History Main / HijackedByJesus

* This isn't the first time Hades' image was hijacked. Disney's ''The Goddess of Spring'', a pre-cursor to ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'', made the merger between Satan and Hades ''even more'' blatant. WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick gave her review going on in detail about how poorly this was handled.

*** Christmas is actually rather debatable. Early Christian theologians believed that good men died on the day they were conceived. The earliest record was when someone said March 25 was the day Jesus was born, and added nine months. There are actually theories that Christmas was celebrated well before the Roman holiday of ''Dies Natalis Sol Invictus'', and the Romans created it to counter Christmas. Other evidence however points to the cult of Sol Invictus existing prior to Christianity in Rome. Interestingly, Sol Invictus-meaning "Unconquered Sun"- was a title associated with Alexander the Great who at that time was widely worshipped as a god.

* Originally, the ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' had no backstory other than "Aliens from a distant planet fight each other". Then we were introduced to the Quintessons, and the backstory became "All transformers were originally built for slave labor, but rebelled against their creators". Nowadays Hasbro's official backstory is "Primus and Unicron are the personafication of Good and Evil, Primus created the transformers while Unicron wants to destroy everything. There also were 13 primes, 1 of them is a traitor". It's also never been explictly said, but Optimus Prime, who dies and comes back at least once in every series and is considered the most heroic character in the series, is implied to be one of the original Primes. Optimus has gained the FanNickname "Robo Jesus" for a reason.

* The depiction of Hecate in ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}''. "The Wedding from Hell" pretty much reduces an InNameOnly use of Hecate's name without ever using enough of the mythology that it was ever a "depiction of Hecate". Which still makes it a HijackedByJesus, since Hecate is certainly not this kind of generic evil goddess.

* {{Subverted}} in ''The Lightning Thief'', the first novel of ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians''. When Zeus' master lightning bolt is stolen, the first suspect is Hades. Hades is believed to have stolen the master bolt in order to start a rebellion. As it turns out, the thief was actually [[spoiler:the lead character's camp counselor, Luke]].

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[[folder: Mythology and Religion]]

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** When Creator/{{Marvel|Comics}} got the rights to Angela, a Judeo-Christian angel from ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'', they reinvented her as a ''Thor'' character and added angels to their version of Norse mythology. Though in this case the Christian aspects are only surface-deep; Marvel keeps the words "Angel" and "Heaven" (as "Heven") and the GoldAndWhiteAreDivine look, but beyond that these angels are nothing like the Biblical version (they're completely mercenary and only value material goods, and they ''hate'' Odin and Asgardians in general).

** When [[ComicBook/AngelaMarvelComics Marvel got the rights to Angela]], a Judeo-Christian angel from ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'', they reinvented her as a ''Thor'' character and added angels to their version of Norse mythology. Though in this case the Christian aspects are only surface-deep; Marvel keeps the words "Angel" and "Heaven" (as "Heven") and the GoldAndWhiteAreDivine look, but beyond that these angels are nothing like the Biblical version (they're completely mercenary and only value material goods, and they ''hate'' Odin and Asgardians in general).

** Famine and "God(s) of Famine" were more common during antiquity. Fossil evidence (skeletal remains) indicate malnutrition was common during antiquity. Famine was a real fear for the ancients. The Greek goddess of famine, Limos, was the counterpart to agricultural abundance goddess Demeter. Christianity personified fear of famine in the Third Horseman of the Apocalypse. Famine and mass starvation are less omnipresent in the modern world, particularly in developed countries.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Myth/NorseMythology Odin]] hanging from Yggdrassil for 9 days, in the darkness, with his side stabbed by a spear, and with no help from other gods. He died, and was reborn wiser. Hmm, [[ItsBeenDone haven't we heard that story elsewhere?]]]]

* Inverted in ''VideoGame/AfterTheEndACrusaderKingsIIMod''. AfterTheEnd, in post-apocalyptic America, Norse paganism has seen a revival. [[FutureImperfect With some confusion]]. The new faith integrates several Christian traditions, however, including Yule celebrations, in which animals and humans are sacrificed before "Odin [[BadSanta in his jolly Yule garb]]".

* Tarot, interestingly enough, underwent an ''[[InvertedTrope inversion]]'' of this trope, as it became increasingly associated with occultism in the 19th and 20th century. The most obvious aspect of this was the Popess and Pope (Drumpfs II and IV) coming to be known as the High Priestess and Hierophant, while the suits of Coins and Batons (which were already established in Italian and Spanish playing cards) were renamed Pentacles and Wands, respectively.

** The religious building is called a "Monastery" and the units it produces are "monks", even in Muslim and pre-Columbian American cultures. Building or clicking on one produces a Gregorian-like chant, and its icon is two hands placed together.
** Excluding the Americans, all monks wear priestly robes, have tonsure, and carry a crossier and a big, Western-style book clearly intended to be a Bible. They also make a Gregorian-like chant when they convert enemy units to your side.

* In ''Film/GungaDin,'' the villains are worshipers of Kali, who is described as "The goddess of blood," who smiles at warfare, torture, and human sacrifice. Her cult is a ReligionOfEvil that murders indiscriminately, as many as thirty thousand people per year! To rub in the salt, the movie is prefaced with a line saying that the depiction of her and her worship is "based on historical fact." While Kali ''does'' have a terrifying aspect (a necklace of skulls and hands full of weapons, granted, is pretty alarming), she is just another aspect of a greater feminine deity, and her realm is time and natural change as much as righteous destruction.

* In ''Film/XMenApocalypse'', Apocalypse, like in the comics, is an ancient Egyptian who commands the HorsemenOfTheApocalypse. The movie takes it further, with the horsemen possibly being the inspiration for the Biblical horsemen. Apocalypse accuses modern society of idolatry, one of the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament, and Apocalypse ends up saying "All is revealed," as in the definition of an apocalyptic work. An ancient Egyptian would be familiar with a very different set of religious beliefs. Apocalypse is asleep during time periods when these Biblical beliefs would have been active, in areas outside of ancient Egypt, so it's odd that Apocalypse is such a huge fan of both the Old Testament and New Testament, as if he were a modern Biblical reader.
* In ''Film/TheReplacementKillers'', John berates the temple's Buddha statue for bringing unfair misfortune on his family, in all probability because the scriptwriter was under the impression that ll religions work just like Christianity and their respective icon of worship must be the culprit and target of any RageAgainstTheHeavens. In reality, Buddha is not the equivalent of God and isn't supposed to have any kind of control over the things that happen in the world, either good or bad, which instead obey (most of them, the rest happen basically because) to an impersonal principle of the universe named karma.

* Discussed in ''Series/{{Vikings}}''. The Christian priest Athelstan is kidnapped from his church in Britain, and forced to live alongside the vikings. Although he stays loyal to his religion, he couldn't help but notice the similarities between the cruxificion of Jesus and the story of Odin hanging from Yggdrassil. He becomes troubled by those notions, and eventually accepts both religions. And even then he stays troubled, because a true Christian may not worship any other god.

** 1 Corinthians 10:20 “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.” [[note]] it should be noted the actual Greek word often translated into English as "devils" is morally neutral. It is "daemon", which meant something akin to "faery spirit". The Arabian concept of "djinn" is also similar. The reason why Christians shouldn't sacrifice to these spirits is less because they are malevolent, and more because they are lesser than God. The idea of malevolent devils is primarily a medieval European one.[[/note]]

** In one theory (but by far not the most popular one, not that there ''is'' a most popular one), KingArthur was originally a Celtic hero-king which doomed the old "England" because he first got the power of the holy vessel (more likely a cooking pot, later grail) and dug up the head of Lug in Lugdunum -- that way, he broke the spell protecting his country.

* 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 burning the Koran). 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). Among others, Islamic eschatology holds that, in end times, it will specifically be Jesus Christ who will be returning to judge the living and the dead!

** It's often believed in the scholarship of Myth/NorseMythology that Loki was the pretty standard [[TheTrickster Trickster]] found in about half the tales, not the sudden betrayer of the gods/Satan analog that shows up partway through Creator/SnorriSturluson's writing. Loki may have even been an aspect of Odin. On the other hand, the Lokasenna, in the Poetic Edda, is generally considered to preserve largely pre-Christian sources, and depicts the precise same betrayal.

* An interesting variation took place in a ChristmasEpisode of ''Series/NorthernExposure'', where the town of Cicily combined Christmas traditions with the local tribe's "Raven Festival", based on the story of [[TheTrickster Raven]] and the Sun-Holder's Daughter. While this is a traditional Raven story among some tribes and the depiction in the show is fairly accurate, it does make Raven seem like a CrystalDragonJesus. In one of the few points where Joel's receptionist [[TheQuietOne Marilyn Whirlwind]] spoke more than a few words at a time, she told the story to Joel:

* Book 2 of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' features the light spirit Raava opposing the dark spirit Vaatu, with the latter being a SatanicArchetype. Normally, this would be a standard Western fantasy setup, but the design of the two spirits evoke UsefulNotes/Taoism's iconic yin-yang symbol, and this fundamentally goes against Taoist philosophy, in which light and dark are complementary and the goal is achieve balance between them to find inner peace.

** The spin-off series ''Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard'' features a [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar pretty damn gutsy]] version of this for a children's book by mentioning Thor having a vendetta against Jesus ever since he didn't show up for a fight and taking his honor from him.

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

* ''Literature/OracleOfTao'' has Jesus appear frequently in the book version. This is despite the video game being mostly of Taoism, and Jesus not appearing ''at all'' in the game. It's zig-zagged at time though, because the author's depiction of Christianity is [[JesusWasWayCool very]], [[AFormYouAreComfortableWith very]] [[PalsWithJesus strange]].

** Famine and "God(s) of Famine" were more common during antiquity. Fossil evidence (skeletal remains) indicate malnutrition was common during antiquity. Famine was a real fear for the ancients. The Greek goddess of famine, Limos, was the counterpart to agricultural abundance goddess Demeter. Christianity personified fear of famine in the Third Horseman of the Apocalypse. Famine and mass starvation does not exist in the modern first world, not like the past.

** 1 Corinthians 10:20 “But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”

*** Christmas is actually rather debatable. Early Christian theologians believed that good men died on the day they were conceived. The earliest record was when someone said March 25 was the day Jesus was conceived, and added nine months. There are actually theories that Christmas was celebrated well before the Roman holiday of ''Dies Natalis Sol Invictus'', and the Romans created it to counter Christmas.

*** Odin's self-sacrifice to gain knowledge (by hanging himself on the World Tree for nine days) bears a striking resemblance to the Crucifixion. In particular, note that Odin sacrificed himself ''to himself'' -- and since conventional Christianity interprets Jesus as an incarnation of God, the Crucifixion thus entailed the Christian God likewise sacrificing himself to himself. However, there are no reported Viking activities in the area of Israel at the time, and all reported versions of that myth are from ''after'' Christianity became a thing in Europe, so it may also be a case of the Vikings trying to hijack Christian stories, instead of the other way. It may also be just a coincidence: deaths by hanging were a common punishment in real life, same as crucifixion, but the part of the god having his side torn by a pike seems too specific and suggests an influence in either way. Although, that could again just be coincidence - using a spear to prod the side of a hanged / crucified person was used as a way to check they were dead before they were cut down: if they reacted, they were still alive and would be left up there longer.

It should be noted that [[TruthInTelevision this has happened]] a number of times historically, as it was both an useful resource and an inevitable point of view. As proselytizing sects spread into new regions, they often incorporate existing beliefs into their canon in order to make the new religion more palatable to others. For example, the medieval story of the hermit Josaphat (not to be mistaken with the King Jehoshaphat of Judea, or the 17th-century martyr St. Josaphat) was a Christianized version of the life of Gautama Buddha (with "Bodhisattva" mutating into "Josaphat"). On the opposite end, polytheistic cultures "converted" to Christianity simply transferred the worship of individual gods to the ''saints'' that most resembled them (in some cases, the old pagan gods were remade ''into'' saints). The Catholic church in particular got ''a lot'' of mileage out of this, and seeing some processions for some saints (in e.g. Latin America), it's not hard at all to imagine what the religious customs prior to Christianity may have looked like.

Whenever a fictional story involves non-Christian themes, a western adaptation will emphasize the elements most familiar to followers of Christianity. At times, they will be totally rewritten to turn all of the members of the religion into direct analogues of Christian figures.

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]]. 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.

It should be noted that [[TruthInTelevision this has happened]] a number of times historically. As proselytizing sects spread into new regions, they often incorporate existing beliefs into their canon, in order to make the new religion more palatable to others. For example, the medieval story of the hermit Josaphat (not to be mistaken with the King Jehoshaphat of Judea, or the 17th-century martyr St. Josaphat) was a Christianized version of the life of Gautama Buddha (with "Bodhisattva" mutating into "Josaphat"). Often, polytheistic cultures "converted" to Christianity simply transferred the worship of individual gods to the ''saints'' that most resembled them (in some cases, the old pagan gods were remade ''into'' saints). The Catholic church in particular got ''a lot'' of mileage out of this and seeing some processions for some saints in e.g. Latin America, it's not hard at all to imagine what the religious customs prior to Christianity may have looked like.

* Origins of various words meaning God in different languages predate Christianity. Theos, Deus, Dievas, God, etc.

* 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 burning the Koran). 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).
** Among others, Islamic eschatology holds that, in end times, it will specifically be Jesus Christ who will be returning to judge the living and the dead!

* Myth/ClassicalMythology: There's some speculation that the cults of Orphic Dionysus and Mithras, both competed with early Christianity and may have influenced it. There are a few parallels: both involve a being who's partially man and partially god, who is born through miraculous circumstances and who dies only to return to life [[note]] So far as we can tell, anyway; both cults were pretty secretive [[/note]].

** TheFairFolk went from... The Fair Folk, who were all right if you didn't offend them, to evil spirits who couldn't stand church bells/crosses/a priest.

* In Literature/ActsOfTheApostles, Paul says outright "Here, you have an altar saying 'To an unknown god'[[note]]A leftover from an old affair which required the ritual cleansing of the whole Athens[[/note]]; well, this is the god I come to talk about".