense, a large chunk of Islam is this to Christianity. Indeed, Jesus is himself a great prophet of Islam and the Gospels (called Injil in Islam) are considered an Islamic Holy Book (which is, incidentally, why it would not make sense for a good Muslim to burn a Bible in response were a fanatical Christian to burn the Koran--because the Bible is also holy in Islam). However, the Islamic interpretation is that Christianity is based on misinterpretation of Jesus' teachings, who was really preaching about (to oversimplify) another, greater prophet to come (in the person of Mohammed).

** Christian missionaries in Southeast Asia also Christianized Islamic terms. Many Southeast Asian Catholics in Malaysia and Indonesia refer to God as Allah, despite the term being foreign to this region (So do Christian Arabs, but, to them, the word Allah is their own native language, not an imported term). This was due to efforts by the 16th century Jesuits who deliberately used term Allah. This became controversial in Malaysia at various times when the government sought to forbid use of the term Allah by non-Muslims.

* In some sense, a large chunk of Islam is this to Christianity. Indeed, Jesus is himself a great prophet of Islam and the Gospels (called Injil in Islam) are considered an Islamic Holy Book (which is, incidentally, why it would not make sense for a good Muslim to burn a Bible in response were a fanatical Christian to burn the Koran--because the Bible is also holy in Islam). However, the Islamic interpretation is that Christianity is based on misinterpretation of Jesus' teachings, who was really preaching about another, greater prophet to come (in the person of Mohammed).

* In some sense, a large chunk of Islam is this to Christianity. Indeed, Jesus is himself a great prophet of Islam and the Gospels (called Injil in Islam) are considered an Islamic Holy Book (which is, incidentally, why it would not make sense for a good Muslim to burn a Bible in response to a fanatical Christian to burn the Koran--because the Bible is also holy in Islam). However, the Islamic interpretation is that Christianity is based on misinterpretation of Jesus' teachings, who was really preaching about another, greater prophet to come (in the person of Mohammed).

* The main series of ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' takes this very literally. When the Earth was young, according to [[ShinMegamiTenseiI Echidna]] and [[spoiler:[[StrangeJourney Mem Aleph]]]], it was ruled by all sorts of pantheons with their own adepts and followers. At one point, though, the Abrahamic God [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly grew in power and overthrew all others]], casting them down into lower astral planes (Atziluth in the original stories, Makai in current continuity) and turning them (and their cults) into demons. For example, Astaroth is ''literally'' a corrupted and demonized form of Ishtar... while more "acceptable" pagan gods like Thor have thrown their lot in with YHVH, choosing to become mere lackeys in order to prevent their own destruction or similar literal demonization. Only when a breach opens between our world and the lower planes (the [[ShinMegamiTenseiI Demon Summoning Program]], [[ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne the Conception]], [[StrangeJourney the Schwarzwelt]]) do the "demons" get the chance to fight back to regain their old power.

* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' is based on films from the 1930s, which commonly reduced various foreign cultures into caricature. In the film, the complex and sophisticated religion of Hinduism is reduced to nice people worshiping Shiva and murderous Thuggees worshiping Kali. The Thuggees behave like stereotypical Satanic cultists. The real Thugs, those who practiced Thuggee, did worship Kali, but no more so than the Ku Klux Klan worshipped Jesus. While they did tend to ritually murder people, it was by strangulation via a yellow scarf, not ripping hearts out of someone's chest. It wasn't just the British who worked on eradicating them. And, incidentally, Kali herself is ''Shiva's wife''. Not the estranged kind, either. [[hottip:*:Technically, Parvati is Shiva's wife, and Kali is the darker aspect of her, who awakens to strike down Evil when needed.]] In Indy's defense, though, he does briefly note that the Thuggees are a heretical sect.
** To clarify it, Kali is a good goddess, but there is a demon ACTUALLY worshiped by Satanists called Kali. Note that there is ''no relation between the two entities''. The confusion exists because, English not having the level of vowel representation Indian languages do, the names of both the demon and the Goddess are written with the same spelling. [[hottip:*:For those interested, the approximate pronunciations are as follows: the Goddess's name is "Kah-lee", whereas the demon is "Kully". The proper transcriptions are Kālī and Kali.]]

* Most mummy movies, including those of ''Film/TheMummyTrilogy'', portray gods such as Anubis and Seth as {{Expy}}s of Satan. In reality, Anubis was a protector and judge of the dead and all round cool guy when compared to some of his sibling gods, while Seth was originally god of the deserts of lower Egypt, the legends of his scheming and murder of Osiris a later myth. In fact, the statues found next to Tutankhamun, called Shabts, would be more appropriate. Of course, while it's true that Anubis was considered a kindly protector whose main concern was making sure souls made it safely to the afterlife, he's ''also'' the guy who checked if your soul was worthy of the next life and tossed it to Ammut to snack on if it wasn't... In this way, he is more like the Christian God than Satan, as on Judgement Day, he is supposed to throw all sinners into the Lake of Fire.

In mythologies without a "GodOfEvil", the least likable deity (usually the one in charge of [[EverybodyHatesHades death]], [[EvilIsBurningHot fire]], or occasionally [[EvilIsDeathlyCold winter]]) will be {{Flanderized}} into such a figure who is a [[SatanicArchetype direct analogue of Satan]]. This usually leads to [[CriticalResearchFailure major research failure]], because such [[TheAntiGod opposition]] is actually typical for Manicheism, not Christianity. Any depiction of the afterlife will be transformed into either [[FluffyCloudHeaven Heaven]] or [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Hell]]. The chief male deity will always be a [[CrystalDragonJesus stand-in]] for {{God}}. Servants of the chief male deity may be turned into angels, or other gods will seem so subservient they may as well be angels, despite them being at each other's throats in most mythologies.

* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' is based on films from the 1930s, which commonly reduced various foreign cultures into caricature. In the film, the complex and sophisticated religion of Hinduism is reduced to nice people worshiping Shiva and murderous Thuggees worshiping Kali. The Thuggees behave like stereotypical Satanic cultists. The real Thuggees did worship Kali, but no more so than the Ku Klux Klan worshipped Jesus. While they did tend to ritually murder people, it was by strangulation, not ripping hearts out of someone's chest. It wasn't just the British who worked on eradicating them. And, incidentally, Kali herself is ''Shiva's wife''. Not the estranged kind, either. [[hottip:*:Technically, Parvati is Shiva's wife, and Kali is the darker aspect of her, who awakens to strike down Evil when needed.]] In Indy's defense, though, he does briefly note that the Thuggees are a heretical sect.

* "Avatar: The Last Airbender" is based on Asian mythology, but for a character designed to look rather Buddhist, Aang's pleas for tolerance, understanding, and forgiveness echoes a LOT of New Testament themes. While at the same time, the villainous Fire Nation has guys like Fire Lord Ozai and Admiral Zhao, the former obviously being a clear-cut devil, like his daughter Azula, and the latter being so consumed with ambition and pride he tries to take out the Moon Spirit and overthrow the balance of nature for the sake of victory and his own glory, similar as to how humanity in the Old Testament upset the balance of nature for the sake of personal gain, with Adam and Eve taking the fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge so they can equal God, and the tower of Babylon being a work of pride that angered God. Koh in the spirit world also seems rather demonic, especially in his tone of voice and his character.

* "Avatar: The Last Airbender" is based on Asian mythology, but for a character designed to look rather Buddhist, Aang's pleas for tolerance, understanding, and forgiveness echoes a LOT of New Testament themes. While at the same time , the villainous Fire Nation has guys like Fire Lord Ozai and Admiral Zhao, the former obviously being a clear-cut devil, like his daughter Azula, and the latter being so consumed with ambition and pride he tries to take out the Moon Spirit and overthrow the balance of nature for the sake of victory and his own glory, similar as to how humanity in the Old Testament upset the balance of nature for the sake of personal gain, with Adam and Eve taking the fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge so they can equal God, and the tower of Babylon being a work of pride that angered God. Koh in the spirit world also seems rather demonic, especially in his tone of voice and his character.

In mythologies without a "GodOfEvil", the least likable deity (usually the one in charge of [[EverybodyHatesHades death]], [[EvilIsBurningHot fire]], or occasionally [[EvilIsDeathlyCold winter]]) will be {{Flanderized}} into such a figure who is a direct analogue of {{Satan}}. This usually leads to [[CriticalResearchFailure major research failure]], because such [[TheAntiGod opposition]] is actually typical for Manicheism, not Christianity. Any depiction of the afterlife will be transformed into either [[FluffyCloudHeaven Heaven]] or [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Hell]]. The chief male deity will always be a [[CrystalDragonJesus stand-in]] for {{God}}. Servants of the chief male deity may be turned into angels, or other gods will seem so subservient they may as well be angels, despite them being at each other's throats in most mythologies.

See also EverybodyHatesHades, NunsAreMikos, FauxSymbolism, TheThemeParkVersion, SadlyMythtaken, CrystalDragonJesus, MessianicArchetype. Contrast LowestCosmicDenominator and ChurchOfSaintGenericus. This will often include a MythologyUpgrade.

!!Examples:

* The second season of ''Series/TrueBlood'' takes all the complexities and ambiguities out of the Dionysiac experience by identifying it with the Abrahamic concept of evil. They also conflate Dionysos with the Horned God of other fertility cults.

** The series in general tends to draw a lot of analogies between pagan myths and biblical stories, whether or not there's any actual historical connection between them.

** To clarify it, Kali is a good goddess, but there is a demon ACTUALLY worshiped by Satanists called Kali. Note that there is ''no relation between the two entities''. The confusion exists because, English not having the level of vowel representation Indian Languages do, the names of both the demon and the Goddess are written with the same spelling. [[hottip:*:For those interested, the approximate pronunciations are as follows: the Goddess's name is "Kah-lee", whereas the demon is "Kully". The proper transcriptions are Kālī and Kali.]]

In mythologies without an "UltimateEvil", the least likable deity (usually the one in charge of [[EverybodyHatesHades death]], [[EvilIsBurningHot fire]], or occasionally [[EvilIsDeathlyCold winter]]) will be {{Flanderized}} into a GodOfEvil who is a direct analogue of {{Satan}}[[note]]although this usually leads to [[CriticalResearchFailure major research failure]], because such opposition is actually typical for Manicheism, not Christianity[[/note]]. Any depiction of the afterlife will be transformed into either [[FluffyCloudHeaven Heaven]] or [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Hell]]. The chief male deity will always be a [[CrystalDragonJesus stand-in]] for {{God}}. Servants of the chief male deity may be turned into angels, or other gods will seem so subservient they may as well be angels, despite them being at each other's throats in most mythologies.

[[folder:Films]]
* [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Disney's adaptation]] of ''[[GreekMythology Hercules]]'', featuring Hades as {{Satan}}, Zeus as {{God}} (and a BumblingDad), Hercules as Jesus, and the other Olympians as angels. [[{{Bowdlerise}} To protect family values]], Zeus's "special relationship" with mortal women was ignored, making Hercules a son of ''Hera'', and poisoned (by Hades, of course) with mortality. This moves Hera out of her original ClingyJealousGirl and BigBad roles in the original myths. Interestingly enough, the movie does nothing to rectify Hera's status as Zeus's [[BrotherSisterIncest sister]], however, outside of just not mentioning it. Hades was one of the few Greek Gods who ''didn't'' routinely screw with mortals or curse them, and could even be convinced to help them (Orpheus). Granted, kidnapping Persephone wasn't very nice, but that's probably the worst thing he ever did. And he ''was'' genuinely in love with her, at least. And it was a deal with Zeus as a way of compensating for him getting the short end of the deal (being in charge of the Underworld instead of Sky or Sea). The guy was just misunderstood!

* A more minor example is Chernobog from Disney's ''Fantasia''; though named for and based on a Slavic god, he was at least once referenced as {{Satan}} by Walt Disney.

* Most mummy movies, including those of TheMummyTrilogy, portray gods such as Anubis and Seth as {{Expy}}s of Satan. In reality, Anubis was a protector and judge of the dead and all round cool guy when compared to some of his sibling gods, while Seth was originally god of the deserts of lower Egypt, the legends of his scheming and murder of Osiris a later myth. In fact, the statues found next to Tutankhamun, called Shabts, would be more appropriate. Of course, while it's true that Anubis was considered a kindly protector whose main concern was making sure souls made it safely to the afterlife, he's ''also'' the guy who checked if your soul was worthy of the next life and tossed it to Ammut to snack on if it wasn't... In this way, he is more like the Christian God than Satan, as on Judgement Day, he is supposed to throw all sinners into the Lake of Fire.
* In the movie version of PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians, Hades is, once again, a villain [[spoiler:though not the BigBad]]. Who is apparently portrayed as a fiery devil-creature, though that's just his favored form. The Hades from the book version seems to be this trope at first, but [[spoiler:Ares is the real villain]].
* The new ''Clash of the Titans'': Hades is the bad guy in the remake. However, at least the writers tried to provide some form of justification in that in this version of events, he was tricked into taking control of the underworld by Zeus. The blow is further softened by virtue of the fact that the rest of the gods are generally portrayed as all around dicks, particularly since the story of Medusa's origin is told as the "Poseidon raped her and Athena punished her for it" variant. On the other hand, it then turns Zeus into Jesus by [[spoiler:having him bring Io back from the dead, despite the fact that ''only Hades can raise the dead''.]] To make matters worse, it essentially makes Zeus an {{Expy}} of the Abrahamic God by having him be the creator of mankind, when in reality -- or mythology, really -- it was a Titan called Prometheus who created man from clay. This is where the subtitle of Mary Shelley's {{Frankenstein}} comes from.

** Technically, the references to Hades in the Bible are not as an entity, but as one of the [[IHaveManyNames many names]] for the Underworld itself. In the Old Testament[=/=]Jewish bible, and probably in the Aramaic originals of the conversations the New Testament reports, "Hades" usually translates the Hebrew concept "Sheol" (which was actually very similar to the Greek conception of Hades).

** Technically, the references to Hades in the Bible are not as an entity, but as one of the [[IHaveManyNames many names]] for the Underworld itself. Makes sense considering that Greek was one of the [[CommonTongue everyday languages]], and Jesus was trying to convey to the common people a concept of afterlife much different from the one they were most familiar with.

** Technically, the references to Hades in the Bible are not as an entity, but as one of the [[IHaveManyNames many names]] for the Underworld itself. Makes sense considering that Greek was one of the [[CommonTongue everyday languages]], and Jesus was trying to convey to the common people a concept of afterlife much different from they were most familiar with.

* Part of the final plan in Literature/PastwatchTheRedemptionOfChristopherColumbus involves influencing the pre-existing Mesoamerican religion in order to 1) eliminate the practice of human sacrifice, and 2) prevent religious conflict when they come in contact with Renaissance Christianity. The basic gist of how they pull it off is to introduce a new prophet that tells the natives to look for a people across the sea who have discovered a divine figure whose blood-sacrifice permanently sates the requirement for human sacrifice. It comes off a bit like a pre-planned version of the Navajo example in the Real Life section.