Mithra

The small Mithraic congregations were like masonic lodges for a few and for men only and even those mostly of one class, the military; a religion that excludes the half of the human race bears no comparison to the religion of Christ. Mithraism was all comprehensive and tolerant of every other cult; the Pater Patrum himself was an adept in a number of other religions; Christianity was essentially exclusive, condemning every other religion in the world, alone and unique in its majesty.

Regarding infantcide, evil nations were sacrificing their children on altars and God wanted it stopped, so God destroyed those evil nations which today no logner exist. Since these nations were so evil, even the killing of young adults was needed because they would continue the tradition of killing their own child in child sacrifices. This is not infantcide, but ending of a horrible sin.

What they, and even more urgently their womenfolk, needed was a God, not towering above them like the Eternal Sun, the eye of Mithras and his earthly representative, shedding his radiance impartially upon the just and the unjust; but a God who had walked upon the earth in human form, who had known like themselves pain and affliction, and to whom they could look for sympathy and help. Such a god was not to be found in the Mithraic Cave.

It has been said that Mithraism failed, in contrast with Christianity, precisely because it did not spring from a strong personality such as Jesus. There is this much truth in the statement, that the Persian Mithra was a very shadowy form beside Jesus, who came nearer to the heart, especially of women, invalids, and the weak, in his human features and on account of the touching description of his death.

Something needs to be said about if Mithraism was true, then it failed and its god failed. Would the creator of the universe fail? I don't think so.