Pagan Parallel "Saviors" Examined

This is a detailed response to the claim that there are many parallel pagan gods and "crucified saviors" that rival Christianity's founder Jesus Christ. All the pagan names linked above appear in a scrolling background graphic of the DVD "The God Who Wasn't There" produced by amateur filmmaker and former fundamentalist Brian Flemming. The DVD makes two major anti-Christian assertions: (1) Jesus of Nazareth didn't exist as a person in history (also called "mythicism"); and (2) the events of Christ's life in the Gospels were copied from "previous saviors" of non-Christian pagan religions. This article (Part 1) will answer the second claim; Part 2 will answer the first on historicity and the reliability of the New Testament. As a Catholic, those are the claims that interest me and matter to historical Christianity. Flemming's commentary dealing with his past Protestant fundamentalism, dispensationalism (the "Rapture"), Mel Gibson's bloody Passion of the Christ, statements from evangelical pentecostal preachers and the so-called "Religious/Christian right" while sometimes interesting, are irrelevant to historical Christianty, so I will ignore those. Overlaying the background graphic is a scrolling list of "Some Attributes of Previous Saviors": Born of virgin on December 25; Stars appeared at their births; visited by Magi from the east; turned water into wine; healed the sick; cast out demons; performed miracles; transfigured before followers; rode donkeys into the city; betrayed for 30 pieces of silver; celebrated communal meal with bread and wine; which represented the savior's flesh and blood; killed on a cross or tree; descended into hell; resurrected on third day; ascended into heaven; to forever sit beside Father God and become Divine Judge.