Another excellent quote from John C. Wright, gentleman, scholar, science fiction author and former atheist:
The whole of Christianity is a pagan survival; nowhere does the color and gaiety, the gold tints and the solemn bells, the Vestal Virgins and fantastic bestiary of paganism survive except in the Church. One might even say the ancient world dies and was resurrected after three days, and arose transfigured, losing none of the grace and dignity of the pagans, but gaining a rational moral character from the Jews. The good parts of paganism we kept; what we left behind was concubinage, infanticide, the gladiatorial games, and the Wicker Man.