i have heard many different sides to this arguement. A christian would most likely say no and many pagans would most likely say yes. i'll tell you what i've heard from the pagan point of view:

-mary holding jesus in her arms is actually danu holding baby dagda (i hope i've got the names straight here)

- the cross was originally used as a symbol of fertility in pagan rites

-christian holidays have many of the same origins as pagan holidays and this is why they fall around the same time on the calendar. (spring/winter solstice, fall equinox,etc.)

i know these are very general statements, but if you could expand on these (and explain them more fully), if you know something that i may not have been aware of, or even just to comment on what i've said, please respond one and all!!!

Brigid is known as the triple godess of fertility, healing, and power. The Chruch added Bridget to the the nativity scene, calling her Mary's midwife. They also renamed Imbolc( FEB 1- pagan holiday of growth that she represented) to Candlemas, to disguise this holiday's pagan origins. That is just one example.
When christianity first came about as a religion, it was politically based. They wanted to take over the roman empire, which meant replacing the pagan deities which rome so depended on with their own. They destroyed pagan idols and places of worship, then made their own calendar and holidays loosely based on thoise of Pagan worshippers.

Samhain 31 October - 1 November
Hallowe'en takes place on 31 October and is the old Celtic feast of Samhain. It is a feast of the dead and was Christianized as All Hallows' Eve, the eve of All Saint's Day.
Yule 20-21 December
Yule is the midwinter festival. It takes place at the winter solstice when the sun enters Capricorn. It is a celebration of the sun and rebirth.

If you study all the similarities between christian holidays and pagan sabbats, the more obvious it is that christianity merely plaigarized the ancient beliefs to solidify their own religion

In Pagan mythology, Greek Dionysus (or roman Bacchus) was the Son of Zeus and his mortal lover,Semele. The story goes that he was born from the thigh of Zeus his father and later killed and torn apart by the Titans. Returning from the dead he then set about spreading his cult throughout the world . He brings happiness and salvation to those who accept him peacefully, death and eternal torture to those who do not.
Sound like a familiar long haired ,sandalled crusader we know?

Dionysos as a Christ figure? Oh man, that one was new. Good thinking.

i would think that most of the similar imagery and festival times can be traced to missionaries trying to convince people that they pretty much had it right all along, aside from a few minor details. Heck of a lot easier to convert people if they keep their old customs, with a twist, rather than changing everything.

The Cross is, naturally, older than christianity - or jesus couldn't have been crucified. Here, at least, I would assume it's more of a coincidence - perhaps a happy one, for the christians. The cross, in christian mythology, stands for the reborn Christ - he no longer hangs on it.

Of course, the crross and the Thor's Hammer-medallions also looked a lot alike - which helped them a lot up here in Scandinavia.

actually in refrence to the keltic culture and their gods being twisted wasn't that christianity lacked it's own dogma...but rather more of a tricking of the masses...They never "christianized" rome that's why you can still see many of their alters and statues to honor their gods intact..however i don't know the history of rome and christianity as well as the kelts...

by time the christians made it to the keltic nations they tried to get them to convert, but being deeply religious sort of people they found they would go to the same places to worship the same deities...so christianity "readjusted" their practice to coincide with the kelts...and it worked...by building their churches on keltic holy places, renaming their gods to saints and celebrating their holidays with a christ spin they soon had the kelts "christian" yet the kelts still saw it as "their" religion...that's why there are so many crossover between ancient keltic worship and christianity...christians didn't intentionally steal themes, they were just tricky about it.

gosh i love northern men!

yes, me too. *hugs self*

The cross predates recorded history, and the earliest use of it is as a air symbol in sun worship.

where do the deities danu and dagda come from? i originally thought that they were also celtic.

i knew about Dionysus being Zeus's son, however i didn't know the part about his being a prophet. that's quite fascinating.