Carol C.- If you want to know more about Mithraism, check out this link: http://www.crystalinks.com/mithra.html

Yes, it is possible that Jesus learned about Mithraism from his wandering in the wilderness but it is just as likely that he learned it from Zoraostrians. Seems to me that Mithraism was a cult version of Zoroastrianism.

The earliest state to declare Christianity as its religion was Armenia which was also rooted in Zoroastrianism. I have come to believe that many of out monthesistic religions have their roots in Zoroastrianism. Practices change over time but the Jews of Babylon (who built Jerusalem after being freed by Cyrus) were already indebted to the believers of the Zoroastrian faith.

In this way, you can see that Jesus actually tried to return to the original teachings and save his people from the corruption of the priests in the temples.

Do I believe this? Maybe. It seems like a logical explanation of the evolution of Christianity and an even better explanation regarding the stories that have been passed down to us.