Why are multiple religious beliefs similar to each other?

I have just watched a movie called Zeitgeist where the narrator describes how Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and many more have similar stories to how god was born, how the god came to be, and how the god has passed, following a resurrection after 3 days.  This truly begs the question of, “why are these religious beliefs so similar? How could it be that they are so closely related? Is there something that happened in history that might have influenced this to happen? Does scientific knowledge such as Astrological studies have to do with anything?

Astrology has a strong correlation with religion.  What is Astrology? It is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world. (Google, 2014)

There are 12 symbols of the zodiac are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.  Each of these constellations, have different alignment surrounding stars, and planets as well. 

Many cultures as well as some aspects of today’s religious beliefs have associated Astrology with an important meaning or interpretation.  Astrology brings a sense of time, purpose and the repetition of cycles in nature and the stars complete a lot of cultural and religious beliefs. Some even name their children after the stars as well; myself being an example (Altair).

Astrology dates back to the second millennium BCE, where it was used to predict seasonal shifts, and to interpret the celestial cycles collected from stargazing, as divine astrological signs of communication. (CafeAstrology.com, 2012)

You can also watch this clip from Zeitgeist the movie and develop your own opinion on this topic.  You might also want to do some more external research as well, to further develop your knowledge about this topic.  You can comment and discuss/debate below.  Be positive, and do not insult, put down, or demean anyone.  

So back to the question at hand, why are multiple religious beliefs so similar to each other?  Is it because of Astrology? Is it a plagiarism of the previously established religious beliefs? How do you feel cultures influence each other and what is the influence they present to other cultures? What are your opinions/beliefs please share below.