Acharya S: Difference between revisions
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'''Acharya S''' is the |
'''Acharya S''' is the pen name of '''D. Murdock''' who has authored two books and owns a website called "Truth be Known". She contends that 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. |
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In 1999, Acharya published ''The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold''. The book is based on development and expansion of an essay from her website, ''[http://www.truthbeknown.com/origins.htm The Origins of Christianity and the Quest for the Historical Jesus Christ]''. ''Christ Conspiracy'' introduces the concept of [[Jesus Christ]] as myth, and argues that the Christ story is a fabrication based on earlier [[paganism|pagan]] mythology. |
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*Books |
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*Critical and non critical external links |
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==Claims about Christianity== |
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| ⚫ | Her 1999 book, The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold and a follow-up book, Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled, discusses her observations further. Suns of God is addresses criticisms of her former book and expands teh topic measurably. 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 evidence that the story of Jesus was written based on existing myth and not the life of a real man. |
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| ⚫ | Acharya |
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| ⚫ | Acharya describes the historical existence of Jesus Christ and the New Testament as a work of mythic fiction with an historical setting. 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 religious persecution, and thorugh the destruction and control of literature, such as the Library of Alexandria, once they attained control of the Roman Empire. [1] |
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| ⚫ | This purportedly led to widespread illiteracy in the ancient world and ensured that the mythical nature of Christ's story was |
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| ⚫ | This purportedly led to widespread illiteracy in the ancient world and ensured that the mythical nature of Christ's story was lost in the Dark Ages. 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. [2] [3] |
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Acharya compares Jesus' history to that of other "saviour gods" such as [[Mithraism|Mithra]], [[Horus]], [[Adonis]], [[Krishna]], [[Quetzalcoatl]], and [[Odin]]—claiming that the similarities result from a common source: the myth of the sun-god or [[solar deity]]. |
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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, claiming 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 [degrees]; hence, the 'Sun of God' begins his ministry at 'age' 30." |
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==Background== |
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==Claims about other religions== |
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| ⚫ | Acharya S is a historian, mythologist, religious scholar, linguist, archeologist who 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. She been interviewed on a variety of radio stations. |
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Acharya S is highly critical of certain aspects of [[Judaism]], in particular [[Hasidism]]. She writes online about the possible creation of a [[theocracy|theocratic]] [[New World Order (conspiracy)|New World Order]] which would impose the [[Noahide Laws]]: |
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<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 |
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[http://www.truthbeknown.com/theocracy.htm].</blockquote> |
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==Critical and non critical external links== |
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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 [[Global domination|world conquest]] and single world government.... The rumor was... that the Mormon Church had arranged to assist [[Israel]] in bringing off [[Armageddon]]." [http://www.truthbeknown.com/mormonism.htm ] Her criticisms have also been directed against [[Islam]] and [[Buddhism]]. |
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Main site. |
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==Critical response== |
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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. |
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Not surprisingly, a number of [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologists]] have criticised or rebutted Acharya's work. [[James Patrick Holding]] has presented a [http://tektonics.org/af/achy01.html list of criticisms] of ''Christ Conspiracy''. |
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General topics and interviews. |
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Apologist Mike Licona of the [[North American Mission Board]] has also presented [http://www.answeringinfidels.com/content/view/34/49/ a critique] which was subsequently [http://www.truthbeknown.com/licona.htm rebutted] by Acharya, to which Licona wrote [http://www.answeringinfidels.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=37 another response]. |
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[[Robert M. Price|Robert Price]], a professor of Theology and fellow proponent of the view that the [[Gospel]] accounts are borrowed from pagan sources, is nevertheless openly critical of Acharya's writing. |
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*[http://members.aol.com/kingdavid10/Letters/LetterJesusHorus.html An Email Exchange with the author.] |
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:Writing at second hand, she is too quick to state as bald-faced fact what turn out to be, once one chases down her sources, either wild speculations or complex inferences from a chain of complicated data open to many interpretations. |
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:...''The Christ Conspiracy'' is a random bag of (mainly recycled) eccentricities, some few of them worth considering, most dangerously shaky, many outright looney. [http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/rev_murdock.htm] |
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==Life== |
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*[http://truthbeknown.com/suns_of_god_review.html Review by Danny McNeal] |
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Acharya S is a self-described historian, mythologist, religious scholar, linguist, archeologist; her supporters consider these claims legitimate based on the strength of her research and writings. |
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She is a fellow of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion, a division of the [[Council for Secular Humanism]]. |
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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. |
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Her inspiration for exploring the [[Jesus-myth|Jesus myth]] theory was reportedly 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''. |
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==External links== |
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==== Acharya S' web site==== |
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==== Interviews ==== |
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*[http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/BkrvTCC.htm Earl Doherty reviews ''The Christ Conspiracy''], see [[Earl Doherty]] |
*[http://pages.ca.inter.net/~oblio/BkrvTCC.htm Earl Doherty reviews ''The Christ Conspiracy''], see [[Earl Doherty]] |
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*[http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/rev_murdock.htm Robert Price reviews ''The Christ Conspiracy''] |
*[http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/rev_murdock.htm Robert Price reviews ''The Christ Conspiracy''] |
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*[http://ebtx.com/dead/acharya.htm ebtx.com reviews ''The Christ Conspiracy''] |
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*[http://tektonics.org/af/achy01.html Tekton Apologetics Ministries reviews ''The Christ Conspiracy''] |
*[http://tektonics.org/af/achy01.html Tekton Apologetics Ministries reviews ''The Christ Conspiracy''] |
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[[Category:Religious philosophy and doctrine]] |
[[Category: Religious philosophy and doctrine]] |
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Revision as of 18:26, 7 May 2006
Acharya S is the pen name of D. Murdock who has authored two books and owns a website called "Truth be Known". She contends that 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.
Contents [hide]
- Books
- Critical and non critical external links
Books
Her 1999 book, The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold and a follow-up book, Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled, discusses her observations further. Suns of God is addresses criticisms of her former book and expands teh topic measurably. 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 evidence that the story of Jesus was written based on existing myth and not the life of a real man.
Acharya describes the historical existence of Jesus Christ and the New Testament as a work of mythic fiction with an historical setting. 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 religious persecution, and thorugh the destruction and control of literature, such as the Library of Alexandria, once they attained control of the Roman Empire. [1]
This purportedly led to widespread illiteracy in the ancient world and ensured that the mythical nature of Christ's story was lost in the Dark Ages. 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. [2] [3]
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, claiming 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 [degrees]; hence, the 'Sun of God' begins his ministry at 'age' 30."
Background
Acharya S is a historian, mythologist, religious scholar, linguist, archeologist who 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. She been interviewed on a variety of radio stations.
Critical and non critical external links
Main site.
General topics and interviews.
- Interview with Acharya S in Paranoia Magazine
- Paranoia Magazine review of Suns of God by Joan d'Arc
- An Email Exchange with the author.
Reviews.