The radio event of the decade!
The stage: InfidelGuy.com
The players: Acharya S, Dr. Robert Price and Reg Finley
The event: Dr. Robert Price and I appeared together on Reg Finley's "Infidel Guy" radio program on Friday, September 1, 2006 from 8:00 to 9:00 PM EST/5-6PM PST.
The background: Dr. Robert Price is the author of several books on Christian history and mythology, including Deconstructing Jesus. Some years ago, he wrote an unfavorable review of my book The Christ Conspiracy and revealed in it my real name, published in "Free Inquiry" magazine. Needless to say, this occurrence brought me quite a bit of grief.
In any event, cut to the current scene, Dr. Price has read Suns of God and written a favorable review and sent it for publication in his Journal for Higher Criticism. We have exchanged cordial emails over the months, and have mended the fences to my satisfaction. So, while this
event was NOT the contentious free-for-all that some may be hoping for, it WAS a rare opportunity to hear two of the better known figures in the world of Christian origins and mythology come together for a (hopefully) civil discussion of what I consider some of the most important and interesting issues human beings can think about.
This may be the most important show I have ever done!
Mark your calendars and tell all your friends! Post this message in forums and groups, and start a buzz!
TruthBeKnown Radio
Thanks for tuning in!
Acharya S
P.S. Be sure to check out my books if you want to know more about what we will be discussing, or check out these Christ Conspiracy articles.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
The Noble Palestinian Savage?
I've tried to stay out of the neverending mess in the Middle East, as it just seems so futile and useless to take a stance. Historically speaking, neither side is right or wrong, so no one has any clear claim on the territory, which at first glance seems to be at the heart of the struggle. The fact is that very few countries or nations can claim that they were not founded using force, slaughtering and displacing the previous inhabitants, who themselves often had massacred the previous inhabitants. Hence, the argument that Israel has no right to exist because it was founded upon violent displacement of previous inhabitants is as ridiculous as stating that America or Australia, et al., ad nauseam, have no right to exist because of their similar foundings. In other words - and I do not say this lightly, because I am no fan of "Zionism," whatever that term may mean - Israel has as much right to exist as does any other nation, based purely on the aggressive state of human history.
Now, I know well that it is quite fashionable in some quarters to champion the Palestinian cause, as, surprisingly, Jewish-owned or operated media around the world take the "bleeding heart liberal" perspective, which finds a ready audience in aging and vocal hippies. Don't get me wrong - I find all the violence and bloodshed to be despicable and abhorrent, to the point where, if I really inspected it, I would blow chow. It has always been my fervent wish that human beings would just stop fighting - in other words, cut it out already! It is for this reason that I continually stick my neck out and roundly criticize and condemn the diviseness of religion as so much deleterious dementia. As far as I am concerned, no religion is "the one and only truth," and most, in fact, border on retardation. For the purposes of this essay, however, I will not go into great detail about my criticisms of religion, as they can be found all over my website, my blog, my forum, my discussion groups and in my books.
All that having been said, with what I know about the Palestinian culture, which isn't a great deal but which is significant, I have to scratch my head at the rabid liberal perspective that demonizes the Israelis and angelizes the Palestians. In reality, both sides have behaved badly, and neither should be exonerated - which means that the Palestinian culture is not without its serious blemishes that need to be pointed out and condemned. Nay, "blemishes" is much too gentle a word. Horrors is more applicable, in fact. Well, what on Earth am I talking about? And why, if I am correct, are not more people bringing it up in the mainstream media? Why are women's groups in particular not harshly condemning these horrors? These are good questions that can only be answered by the fact of the basic human capacity for denial.
Murder by family
What I am talking about is the rampant honor killings of women and girls that come hand in hand with Palestinian culture, however that is defined. (There are those, of course, who claim that "Palestinian" is not actually a proper name, as these people are not really an ethnicity per se and the term is "manmade," but that argument is quite moot, because it could be applied to all ethnicities and cultures, as they are all manmade and not ordained from on high.) In any event, it is quite common in the Palestinian culture, and elsewhere in the Arab and Muslim world, for women and girls to be brutally murdered by their own relatives, such as brothers or fathers, when it has been determined that they have "brought shame" upon their families. This "shame" frequently comes in the form of the female daring to have sex but also if she is sexually abused or raped. In other words, if a girl or woman is victimized, it is she who is to blame and who is deemed worthy of murder. Because of this brutal and barbaric mentality, countless women and girls have been shot in the head, decapitated, or otherwise murdered simply because they were women whom men could abuse or rape. And, again, this vile practice is common in the Palestinian culture, where women apparently have little value, as dictated by the Koran and other Islamic traditions.
Let us give an example that may be useful in driving home the point that things in the Middle East are a bit more complicated than they appear. Although I do not see Israeli defenders raising these issues - but perhaps they should - according to one brutal honor killer who cut off his own daughter's head in 1997, and who happened to be the Palestinian National Authority attorney general, some 70% of all murders in Gaza and the West Bank were of women and girls, and constituted honor killings. This psychotic individual's assertions apparently have merit, as writer James Emery relates:
In consideration of the facts that a woman being raped in these cultures is deemed "dishonor" brought by the victim, but cutting off her head, shooting her or otherwise murdering her is viewed as "honorable," is it possible that maybe, just maybe, the Israelis have their hands more full than the rest of the world suspects? If a woman's life holds so little value, and a people find it more honorable to murder a victim of violent crime than to punish her attacker, are we dealing with a rational mindset that is entirely exculpable from bringing on its own troubles? If the heartless "blame the victim" mentality in one culture can be so overlooked, why cannot it be likewise in another culture? In any case, it is clear that the "noble Palestinian savage" is but a myth. There is nothing "noble" about a culture that is engrained with, and avidly practices, so-called honor killings.
Sources:
Reputation is Everything: Honor Killing among the Palestinians
Honor killing demands global response
Now, I know well that it is quite fashionable in some quarters to champion the Palestinian cause, as, surprisingly, Jewish-owned or operated media around the world take the "bleeding heart liberal" perspective, which finds a ready audience in aging and vocal hippies. Don't get me wrong - I find all the violence and bloodshed to be despicable and abhorrent, to the point where, if I really inspected it, I would blow chow. It has always been my fervent wish that human beings would just stop fighting - in other words, cut it out already! It is for this reason that I continually stick my neck out and roundly criticize and condemn the diviseness of religion as so much deleterious dementia. As far as I am concerned, no religion is "the one and only truth," and most, in fact, border on retardation. For the purposes of this essay, however, I will not go into great detail about my criticisms of religion, as they can be found all over my website, my blog, my forum, my discussion groups and in my books.
All that having been said, with what I know about the Palestinian culture, which isn't a great deal but which is significant, I have to scratch my head at the rabid liberal perspective that demonizes the Israelis and angelizes the Palestians. In reality, both sides have behaved badly, and neither should be exonerated - which means that the Palestinian culture is not without its serious blemishes that need to be pointed out and condemned. Nay, "blemishes" is much too gentle a word. Horrors is more applicable, in fact. Well, what on Earth am I talking about? And why, if I am correct, are not more people bringing it up in the mainstream media? Why are women's groups in particular not harshly condemning these horrors? These are good questions that can only be answered by the fact of the basic human capacity for denial.
Murder by family
What I am talking about is the rampant honor killings of women and girls that come hand in hand with Palestinian culture, however that is defined. (There are those, of course, who claim that "Palestinian" is not actually a proper name, as these people are not really an ethnicity per se and the term is "manmade," but that argument is quite moot, because it could be applied to all ethnicities and cultures, as they are all manmade and not ordained from on high.) In any event, it is quite common in the Palestinian culture, and elsewhere in the Arab and Muslim world, for women and girls to be brutally murdered by their own relatives, such as brothers or fathers, when it has been determined that they have "brought shame" upon their families. This "shame" frequently comes in the form of the female daring to have sex but also if she is sexually abused or raped. In other words, if a girl or woman is victimized, it is she who is to blame and who is deemed worthy of murder. Because of this brutal and barbaric mentality, countless women and girls have been shot in the head, decapitated, or otherwise murdered simply because they were women whom men could abuse or rape. And, again, this vile practice is common in the Palestinian culture, where women apparently have little value, as dictated by the Koran and other Islamic traditions.
Let us give an example that may be useful in driving home the point that things in the Middle East are a bit more complicated than they appear. Although I do not see Israeli defenders raising these issues - but perhaps they should - according to one brutal honor killer who cut off his own daughter's head in 1997, and who happened to be the Palestinian National Authority attorney general, some 70% of all murders in Gaza and the West Bank were of women and girls, and constituted honor killings. This psychotic individual's assertions apparently have merit, as writer James Emery relates:
"In the Palestinian communities of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Israel, and Jordan, women are executed in their homes, in open fields, and occasionally in public, sometimes before crowds of cheering onlookers. Honor killings account for virtually all of the murders of Palestinian women in these areas.""The murder of females in the Middle East is an ancient tradition."
In consideration of the facts that a woman being raped in these cultures is deemed "dishonor" brought by the victim, but cutting off her head, shooting her or otherwise murdering her is viewed as "honorable," is it possible that maybe, just maybe, the Israelis have their hands more full than the rest of the world suspects? If a woman's life holds so little value, and a people find it more honorable to murder a victim of violent crime than to punish her attacker, are we dealing with a rational mindset that is entirely exculpable from bringing on its own troubles? If the heartless "blame the victim" mentality in one culture can be so overlooked, why cannot it be likewise in another culture? In any case, it is clear that the "noble Palestinian savage" is but a myth. There is nothing "noble" about a culture that is engrained with, and avidly practices, so-called honor killings.
Sources:
Reputation is Everything: Honor Killing among the Palestinians
Honor killing demands global response
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Is Islam a "Peaceful Religion?"
Anyone who has followed my work knows that I concur wholeheartedly with the assessment that Islam has never been "peaceful" and that it is an ideology designed for world domination. However, I certainly would disagree with the notion that Islam is any less a religion than Christianity or Judaism, both of which are likewise ideologies designed for hegemony. Christianity claims it is the only truth faith and that all others are therefore false. Its proponents further believe that adherents to all other ideologies are destined for hell and that their beliefs are diabolical and should not be permitted to exist. Hence, only Christianity is allowed, if the world is to be free of sin. Jewish holy texts such as the "Old Testament" constantly deem Judaism the "true" religion, while all others are false. The Old Testament further repeatedly asserts that the "chosen people" will reign over the whole world. The fact is that all of these religions have been jockeying for world domination over the past centuries to millennia. The fact is also that Islam currently is poised to blow over us like a terrifying tempest. As they say, forewarned is forearmed.
Islam Has Never Been Peaceful Nor Is It a Religion
By Dave Gibson (08/16/2006)
While the Christian prophet Jesus sacrificed himself for his believers, the Muslim prophet Mohammed frequently ordered his followers to sacrifice themselves for his own glory. Islam is not a religion at all, but a political movement with the goal of world domination. Islam has a very violent history and the terror now being perpetrated on the West is simply another campaign for world conquest.
The Quran orders Muslims to either enslave or kill those who refuse to worship Allah. The Muslim holy book does not teach love, but hate. Faithful Muslims are directed to kill the 'infidels.'
The following are a few of the violent passages found within the Quran:
'Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you.' (Sura 9:122)
'make war on the leaders of unbelief...' (Sura 9:12)
'Allah has given those that fight with their goods and their persons a higher rank than those who stay at home. He has promised all a good reward; but for richer is the recompense of those who fight for Him.' (Sura 4:96)
'Believers, retaliation is decreed for you in bloodshed.' (Sura 2:178)"...
We must no longer allow Muslims to hide behind the banner of religion. We must shut down their mosques, deport all non-citizen Muslims within this country, and consider internment for American Muslims until the end of the war. If we do not recognize the Muslim threat lurking within this nation...We can look forward to seeing more smoke rising over American cities.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
TBK Forums
Woo hoo! I have a cool new enterprise on my site: The Truth Be Known Forums. We will be covering a wide variety of subjects, including, of course, religion, spirituality and mythology. Come on in and join the party!
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Amazing Amazonian Stonehenge!
Astrotheology's busting out all over! Ah, how sweet it is. In my books and The Christ Conspiracy and Suns of God, I provide a large amount of multidisciplinary evidence to demonstrate that the world's major religions are in large part based on astrotheology or the study and worship of the sun, moon, stars, planets and nature in general. Numerous archaeological finds over the past couple of decades have borne out this assertion quite amazingly. What a fascinating world it is - and can be, if we can go beyond the fanaticism that blinds us to it.
Another ‘Stonehenge’ discovered in Amazon
Centuries-old granite grouping may have served as observatory
Image: Granite blocks
Gilmar Nascimento / AP file
A grouping of 127 granite blocks along a grassy Amazon hilltop may be the vestiges of an ancient astronomical observatory, according to archaeologists.
SAO PAULO, Brazil - A grouping of granite blocks along a grassy Amazon hilltop may be the vestiges of a centuries-old astronomical observatory — a find that archaeologists say shows early rainforest inhabitants were more sophisticated than previously believed.
The 127 blocks, some as high as 9 feet (2.75 meters) tall, are spaced at regular intervals around the hill, like a crown 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter.
On the shortest day of the year — Dec. 21 — the shadow of one of the blocks disappears when the sun is directly above it."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
