• December 4, 2024

Robert M. Price: What I think of Acharya S/D.M. Murdock

About a decade ago, I wrote a harsh review of a book called The Christ Conspiracy by one Acharya S. The book set forth the Christ Myth theory, of which I am also an adherent, but it took a very different approach. I felt the need to distance myself from her work lest I be painted with the same broad brush that tarred her in many quarters—and still does. This review, I am sorry to say, caused Acharya considerable sorrow and trouble.

Some years ago, I happened to get in contact with her via an e-mail we both received on a list from a mutual acquaintance. Actually, Acharya contacted me, commenting that she was surprised I seemed somewhat open to changing my mind on a certain point that had also come up in my review of her book. I took advantage of this friendly feeler to join in conversation with her, to clear up a couple of misunderstandings, and, most of all, to apologize for the anguish I had caused her. I did not retract any critical judgments I had made of her work, but I was very sorry to have caused her such pain. Acharya was quite forgiving, and we have become friends. Since that time, a number of people, some of whom hold critical opinions closer to mine, have expressed astonishment, even anger, that I removed my review of her The Christ Conspiracy from my website. I withdrew from the chorus of denunciations of my new friend. Why? And have I come to recant my criticisms?

I disliked what I deemed the militantly anti-Christian tone of the book and considered it a sign of adolescent or village atheist behavior (not that my own writings are always without it!). Now I think such things are utterly beside the point. It is the content that matters. Plus, she no longer writes with such evident and understandable rage. If it was immature to begin with, she has matured since then. (I hope I have, too!)

There were a number of issues she mentioned in a kind of too-encyclopedic survey approach, speculations about the Masons, ancient civilizations (a la Colin Wilson, whom I also know and much respect), and the like. I still think these matters did not belong in the same book with her Christ Myth arguments. They are entirely unrelated questions, and I have no expertise at all in evaluating them. Still don’t. I should have ignored them in my review, and I do not care what she may believe about these things now. The beliefs of devout Christian scholars (e.g., Joachim Jeremias, T.W. Manson, and Vincent Taylor) do not make me hesitate to learn from their work, and it should be no different with Acharya. And, in case you had not noticed, all such issues are absent from her subsequent, much more tightly focused books such as Suns of God and Christ in Egypt.

Astrotheology of the Ancients

To me, the most interesting aspect of Acharya’s work is her pursuit of old, now ignored theories by comparative religionists and mythologists suggesting that Christianity embodies a perennial theology of the heavenly bodies, their motion and the common reflection of this astrotheology in the myths of all nations. The implications of this theory led its advocates to draw parallels between New Testament mythemes and those gathered from much farther afield, e.g., Hindu, Mexican, Egyptian and Chinese religion. This was the approach taken by the Christ Mythicists of past generations, including James M. Robertson and Kersey Graves. I find that such multiplication of supposed parallels reaped from so wide a field tends to deflate the value of closer, more easily demonstrable parallels between Christianity and historically, geographically adjacent phenomenon like Gnosticism and the Mystery Religions. Acharya’s approach seems to me to make everything tantamount to everything else. I still have this hesitancy and prefer to argue from within a narrower framework. But this isn’t much of a criticism. And if it is, let me mitigate my criticism in two ways.

First, Acharya has made me rethink the astrotheology business. Ignaz Goldziher had already convinced me of the propriety of F. Max Müller’s (now unfashionable) “solar mythology” hermeneutic: that many Old Testament (and maybe even New Testament) figures began their narrative lives as fictive personifications of the heavenly bodies. Samson, Elijah, Enoch, Esau, Moses were plainly, like Hercules, Mithras and Apollo, sun gods. So it is no great leap to trace at least some prominent features of the Jesus myth to solar faith.

And how else do we explain the occurrence of the cross as a religious symbol all over the ancient world unless it was based on something all races had access to: the phenomena of the night sky? Makes sense!

I took issue with some of her older sources, where she found claims of icons and effigies of crucified gods or heroes, alleged to be Krishna or Indra. I still think the evidence is sketchy, but it has to be explained some way. There must be something going on there, as when we discover nearly identical bas reliefs featuring a horned man in the lotus position, surrounded by forest animals—in both India and Ireland!

Primary Sources

Second, my criticisms and others in the same vein seem to have sent Acharya back to the drawing board, determined to unpack and display the evidence for parallel cases of solar symbols and mythology shared between Christianity and other religions. She has delved into the arguments of the old Mythicists to ferret out their sources and how they formed their opinions. I love this history of scholarship approach, and the most interesting part of my original review to write was a similar investigation of the alleged parallels and the evidence cited by these old scholars. The variety of old, now-ignored sources, on the fringe of the better-known Higher Criticism, was fascinating, too, and it was Acharya’s use of them that introduced me to much of this material. I am grateful. But my point here is that Acharya is no longer uncritical about these old authors, if she ever was.

I find the books of Acharya S/D.M. Murdock to be researched in amazing depth, comprehensive with a scope that fairly makes my head spin, and written blessedly without the stuffy technical jargon present in much mainstream scholarship. Is she “reduced” to publishing her own books? So what? So was Hume.

I am very glad to call her a friend. I admire her work and learn from it. And if that were not so, I wouldn’t lie about it just because we are friends. I am very sorry I once vilified her, and I wish that anyone associated with me would stop vilifying her, too. Grow up. If you reject her thinking on this or that point, fine. There’s no need to get nasty about it.


 

Response to Robert M. Price by D.M. Murdock/Acharya S

Many thanks to my wise and classy friend Bob Price for his ongoing interest and inspiration. His original criticisms did cause difficulties for me, not necessarily because of perceived and correctable errors but because of the viciousness with which my critics jumped upon them and pilloried me relentlessly across the internet and beyond. In any event, as Bob notes, I have spent the past decade+ backing up many of my major and minor contentions, as well as citing various errata and issues that have developed since that time.

Righteous Indignation at Atrocity and Deceit

As concerns the tone of my first book The Christ Conspiracy (1999), I doubt that anything I wrote therein – the vast bulk of which was factual and not vitriolic in the least – ranks as any more “immature” than a good Christopher Hitchens rant. As a woman, I continue to be perturbed by the destruction of women’s spirituality that has resulted in an incredible amount of abuse and suffering heaped upon females. As a human being, I remain disturbed by the blatant injustice in having a deleterious hoax thrust upon humanity that has resulted in bloody atrocity and tremendous destruction globally.

In my forthcoming second edition of The Christ Conspiracy, I don’t know that I will lessen all of the “anti-Christian” sentiment, as most of it is directed at Christian institutions and a few individuals I continue to maintain were very unpleasant, such as the early Church fathers, who castigated and pummeled their opponents with more calumny than I could muster in a dozen lifetimes. Nor could my brief ranting approach anything like the horrors of the Inquisition, witch burnings, pogroms against “Christ-killing” Jews, invasions of foreign lands and the slaughter of millions in the name of Jesus Christ. I began my book with exposure of these atrocities, and, yes, I do believe a modicum of irritation at such a legacy is appropriate. As is my personal annoyance at having been fooled by an ideology – I was raised a Protestant and briefly became a born-again Christian many years ago – which involves rabid misogyny, sexism and derogation of my gender. This denigration of the female permeates the Bible, and trying to fit into the subservient position laid out therein, when such subjugation is based on falsehood and myth, should make anyone angry.

Over the years since I’ve been online, beginning in 1995, I have heard from many people who are likewise angry at having been defrauded, wasted their lives, alienated themselves from the rest of humanity, parted with a significant portion of their income, and all the rest of the trappings associated with being a regular church-going devotee. In this regard, not a few people have thanked me for the caustic bite now and again. As is said, one doesn’t run from a menacing dog – one must shake a big stick at it and shout for it to go away.

In any event, I should add that I have never claimed for myself the epithet of “atheist,” or “theist” for that matter, so my work is not a reflection of a “village atheist,” whatever that may be. I am a person who was once deceived but who can now see. I prefer the moniker of “freethinker,” so that I may be able to think freely in any given moment. But, again, I highly doubt that my relatively few zingers directed at this abusive ideology compare to the stark and often shrill arguments against Christianity by the vast atheistic cacophony of Dawkinsians and Hitchenites, et al.

Masonry and Avocation Cults

Jesus christ: Mason of God on KindleAs concerns the more speculative and esoteric aspects of my first book, such as my discussion of masonry, there remains much to be considered, including the fact that mason cults can be found all over the world, along with carpenter cults (Nazarenes), smithy cults (Hephaistos), undertaker cults (Mithraism), merchant cults (Pochteca), farmer/planter cults (Mesoamerican), seamen cults (Poseidon/Neptune), hunter cults (Artemis/Diana, Mixcoatl) and so on, with virtually every occupation and vocation, including and especially masonry. Wherever there is a religious building in stone, you will find the product of a cult engaged with masonry, and Christianity with its “cornerstone that the builders have rejected” is little different. (Matthew 21:42)

In this regard, it was the great freethinker Thomas Paine who linked Christianity, Masonry and the sun, in an essay I included in Christ Conspiracy entitled “Origin of Freemasonry”:

The Christian religion and Masonry have one and the same common origin: Both are derived from the worship of the Sun. The difference between their origin is, that the Christian religion is a parody on the worship of the Sun, in which they put a man whom they call Christ, in the place of the Sun, and pay him the same adoration which was originally paid to the Sun…

Paine continues in his discussion of Christianity and Masonry, and it is difficult to ignore his commentary. (See my ebook Jesus Christ: Mason of God for scriptural and other evidence of the masonic imagery and influence within the Bible and Christianity. See also my ebook Jesus as the Sun throughout History.)

Global Comparative Religion

It should be noted that, for the second edition of Christ Con, I have removed the chapter, “Evidence of an Ancient Global Civilization.” Not at all entirely unrelated to the quest of Christian origins, this “global civilization” chapter remains very important in the studies of comparative religion and mythology worldwide, as my work since then has demonstrated. This subject deserves a monograph of its own, using the most modern research and data, including a more scientific and sophisticated analysis based on discoveries since the first publication in 1999.

Charles Dupuis and Classical Education

Charles DupuisRegarding the astrotheological origins of much religious and mythological ideation, I hark back to one of the earliest mythicist scholars in a modern Western language, Charles Dupuis (1742-1809). In his multivolume composition in French, Origine de tous les cultes ou religion universelle or Origin of All Cults or Universal Religion, the extremely erudite Dupuis laid out the numerous parallels between ancient religions and Christianity, and he showed where they come from and what they mean. Dupuis was followed by many learned scholars writing on these subjects, such as Volney and Taylor. (Heck, even Thomas Jefferson got in on the action, translating Volney’s Ruines into English.)

These earlier scholars in Europe and America were very well educated in Classics, Roman and Greek Civilizations, and they were fluent and well read in Greek and Latin, as well as European languages. When they cited their contentions, these sources were so well known that the authors often assumed their equally erudite audience would know them already. We are discussing an age, of course, when in general only the elite were able to afford such an education, and the whole conversation took place in the hallowed halls of academia, as well as among clergy, rulers, kings, politicians and so on. The masses were largely left out of the equation.

Today we find a similar situation, in that relatively few people are educated in the Classics and can read Greek and Latin. I am one of these few, so I am able to drill down from where these earlier pioneers had led us, to bring forth their evidences, which, again, they had right in front of them because everyone was reading them at the time. Indeed, for centuries Classics was the education many academics pursued, and one could hardly be considered learned without it. All Churchmen of any worth studied the ancient Greek and Roman classical writers. They knew this material very well, and many of them contributed to the mythicist literature, as they came across startling similarities and disturbing developments.

Using these sources, Dupuis was able to follow the dots and tie everything together – astonishingly, his work remains quite valid in many ways, and that fact is because he used valid primary sources from antiquity. In my first book, I did not consider that so many people would be unfamiliar with the sources that I was indirectly citing by quoting these later authorities. Hence, I did not dig down and include all of them in my first effort, which did not benefit at the time from the immense current reach of the internet but was limited largely to books at hand.

I have spent the past more than a decade finding and providing these numerous primary sources in a wide variety of languages dating back to the remotest ages. As I have demonstrated in these later works, most of Christ Con is sustainable through ancient sources or erudite exegesis. Hence, one need not resort to any of these authors found objectionable whom I cited previously, albeit for the most part they themselves have been the subject of undue calumny, as I have essentially proved in the case of Gerald Massey, for example. (See Christ in Egypt.)

Universal Archetypes and Patterns

Concerning the numerous parallels between Christianity and other religions, since Bob’s piece was written, I have continued to bring forth the research which shows these similarities to be real and significant, in both hemispheres of the world. (See “Why do the Maya believe Jesus is the sun?” as but one example of numerous such analyses.) These patterns or archetypes can be explained in a few ways: 1. They are shared between cultures (diffusionism); 2. They are part of the mass human psyche and develop independently (isolationism); and 3. They are a combination of both. This debate requires a great deal of space and figures significantly in my “global civilization” or “lost religion” research previously discussed.

These patterns unquestionably are based on nature worship and, significantly, astrotheology, which is simply astronomy and religion combined, the exact formula we find all over the world, in countless human artifacts, including massive pyramids, temple complexes, statuary, wall carvings and hieroglyphs, as well as, most importantly here, myths galore. Here is a major reason the commonalities exist: Because we can all see the sun, moon, stars and various constellations from different parts of the world. We all feel the wind and thrive on the same things, such as food and water. I am interested in this underlying archetype and its numerous expressions worldwide. This pattern or archetype jumps out at one from the pages of the Bible as well, both Old and New Testaments.

Crosses and Cruciforms

Cross of the eclipticRegarding the widespread and ancient motif of gods on crosses or in cruciform, in my book Christ in Egypt I discuss the solar deity Horus with wings outstretched and as a forerunner of the Gnostic figure of Horos-Stauros or “Boundary-Cross.” As I explain in CIE, the antiquity of Horos and Stauros as pre-Christian philosophical concepts, as well as this idea of deity in cruciform, can be found in Plato (Timaeus 35 A-36 D). Gnostic expert Jean Doresse discusses this Platonic passage thus:

…Plato imagines the creation by the Demiurge of the circles of “the same” and of “the other”—i.e., of the celestial equator and of the ecliptic intersecting in the form of a cross. Taking over this notion, the Gnostics saw this imaginary cross, traced upon the celestial vault which is the utmost bound of our eyesight, as “the limit” separating the higher universe from the material world in which we are confined. A Christian interpretation of this idea, analogous to that which Valentinus develops, is already to be found in the Apology of St. Justin (I. 60) who puts it this way—”Plato with a cross upon the universe.”

The original in Plato is as follows (Tim 35a, 36b):

Midway between the Being which is indivisible and remains always the same and the Being which is transient and divisible in bodies, He blended a third form of Being compounded out of the twain, that is to say, out of the Same and the Other; and in like manner He compounded it midway between that one of them which is indivisible and that one which is divisible in bodies. And He took the three of them, and blent [sic] them all together into one form, by forcing the Other into union with the Same, in spite of its being naturally difficult to mix….

Next, He split all this that He had put together into two parts lengthwise; and then He laid the twain one against the other, the middle of one to the middle of the other, like a great cross…

In his book The Spirit of Liturgy (180), Cardinal Ratzinger, the current pope, explains further:

The Fathers belonging to the Greek cultural world were more directly affected by another discovery. In the writings of Plato, they found the remarkable idea of a cross inscribed upon the cosmos (cf Timaeus 34ab and 36bc). Plato took this from the Pythagorean tradition, which in its turn had a connection with the traditions of the ancient East. First, there is an astronomical statement about the two great movements of the stars with which ancient astronomy was familiar: the ecliptic (the great circle in the heavens along which the sun appears to run its course) and the orbit of the earth. These two intersect and form together the Greek letter Chi, which is written in the form of a cross (like an X). The sign of the cross is inscribed upon the whole cosmos. Plato, again following more ancient traditions, connected this with the image of the deity: the Demiurge (the fashioner of the world) “stretched out” the world soul “throughout the whole universe.”

“Plato took this [idea of a cosmic cross] from the Pythagorean tradition, which in its turn had a connection with the traditions of the ancient East.”

As we know, rumor had it antiquity that Pythagoras traveled to India, which is likely the “ancient East” where he procured this notion of a cosmic cross. This cosmic concept also exists independently and significantly in Mesoamerica, where crosses were so abundant and so much a part of Maya religion, for example, that the invading Spaniards were completely flummoxed by their existence and meaning. As it turns out, the Mesoamerican crosses are permeated with meaning, as they are considered representative of the sun, the cosmos, the Milky Way, the World Tree, the king, sacrifice, resurrection, immortality, the afterlife, salvation and practically everything Christianity likewise attributes to its cross. My argument, of course, is that the Christian cross is a very pale imitation of the earlier and more cosmic “pagan” cross. The Maya usage of the cross essentially proves this fact.

Moreover, the Mesoamerican cross itself was viewed as alive, so it too represented a divine figure in cruciform, an idea we discover, in reality, in numerous places, such as demonstrated in my forum post here: “Cruciforms/Gods on Crosses.” One usage of cruciform gods and goddesses is over doorways, while another is in crossroads. Both of these uses are logical and undeniable, and this tradition must be very old, found in India and elsewhere, whether or not as concerns Krishna per se. (In Suns of God, I included a lengthy chapter entitled, “Krishna Crucified?” which traces the history of this contention and discusses the pre-Christian motif of deities on crosses or in cruciform.)

Regarding me having my own publishing company, it was a logical choice, as there is no real industry that deals well with mythicist literature; hence, I have created my own. My publishing company is not limited to my own works, as I have also edited and published a fabulous book by the great mythicist Barbara G. Walker, Man Made God, and there are several others that I hope to have time for, including of the Buddhist mythicist school as well as, hopefully, something by Bob Price!

All of this being said, I thank Bob Price for taking the time to prod me in the right direction, as his criticisms and input have not gone ignored. I consider him a friend, colleague and muse in a shared endeavor to raise up this fascinating debate and the colorful cornucopia and unifying undercurrent it exposes, to the world’s great benefit.

Further Information

Robert M. Price’s website
D.M. Murdock with Robert Price on Point of Inquiry Radio
Did George Washington and Thomas Jefferson Believe Jesus was a Myth?
Jesus as the Sun throughout History
Why do the Maya believe Jesus is the sun?
Jesus Christ, Mason of God
Astrotheology of the Ancients
Gods on Crosses and in Cruciform

41 thoughts on “Robert M. Price: What I think of Acharya S/D.M. Murdock

  1. We all learn from our mistakes
    Hello, D.

    Happy to read this, well, retraction. Having read much of your work, I agreed to forward one of your books. I have never regretted that decision, nor do I expect to. I have never viewed your writing as “village atheist” just as, well, truth seeking. My own book “Heretics” has been called “meran spirited.” But I suppose that if one must rely on myth, one may see an unveiling of the history behind that myth unsettling, and I guess, mean spirited.

    Keep true to yourself. You have aided many, many, many persons free themselves from the oppression of myth and superstition. You may count me among your millions of eager readers.

    Bill

    1. Hey Bill!

      Thanks for popping in. For others reading this, Dr. Davis wrote the foreword to my book [i]Suns of God[/i] ([url]http://truthbeknown.com/sunsofgod.htm[/url]).

      He has also penned a book called [i]Heretics[/i] ([url]www.amazon.com/Heretics-Bloody-History-Christian-Church/dp/0759675376/truthbeknownfounA/[/url]), which is a bestseller in Japan. (I guess the Japanese don’t mind critiques of non-Japanese ideologies. 😉 )

  2. Wonderful Conversation about Difficult Topics
    The spiritual crisis of the modern world is well illustrated in this conversation between Bob Price and Acharya. Religion is a Big Lie, an error so immense that people cannot imagine anyone had the audacity and impudence to create it. But that does not mean religion is simply wrong. Rather, its texts are allegory, symbols pointing to deeper real natural meaning. As Bob Price now recognises, Acharya is a leader in finding the real natural meaning within religion.

    The spiritual crisis rests in the fact that the broad consensus view in secular culture is that religion is simply obsolete. Some brilliant writers, notably Dawkins and Hitchens, hitch their star to the idea that religion should simply be opposed. But Acharya provides a more subtle and profound understanding of myth as the stories that give meaning to our lives, opening a path to clear away the rubble from tradition. Atheism, in its efforts to replace belief with science, fails to respect the psychological need for myth as a story that binds people together. Myth has to evolve to become scientific.

    Bob Price’s earlier critique showed the strong hold his traditional Christian culture held on him, and his feeling that agreeing with Acharya would cut him off from people he respected. Well, the problem is that we need a new paradigm. Jesus Christ did not exist. Anyone whose work relies on the premise that Jesus was a flesh and blood human being is in error. Real scholarship has to shift away from its false assumptions, and open up debate about Christianity within a comparative mythology context, developed with an uncompromising logical rigor. Bob is right that there is much to learn from traditional theological scholars, but the fact is that they have an obsolete framework.

    Acharya is a pioneer in constructing the new paradigm for understanding human spirituality. Placing myth within an understanding of physics, psychology and politics, the human need to connect to divinity can be respected while also seeing how this need has been degraded and obscured by religious institutions. Community narrative and ritual are essential to human belonging and identity, and will be displaced by new forms when the old is weighed in the balance and found wanting.

    The light of the sun shines on the wicked as well as the good. The natural reality of our observed universe has provided the archetypal source for religious ideation, both profound and superficial. Bob Price recognises the deep truth within Acharya’s interdisciplinary studies, pointing towards a powerful new integrating synthesis in the philosophy of myth.

  3. It is a start!
    In my opinion, Acharyas’ work is a step in the right direction. Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris (to a lesser degree) focus on the obvious logical flaws and lack of real evidence for Jesus, miracles, the invisible & omniscient guy in the sky and the absurdity of a literal Bible.

    The more right they are and the better they reason and document that, the angrier the “True Believers” become. At the end of the day they have two basic responses when reason fails.

    First, the value of believing without evidence (Faith”) trumps any logic. In fact, they are proud of their mindless faith. Second, when pushed even further, they threaten the “indidels” with eternal torture.

    Acharyras’ work, at times is a less vindictive version ot the “three horsemen”, because the major thrust of her work is trying to explain and provide evidence for how religion developed from myth and mankinds search for a “Power greater than themselves”.

    Unfortunately, the majority of believers view any attempt at understanding the world better as a threat to their belief. It doesn’t matter if that threat is “the world is round”, evolution, or a historical study of the progression of myth to religion.

    Those with any vested interest in the continued powers of the “Priests” are going to be unreasonably hostile, mindless and vindictive of anyone who theynperceive to threaten that.

    For me, the key question is how a belief in a “higher power” can be of benefit for personal and societal growth. Even if the “higher power” is just a psychological trick, how can that beneficial phenomenom of personal growth, bonding and community be utilized without the associated fanatic Evangelical work and division of people in the name of the supreme “God” of any particular Religion.

    So at the end of the day, we need a formula for healing and understanding between believers and non-believers that can promote the common unity of the human race and move them forward and move them away from a self fulfilling prophesy of Armeggedon.

    Unfortunately the truth of Hitchens, Dawkins and Harris and the different shining of the light on the truth by Acharya can never be looked on by the true believers as anything but a threat to the continuation of their meme.

  4. Why should you always take two Baptists fishin’ wi
    Because if you only take one, he’ll drink all of your beer!

  5. Thank you. I see no reason for you to go off about my anthropological/sociological and academic use of the world “cult,” as I used it in this scholarly article. The usage is not pejorative, as you have assumed erroneously.

    [quote]cult ([url]http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cult?s=t[/url])

    1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
    2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
    3. the object of such devotion.
    4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
    5. Sociology . a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols. [/quote]
    This word “cult” is used widely in scholarly books to describe religious groupings precisely as I have employed it. There really is no need to rant and rave about it in such a manner or make hostile and derogatory comments about my person and my supporters. My usage was fully compatible with its scholarly utilization.

    Here are some 278,000 uses of the word “cult” in various books ([url]http://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=cult+inpublisher:brill&num=10[/url]) by the academic publisher E.J. Brill, as concerns numerous ancient religions, sects and cults. As I say, the term is well understood within academia.

    As concerns Sitchin, I have already addressed his work in my article “What about the Anunnaki?” ([url]http://truthbeknown.com/anunnaki.htm[/url]) I have no need to incorporate his work into my own.

  6. Acharya’s stuff
    From the first that I read of Acharya’s writings, I have been fascinated and appreciative. I am Christian Unitarian and support any and all attempts to explain Christian, and other, philosophical and religious origins. It is, of course, up to me what I finally accept or believe … but the intellectual pursuit is always refreshing.
    I am also a fan or Hitchins and Dawkins and Dennet and so on, all of whom argue against the notion of God as a scientific hypothesis.
    I was also a Mason for about 15 years and have absolutely no idea where Acharya gets the idea that Masonry is a cult … but it doesn’t bother me. Make any definition wide enough and anything at all will fit in. The definition of “cult” will have to be so wide that any and all religion and any and all associations – even the Lions Club or Rotrary – will have to be considered cults if Masonry is. But, that’s okey, also.
    The only problem is that if we do not agree on the definitions of the terminmology, then communication cannot possibly occur. According to Acharya’s mdefinition, Walmart is a cult – which , come to think of it, is probably closer to the truth of the matter than many of us would like to accept. And, that is fine with me also.
    I have no fight or quarrel with Acharya. I enjoy her work and look forward to all of her writing. That is not, of course, to say that I agree with her views. But she does make fgor very interesting reading.
    I am wondering when she will get around to incorporating the work of Sitchen into her work. Sitchen’s work is challenging to anyone who attempts to talk about the origins of Religion. I am wondering why Sitchen’s work is being avoided like the plague by scholars in the field. I believe that scholars and writers who have found an audience are afraid to be seen in the same company as Sitchen, simply because it is not kosher – and their scholarship suffers because of it.
    Take, for example, the botch that Robert Wright makes – in his The Evolution of God – when he could have been so much more articulate if he acknowledged the contributions and synthesis of Sitchen.
    Oh yes, …. People who follow Acherya’s worj are all members of the Acharya CULT. If Acherya can expand the cult envelope and expand definitions at will, than so can anyon else.
    Welcome to the Acherya cult! We all have our own axes to grind. Let Acherya grind hers and let’s enjoy the ride.
    Keep is coming Acherya. Your cult is stimulating!
    R. Ryan, BSc., BEd., MEd., DA., PhD.

  7. mr.
    I contend that some people need religion, a something to believe, like a child believing in Santa or the tooth fairy. When the mind matures so does this need to believe the something and realize it really doesn’t exist. There is so much evidence that there is an order to things that the average human just says, “Oh that’s just Gods way”. There are just too many unanswered mysteries out here. Some birds go south, some don’t, who can explain the savants here on earth, genius kids that play a piano at 4 & 5 years old and I don’t mean twinkle twinkle little star. I am so happy that there are those like Acharya. I’m no stranger to this site.

  8. Acharya, I love your work and continue buying your outstanding books. I wish that there was some way that you and Richard Dawkins could exchange on these ideas. Richard has been a powerful warrior for “evidence” and a champion against faith. He has indicated that he believes a real man called “Jesus” existed and did wonderful things. This disappoints me because you have provided strong evidence through your research that it is purely astrological as with all of the other gods (Horus, Dionysus, etc.).

  9. Acharya- Thanks for all your great research and writings! Do you ever watch “Ancient Aliens” and if so, do you find their presentations plausible?

    1. Thank you for your query. I’m afraid I can’t stand watching that show, as it presents completely bogus “evidence” based on myths that we already knew referred not to “aliens” but to natural phenomena, such as the sun, moon, planets, stars, constellations, wind, water, foliage and so on. There was no need for all this ridiculous speculation.

      For example, the Greek god Apollo is NOT an “alien” because he’s riding a chariot in the sky – he’s the SUN, a very old motif.

      I find that show frustrating, as it makes my job much harder. It’s a pity that the “History Channel” doesn’t do a show on the astrotheology and nature worship that actually [i]are [/i]behind the world’s religions and mythology.

    2. Re “Ancient Aliens”.
      In When Time Began, Sitchin links the old Sumerian legends to visitors from outer space that came to earth and were, among other things, responsible for the creation of mankind with the help of genetic manipulation. This raised the following question: why are there still so many people like Bishop Samuel Wilberforce that refuse to accept Darwin’s theory of evolution? I fall in with what Huxley said at the time to Bishop Samuel Wilberforce: ‘I prefer being a descendant from an ape to being connected to men who used their mental gifts to hide reality.’

  10. Origin of Freemasonary
    The common perception of the majority of historians of Freemasonry is that the origin of the organization goes back to the Crusades. According to my research the origin of the organization goes back to the stone circles. Heliopolis was probably one of the many Egyptian examples of Stonehenge.
    Heliopolis was the centre of the Great White Brotherhood – the master-specialists of Tuthmosis III (±1450 BC). There were 39 members in the Higher Council of Carnac.
    In Genesis 41:45 one reads that when Joseph was made viceroy of the entire Egypt, the Pharaoh ‘gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, for a wife’. The oldest shrine at Helioplolis was dedicated to Ptah (‘The Developer’) who, according to Egyptian tradition, raised Egypt from under the waters of the Great Flood and made it habitable by extensive drainage and earthworks. Divine reign over Egypt was then transfered by Ptah to his son Ra (‘The Bright One’), who was also called Tem (‘The Pure One’); and in a special shrine, also at Heliopolis, the Boat of Heaven of Ra, the conical Ben-Ben, could be seen by pilgrims once a year.

  11. Stop it, you’re killing me…I can’t sleep!
    Dear Acharya, I became aware of your writing and research recently and just can’t believe my luck. Despite living a mere stone’s throw from the British Library in London and having access to what I previously considered to be a wealth of academic sources, I now feel I have an enormous amount of reading and research to do.

    As a child from a deeply religious Catholic family in Ireland, my early fascination and studies in the art/motifs of ancient cultures and particularly that of the Celts, led me to believe that my ancestors had shared a common mythology with other cultures and religions worldwide. The astronomical allegories and references were just too obvious to ignore or explain logically. And then there was that incident when I mistakenly thought I had found an image of Cernunnos…in India?? Attempts to share this knowledge with my family and friends often led to angry, heated arguments and I retreated back inside my box for many years. It seemed pointless to ask my teachers (at a prestigious Dominican College) why Jesus was always wearing that sun disk or why Mary had a halo of stars around her head and a serpent beneath her foot. They didn’t know.

    Then I became a mother, and off came the lid. Like hell was I going to allow anyone to lie to my daughter and tell her this mysogonistic bunch of fairy tales. As it happened…gfgot I had four sons.

    Thank you for your incredible efforts, you have saved me an enormous amount of time. Your references are easy to check, although I was always awful at Latin. Please do not assume that you could ever write too many newsletters. I check my in-box regularly for your information and sources. Where do you get the time to sleep though?

    1. Thank you for your delightful comments! I really appreciate hearing them. I know what you mean, and I don’t sleep well! There’s just too much happening.

      I’m always very happy to known when others are as excited about this information, which I work sleeplessly to bring forth. It makes all the grief worthwhile. There are others “getting” it – yay! I don’t feel so alone.

      Thanks again for stopping by and for the kind regards. Be sure to do a search on my blog here to find information, as it searches across all my websites and forums. (But not my books, which can be perused on Google Books.)

      Oh, if you really want to blow your mind, check out O’Brien’s [i]Round Towers of Ireland[/i] ([url]http://books.google.com/books?id=sYIxAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=o%27brien+round+towers+of+ireland&hl=en&sa=X&ei=B56-UI7MFYWpiQKP04C4Bg&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA[/url]). Now, I can’t vouch for everything in it, and I don’t have time to dig up the primary source material or further modern research that may cast doubt on the conclusions, but perhaps you will find it inspiring.

  12. Here’s the FAQ:

    Does Acharya subscribe to the ancient astronaut theory? ([url]http://freethoughtnation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3571[/url])

  13. salt
    😮
    as i took my wife up top the alter..a voice spoke to me saying….she’s ok ; and turned her into a pillar of salt ! it was saltpeter and saved me a heap in petrol …what a mercifal GOD we of Abraham possess !

  14. Two Historical Steps Toward The Truth
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States
    Founding Fathers of the United States

    http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/virginia_declaration_of_rights.html
    The Virginia Declaration of Rights

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Declaration_of_Rights
    Wikipedia: Virginia Declaration of Rights.
    “Text. The following is the complete text of the Virginia Declaration of Rights:…..”

    http://billofrightsinstitute.org/resources/educator-resources/americapedia/americapedia-documents/va-declaration-rights/
    Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)

    http://www.historicpolegreen.org/story/
    The Polegreen Story. The Birthplace of Religious Freedom In Virginia.
    _____

    http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/1999/virginia%60s-great-dissenters.aspx?s=Virginia%27s+Great+Dissenters&st=&ps=
    Thomas M. Moncure, Jr.

    http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/1999/madison-and-the-bill-of-rights.aspx?s=madison+&st=&ps=
    Michael K. McCabe

    http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/1999/the-bill-of-rights-and-the-states.aspx?s=Stefan+Tahmassebi&st=&ps=
    Thomas Tahmassebi
    _____

    After reading Robert M. Price’s “Robert M. Price: What I think of Acharya S/D.M. Murdock, I thought of other disgruntling situations that Acharya has been thru with individuals who carry out their criticism of her with – what seems like – brass knuckles.

    Dr. Price’s article also reminded me of (three) articles I read years ago about what was going on between the men who were attempting to write the US Constitution’s Bill of Rights.

    After they won the Revolution, a struggle went on between them during their attempt to form the Constitution.

    I always assumed that once the Revolution was over, all was fine and dandy. Not quite.

    The (above) three articles by Moncure, Tahmassebi, and McCabe describe the disagreement and distrust that could have damaged the new nation before it was formed. Madison, Mason, Lee, Washington, Randolph and others knew who their enemy was (before) the Revolution; but (after) the revolution, during their attempt to form the Constitution, they began to see (each other) as enemies. But it worked out perfectly.

    The conflict that went on long ago between Robert Price and Acharya S, as described in his article, reminds me of the drama that’s described in those three articles (above). But Dr. Price made it work out perfectly.

    I say “perfectly” because I think Robert Price’s article is graced so well that it will act as a catalyst that will result in more progress and fewer pranks from certain cranks involved in the study of the myth of Jesus. Robert Price’s article is a blessing for not just Acharya, but for also himself and the other geniuses who are all playing in the same game on the same field.

    The Framers of the Constitution and its Bill of Rights were responsible for more than those documents.

    Alexander Graham Bell, Samuel Morse, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and Philo Farnsworth created numerous inventions that changed life on earth.

    But without “those documents,” those inventors may have not appeared on the scene when they did. Their inventions may have appeared one hundred, or two hundred years (later) under the names of (other) people. I say that because the Bill of Rights removed fear and anger from the minds of Americans. Fear and anger can obstruct free thought and progress. So, in a way, George Mason, Henry Lee, Edmund Randolph, James Madison and the other Framers (caused) or (enabled) those inventors to appear on the scene much earlier.

    It’s even possible, exactly 100 years after the Constitution was written, that an (invisible) echo of “the shot heard ’round the world” triggered Guglielmo Marconi, way over in Italy, to invent the use of (invisible) radio waves.

    The Framers removed the political obstructions in a few years. Then they built a new system from nothing.

    But Robert M. Price, Acharya S D.M. Murdock, Kenneth Humphreys, Barbara Walker, Earl Doherty and others are engaged in a bigger task. They’re attempting to expose the (truth) about an (untruth) that’s been cemented into the human mind with steel rebar and protected for 2000 years by every obstruction imaginable – moats, wars, torture and the threat of eternity in hell. Dismantling that is a task.

    Another major contribution to dismantling this mess was an answer provided by Richard Dawkins during his recent interview.

    Mr. Dawkins was asked, “What is your view of Jesus?”

    Dawkins replied, “The evidence he existed is surprisingly shaky.”

    Robert M. Price’s article addressed to Acharya S D.M. Murdock and Richard Dawkins’ seven word interview reply are two major steps – historical steps – toward dismantling the (untruth) and exposing the (truth).

  15. Comment from Earl Doherty
    At http://www.freeratio.org/showthread.php?p=7341537#post7341537

    Earl Doherty said

    [quote]I would largely have to agree with Bob Price’s recent article, which Dave gave us a link to. What was objectionable in the original Christ Conspiracy was a handful of things, mostly at the end of the book, relating to global civilization or pygmies (I scarcely remember them), which I simply ignored as irrelevant to the book’s meat when I first reviewed it myself. And yes, more primary sources should have been supplied.

    I myself have admitted that my first book, The Jesus Puzzle, had a few flaws and missing elements. I’m sure every writer in this field could make the same admission. Of course, in Acharya’s case, those predisposed to wanting to stomp all over her–like Gakusei Don (his pygmy fixation became buffoonish)–seized almost entirely on those irrelevancies and shred them for all to see like rabid pitbulls. Personally, I was fascinated by the window she provided onto the old History of Religions school of the 19th century, something we’ve largely lost sight of since mainstream academia circled its wagons in the early 20th century and drove them into eclipse. I think Acharya has done invaluable work in bringing them back into the light, as she has the unduly neglected field of astrotheology.

    I have nothing against Pete [Mountainman] personally, but c’mon, to elevate his strange and strained theories over the work of Acharya is simply ridiculous.

    Earl Doherty[/quote]

  16. The entire human race should be enraged at the ultimate fraud that has been perpetrated against it in the putrescent form of this pseudo-religion absurdly called Christianity. The term Kris-Kristos, Kristosianity goes back thousands of years before this repulsive, apocryphal fraud who is supposed to be a Talmudic Hebrew but has a Greek name ever non-existed. This Kol Nidre pathological liar is nothing but a watered-down wine rendition of Dionysus.

    The ultimate symbol of this Christianity, the crucifixion, proves in itself that this pathetic excuse for a religion is a lie. The Romans had a superior justice system to our own, and they did not crucify people for doing absolutely nothing or for talking about peace and love. They also did not crucify people for engaging in thievery, so the two thieves being crucified with Jesus are an absolute joke. The Romans only crucified non-citizens who had committed murder or high treason. According to this book arrogantly called the BIBLE, this Iezeus-Jesus didn’t even commit a misdemeanor; therefore, the Romans would not have prosecuted him for anything. The Romans never heard of this clown, which proves conclusively that he never existed.

  17. Many relevant, poignant replies..
    it has been a pleasure reading the depth of thought here, and ITA, Mr. Smetna!

  18. A Request for Robert M. Price and Acharya S D.M. M
    Dear Acharya and Robert,

    It was satisfying to read how two original thinkers are able to reflect on their past comments with balance of mind. I would like to invite you to visit my website: [i][b]www.futureofgodamen.com[/b][/i] to determine if you would spend some of your valuable time to consider evaluating a book I plan to publish this year. It is titled, “ALLAH, We, Our and Us.” This book informs people of the purpose of the Qur’an and why it has and will continue to be used as an instrument by Islamic religious leaders.

    My e-mail is provided to contact me and if interested. I will be honored to send you an electronic copy for review. It is essential that authors with your scope of readers to join my efforts to reveal truths in easy to understand text. Knowledge is a wonderful gift and I humbly request your assistance to reach out to people around the world to learn the truth few of us are able to suface.

    I look forward to communicating with two exceptional authors,

    Nicholas P. Ginex

    1. Thank you for your kind regards and interest. It sounds like your book is a worthy endeavor. I invite you to submit a short article of 500 words or so to be posted here on this blog. It can be an excerpt, if you wish, to promote your book.

      However, without investigating further, I’m assuming at this point that your work is skeptical and not proselytizing. Obviously, I would not be interested in the latter. If the former, I do believe we need more works by critical and non-believing authors scrutinizing Islamic doctrine and tradition.

      You can write to me at acharya_s@yahoo.com.

      1. Dea.r Acharya,

        I just read your reply and apologize for this late response. I am providing the first few paragraphs of the epilogue in the book, Allah, We, Our and Us. If interested in receiving the unpublished copy for review please e-mail me at nickginex@gmail.com

        Epilogue

        Dear reader, this book has been written to inform and educate people around the world about an impending threat by Islamic religious and ruling leaders that have an objective to assimilate the free world under their religion. In the attempt to give a fair assessment of the Islamic religion, this author has objectively revealed the faults of the other two monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity. No effort is made to denigrate the three major religions, but to reveal their faults so that religious leaders and followers acknowledge the dire need to revise their scriptures.

        Our way of life allows for open discussion of any subject without resorting to animosity and violence. This freedom is to be preserved at all costs in order to attain knowledge about ourselves, our neighbors, and the wonderful ideas that can lead to an increase in our understanding of human nature and revere life on this planet. If we are able to change old, worn-out religious dogma contained in Judaic, Christian and Islamic scripture, we will achieve peace and understanding around the globe and may someday enjoy meeting other intelligent life in the universe.

        This book focused on Islam in particular because unlike Judaic and Christian followers there is an overwhelmingly increase of violence by Muslims. Ample evidence has been presented within these chapters to conclusively deduce that it is the Qur’an itself that promotes and sanctions bigotry, hate, and the killing of innocent people in the name of God. This evidence reveals a reality that because the Qur’an is faithfully used by imams, caliphs, and mullahs to indoctrinate there followers, they promote and violently force their “true religion” on all people. Their ultimate objective is to attain a world-wide community, the ummah, a community of Muslims which exists under theocratic Islamic rule.

        There is much to be said about civilizations around the world existing with a common code of morality, which is normally prescribed in Holy Scripture. However, when a religion emerges as advocating it is the “only true religion” and forces its morality on other civilizations that have their own set of ethics and code of behavior, then that forceful approach leads only to discontent that leads to division between the various cultures. The results, motivated by suspicion, anger, and eventual hatred, lead to murder, rape, and disrespect for those who have opposing views. The Appendix provides a documented history of the atrocities by extremist Muslims for only a one month period. This snap-shot of history should awaken the hearts and minds of all religious leaders and people around the world to try to resolve the path of destruction promulgated by the Qur’an.

  19. For any person to refute history in such manners is foolishness. I have seen the word “myth” and “lies.” Your individual race for knowledge has brought you to the same temptation that Adam and Eve faced. Eat from the tree and seek the knowledge of God or remain a creation and accept God as He is, our authority. You have taken the “bait” and declared yourself the ultimate being. The only lie is that which the serpent has tempted you with, that you are supreme and their is no Jesus.

    The Bible has stood the test of time and the scrutiny that has come with it. Tacitus, Mara, Josephus, and the Talmud are all non-Christian literary history’s that discuss Jesus Christ and Christians; some with no respect at all. Yet, you, claim you know more than these men whom lived during and near the mission of Christ.

    I was once an atheist. I did not believe in God. In researching what I thought to be false I began to see that the Biblical claims fell into place with the history of the secular world; not to mention the prophetic veracity.

    The Word of God claims that we must deny ourselves and the world. To believe in Christ, this is a necessity. It is understandable. Those who are concerned with achieving unreachable levels of knowledge, financial gain, or superiority will deny Christ.

    No one will come to the Father but through Jesus. I understand that this is a truly difficult concept for unbelievers of Jesus the Christ (Messiah); let alone someone who does not even believe that the [u]man[/u], Jesus, existed at all. I know, because I used to be one who did not believe.

    I hope each of you will humble yourselves enough to open your mind’s and allow the Holy Spirit to move in the soul’s that God has given each of you. Obviously, He has given you all extraordinary mind’s.

    1. No one is “refuting history.” We are telling the TRUTH, using FACTS [i]from [/i]history.

      If you are not interested in the facts, that’s your prerogative, but they are as we have stated here. Arcane religious ideas and blind beliefs do not trump these facts.

      We are not interested in “humbling” ourselves to your or any other manmade god. We study [i]science [/i]and live in reality.

      The “Jesus Christ” of the New Testament is a fictional composite of characters, real and mythical. A composite of multiple “people” is no one. When the mythological and midrashic layers are removed, there remains no historical core to the onion.

      Threats, abuse and ignorance will not suffice to convince us that there is a “historical” Jewish man floating invisibly and omnipresently in the sky. Please stop spreading such falsehoods, as they are deleterious to humanity.

      Cheers.

      1. Okay
        AS, so you deny the entire New Testament, as well as the entire prophetic end of the Old? You deny the history of the apostles and their deaths at the hands of persecution?

        You believe that these men would be imprisoned, tortured, and killed over a myth? The politicians involved in the Watergate scandal caved to the authorities after only being threatened with their jobs. Men are not solid rocks. We are weak. The apostles lost their lives…. Over a myth? Not likely.

        These histories are not only Biblical but can be found in secular Annals. Do you also deny scientific history? Or were those books written by more credible professional historians? I suppose you also believe that our complex DNA came from a single cell organism, which your science, has proven impossible.

        There are claims from those in this thread that Jesus, the man, never existed. Unfortunately for you, that is refuting history.

        You wrote it yourself, you refuse to humble yourselves. You, who can’t even explain how your brain pictures a tricycle when you think of one but there is actually no tricycle in your mind. There is another thought, science can explain the brain but it cannot explain the mind. However, you in your wisdom will not humble yourself. 1 Corinthians 1:30 states that wisdom only comes from God. You do not believe in God, therefore do not have wisdom. I am certain this comment will offend you because you find pleasure in the elevation of yourself and your intelligence. Keep in mind, these are not my word, but the words of the Being who created the mind that science cannot explain. There was a time when I would have offended by the same comment. However, now I understand that God is almighty and I am nothing.

        You have been lied to, by Satan, to believe that you are smarter than those you speak with. Although, you are most likely very bright, it is misguided. Also, Jesus was not man made. He was born, lived, died for you, that you could insult him, and if you repented and accept Him you would be made clean in God’s eyes, even, though you were once a blasphemer. So was Paul of Tarsus. Who killed many Christians because he did not believe in Christ, yet had a miraculous conversion. Eventually would be killed in the name of Christ. Buddha, Baal, and the Greek god’s were “man made.”

        I understand that scientists need proof but the proof is in front of your eyes and the proofs add up. Many just do not like what they add up to. I have done my job. As Jesus spoke of the planter who sowed the seeds, he has done his job. Some will take, some will not. I am not telling you to believe. The facts have been presented.

  20. The Old Testament is not prophetic of the New Testament. The writers of the New Testament used the Old Testament, in many cases verbatim, as a blueprint, so to speak. The NT writers were especially fond of the Greek Old Testament or Septuagint. There’s nothing supernaturally prophetic or predictive about the Old Testament.

    The martyrdom apology is irrelevant and meaningless. Many people have died for their religion over the past several thousand years. Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, Indians and so on all died for their faith. Muslims die for their faith all the time – are you saying that Islam is true because of their sacrifices? The immediate apostles of Jesus are also fictional characters, so they didn’t die for a myth.

    The Bible is not backed up by secular histories – you are simply repeating Christian apologies without knowing the facts.

    I don’t claim that “Jesus never existed.” Plenty of Jesuses existed. There are some 20 Jesuses in Josephus alone, but the Testimonium Flavianum is a forgery. What I do say is that the “Jesus Christ” of the New Testament is a fictional composite, which is a fact. That’s the real history. Christian tradition presents a false history.

    I’ve already stated that I am not interested in humbling myself to the manmade god of the Bible. You are very arrogant in your assumptions that you are morally superior to me and have the right to make such condescending remarks. You are not.

    I have not been lied to by Satan. I could make the same stupid and insulting comment to you in response, but I don’t buy into the Bible’s interpretation of reality, which frankly makes people sound insane.

    “Satan” is simply the Christian interpretation of the “adversary,” called “Set” in the Egyptian religion. By blathering about “Satan” you are simply rehashing Egyptian mythology, without knowing it. If one wishes to sound intelligent and educated on the subject, one will want to read Jeffrey Russell’s [i]The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity[/i] ([url]http://books.google.com/books?id=D2-Na937xRYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=russell+devil&hl=en&sa=X&ei=llfWUYmADcqhigKQ2oDgCg&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA[/url]).

    Sorry, but your apologies are false, and your attempts at bullying me into your cultic worldview will fail. I am too educated and have too high an IQ for such nonsense.

    In the meantime, the Bible’s is not “God’s inerrant Word.” It is a book of fairytales interspersed with some history and a tremendous amount of repulsive folklore reflecting a very violent, misogynistic and barbaric society. The Bible’s technology belongs to the late Bronze and Iron Ages. It is a product of primitive peoples eking out an Iron-Age existence, engaged in battling and jockeying for position.

    For a superior dissection of the Bible, see lawyer Joseph Wheless’s [i]Is It God’s Word?[/i] ([url]http://books.google.com/books?id=YaoagUbqLygC&printsec=frontcover&dq=wheless+is+it+god%27s+word&hl=en&sa=X&ei=klbWUfypKMqmiQL-k4HoBA&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA[/url])

    Simple-minded apologies and blind belief in scriptures written thousands of years ago as ethnic propaganda will not suffice to overturn factual analyses of the Bible as a manmade cultural artifact.

    Oh, and while you’re here, you might actually want to read the article of the original post – you might learn something factual.

  21. Holy Horus: The Jesus Origin Exposed; The Real Tru
    Holy Horus: The Jesus Origin Exposed; The Real Truth About Religion and Its Origins, and Annuit Coeptis Novus Ordo Seclorum http://edwardmd.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/the-real-truth-about-religion-and-its-origins/

    Excerpt”

    The Real Meaning of Annuit Coeptis Novus Ordo Seclorum http://www.babylon.com/define/112/Latin-Dictionary.html

    Secret or Hidden Religious Fascism? It’s not like they aren’t hiding it in plain view. “Annuit Coeptis” = ”He (God) Has Favored Our Undertakings”? Actually, annuit is a conjugation of the verb annuo, ad-nuo, “I nod the head“. Coeptis, is the past perfect for coepi, “I began“, however, from Coeptum it means undertaking (usu.pl.)| enterprise| scheme; work begun/started/taken in hand. Or, more appropriately, “I approve of the scheme – work begun“

    For who I is, you have to go to the content of the seal, which as clearly shown is ‘Horus’, The Sun God in a hidden in brand new shiny Jesus Christ wrapper. Of course, with the ’old god’s approval’.

    “Novus Ordo Seclorum” = New Order of the Ages? Novus means new or fresh.

    Ordo has nothing to do with ’order’, except ‘religious order’, in latin the noun means ‘a Christian calendar of events and officials’ and is a synonym for ‘pontification’.

    And now Seclorum, Saeclorum, from Saeclum, meaning age, race, people in a certain time, or century, from (Saecula), Saeculum, meaning a length of time (used as past, present and future also) roughly equal to the potential lifetime of a person or the equivalent of the complete renewal of a human population. The term was first used by the Etruscans. Originally it meant the period of time from the moment that something happened (for example the founding of a city) until the point in time that all people who had lived at the first moment had died. At that point a new saeculum would start.” If one uses the Saeculi derivation for Seclorum, Saeculorum – Saeculum it means worldliness; the_world; heathenism. So one translation of Novus Ordo Seclorum is ‘Fresh New (New Improved) ’Calendar’ of Religious Doctrine for Heathens’. Note ‘God’ ‘the Sun’, The Eye, Horus at the top of the pyramid and the only ‘God symbol’ included.

  22. Private message
    Thank you for all your efforts to expose the facts behind the sun god. I wasn’t hiding my email, I just don’t like posting on the net, if possible. The ‘bots’ pick it up and spam me.

    My Best to You and Yours,

    Ed

    Ed Ward, MD

  23. In response
    As always, I learn more as I explore your work having read CIE and now these post and their responses as well. All of which, reflects continuing awareness by increasing revealing towards more knowledge through the enfoldment and refolding process of that knowledge, in the pursuit of same for all whom indeed, pursues it.
    I am a student of Santo Bonacci and others in the school of the Holy Science, who also promotes your work. I continue to connect the dots where they have led me and as a result, have included your work within my own accordingly. For me, I am thankful of your scholarship and of your sacrifice regarding same and of your endurance and perseverance; for that which you already attested too regarding the why. Such commitment is worthy for us all, and again, I am grateful and tremendously blessed by you and by your work. Allow me to speak for those yet to discover these truths and revealings you have so committed, for they too shall see and come to know and therefore speak for themselves, within the ALL Thank you!
    Please accept my sincerer gratitude, my encouragement of you staying the course and my support being able. All must contribute that of themselves in their capacities as the elements and their pieces come together in the resurgence of the light and truth of it…. that once was and now is ever increasing again, as we all continue to traverse the continuing enfoldments before us in our time and that yet to come.
    What part I play still in discovery, yet reflects a mirror reflecting that which has resonance given by its frequency, so that others see it as it was given to me to give. I therefore include your work, as well as those mentioned who permeates that reflection by its inclusions, and through the prism of truth and all of the colors emitted therein are represented in the light, composed within itself in One of the ALL who gave it, only for it to be reabsorbed back into itself and thus, is the perfection perfected. Such is the part of the great work you do.
    I, as many others recognize it, and indeed, thank you for it endlessly!
    Bless you and yours always Achary S
    Your light will never be extinguished just absorbed in becoming brighter in of itself as your reward….. and that is another story!

    A friend

    Peter

    Namaste,

  24. How stange that royalty has pagan forefathers.
    And even more stange, that royal sacrificed our
    ancestors to Odin – the god of the gallows.

    It seems im the only one who see’s this.

    They told our ancestors they were punishing
    us for crimes. I suspect it was ritual sacrifice
    to the royal god of hanging.

    Also strange, the black act of 1723.
    Six years after the formation of freemasonry.

    This act allowed the royal family to hang
    us, if we take a bird or fish for our
    starving children.

  25. I do find your work refreshing, to ‘seek truth’ amongst a ‘battered’ world of people, manipulated and scarred’, expertly knurled by the skilled subterfuge of political mind, it’s domain over mankind, this ‘bloody heritage’ of rule over all life, not only over the human condition, but also animal, food and vegetation’ and inclusive of marine,.
    The ‘gods’ that demanded reverential fear ‘as worship’, indeed ‘were never far off from each one of us’ and in fact were always ‘walking’ amongst us all, physical. human, controlling,.
    The politics of historical control and it’s atrocities, it’s perpetual updates in technology, that continually devises it’s means to overcome the human senses and sensibilities, though primarily has always sought to subjugate the human being’s minds eye, it’s freedom of thought.
    Whatever one might suppose regarding a ‘first great cause’ creative force etc, it is still true to say, one may believe whatever one wishes but that does not make it so, but that an article of ‘faith’ etched on the mind, may then be so easily steered, ‘commandeered’ by the ruling elite class’ to ‘control’, ‘still’ to this day’ should by now be recognized by all, identified as the hinge pin of human exploitations, the hi-jacking of human faith or ‘trust’ is the living nightmare the human race desperately needs to be ‘woken’ from, the evidence is clear ”ignorance is not’ bliss”…. never was.. thank you D.M. Murdock

  26. More NONSENSE about the inquisition…Please read eminent historians and their academic works about the MYTH of the Inquisition…

    1. Of course, eminent historians like Henry Charles Lea predicted that the very real Inquisition would be whitewashed out of history by Catholic organizations and fanatics.

      I see his prediction is coming true. How ridiculous to deny this fact of history, which actually had physical TORTURE CHAMBERS in edifices across Europe.

  27. Acharya
    I love you. I have one or two copies of all your books and calendars too.
    I’m not an intellectual, professor, writer or anything of those titles. I simply seek the truth in all matters because the truth matters. Your work has freed my mind of guilty feelings foisted upon me by a fundamentalist upbringing and close minded and judge mental people and that is of huge value to me. It has opened my mind also and i believe it to be a very healthy outcome to experience this relief in my life on this earth.
    I castigate those who criticize you, for your criticisms of a patriarchal religion based on a lie and exploit all who follow it, and capitalize from it while brow beating all the while.
    Thank you for your tireless efforts and stand alone bravery.

    1. Thank you for your kind regards, Julie! I’m glad you have been enjoying my work. I recall how enthusiastic you have been, so I’m delighted that I did not fail to deliver in my books and calendars.

      You should be pleased with yourself for jumping on board and freeing yourself of religious oppression – it takes a smart and wise person to go in this direction, congratulations!

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