Author: Acharya S
Did Jesus have a wife? So says an ancient Egyptian papyrus
A Egyptian papyrus fragment describing Jesus Christ as discussing his “wife” has been making the news globally of late. The idea of Jesus having a wife is many centuries old, having been circulated beginning in the late second or early third century and popularized in modern times by Dan Brown’s…
Read MoreThe Star of Bethlehem, Three Kings, Sirius and Orion
At this time of year, interest begins to increase in the motif of the “Star of Bethlehem” and “Three Kings” who supposedly followed it to the birth place of the baby Jewish messiah. The depiction of the “kings,” “wise men” or magi as three comes not from the Bible specifically…
Read MoreGiants in the Bible
Ugh. Someone put me on a “Creationism” group, so I started getting all this nonsensical dreck in my feed, like FAKE images of “giants” that “prove” the Bible to be true. First of all, any “giants” in antiquity would be little different than the tallest tribes or individuals of today.…
Read MoreWas there a historical ‘Jesus of Nazareth?’
Hi there! Just a reminder of my ebook/PDF special, in case you haven’t gotten a copy yet. If you have, thanks! I hope you are enjoying it. If not, don’t forget that I’ve included in this collection of nine (9) of my PDFs a brand-new article entitled: Was There a…
Read More2012: The end of the world?
Here’s a short-but-sweet factual description of what the date December 21, 2012 truly represents, composed by noted archaeologist Dr. Ken Feder. In a nutshell, that date simply represents the end of a cycle or series of cycles called baktuns, as related by Feder in an article for the Chicago Tribune…
Read MoreWomen in Buddhism
In August 2010, the Dalai Lama made a somewhat astonishing statement that he could be replaced by a woman, although he did clarify that she “should be attractive.” Never mind the howls of feminists about that last bit, but in his remarks Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader did break with long-held…
Read MoreJesus the Good and the Chrestians
In his monograph Chrestos: A Religious Epithet; Its Import and Influence, J.B. Mitchell describes the Jewish “agadists” who engaged in midrash or the reworking of ancient ideas and texts, remarking: By [midrash], remove and fantastic analogies, metaphors taken literally, ambiguities of all sorts, punning included, took the place of accurate…
Read MoreScholar challenges academia over Christ myth
In the wake of my release of my ebook “The Origins of Christianity and the Quest for the Historical Jesus, the daring Danish scholar Dr. Christian Lindtner has come for with a bold statement regarding academia, the Christian church and the mythicist position. Dr. Lindtner received his PhD in Buddhist…
Read MoreBible’s transmission ‘messier and more human than most of us imagine’
Scholars seek to correct ‘mistakes’ in Bible But the ongoing work of the academic detectives of the Bible Project, as their undertaking is known, shows that this text at the root of Judaism, Christianity and Islam was somewhat fluid for long periods of its history, and that its transmission through…
Read MoreWho really discovered America?
An absolutely fascinating show about the pre-Columbian settlement and/or exploration of the Americas by peoples from several different parts of the “Old World,” from China to Ireland aired in June and October 2010 on the History Channel. The show was in two parts that explored the mysterious traditions and artifacts…
Read MoreShould religion be taught in public schools?
Although some people will object to any religion being taught in public schools, and they would be correct if it were simply proselytizing rather than unattached study, I for one believe that human beings should be as educated as possible on all forms of religion, philosophy and mythology as can…
Read MoreWhat Egyptologists say about Egypt’s role in Christian origins
In the contentious field of Christian origins, there remain those who – apparently absent of serious study of the subject – continue to insist unscientifically that Egypt, the massive culture that essentially dominated the Mediterranean for centuries, had little to no influence on Christianity. As we know from the enormous…
Read MoreAmerican Christian apostates abused and threatened
We are harangued, harassed and cyberstalked relentlessly. Our personal information is exposed against our will on the internet, endangering us and our loved ones. We are ridiculed, slandered and libeled endlessly, with all manner of hate speech and evil epithets. We are ostracized and censored relentlessly [rp] in sustained campaigns…
Read MoreEarliest Christian inscription confirms ‘Christ Conspiracy’
Researchers have identified what is believed to be the world’s earliest surviving Christian inscription, shedding light on an ancient sect that followed the teachings of a second-century philosopher named Valentinus. Officially called NCE 156, the inscription is written in Greek and is dated to the latter half of the second…
Read MorePrison inmates request books by Acharya S/D.M. Murdock
Here is one of the funniest emails I have ever received – and, oddly enough, one of the most hopeful! I have removed the particulars, but you get the point. And if anyone wants to donate money so I can fulfill this person’s request, I’d greatly appreciate it. The message…
Read MoreJapanese origins of “biblical” traditions?
In researching for the upcoming revision of my book The Christ Conspiracy, I have come across the following fascinating tidbits. I’m still working out all the details, but I had to share this much. Some of the information, such as the DNA studies, is confusing still. What linguistic and certain…
Read MoreWho is the Mahdi? The Israel-Palestine conflict in religious context
- Acharya S
- 28
For years, there has been much talk about the Muslim Messiah, called the “Mahdi,” whose arrival is eagerly awaited by the ex-Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, among others. Indeed, the Iranian leadership reiterated its belief that the precious Mahdi would be arriving “soon,” a belief very similar to that of many…
Read MoreWhat is sharia law?
- Acharya S
- 34
What is sharia or Islamic law? Sharia is followed by millions of people in Islam-dominant countries. Below are the popular elements of sharia purportedly ordained by Islamic holy writings, including the Quran and sahih hadiths, as asserted by many Muslim authorities over the centuries. Although the law differs from one…
Read MorePagan Parallels: Achilles Heel of Christianity
My forum mod’s put together a post on the pagan parallels to the “life of Christ” constantly bandied about around the internet. In my book The Christ Conspiracy, published in 1999, I included several lists of parallels from the “lives” of various pagan gods and heroes. These parallels lists have…
Read MoreHow the ancients built Stonehenge and the Pyramids
Cool! Now, if you would like to know the MYTHOLOGY that accompanies such ruins, you’ll want to have our Astrotheology Calendars, on sale now! From Angkor Wat to Stonehenge: How Ancient People Moved Mountains From temples to pyramids to statues, ancient techniques moved giant blocks. The temple of Angkor Wat,…
Read MoreHuman-hating, sociopathic religious fanatics
Time and again, devotees prove that religious fanaticism causes sociopathic behaviors, including intense human-hatred, misogyny and violence. The hatred and bile with which religious fanatics attack those who question, critique or reject the ideology they follow are relentless and depraved. This sociopathic behavior in defense of an unfeeling ideology often…
Read MoreFreed humpback whale jumps for joy!
This is really an amazingly beautiful story that I could watch over and over again. I love the little child’s comments at the end. Oh yes, you must watch all the way to the end, or you will miss the most moving part of the tale. Freed humpback whale jumps…
Read MoreAcharya on Alan Eisenberg radio program, 10/27/2013
UPDATE: Here is the link to Mythicist Milwaukee, where they’ve got the MP3 of my radio program online. Note that Alan worked as an attorney, so he has a unique style in “interrogating” his guests. Also, note that he chimes in quite a bit. Overall, it was a pleasant and…
Read MoreYahweh as sun, storm and pestilence god
- Acharya S
- 10
Today’s inspirational Bible quote: “He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind…” Who can see the solar and meteorological imagery here? It is obvious that the biblical god Yahweh is a combination of numerous…
Read MoreChristian book admits Jesus mythicism is having unprecedented influence
- Acharya S
- 13
In January 2013, biased New Testament scholar Maurice Casey published an anti-mythicist rant called Jesus: Evidence and Argument or Mythicist Myths? The book contemptuously misrepresents my work in a string of ad hominem attacks and fallacies. Of course, I’ve addressed a significant portion of his arguments already, but he’s willfully…
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