Dead Sea Scrolls Not Written by Essenes

In my books I have repeatedly addressed the decades-old contention that the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were written by the esoteric Jewish sect of the Essenes, demonstrating that the evidence shows otherwise. A recent article in TIME highlights the claim by Jewish scholar Dr. Rachel Elior that likewise views the Dead Sea Scrolls as a product of someone other than the Essenes:

Scholar Claims Dead Sea Scrolls 'Authors' Never Existed

This title, of course, is not only sensational but also erroneous, in that the Essenes were evidently not the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the first place. Someone obviously wrote the scrolls, so they certainly existed. Elior, however, is taking this contention one step further and saying that the Essenes themselves never existed. As TIME relates:

As Elior explains, the Essenes make no mention of themselves in the 900 scrolls found by a Bedouin shepherd in 1947 in the caves of Qumran, near the Dead Sea. "Sixty years of research have been wasted trying to find the Essenes in the scrolls," Elior tells TIME. "But they didn't exist. This is legend on a legend."

While I would wager that an esoteric sect of the "Essenic" nature certainly did exist in Judea, as it did elsewhere around the Mediterranean, including at Lake Mareotis in Egypt, I definitely agree that the evidence points elsewhere as to the authorship of the scrolls. In my book The Christ Conspiracy (1999), I fleshed out the scholarship that logically attributes the scrolls to the Zadokites, a certain group of Sadducees, as the authors deemed themselves.

In a chapter entitled, "Essenes, Zealots and Zadokites," I write:

The idea of a monolithic Essene community from which Christianity issued was...given fuel with the discovery in 1947 of the caches of scrolls in caves near the ruined site of Qumran along the Dead Sea in present-day Jordan. However, there is yet another debate as to whether or not Qumran was indeed an Essene community....

In reality, the archaeological finds indicate Qumran was not an Essene community but a waystation for travelers and merchants crossing the Dead Sea. In Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?, Norman Golb evinced that Qumran was a fortress, not a monastery... In addition, Golb posited that the scrolls were not written by any Essene scribes but constituted a collection from libraries in Jerusalem secreted in caves throughout eastern Palestine by Jews fleeing the Roman armies during the First Revolt of 70 CE.... The Dead Sea collection is in fact eclectic, representing more than one sect or priesthood, competitors, in actuality.... (Acharya, The Christ Conspiracy, 301)

Although the DSS represent an eclectic collection, some of the original scrolls--those composed possibly using the inkpots found at Qumran--were written by individuals who could be categorized as Zealots and who, again, identified themselves as Zadokites, after the Old Testament priest Zadok, founder of the Sadducees. In this regard, in The Christ Conspiracy, I further state:

At the end of the second century BCE, Galilee was violently subjugated by the Judeans... After this invasion and forcible conversion, the ranks of the Herodian outpost Qumran supposedly swelled, evidently with Samaritans and Galileans, or Zealots "from Damascus," who also were the Sadducees, or "sons of Zadok," i.e., "the priests who keep the covenant," as the Zealots of the scrolls identified themselves. Indeed, Solomon Schechter, the discoverer of the Cairo edition of one important scroll also found at the Dead Sea--the "Zadokite Document," also known as the "Damascus Rule" or "Damascus Covenant"--considered the Dead Sea Zadokites an "offshoot" of the Sadducean sect, "possibly the Dosithean schism," thereby equating this Sadducean offshoot with the Samaritans. (Acharya, CC, 306)

In this same manner, TIME recently related:

So who were the real authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls? Elior theorizes that the Essenes were really the renegade sons of Zadok, a priestly caste banished from the Temple of Jerusalem by intriguing Greek rulers in 2nd century B.C. When they left, they took the source of their wisdom — their scrolls — with them. "In Qumran, the remnants of a huge library were found," Elior says, with some of the early Hebrew texts dating back to the 2nd century B.C.

In consideration of this current debate, it is wise to keep in mind that scholarship on various subjects is not always set in stone, as we can see in this instance. The Essene authorship of the Dead Sea Scrolls has been treated as if factual for several decades; yet, not only was there no evidence for such an attribution but the scrolls themselves pointed elsewhere, with the authors identifying themselves as Zadokites.

Moreover, this Zadokite attribution, which I developed in a book published in 1999, unravels some of the difficulties in discerning Christian origins, which I also detailed in that same book, tracing many influences upon Christianity not only to the Zadokites but also to other sects within the Mediterranean region as a whole.

While Dr. James Charlesworth rebuts Elior's statements by claiming that the term "Essenes" would not appear in the scrolls, because it is a "foreign word." Be that as it may, Josephus specifically refers to three separate sects, the Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes, which indicates he believed that the Sadducees/Zadokites and Essenes were not the same group. Says, the Jewish historian:

At this time there were three sects among the Jews, who had different opinions concerning human actions; the one was called the sect of the Pharisees, another the sect of the Sadducees, and the other the sect of the Essenes..." (Ant., XIII, V, 9)

To this day, the majority of people perceive these two as distinct groups, for a variety of reasons, including their "different opinions concerning human actions." It is my contention, however, that all three were instrumental in the creation of Christianity.

For more information, see:

The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold
Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled
Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ
Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection

Easter: The Resurrection of Spring

I have posted an illustrated article entitled "Easter: The Resurrection of Spring" that you may enjoy! This article is an excerpt from my new book Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection.

Easter: The Resurrection of Spring
by Acharya S/D.M. Murdock

Although it is believed to represent the time of Jesus Christ's resurrection, the festival of Easter existed in pre-Christian times and, according to the famous Christian saint Venerable Bede (672-735 AD/CE), was named for the Teutonic or German goddess Eôstre, who was the "goddess of dawn" and who symbolized the fertility found abundantly during the springtime of the year....

The "Christos" is not only the sun triumphing over the darkness as the day becomes longer than the night, but it is also the sun's light in the moon, as the moon waxes and wanes monthly.... In any event, the deity reborn or raised up at the vernal equinox or springtime is a recurring theme not representing a "historical" personage but, rather, a natural phenomenon, i.e., Spring.

For the complete article, see:

http://stellarhousepublishing.com/easter-resurrection.html

Enjoy!

Also, be sure to check out my "Easter special" at the following link!

http://stellarhousepublishing.com/special.html

Don't miss it!

Acharya/D.M. Murdock

P.S. The special is for U.S. only, but Christ in Egypt is now available internationally through Amazon!

Clothing Exchanges & Toy Swaps

I realize this isn't my usual fare, but in these difficult economic times, I think this is an extremely important idea whose time has come.

I have recently participated in book exchanges or swaps, as well as a Christmas gift exchange, whereby people bring their unwanted items to a central location, such as a school, church, armory or other public place, in order to exchange them with others who do likewise. There are tables set up, the items are placed on them, people take what they want for FREE! Simple!

Book swaps may be becoming more common in schools, and hopefully the Christmas gift exchange will catch on as well. But one of the most important items people need is clothing, especially those with school-aged children! So...

I have planted the seed in the mind of school officials to create a clothing exchange or swap, during which parents can bring their children's outgrown clothes to a central location, such as the school gym, and exchange them for FREE!

I would like to see this idea spread far and wide. It's easy - and it's free. You could potentially get an entire year's wardrobe for your child absolutely free. I understand that some towns have clothing banks where lower income families can get free clothing, and I have seen a very fine one indeed. But what about towns that don't have decent clothing banks? And what about people with higher incomes who still can't afford the endless stream of clothes needed for their children?

Clothing exchanges/swaps are the perfect answer! And think about all the packaging and assorted other resources we can save by not running down to our local megamart and buying yet more STUFF from foreign countries? I for one am sick to death of plastic wrap and all the rest that comes with new products. How much of that junk is ending up in our waterways, our oceans and so on? How much more plastic do we need to choke and kill our wildlife?

Spare the packaging, save money, better your community - do a clothing exchange!

Toy Swaps/Exchanges

And another great idea whose time is come is a TOY EXCHANGE. If you're like many parents, you have boxes upon boxes of TOYS that are driving you crazy. Gather those toys together in a central location and swap them with others! Again, we're talking about junk, packaging, plastic pellets killing wildlife. Don't throw out those old toys, exchange them for FREE.

You can also agree with your children's friends' parents to exchange used but unbroken toys as gifts at birthdays! If everyone is on board, no one should be offended by not receiving plastic-swathed, new toys to add to the heaps in their homes. Explain that you are interested in both the economic and environmental low impact of giving and receiving used toys at birthday parties.

None of this is difficult or costly to organize. I'm sure you can come up with more exchanges and swaps in your town or city. Just put the idea out there! Spread it around. We have enough STUFF in this country. We don't need to spend our hard-earned and increasingly scarce dollars on these items that are still perfectly good and useful.

Start free clothing, book, toy and gift exchanges and swaps in your neighborhood, town, city and state today!

Radio Show on the Horus Jesus Connection

I've got a brand-new radio program with Jan Irvin of Gnostic Media!

Christ in Egypt: An Interview with D.M. Murdock aka Acharya S

In this two-hour show, I go into great and juicy detail about my new book Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection. This new book essentially proves the Egyptian and Horus elements as found in "ZEITGEIST, Part 1." These elements were in turn from my book The Christ Conspiracy, such as:

• Horus was born of the virgin Isis-Mery on December 25th.
• Horus/Osiris's birth was heralded by a bright star in the east, followed by "three kings."
• Horus was baptized by "Anup the Baptizer," who was decapitated.
• He had 12 followers, helpers or disciples.
• And much more!
  

In the program there's also a little editorializing and commentary about the religious fanaticism that dominates in some places, like on other people's radio shows...

Think link above is directly to my podcast, but you can see the whole GM page here.

Enjoy!

And then when you're ready to get a copy of my book, go here:

Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection

Don't miss this one!

D.M. Murdock/Acharya S

P.S. There's a never-before seen photo of me on Gnostic Media as well!

Skeptic Mangles ZEITGEIST (and Religious History)

Here is my response to the piece in Eskeptic magazine.

Enjoy! And please do feel free to post this rebuttal wherever you wish.

Skeptic Mangles ZEITGEIST (and Religious History)
A Commentary
by Acharya S aka D.M. Murdock

It is a curious fact that writers who toss around the words "sloppy," "garbled" and "nonsense" are often guilty of these very things themselves. Case in point is the critical review of the first part of the internet movie "ZEITGEIST" by Skeptic magazine book editor Tim Callahan (Eskeptic, 2/25/09). Callahan proclaims "ZEITGEIST Part 1"--for which I was a source and last-minute consultant on the official version--to be "sloppy" and "garbled," and he proceeds to give his opinion as to its supposed errors. First of all, his declaration that much of the material in ZG is "plainly and simply bogus" is false. Callahan has evidently not even studied the sources meticulously cited on the ZG website to see from where this material comes. Instead, he gives the impression that the movie's creator, Peter Joseph, simply "made it up." Secondly, ZG is a simple summary of the thesis that Jesus is a rehash of the popular sun gods of the Roman Empire and beyond. The 25-minute segment was not meant to serve as a thorough scholarly analysis, so Callahan's talk about "greater scholarship" and "spurious scholarship" constitutes a mere snooty red herring.

For the rest, please see:

http://stellarhousepublishing.com/skeptic-zeitgeist.html

Best-Selling Author Endorses "Who Was Jesus?"

I've just posted a really great review of my book Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ" by David Mills, author of the best-seller Atheist Universe. Along with Dawkins, Hitchens and others, David is one of the handful of writers who have been cited extensively during the past several years of the "atheist revolution."

http://stellarhousepublishing.com/david-mills-wwj.html

Here are some of his comments concerning my book:

"Ms. Murdock is one of only a tiny number of scholars with the richly diverse academic background (and the necessary courage) to adequately address the question of whether Jesus Christ truly existed as a walking-talking figure in first-century Palestine. This question, and many others related to New Testament reliability, are directly confronted and satisfyingly answered in Who Was Jesus? I loved this book. It is absolutely superb in every way, from the eloquence of the writing to the integrity of the scholarship. This book should be required reading in every American classroom....

"My personal recommendation is that Who Was Jesus? should be the first book purchased and studied by anyone, atheist or true believer, who wants to debate Jesus' existence and the Bible's veracity.... You should therefore make this book priority reading even over The God Delusion, God is Not Great and other excellent but, in my opinion, less important books than Murdock's....

"To summarize: D.M. Murdock's Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ is unquestionably one of the finest and most enjoyable books I've ever read."

David Mills
Author of Atheist Universe

For the whole thing - and to get your copy of Who Was Jesus? - be sure to go to:

http://stellarhousepublishing.com/david-mills-wwj.html

Enjoy!

"ZEITGEIST, Part 1" Revisited

The great news is that we are anxiously awaiting the publication of Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection, which essentially proves the various contentions regarding the Egyptian god Horus as found in the official version of the hit internet movie "ZEITGEIST!"

In the meantime, I thought I'd direct your attention to a few videos created by a young fellow that likewise demonstrate a couple of the Horus-Jesus parallels. While the net is inundated by poorly researched "debunking" videos full of straw men and misstatements, these defender vids are part of a relative handful.

I was especially impressed by the Egyptologist (who sounds like Zahi Hawass) in the third video pointing out the phrase "Aset Meri," or Isis Mery, on an Egyptian monument.

One clarification on the statements from the second video below: In the Alexandrian calendar - used to this day by the Egyptian Christians called "Copts" - the month of Khoiak/Choiach is indeed December. Also, if this fellow had read my "Companion Guide to ZEITGEIST, Part 1," he would have known that we have ancient testimony from the writer Plutarch that, in the ancient mythology, Horus was born at the winter solstice. But our evidence doesn't end there, as you will see from Christ in Egypt.

If you would like a sneak-peak of Christ in Egypt, please do get a copy of my "Companion Guide to ZEITGEIST, Part 1." I think you will enjoy it!

Here's what one person just recently had to say about the Companion Guide:

"Your work in the Zeitgeist companion was phenomenal. . . Thank you for taking the time to explore truth. . ."
--PF

"Suns of God" Kudos, Q & A

I received the following email about my book Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled, and I thought I'd pass it along, as well as answer the questions this kind fellow has asked.

Suns of God was composed over the period between the release of The Christ Conspiracy and fall 2004, when it was published. Its composition was interrupted by a string of personal tragedies and traumas, including the death of my mother, but I managed to complete it regardless of tremendous adversity.

As I had done with The Christ Conspiracy, I researched, wrote, edited, proofed, typeset, indexed and did the illustrations for Suns of God entirely by myself. The cover was created professionally based on a mockup I originally designed.

From: FA
To: acharya_s@yahoo.com
Date: Friday, February 6, 2009

Hi Acharya:

I hope things are getting better for you.

I wanted to let you know that I have been reading Suns of Gods. It is absolutely amazing the amount of information you have compiled into this book.

I just finished the section of "The Historical Jesus." I was blown away by the segment. I wish I would have known these facts many years ago. I have to wonder what makes man cling to the belief that there ever was a Jesus with all the information that exists that proves the bible was the work of idiots trying to create a new religion.

I was taken back by the vast amount of knowledge you must possess to be able to have put a book like Suns of Gods together. How long did it take you to write this book? Did you have help from anyone or was this material from your reading and your schooling?

"I think your book should be provided to schools and colleges for students to be able to read and understand that much of greatest selling book ever sold is nothing but stories from men who started a killing machine. Perhaps they were the work of the devil!!"

I wanted to drop a line and let you know how much I have been enjoying your book. I am looking forward to reading your next book Christ in Egypt.

FA

Thank you, FA, for the kind words and kudos. FYI, we - yes, this time I've had help with the book - are putting the finishing touches on Christ in Egypt, and with any luck it will be available by the end of February. And once again, the completion of this book has been marked by adversity that has delayed its publication for months. At times it seems somebody doesn't want this astounding information to be put out there!

Christmas: The REAL Reason for the Season

Once again it's time to raise this great debate, as we hear from our pious Christian leaders that "Jesus is the Reason for the Season." Interestingly, over the past year and a half since the release of "ZEITGEIST," in objecting to the comparison of the sun gods with Jesus based on the winter-solstice birthday of December 25th, Christian fundamentalist critics have been very vocal that Jesus is NOT the reason for the season, proving our point in the first place.

Most of us in Christian lands who were raised Christian, as I was, were never told about the winter solstice, which begins at midnight on December 21st, i.e., the morning of the 22nd, and ends at midnight on December 24th or "Christmas Eve," which is essentially the same thing as the morning of December 25th. Without getting too complicated or technical, for three days during that period in the northern hemisphere the sun appears to "stand still" on a sundial, as its shadow moves neither north nor south. Hence, the word "solstice" means sun stands still. On the 25th of December, the sun appears to be moving north again, representing the birth of the sun!

Since very ancient times in many cultures around the globe, the sun's birth at the winter solstice has been celebrated with great festivities. This celebration of the sun's return after the darkest days of the year occurred especially in the regions farther away from the equator, such as Northern Europe, where Yuletide festivals are understandably quite pronounced.

"Christmas" as the birth of Jesus Christ was not officially adopted until the edict of Julius I in the fifth century, usurping this Pagan holiday so effectively that even in this day and age millions of people are unaware of the facts of the winter solstice and its celebration dating back thousands of years.

Moreover, despite the fracas from the fundamentalists over the comparison of Jesus with other sun gods based on the winter-solstice birth, sincere Christians such as Rev. Dr. Billy Graham remain completely oblivious to this debate.

For more information on this subject, check out my article:

The Christmas Hoax: Jesus is NOT the "Reason for the Season"

Be sure to watch my videos there too!

New "God" Movie Features Acharya S!

In an exciting development, the promo for a new "God" movie prominently features me as the "mythicist." This fascinating documentary--which I truly believe should be a big deal--is called "God in the Box," and you may have come across it before.

These fellows traveled around the U.S. interviewing people from all walks of life about their opinions regarding God. As you can imagine, the results run the gamut.

In this promo clip, I am sandwiched between an African-American Christian preacher and a white American female convert to Islam. (Yes, I know--the irony of it.)

And here is an amazing human-interest twist of fate: The African-American fellow at the end of the video is a friend of mine from Los Angeles! None of us had any idea of this connection, so it is very cosmic--how appropriate for the subject matter. Even better, this individual named "Ting" was very helpful to me and mine during our direst time of need.

As I say, I am very hopeful that this interesting and inspiring documentary "God in the Box" will be very popular. It has already been submitted to the Sundance Film Festival, and I am also hoping that Artivist will take notice of it, as well as mainstream media.

Bill Maher Raises Horus from the Dead

Imagine my surprise when I heard that Bill Maher, plugging his new movie "Religulous," was on the highly popular show "The View" discussing the Egyptian god Horus!

In the segment provided below of the brave Maher's appearance among "The View's" she-wolves, he says that the story of the virgin-born savior who rose from the dead was popular around the Mediterranean for a "thousands years" before Christianity. Bill then relates that Horus raised "Lazarus" from the dead. Maher next attempts to raise "the Indian god Krishna," but he's cut off.

Now, Maher could only have gotten that information about Horus from a few places, one of which is my work. The only sources prior to my book The Christ Conspiracy that discuss the Horus-Lazarus connection to any extent are Alvin Boyd Kuhn and Gerald Massey. There are a few places since the publication of Christ Con, including Tom Harpur's The Pagan Christ, which has gotten some notoriety. It would be nice to know, of course, if Maher has been exposed to my work, whether directly or through the hit movie "ZEITGEIST." Since the bit about Lazarus is not in ZG, it's possible someone along the way during his movie project steered Maher towards my work.

In any event, in my work I address the correspondences between the biblical character Lazarus, whom Jesus raises from the dead, and the Egyptian story of Horus raising El-Azarus or Osiris from the dead, which was a central theme in the Egyptian religion. While I discuss the raising of Lazarus as an Egyptian motif in The Christ Conspiracy and Suns of God, I go into greater detail concerning this pericope in my book Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ. In that book, I provide an entire section called "The Raising of Lazarus," including a discussion of the name as related to "El-Azarus" or "El-Osiris." Indeed, we discover that in the general area where Christ supposedly lived emerged an ancient stela with an inscription called "the Carpentras" in which appears the epithet "Osiris-Eloh," a combination of the Egyptian god with the biblical "El," as in Elohim. More on the subject of this Lazarus-Osiris story will be found in my forthcoming book Christ in Egypt, where I examine the primary sources to show that the biblical Lazarus tale appears to have been lifted almost whole cloth from the Egyptian funerary literature.

It would be fantastic, of course, if the great Bill Maher were to have me on his HBO show to discuss all these issues. (Hint, hint! I would be more than happy to discuss these issues in the major media, as I have already so many times elsewhere since 1995. Please see "Acharya S in the Media." Be sure also to see my online videos.)

Indians Praise "Suns of God"

Contrary to rumors by those who have not read my books, I do not simply "debunk" religion. In actuality, I love religion, and I am attempting to cultivate carefully the good parts, while incinerating the bad. The spirit with which my writing is meant is wonderfully encapsulated by a lovely Indian person who recently wrote a review of my book Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled.

I am impressed by the wisdom and maturity with which this devout "keeper of the dharma," as he calls himself - from a Brahmin family - read and appreciated my book.

Brilliant work and full of relevant facts, September 23, 2008

By	S. Kulkarni

DM Murdock aka Acharya S had written a detailed sketch of the transition of the ancient beliefs that later turned out to be the religions of both the east and the west. This book clearly shows how much research a person writing about historical and religious issues must perform and how sensitive the information can be for certain groups. I am a Hindu and I have always held true that Dharma - the righteousness preached by our religion is very close to the Goodness in human nature. Rules are transient and with technology they are even more transient. Forcing rigid medieval dogmatic rules seems to have gotten worse in the modern age with Christians using new and new means to propagate the Church. On the other hand the Islamic world is under dark cloud of the fundamentalists. This book is a crucial read for not only hard core atheists and agnostics, but to every devoted Dharmic, Christian, Muslim, Jew or Buddhist who want to know how man wen on to establishing theology and religion from ancient times till date.

As a Hindu I do not take any offenses by the book. In fact the book clearly states that Vedic principles are indeed the oldest surviving religious works and all religion in the world had directly or indirectly emerged off a set of common beliefs which the Vedas are the most undisturbed or un spoilt source. As a rational human beings we can reason and think logically of religion and spirituality differs. How political is religion and how religious is polity!

I know that many groups are offended by the writings. Honestly we need proper dialog and discussion fora - bickering, censoring or fighting over such issues of hurt sentiments only strengthens the cause of political - mindied religious activists and makes the real thinking people less powerful!

I also received a kind email from this gentleman, with whose permission I have excerpted here.

Great Read - Suns Of God
September 2008
From: S. Kulkarni

Hello Ms Acharya,

...I belong to the Brahmin caste, and I feel proud that we have been preserving our heritage for more that 4,000 years. Our lineage goes back to the seven Wise sages (Saptarishis - named after the seven bright stars of the Ursa Major).

I took the pleasure of reading your Suns of God book...and, boy, I was clearly impressed by your erudition and grip on the ancient world....

Too much valuable evidence has been destroyed via book burning and history rewriting right from the Byzantine Empire, through the Mongol invasions, Christian and Islamic conquests and crusades, and, like you, I think that it is really important to establish the true history of that period....

The way Christian missionaries are rampantly "harvesting" poor Indian tribals and natives, destroying our heritage and preaching an alien and unscientific religion is really agonizing....

Thanks and Regards,
S. Kulkarni

Another Indian fellow also posted a five-star review of Suns of God on Amazon.

Christ and Krishna--similar solar deities, December 18, 2004

By

Raja Bhat

This is a superb book. There are books on the mythical nature of Jesus, particularly "The Jesus Mysteries" and its sequel "Jesus and the Lost Goddess" by Timothy Freke. Freke goes in-depth into the very nature of mystery myth deity worship, whereas Acharya S tends to focus her scholarship on the nature of these solar deities: Christ, Krishna, and Buddha. Enough scholarship to have been awarded a Ph.D., though unfortunately, in the American academic world, to question the historicity of Jesus is to ask for trouble and indeed not ever attain the status of professor of religion. Hopefully things will change.

Raja Bhat

I make a point of showing Indian support for the reason that there are those as fervent about Hinduism as Christians are about their faith, and over the years some have become upset at what they perceive as an affront in my work. Most if not all of the time, said individuals have not read my work to any extent but have heard rumors about it. As we can see here, my work can be appreciated for its very purpose: Getting at the truth behind the world's religious ideologies, wherever that may lead.

Unlike the supernatural genesis often attributed to a given religion, the reality is that humanity's spiritual ideas possess a history. The various theologies date back thousands of years and did not arrive fully blown in the minds of certain chosen people but, rather, evolved as naturally as any other subject.

"My work - especially as exemplified in my book Suns of God - represents a one-of-a-kind, in-depth look at the origins of the world's most popular religious concepts."

Be sure to check it out!

Can Religion be Humanized?

For thousands of years, the world has been in an almost constant state of religious tension, dispute and violence. During this time, humanity has been hit with a continual wave of religious fanaticism that enslaves the body, mind and soul to a heinous and oppressive ideology. This pathology is obviously innate to the human mind, unfortunately.

Fortunately, what is also innate to the human mind is the desire to be free and liberated from all enslaving and degrading regimes and ideologies. The pathological and oppressive aspect of the human mind also possesses the megalomania to associate itself with "God," the greatest power of the cosmos. Hence, this criminal element that desires to enslave and exploit humanity passes itself off as a "religion."

Let us challenge all those of a religious bent to show us the humanity within their religion. In the case of the fanaticism that frequently defines a religion, the problem is, if this fanaticism becomes less harsh, cruel, brutal, intolerant and violent, it won't be the same religion anymore.

"Let My People Go!"

All free, liberated and sovereign beings need to ask fanatical religionists to demonstrate the humanity of their religion. Such a demonstration would mean allowing the following:

• Women may wear whatever they wish, in whatever colors desired. They can expose their beauty for all the world to see. If there were any decent god "out there," SHE would be disgusted by the treatment of Her beautiful creation within fundamentalist religion.
• Women may choose their husbands OUT OF LOVE. If men may have more than one spouse, women may do likewise. Women should be able to live in an abuse-free environment full of joy, happiness and love. ALL of humanity needs to strive for such a state of enlightened life. Anything less than striving for true love and community is a degradation of humanity, the creation and any creator of such.
  
• Children are free to believe what they wish about God, religion, afterlife, etc. - they can be taught about a wide range of beliefs and disbeliefs without being brainwashed into one religion/cult.
• Children should not be compelled to recite long, boring, VIOLENT and bigoted "sacred scriptures" that teach them not only to hate themselves but also to hate others who are not like them, who do not share their rigid beliefs and traditions.
• Children should be allowed to be children and not be indoctrinated into adult matters, including and especially warfare, hatred of others, bigotry, prejudice, genocide, misogyny, etc., ad nauseam. Teaching children these hateful things, including hating themselves and life in general, constitutes CHILD ABUSE of the highest order. This child abuse includes telling innocent and beautiful little children that they are "born in sin" pieces of garbage and unworthy in the eyes of the great and glorious God/Allah, who is wholly separate and apart from this "lower" creation. This emotional and psychological child abuse is a LIE. Period. It should not be allowed.

Just as is abusing their minds, beating children physically because they are not learning or accepting a religion is EVIL. Leave the children alone! They will develop naturally as healthy and happy human beings - and if there's any true religion on planet Earth, that is it! Nothing more and nothing less. The children know what life is all about - let them be children.

And let the children show YOU the way out of the manmade HELLS created on Earth because of religion. No decent god worth its salt would be interested in the oppressive and brutally anti-human psychosis that passes itself off as "religion" on this planet.

To humanize the current violent, malevolent and woman-hating religious fanaticism is to change it utterly to the point where it no longer exists. To humanize this sort of religion, therefore, is impossible, because it is so entirely inhumane and anti-human.

In the long run, that which is truly humane in any given religion, what constitutes common decency and morality, is already intrinsic within the human mind and does not need religion either to create or sustain it. If religion is to serve any purpose at all, it must emphasize and develop that common decency and morality which provides the greatest chance for benevolence to thrive to its fullest potential.

Islamic Terrorism Ignored by Mainstream Media

More people need to be complaining about this fact of dangerous global censorship, well described in the article below by Diane West. The fact that the mainstream media worldwide are terrified of calling a spade a spade demonstrates quite clearly that terrorism works. Terrorism pays - and Islamic terrorism has paid handsomely, as the world's governments have turned into yellow jelly following the attacks of 9/11 and 7/7, the subject of much conspiracy theory but which are perceived by millions of non-Muslims and Muslims alike as acts of terror done by, well, Muslims.

If such perceptions were true, that would make these tragic events Muslim terrorist acts. Even if there was some grand conspiracy, the fact is that these terrorist acts have been used by Muslim terrorists themselves to continue to terrorize the world. (Who was behind 9/11 is an important aside: The point here is that Muslim fanatics themselves have been using 9/11 as a club, as in the accompanying photo and as in sermons by imams extolling the "virtuous" sacrifice of the "19 Martyrs." And, by the way, I've been reading the conspiracy theories since the first days after 9/11. I am well aware of practically every major player and aspect of those theories. This is not a discussion of those theories.)

The dishonesty and cowardice of the mainstream press - and the world's governments! - in addressing honestly this critical issue of identifying Islamic terrorism as Islamic will spell doom for the free world, as the Islamic terrorism continues relatively unabated, with appeasement of all manner, including throwing women to the wolves. Most dangerous of all, agencies like the U.N. are virtually controlled by Islamic countries that are forcing an agenda of censorship of anything relating to Islam, including criticism of the abysmal treatment of women and non-Muslims.

The censorship has gotten so bad that news and government agencies bend over backwards NOT to bring Islam into the picture, even if the perpetrator of a violent crime has admitted to acting in the name of Islam! Soon will we be forced to accept all kinds of violent crimes so long as they are committed in the name of Islam, since we will not be able to bring up the subject at all? Islamic warriors terrorizing people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia and elsewhere globally - it will be illegal to identify them as Islamic, even if they call themselves the "Army of Allah!"

Obviously, all such laws restricting criticism of any religion should be rejected immediately.

If we wish to be absolutely fair, all terrorism and violence done in the name of any religion should be identified as such.

That would include Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism, of course, these latter two being the least warmongering and proselytizing.

If we do not start being meticulously honest in identifying the sources of terror, we will never defeat it. Fighting some nebulous "war on terror" without getting to the root of it will surely fail. The fact that it is Islam at the root of much of the world's terror is confirmed by some of the programs that governments and NGOs have been forced to create, including attempting to head off the hateful and violent brainwashing of so-called radical Islam. If it were not Islamic teachings - straight out of the Quran/Koran - that were driving "radical Islam," it wouldn't be "radical Islam" and there would be no need to have programs addressing it as such. Islamic teachings, therefore, lead to Islamic terror. As taught in the Quran/Koran:

(Translation by N.J. Dawood: The Koran: With a Parallel Arabic Text, Penguin Classics, 1991)

This Book is not to be doubted.... As for the unbelievers, it is the same whether or not you forewarn them; they will not have faith. God has set a seal upon their hearts and ears; their sight is dimmed and grievous punishment awaits them. --Q 2:1-2:6-2:10; "The Cow," Dawood, pp. 1-2.

The only true faith in God's sight is Islam. --Q 3:19; "The Imrans," Dawood, p. 51.

He that chooses a religion over Islam, it will not be accepted from him and in the world to come he will be one of the lost. --Q 3:85, "The Imrans," Dawood, p. 60.

God's curse be upon the infidels! Evil is that for which they have bartered away their souls. To deny God's own revelation, grudging that He should reveal His bounty to whom He chooses from among His servants! They have incurred God's most inexorable wrath. An ignominious punishment awaits the unbelievers. --Q 2:89-2:90, "The Cow," Dawood, p. 13.

Fight for the sake of God those that fight against you, but do not attack them first. God does not love the aggressors.

Slay them wherever you find them. Drive them out of the places from which they drove you. Idolatry is worse than carnage.... --Q 2:190-2:191, "The Cow," Dawood, p. 28.

[Note that within Islam, many things can and are interpreted to be "aggression," such that the death penalty is freely handed out.]

When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them.... --Q 9:5; "Repentance," Dawood, p. 186.

Prophet, make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home: an evil fate. --Q 9:73, "Repentance," Dawood, p. 198.

Men have authority over women because God has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because God has guarded them. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and forsake them in beds apart, and beat them. Then if they obey you, take no further action against them. Surely God is high, supreme. --Q 4:34, "Women," Dawood, p. 83.

As we might guess, these are some the Islamic teachings leading to Islamic terror. Would not these remarks constitute hate speech under the laws being tossed up all over the place in order to protect Islam?

And now, here is some Acharya Law:

No individual, group or government should be forced to kowtow to any religion against its will, moral, ethics and laws.

We are reminded of one of the Koranic injunctions that, like Islamic terrorism, is widely ignored as well:

"There shall be no compulsion in religion." (Q 2:236)

Yet, here the world is being compelled left and right - ultimately through terrorist acts that have turned many into a frightened pack of sheep running willy-nilly - to accept what amounts to spiritual terrorism.

Our future generations will have little to thank this current one for turning it over to the terrorism of the very soul.

Roars about Russia, Nary a Whisper about Islam
by Diane West

Amazing, how quickly the punditocracy switches maps, time zones and histories, simultaneously mastering new combinations of consonants and vowels, to report and react to a "surprise" conflict in Georgia. It's almost hard to recall that, just a few days ago, the most urgent questions confounding most of the media had to do with just how narcissistic John Edwards really is, or what the ramifications of Barack Obama's plans to announce his vice presidential pick via text message might finally be.

Since the sight of tanks rolling usually has a way of concentrating the media mind, the question has become: Whither Russia?

In truth, the demise of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn earlier this month was a journalistic godsend. After all, who hadn't already dusted off their long-retired Soviet history books -- not to mention their long-retired Soviet history experts, all of whom have had the busiest couple of weeks in years -- by the time Vladimir Putin announced last week that "war has started" over South Ossetia and Abkhazia?

Historical memory somewhat refreshed, Western media were ready with the headlines -- "The evil empire is back"; "Welcome to the 19th century"; "The Russian bear's new teeth" -- to promote the main thrust of most stories: namely, that Russia is reverting to tsarist, expansionist, Soviet-style, empire-amassing type.

It's not that there's anything controversial in this journalistic approach, although I do tend to think there remain aspects of the Georgian story we haven't reconciled. What's noteworthy about this narrative consensus, however, is that the invocation of Russia's historical and cultural record is being made so frankly and without hedging. That is, no one's blaming "Russian extremists," "tsarismists," or "hijackers of a great history." On the contrary, the implication behind most Russia-versus-Georgia stories is that the Russians' world-stage behavior as they smash Georgia is something that this same historical and cultural record tells us that Russians do....

And why is this important? When I started seeing these stories and statements -- even making some of them myself -- I realized there was something free-wheeling about the style of expression that made it different from what has been the norm. I first wondered if there was a somewhat perverse trace of nostalgia in dealing again with the Russians. And then it hit me. In the nearly seven years since Islam has wholly dominated current events, neither our media nor our leaders have ever, not even once, looked at similarly characteristic behavior from the Islamic world and labeled it accordingly.

In other words, no pattern of avowedly Islam-inspired violence in the world has ever earned a headline nearly as straightforward as "Islamic jihad is back." Not even the Islamic success of Motoon Rage, which has severely repressed Western modes of expression regarding Muhammad in particular and Islam in general, inspired anything as descriptive as, for example, "Sharia's new teeth."...

And what American presidential candidate would ever explain the Islamic push, financial and otherwise, in the West for mosque construction, Islamic schools (madrassas), campus Islamic studies (apologetics) departments, Sharia law-inspired legal challenges, lobbying for Sharia-compliant banking and the like as a matter of Islamic imperialism?

I quoted McCain above discussing, matter-of-fact, what he considers to be catchall "Russian" ambitions to restore the "old Russian empire." Would he, or any other American politician, ever say the same regarding catchall "Islamic" ambitions? While both Russia and Islam claim similarly long histories and cultures of conquest for reference, it's mighty tough to imagine any U.S. politician ever saying the following: "I think it's very clear that Islamic ambitions are to restore the old caliphate." (And that's despite a growing body of statements, even polling data, reflecting the persistence of Islamic caliphate dreams.)...

See also this article:

We need to stop being such cowards about Islam

The Christ Conspiracy in the News

On Thursday, July 31, 2008, an article appeared in the newspaper South Shields, England, called The Shields Gazette that highlighted my book The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold. The article - complete with a prominent image of my book cover - concerned an individual named "Ray" who encountered my work while net surfing in a time of trauma. The rest of the article discusses the Jesus myth, as found in Christ Con and elsewhere, including my book Suns of God.

The Shields Gazette apparently has a circulation of about 100,000, throughout the South Shields area in northeast England. As I understand it, the phones in South Shields were evidently lighting up all over the place in response to this article.

(To read the article, click on the image. You can also enlarge the article by clicking on it again.)

My book The Christ Conspiracy uses a wide variety of sources, including primary texts such as the Bible and the writings of early Church fathers, to demonstrate that a multinational cabal created the figure of "Jesus Christ" and the gospel story in order to unify the Roman Empire under one state religion.

Dead Sea Scholar Praises Scientific View of Jesus

Noted Biblical scholar and Hebrew manuscripts expert Dr. Robert H. Eisenman, who was largely responsible for securing the release of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls to the public, has come out with a statement concerning my book, Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ.

A professor of Middle East Religions and Archaeology and Director of the Institute for the Study of Judeo-Christian Origins at California State University, Long Beach, Dr. Eisenman is the controversial author of the Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, as well as James the Brother of Jesus, a behemoth of a book well known in scholarly circles that attaches a firm Jewish background to the apostle James and the early church at Jerusalem.

For decades since their discovery in 1947, secrecy and intrigue kept one of the world's most famous archaeological finds, the Dead Sea Scrolls, away from public scrutiny, until Eisenman and several others played a major role in convincing the Huntington Library in San Marino, California, to publish its microfilm images of the scrolls, unleashing a new wave of DSS scholarship that continues to this day.

Following is Dr. Eisenman's review of my book, Who Was Jesus?:

D.M. Murdock, aka "Acharya S," has written a really fine introduction to the problem of the Historical Jesus. She couches everything in the most basic terms, comprehensible to the layman, and lays out the problem and all the issues in a both really readable and digestible form.

Her charts are insightful and extremely useful and presented in such a way as to make things immediately plausible to the general reader.

I can recommend her work whole-heartedly for anyone on a world-wide basis who really wants to know what is at stake in approaching and coming to terms with the real person behind the literary image provided by those who created the story of 'Jesus.'"

Dr. Robert H. Eisenman
Author of James the Brother of Jesus and The New Testament Code
RobertEisenman.com

Dr. Robert Eisenman on NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw debunking the so-called "James Ossuary":

Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ Video


Who Was Jesus? Fingerprints of The Christ Video, Part 2

Dr. Robert Eisenman Video Lecture Series

The Bible is Myth?!

In November 2008, PBS will air a TV special claiming that the biblical patriarch Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were not historical persons but were "myths." The documentary will also declare the fabulous Israelite Exodus to be mythical, rather than representing a miraculous "historical" event.

To readers of my work posted online since 1995, and encapsulated in my books, beginning with The Christ Conspiracy, all of this cage-rattling will be old hat. In that book, I laid out the case that Abraham and Sarah are remakes of the Indian deities Brahma and Sarasvati, while Moses is likewise a mythical character based on older gods. In Christ Con, I also show that the Exodus represents not a supernatural event that truly happened on Earth but for which absolutely no evidence has been found. Rather, it too falls in the realm of mythology.

As this article about the PBS documentary relates, the evidence does indeed show that the Bible was composed during and after the so-called Babylonian Captivity of the 6th century BCE. Certain parts of it are older, of course, as some of the most fantastic stories could undoubtedly be found in the libraries in Babylon and Egypt. As I also demonstrated in The Christ Conspiracy almost 10 years ago, the Bible was not composed by the individuals claimed to be its authors, neither the Old Testament nor the New.

The fact that the Nova producer in this article found the concept "extremely shocking" that monotheism was developed over a period of centuries is a reflection of the woeful state of education in comparative religion and mythology. As readers of my work will also know, monotheism did not come to a historical Moses's head via a bolt of lightning from the Almighty but was indeed devised over hundreds of years by a number of cultures, including the Indian and Egyptian, beginning centuries to millennia prior to the purported existence of Moses.

In my books, which include Suns of God and Who Was Jesus?, I also name several other Old Testament patriarchs as mythical characters, including and especially Joshua, who is essentially an old sun god turned into a "real person" and who was later rehashed as "Jesus." Indeed, I do not stop with the Old Testament but further put forth the case for some of the major players in the New Testament to be mythical characters as well, including and especially Jesus Christ. In this regard, it should be noted that there is no credible and valid scientific evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ as a historical person, and everything points to him being as mythical a figure as Hercules.

We can only hope that PBS and Nova will jump on this bandwagon as well, sooner than later.

Holy Moses! PBS documentary suggests Exodus not real

Hal Boedeker | Sentinel Television Critic
July 21, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Abraham didn't exist? The Exodus didn't happen?

The Bible's Buried Secrets, a new PBS documentary, is likely to cause a furor.

"It challenges the Bible's stories if you want to read them literally, and that will disturb many people," says archaeologist William Dever, who specializes in Israel's history. "But it explains how and why these stories ever came to be told in the first place, and how and why they were written down."

The Nova program will premiere Nov. 18. PBS presented a clip and a panel discussion at the summer tour of the Television Critics Association.

The program says the Bible was written in the sixth century BC and that hundreds of authors contributed.

"At least the first five books of the Bible come together during the Babylonian exile," says producer Gary Glassman.

The program challenges long-held beliefs. Abraham, Sarah and their offspring probably didn't exist, says Carol Meyers, a religion professor at Duke University.

"These stories are unlikely to represent real historical events, but rather there's some kernel of ancient experience in there which has survived and which helps give identity to the people at the time the Bible finally took shape centuries and centuries later," Meyers says.

There's no archaeological evidence of the Exodus, either, she says, but "it doesn't mean that there's no kernel of truth to it."

Nova series producer Paula Apsell says she found it "extremely shocking" to learn that monotheism was a process that took hundreds of years.

"I was always brought up to believe that the minute Abraham and the patriarchs came on the scene, the Israelites accepted one God and there was just always one God and that was it," Apsell says. "I think people are going to really be stunned by that."

Another shocker: The program contradicts the biblical view that the Israelites came from somewhere else into the land of Canaan. "The film shows that they were Canaanites," Apsell says.

Oldest New Testament Out of Egypt into Cyberspace

In a move reflective of the power of technology, the oldest New Testament Bible will be placed online for all the world to examine. Of course, this is great news for students of Bible manuscripts. One fascinating fact about this archaeological gem is its origin in Egypt.

The New Testament manuscript in question is the Codex Sinaiticus, distinguished from earlier manuscripts by virtue of its completeness, containing all the canonical texts along with the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas, the former of which has been shown to have a provenance of Alexandria, Egypt. Along with the Codex Vaticanus, the CS is the oldest intact manuscript, dating to around 350 AD/CE.

Importantly, the Codex Sinaiticus was discovered and evidently written in Egypt, a locale vastly overlooked in studies of Christian origins. It is my contention, in fact, that without factoring in Egyptian religion and mythology, the study of Christian origins will always be incomplete and faulty, because it is unquestionably out of Egypt that Christ was called, so to speak, as a mythical rehash largely of the Egyptian gods Osiris and Horus.

"Out of Egypt have I called my son."
--The Gospel of Matthew (2:15)

In reality, the Sinai Peninsula, where this text was found in the oldest Christian monastery, St. Catherine's, was the only established land route to Israel, possessing numerous important Egyptian sites, including a massive fortress and temple to Horus at Tharo/Tharu. In this location, countless thousands of travelers passed between the two nations over a period of several millennia. Indeed, much interchange between cultures occurred in this very region. It is no wonder, therefore, that this site would be a sacred hot spot for the establishment of what turns out to be a Jewish-Egyptian hybrid, i.e., Christianity.

In my forthcoming book Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection, I demonstrate the correspondences between the Egyptian and Christian religions in well-documented detail, using primary source material as well as the works of highly credentialed scholars in relevant fields. Those who are interested in a preview of my book Christ in Egypt may wish to read my "Companion Guide to ZEITGEIST, Part 1," which contains a number of chapters from CIE.

Oldest New Testament Bible heads into cyberspace
By Dave Graham Mon Jul 21, 12:50 PM ET

BERLIN (Reuters) - More than 1,600 years after it was written in Greek, one of the oldest copies of the Bible will become globally accessible online for the first time this week.

From Thursday, sections of the Codex Sinaiticus, which contains the oldest complete New Testament, will be available on the Internet, said the University of Leipzig, one of the four curators of the ancient text worldwide.

High resolution images of the Gospel of Mark, several Old Testament books, and notes on the work made over centuries will appear on www.codex-sinaiticus.net as a first step towards publishing the entire manuscript online by next July.

Ulrich Johannes Schneider, director of Leipzig University Library, which holds part of the manuscript, said the publication of the Codex online would allow anyone to study a work of "fundamental" importance to Christians.

"A manuscript is going onto the net which is like nothing else online to date," Schneider said. "It's also an enrichment of the virtual world -- and a bit of a change from YouTube."

Selected translations will be available in English and German for those not conversant in ancient Greek, he added.

Dating from around 350, the document is believed by experts to be the oldest known copy of the Bible, along with the Codex Vaticanus, another ancient version of the Bible, Schneider said....

The project, launched in cooperation with the Russian National Library, the British Library and Saint Catherine's Monastery, also details the condition of the Bible, believed to have been written by early Christians in Egypt.

"I think it's just fantastic that thanks to technology we can now make the oldest cultural artifacts -- ones that were once so precious you couldn't show them to anyone -- accessible to everyone, in really high quality," said Schneider.

(editing by Ron Popeski)

An Amazing Love Story: Christian the Lion

I had to make this post, because this story is incredible. I've been a big fan of the wonderful movie "Born Free" since I was a child, so I'm surprised I've never heard this story before.

In 1969, a couple of Australian guys named Anthony "Ace" Bourke (erroneously reported as "Berg") and John Rendall adopted a lion cub they named "Christian," who eventually became too big for them to keep. By chance, the stars of "Born Free" walked into the shop where Christian lived and suggested Ace and John send the lion to Africa to stay with the famous George Adamson, the real lion conservator behind the film.

After a year, Ace and John wanted to see Christian again, but they were told by Adamson that no one had seen the lion in nine months. The blokes decided to go anyway, so George told them it was unlikely Christian would recognize them even if they could find him.

When they arrived, the two fellows were informed that Christian had mysteriously shown up the day before, as if he knew they were coming! They went out to see him and -

You must watch this video. Amazingly beautiful story. The childlike joy on the men's faces is a sight to behold and a reminder of how great life can be.

(The story is verified by Snopes - Christian really did show up mysteriously the day before the chaps arrived to find him!)

John Rendall's story: "Christian, the lion who lived in my London living room"

France: "No Woman Enslavement Allowed"

The government of France has just established a vitally important precedent in the battle against the Islamization of the planet. Citing "insufficient assimilation," France has denied citizenship to a Moroccan woman who is "totally submissive" to her husband and male relatives, and who is forced to dress in a full Islamic veil, i.e., a burqa/burkha, chador or abaya.

Of course, we can expect to hear from those who believe that women should have the "right" to dress and live in this inhumane and oppressive manner. These "liberal" cries appear to be based entirely on the blatant bigotry which supposes that anything done in the name of religion - no matter how vile - is just peachy keen. If, however, a Western, non-Muslim woman were living in a totally submissive state and forced to cover herself from head to toe not in the name of religion, would not the same people be yelling for intervention, to help this woman free herself of her abusive husband and this patent imprisonment? The woman in this current story would be freed and sent to a domestic violence shelter, with protection from the law against her husband - if she were not imprisoned by so-called religious ideology.

What truly "religious" ideology is based on the mistreatment and enslavement of women? How can there possibly be any good, decent and merciful god behind such egregious abuse of human rights? Millions of women around the world are suffering horribly because of manmade cults seemingly designed specifically for the purpose of enslaving them - yet, where is the outcry from the "bleeding heart" segment of society? "Religion" is not an excuse and should never have been an excuse for the abuse of women and the denial of basic human rights. If one is truly a "bleeding heart" one will feel the pain of these women in their daily enslavement in the name of Islam - and one will demand an end to it NOW, no "ifs," "ands" or "buts" about it. This enslavement of women is EVIL, period.

Fortunately, France has finally grown a backbone and made this moral decision that could open the door to ending this vile abuse in the name of God. No god who demands abusing women is worthy of the name or of any sort of worship. No ideology that believes women to be inferior or mere sexual objects in need of being enslaved and covered up should be deemed a "religion" and be given special status. Any such ideology must either change or die.

"All the 'bleeding heart' multicultists who do not demand an end to the severe, worldwide abuse of women, regardless of the fact that it is done in the name of religion and God, are part of the problem."

These "leftist" individuals are in effect and indecently aiding and abetting these vicious, ongoing crimes against humanity. Let us hope that such characters do not succeed in overturning this ruling in France, as they are attempting to do, some of them quite likely at the behest of and financed by Muslim organizations who thrive on enslaving women. In reality, France should take this act a step further and deny or revoke the citizenship of this woman's husband and male relatives, and boot them out of the country. The victim should then be allowed to live in France with her children, provided she obtains counseling and is freed from her psychological and spiritual enslavement.

By taking this powerful step against the abuse of women in their country, France is leading the way in containing the virulent anti-woman sickness that is spreading throughout the world. All civilized countries must follow suit - and they must then put pressure on the uncivilized, backward nations to do likewise, or there will be no acceptance into the global family of humankind. No woman anywhere on the planet should be abused and enslaved in this manner, period. To invoke religion and God as excuses for this wanton evil represents the height of savagery and depravity.

France rejects Muslim woman over radical practice of Islam

· Expert says Moroccan lives 'almost as a recluse'
· Case reopens debate about freedom of religion

France has denied citizenship to a Moroccan woman who wears a burqa on the grounds that her "radical" practice of Islam is incompatible with basic French values such as equality of the sexes.

The case yesterday reopened the debate about Islam in France, and how the secular republic reconciles itself with the freedom of religion guaranteed by the French constitution.

The woman, known as Faiza M, is 32, married to a French national and lives east of Paris. She has lived in France since 2000, speaks good French and has three children born in France. Social services reports said she lived in "total submission" to her husband. Her application for French nationality was rejected in 2005 on the grounds of "insufficient assimilation" into France. She appealed, invoking the French constitutional right to religious freedom and saying that she had never sought to challenge the fundamental values of France. But last month the Council of State, France's highest administrative body, upheld the ruling.

"She has adopted a radical practice of her religion, incompatible with essential values of the French community, particularly the principle of equality of the sexes," it said.

"Is the burqa incompatible with French citizenship?" asked Le Monde, which broke the story. The paper said it was the first time the level of a person's personal religious practice had been used to rule on their capacity be to assimilated into France.

The legal expert who reported to the Council of State said the woman's interviews with social services revealed that "she lives almost as a recluse, isolated from French society".

The report said: "She has no idea about the secular state or the right to vote. She lives in total submission to her male relatives. She seems to find this normal and the idea of challenging it has never crossed her mind."

The woman had said she was not veiled when she lived in Morocco and had worn the burqa since arriving in France at the request of her husband. She said she wore it more from habit than conviction....

France is home to nearly 5 million Muslims, roughly half of whom are French citizens. Criteria taken into account for granting French citizenship includes "assimilation", which normally focuses on how well the candidate speaks French. In the past nationality was denied to Muslims who were known to have links with extremists or who had publicly advocated radicalism, but that was not the case of Faiza M.

The ruling comes weeks after a controversy prompted by a court annulment of the marriage of two Muslims because the husband said the wife was not a virgin as she had claimed to be.

France's ban on headscarves and other religious symbols in state schools in 2004 sparked a heated debate over freedom and equality within the secular republic. The French government adheres to the theory that all French citizens are equal before the republic, and religion or ethnic background are matters for the private sphere. In practice, rights groups say, society is plagued by discrimination.

The president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has stressed the importance of "integration" into French life. Part of his heightened controls on immigrants is a new law to make foreigners who want to join their families sit an exam on French language and values before leaving their countries.

Ancient Tablet Evidence of Jesus Myth?

An ancient Hebrew tablet is creating a stir after certain scholars identified it as containing a pre-Christian account of the awaited Jewish messiah's death and resurrection after three days. If this artifact is genuine, from the era claimed, and actually says what is asserted, the discovery clearly demonstrates that the idea of a messiah, savior or divine redeemer dying and rising after three days existed decades before the alleged advent of Jesus Christ. This dying-and-resurrecting motif is one of a number that various writers and scholars have claimed demonstrate Jesus to represent not a "historical" personage but a mythical concept found in religious ideologies and mythologies long prior to the so-called Christian era.

A recent article in the New York Times expresses caution concerning the find, as it has not been conclusively proved to be from the era in question, some years to decades prior to the common era, or to discuss what it is alleged to relate. However, the article also concludes that if the tablet is truly what it is purported to be, then:

"Resurrection after three days becomes a motif developed before Jesus, which runs contrary to nearly all scholarship."

The idea of this motif existing before Christ "runs contrary to nearly all scholarship," except for that of "Jesus mythicists," including in my books, The Christ Conspiracy, Suns of God, Who Was Jesus? and Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection.

In fact, if genuine, this tablet would constitute not "prophecy" of Christ's alleged advent but a primary source for a BLUEPRINT used in the creation of the fictional Jesus character - a theme I repeatedly address in my work. Indeed, the educated Jews of the Diaspora, including the very important Egyptian city of Alexandria, were undoubtedly well aware of the ubiquitous story of the god Osiris, "Lord of Resurrections," who was said to have died and been resurrected after three days, as stated in ancient Egyptian texts that predate the alleged time of Jesus by hundreds to thousands of years. It may well be that the Jewish priesthood in Judea - a mere stone's throw from their many brethren in Egypt - were also quite knowledgeable of this highly important god and his resurrection, which promised hope to hundreds of millions of Egyptians over a period of several thousand years, long prior to the purported time of Jesus Christ. If so, we would logically expect from their own religion-making efforts just such writings as are alleged to be found on this extraordinary tablet.

New York Times
July 6, 2008

Tablet Ignites Debate on Messiah and Resurrection
By ETHAN BRONNER

JERUSALEM — A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days.

If such a messianic description really is there, it will contribute to a developing re-evaluation of both popular and scholarly views of Jesus, since it suggests that the story of his death and resurrection was not unique but part of a recognized Jewish tradition at the time.

The tablet, probably found near the Dead Sea in Jordan according to some scholars who have studied it, is a rare example of a stone with ink writings from that era — in essence, a Dead Sea Scroll on stone.

It is written, not engraved, across two neat columns, similar to columns in a Torah. But the stone is broken, and some of the text is faded, meaning that much of what it says is open to debate.

Still, its authenticity has so far faced no challenge, so its role in helping to understand the roots of Christianity in the devastating political crisis faced by the Jews of the time seems likely to increase....

Given the highly charged atmosphere surrounding all Jesus-era artifacts and writings, both in the general public and in the fractured and fiercely competitive scholarly community, as well as the concern over forgery and charlatanism, it will probably be some time before the tablet’s contribution is fully assessed....

Ms. Yardeni, who analyzed the stone along with Binyamin Elitzur, is an expert on Hebrew script, especially of the era of King Herod, who died in 4 B.C. The two of them published a long analysis of the stone more than a year ago in Cathedra, a Hebrew-language quarterly devoted to the history and archaeology of Israel, and said that, based on the shape of the script and the language, the text dated from the late first century B.C....

"This should shake our basic view of Christianity," [Knohl] said as he sat in his office of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem where he is a senior fellow in addition to being the Yehezkel Kaufman Professor of Biblical Studies at Hebrew University. "Resurrection after three days becomes a motif developed before Jesus, which runs contrary to nearly all scholarship. What happens in the New Testament was adopted by Jesus and his followers based on an earlier messiah story."...

Mr. Knohl said...[the tablet] strongly suggested that a savior who died and rose after three days was an established concept at the time of Jesus....