| Revision as of 18:56, 28 December 2005 edit63.17.221.67 (talk) →Claims about Christianity: Added Horus and Mithras, as they are the most promenant aside from Buddha and Krishna to her claims. Still think the full list ought be employed.← Previous edit | Revision as of 19:37, 28 December 2005 edit undo^^James^^ (talk | contribs)779 edits RVNext edit → | ||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
| ==Books== | ==Books== | ||
| Her 1999 book, ''The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold'', is a development of part of her website. A follow-up book, ''Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled'', discusses her views further. It is largely written |
Her 1999 book, ''The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold'', is a development of part of her website. A follow-up book, ''Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled'', discusses her views further. It is largely written to address criticisms of her former book. In it, she comments on the ] story of the life of ], as well as the life of ] (Siddhartha Gautama). She claims parallels to the life of Jesus, presenting this as evidence that the story of Jesus was written based on existing stories, and not the life of a real man. | ||
| ==Claims about Christianity== | ==Claims about Christianity== | ||
| Acharya |
Acharya challenges the ], describing the New Testament as a work of mythology, not meant to be taken literally. The story of Christ, she maintains, is actually a retelling of various ] myths, all of which represent "astro-theology" or the ]. She asserts that the pagans understood these stories to be myths but that Christians obliterated evidence to the contrary through the destruction and control of literature, such as the ] for instance, once they attained control of the Roman Empire. | ||
| This purportedly led to widespread illiteracy in the ancient world and ensured that the mythical nature of Christ's story was hidden. Scholars of other sects continued to oppose the historicizing of a mythological figure. Where no evidence exists, Acharya claims that this is because the arguments were destroyed by Christians. However, Christians preserved these contentions, she states, through their own refutations. | This purportedly led to widespread illiteracy in the ancient world and ensured that the mythical nature of Christ's story was hidden. Scholars of other sects continued to oppose the historicizing of a mythological figure. Where no evidence exists, Acharya claims that this is because the arguments were destroyed by Christians. However, Christians preserved these contentions, she states, through their own refutations. | ||
| ⚫ | In ''"The Christ Conspiracy"'' she |
||
| Acharya compares Jesus' history to that of other gods—such as ], ],], ], ], ]—claiming that the similarities result from a common source, the myth of the sun-god. | Acharya compares Jesus' history to that of other gods—such as ], ], ], ], ], ]—claiming that the similarities result from a common source, the myth of the sun-god. | ||
| ⚫ | In ''"The Christ Conspiracy"'' she describes this theory, noting for instance the ] parallels between the story of Christ, and the story of the solar deity: ''"The sun 'dies' for three days at the winter solstice, to be born again or resurrected on December 25th"'', and ''"The sun enters into each sign of the zodiac at 30 ; hence, the 'Sun of God' begins his ministry at 'age' 30."'' | ||
| ==Claims about other religions== | ==Claims about other religions== | ||
| Acharya S is highly critical of certain aspects of ], in particular ]. She writes online about |
Acharya S is highly critical of certain aspects of ], in particular ]. She writes online about the possible creation of a ] ] which would impose the ]: | ||
| <blockquote>If the Hassidic Jewish Movement has its way, the so-called Noahide Laws would be followed to the letter, as would many others found in the "Old Testament," prescribing capital punishment for abortion, euthanasia and "sexual deviation" such as adultery and homosexuality. The punishment, in fact, for breaking any of the Noahide Laws is decapitation | <blockquote>If the Hassidic Jewish Movement has its way, the so-called Noahide Laws would be followed to the letter, as would many others found in the "Old Testament," prescribing capital punishment for abortion, euthanasia and "sexual deviation" such as adultery and homosexuality. The punishment, in fact, for breaking any of the Noahide Laws is decapitation | ||
| Line 25: | Line 26: | ||
| Her criticisms have also been directed against ] and ]: | Her criticisms have also been directed against ] and ]: | ||
| ⚫ | <blockquote>While the Dalai Lama himself may be a charismatic caring leader, the Tibetan religious system is not devoid of exploitation. When Tibet was autonomous, the firstborn male of every household was required to enter the priesthood, a repressive law that served as one of the justifications by the Chinese for invading Tibet and "freeing" its people from despotic priests.</blockquote> | ||
| <blockquote>Also, it is claimed there is at least one secret society within Buddhism that has been in existence since the times of Asoka, the Buddhist reformer-king of India during the 2nd century BCE. This secret society is claimed to hold tremendous power, with each member in possession of a magical "key" that when combined with the others can create or destroy on a cosmic scale. When a keyholder dies, he is replaced by another person, and it is believed that the keyholders are continually reincarnated, such that eventually there will be many of them living at once, thus increasing their power. | |||
| ⚫ | While the Dalai Lama himself may be a charismatic caring leader, the Tibetan religious system is not devoid of exploitation. When Tibet was autonomous, the firstborn male of every household was required to enter the priesthood, a repressive law that served as one of the justifications by the Chinese for invading Tibet and "freeing" its people from despotic priests.</blockquote> | ||
| ==Criticisms== | ==Criticisms== | ||
| ⚫ | While shares her view that the ] accounts are borrowed from pagan sources, he is critical of her scholarship. He writes: | ||
| Critics have claimed her work is based on poor scholarship, with little primary research and heavy reliance on outdated or fringe sources, and shows ignorance of the topics on which she writes, in particular of the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Mainstream scholars have paid little attention to her work. | |||
| ⚫ | shares her view that the ] accounts are borrowed from pagan sources, |
||
| <blockquote>I got a copy and read it for myself, and immediately I cringed... We sometimes feel, in these pages, to be lost in a forest of false cognates. Can it be true, for instance, that “Solomon” is a trilingual synthesis of words for “the sun”? Sol from Latin, Om from Sanskrit, On from Ethiopic. This conceit she derives from ]. Elsewhere she endorses a contradictory theory, from the same writer, that Solomon is instead derived from Suleyman (=universal emperor), a Persian title. It is symptomatic of the “kettle logic” that permeates this book: any argument is good, whether or not consistent with the others in the arsenal, as long as they are all aimed at the same target.</blockquote> | <blockquote>I got a copy and read it for myself, and immediately I cringed... We sometimes feel, in these pages, to be lost in a forest of false cognates. Can it be true, for instance, that “Solomon” is a trilingual synthesis of words for “the sun”? Sol from Latin, Om from Sanskrit, On from Ethiopic. This conceit she derives from ]. Elsewhere she endorses a contradictory theory, from the same writer, that Solomon is instead derived from Suleyman (=universal emperor), a Persian title. It is symptomatic of the “kettle logic” that permeates this book: any argument is good, whether or not consistent with the others in the arsenal, as long as they are all aimed at the same target.</blockquote> | ||
| Her began by repeating an unnamed acquantance's speculation that he has "professional jealousy", later adding: | |||
| <blockquote>Furthermore, while Price is oh-so-skeptical about this information, as an evangelist for some years--presumably as a willing adult--he evidently had no problem not only swallowing the absurd gospel fable but also spreading it around! Should we respectable mythicists be afraid of being associated with Robert Price because of his bizarre past?</blockquote> | |||
| However, his review was not entirely negative. He also said: | However, his review was not entirely negative. He also said: | ||
| Line 48: | Line 40: | ||
| See ] for a longer discussion of ] ]. | See ] for a longer discussion of ] ]. | ||
| ] ] has also her work, to which she replied |
] ] has also her work, to which she replied: | ||
| <blockquote>The disreputable and untrustworthy Christian apologist "James Patrick Holding" has been receiving and releasing malicious, false and libelous information about me, provided to him by a mentally ill fugitive wanted on three felonies, including child abduction. In his typically vicious, unprofessional, unethical and immoral manner, Holding first revealed my name--also gained from this felonious source and now posted all over the internet--and then passed along the false and libelous material to his fanatic followers, who have since threatened me with further exposure of personal information and lies received from this deranged criminal, who committed violent crimes against me and my small son. Because of this despicable behavior, it is obvious that this man, JP Holding, has no integrity, and that his writings should not be given credibility.</blockquote> | |||
| Another refutation, by Christian apologist Mike Licona, may be found . She , and Licona wrote a . | Another refutation, by Christian apologist Mike Licona, may be found . She , and Licona wrote a . | ||
| Line 54: | Line 47: | ||
| ==Life== | ==Life== | ||
| Acharya S has been described, by the '']'' website, as a historian, mythologist, religious scholar, linguist, archeologist; and even, by Internet essayist ] |
Acharya S has been described, by the '']'' website, as a historian, mythologist, religious scholar, linguist, archeologist; and even, by Internet essayist ], as "the ranking religious philosopher of our era". She has a ] degree in ], Greek Civilization, from ], and attended the . She is a fellow of the , a division of the ]. | ||
| While preserving her privacy, she been interviewed on a variety of radio stations. In an interview she said she came from a moderate Christian background. Though not traumatic or "Fundamentalist", she described it as "boring" and said she ceased attending church regularly at age 12. | |||
| Her inspiration for |
Her inspiration for exploring the ] theory was apparently Joseph Wheless's book ''Forgery in Christianity''. She then read other works, such as ]' '']'', and Barbara Walker's ''The Woman's Encyclopaedia of Myth and Secrets''. | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * | * | ||
| * by Acharya S | |||
| * | * | ||
| ⚫ | *, and | ||
| *, see ] | *, see ] | ||
| * | * | ||
| * by Joan d'Arc | |||
| ⚫ | *, and | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | |||
Revision as of 19:37, 28 December 2005
Acharya S is the pen name of D. Murdock. A proponent of the Christ-myth hypothesis, she has authored two books and operates a website called "Truth be Known". Her contention is that all religion is founded in earlier myth and that the characters depicted in Christianity are the result of the plagiarizing of those myths to unify the Roman State.
Books
Her 1999 book, The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold, is a development of part of her website. A follow-up book, Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled, discusses her views further. It is largely written to address criticisms of her former book. In it, she comments on the Hindu story of the life of Krishna, as well as the life of Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama). She claims parallels to the life of Jesus, presenting this as evidence that the story of Jesus was written based on existing stories, and not the life of a real man.
Claims about Christianity
Acharya challenges the historical existence of Jesus Christ, describing the New Testament as a work of mythology, not meant to be taken literally. The story of Christ, she maintains, is actually a retelling of various pagan myths, all of which represent "astro-theology" or the story of the Sun. She asserts that the pagans understood these stories to be myths but that Christians obliterated evidence to the contrary through the destruction and control of literature, such as the Library of Alexandria for instance, once they attained control of the Roman Empire.
This purportedly led to widespread illiteracy in the ancient world and ensured that the mythical nature of Christ's story was hidden. Scholars of other sects continued to oppose the historicizing of a mythological figure. Where no evidence exists, Acharya claims that this is because the arguments were destroyed by Christians. However, Christians preserved these contentions, she states, through their own refutations.
Acharya compares Jesus' history to that of other gods—such as Mithra, Horus, Adonis, Krishna, Quetzalcoatl, Odin—claiming that the similarities result from a common source, the myth of the sun-god.
In "The Christ Conspiracy" she describes this theory, noting for instance the allegorical parallels between the story of Christ, and the story of the solar deity: "The sun 'dies' for three days at the winter solstice, to be born again or resurrected on December 25th", and "The sun enters into each sign of the zodiac at 30 ; hence, the 'Sun of God' begins his ministry at 'age' 30."
Claims about other religions
Acharya S is highly critical of certain aspects of Judaism, in particular Hasidism. She writes online about the possible creation of a theocratic New World Order which would impose the Noahide Laws:
If the Hassidic Jewish Movement has its way, the so-called Noahide Laws would be followed to the letter, as would many others found in the "Old Testament," prescribing capital punishment for abortion, euthanasia and "sexual deviation" such as adultery and homosexuality. The punishment, in fact, for breaking any of the Noahide Laws is decapitation .
In another online essay, she quotes allegations by conspiracy researcher Mae Brussell that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints smuggled uranium to Australia "for future use when it would attempt to obtain world conquest and single world government.... The rumor was... that the Mormon Church had arranged to assist Israel in bringing off Armageddon."
Her criticisms have also been directed against Islam and Buddhism:
While the Dalai Lama himself may be a charismatic caring leader, the Tibetan religious system is not devoid of exploitation. When Tibet was autonomous, the firstborn male of every household was required to enter the priesthood, a repressive law that served as one of the justifications by the Chinese for invading Tibet and "freeing" its people from despotic priests.
Criticisms
While Robert Price shares her view that the Gospel accounts are borrowed from pagan sources, he is critical of her scholarship. He writes:
I got a copy and read it for myself, and immediately I cringed... We sometimes feel, in these pages, to be lost in a forest of false cognates. Can it be true, for instance, that “Solomon” is a trilingual synthesis of words for “the sun”? Sol from Latin, Om from Sanskrit, On from Ethiopic. This conceit she derives from John Hazelrigg. Elsewhere she endorses a contradictory theory, from the same writer, that Solomon is instead derived from Suleyman (=universal emperor), a Persian title. It is symptomatic of the “kettle logic” that permeates this book: any argument is good, whether or not consistent with the others in the arsenal, as long as they are all aimed at the same target.
However, his review was not entirely negative. He also said:
"Murdock presents us with a whole smorgasbord of “unorthodox” theories, some of them quite legitimate, such as a deconstruction of the Rabbinical apologetic that had us imagining for so long that ancient Israelite religion was monotheistic. It is now clear enough (see, e.g., Mark S. Smith, The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel, 1987, or Margaret Barker, The Great Angel: A Study of Israel’s Second God, 1992) that the ancient Hebrews worshipped Yahweh amid a pantheon of gods. If that comes as shocking news to some, so be it. That is a reason neither to reject nor to relish the fact.
See Idolatry for a longer discussion of Israelite polytheism.
Christian apologist James Patrick Holding has also rebutted her work, to which she replied:
The disreputable and untrustworthy Christian apologist "James Patrick Holding" has been receiving and releasing malicious, false and libelous information about me, provided to him by a mentally ill fugitive wanted on three felonies, including child abduction. In his typically vicious, unprofessional, unethical and immoral manner, Holding first revealed my name--also gained from this felonious source and now posted all over the internet--and then passed along the false and libelous material to his fanatic followers, who have since threatened me with further exposure of personal information and lies received from this deranged criminal, who committed violent crimes against me and my small son. Because of this despicable behavior, it is obvious that this man, JP Holding, has no integrity, and that his writings should not be given credibility.
Another refutation, by Christian apologist Mike Licona, may be found here. She replied, and Licona wrote a rejoinder.
Life
Acharya S has been described, by the Paranoia Magazine website, as a historian, mythologist, religious scholar, linguist, archeologist; and even, by Internet essayist John Kaminski, as "the ranking religious philosopher of our era". She has a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in Classics, Greek Civilization, from Franklin and Marshall College, and attended the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Greece. She is a fellow of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion, a division of the Council for Secular Humanism.
While preserving her privacy, she been interviewed on a variety of radio stations. In an interview she said she came from a moderate Christian background. Though not traumatic or "Fundamentalist", she described it as "boring" and said she ceased attending church regularly at age 12.
Her inspiration for exploring the Jesus myth theory was apparently Joseph Wheless's book Forgery in Christianity. She then read other works, such as Kersey Graves' The World's 16 Crucified Saviours, and Barbara Walker's The Woman's Encyclopaedia of Myth and Secrets.
External links
- Truth be Known (Acharya S's website)
- The Origins of Christianity and the Quest for the Historical Jesus Christ by Acharya S
- Interview with Acharya S in Paranoia Magazine
- Earl Doherty reviews The Christ Conspiracy, see Earl Doherty
- Robert Price reviews The Christ Conspiracy
- Paranoia Magazine review of Suns of God by Joan d'Arc
- "A Refutation of Acharya S's book, The Christ Conspiracy" by Mike Licona, and rebuttal
- ebtx.com reviews The Christ Conspiracy
- Tekton Apologetics Ministries reviews The Christ Conspiracy