"Christ in Egypt" New Review!

Here's a great new review of my book Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection.

You can read more about CIE here - and watch the video!:

http://www.stellarhousepublishing.com/christinegypt.html

Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection, by D.M. Murdock
Book Review by Joan d'Arc

The boat of Afu-Ra glides silently in the black eternal waters of the Amduat; in front the goddess Isis, her arms outstretched in cruciform, conducts her son, the Sun God Horus, with his 12 assistants (who are deceased)—the major stars of the night sky—to new life in the daily rebirth of the morning sun. This is the powerful imagery conjured by D.M. Murdock (aka Acharya S) in her new book, Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection.

Where does the sun go when it goes down under the world? The Egyptians had it all figured out in books like The Pyramid Texts and The Book of the Dead. The Book of Portals recounts the sun’s passage at night through the 12 gates, which are also the night hours. The Sun Boat of the Creator, the one who “crosses over” the heavens each day for 12 hours, also passes through the underworld each night for 12 hours, accompanied by his 12 assistants or helpers. According to Murdock, this is the derivation of the 12 disciples of the Christ mythos.

Murdock contends that the Gnostics of Alexandria, in fact, created the imagery of Jesus on the cross, derived from the Egyptian god Horus. The task of the Gnostic Horos was to separate the upper from the lower, the saved from the fallen, the light from the dark. This task was accomplished by the Sun God Horus and his 12 assistants, the Egyptian Ennead.

The 12 are sometimes companions of the Father, Osiris, and at other times Horus is one of the 12 in the presence of the Father. This is mindful of Jesus being God and not God, both the Sun and the Son (a quandary the nuns could never quite answer to my liking). The 12 assistants are simply the signs of the zodiac, which Murdock tells us were alive and well in Egypt, being derived from the symbols for the Egyptian months...

As Murdock explains, Christianity was created by Gnostics in Alexandria and then the Christians later came back and burned it all down, sacked the city, killed thousands of people, and covered up the tracks of its creation. The tale of Jesus and Satan is the same astrotheological epic drama told in Egypt. For instance, Set is the serpent, the "Prince of Darkness," and all things "Satan." Horus is the "Prince of Light," the KRST, or the Christ (meaning "anointed one").

Interestingly as well, we learn that the story of Lazarus in the Gospel of John was taken directly from sources like the Pyramid Texts and the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Horus was known as the anointed one, the "standing mummy" symbol of Egyptian hieroglyphs: the mummy come back to life. The Egyptian religion was all about being prepared for death and rebirth, as is the Christian religion today, only today prepping doesn't involve the oil and rags of mummification.

Murdock proves with historical sources that Jesus was not born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, but was born of the Virgin Isis in Egyptian mythology....

I have always been wowed by Ms. Murdock's work, but this time she has outdone herself and has created a 574-page masterpiece that I'm sure will become a classic in religious studies.... I would say she's the goddess of the godless. I'm ever thankful she's got my back.

http://www.stellarhousepublishing.com/christinegypt.html

Enjoy!

Acharya S/D.M. Murdock
Author, The Christ Conspiracy, Suns of God, Who Was Jesus? and Christ in Egypt
http://StellarHousePublishing.com

P.S. If you support my work, please help out!
http://www.truthbeknown.com/help.htm

The Star in the East & Three Kings

Here is an excerpt from my new book Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection.

http://stellarhousepublishing.com/star-east-three-kings.html

This excerpt specifically addresses the "biblical" motif of the Star in the East and Three Kings allegedly appearing at the birth of Jesus Christ. There is much confusion on the internet about this motif, but, as we can see, it was firmly present in the Egyptian religion ages prior to the purported advent of the Jewish messiah.

Here's a little taste:

"Over the centuries, various supposedly scientific theories have been put forth concerning this purported phenomenon that turn out to be all for naught, because this theme reveals itself to be an old mythical motif. In actuality, many ancient gods, kings and heroes were said to have been born under a 'bright star' or some other sort of celestial sign, indicating their greatness and role as 'savior' as well."

Enjoy! And don't forget that Christ in Egypt is now available internationally through Amazon as well.

"Christ in Egypt" New Video!

Here's a new SHORT video about my book Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection!

In this video are discussed some of the very important parallels between the Egyptian gods and Jesus. The vid also demonstrates the scholarly nature of Christ in Egypt - so be sure to check it out.

The reviews for my book are coming in - and they're very favorable!

By the way, Christ in Egypt is now available internationally through Amazon and other booksellers.

If you want more information, including reviews and links to international Amazon sites, see Christ in Egypt.



Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection

Freethought Nation News

Hi friends!

I have created a new website that will continue to expand, hopefully, with any luck, time and help.

http://freethoughtnation.com/

Right now, I'm collecting on a daily basis - several times a day, sometimes - news from around the world that concerns religion in general as well as specific religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and so on. I am also gathering news items about atheism, secularism, humanism and freethought. I'm keeping an eye on news items about archeology, archaeoastronomy, astrotheology and mythology as well.

This news posting will be an ongoing function of my new website "Freethought Nation." I will be forwarding my forums there as well, and I intend to have a blog where I and others will post news with commentary. Of course, on the blog will be a comments area for visitors to leave their thoughts as well.

If anyone would like to help with this endeavor, let me know, as I do not have the time or tech know-how to make it all happen alone!

Freethought Nation News
http://freethoughtnation.com/

Be sure to stop back on a regular basis, as I will be posting news items there continually, with the newest posts at the top. And tell your friends about it!

Thanks - and enjoy!

Acharya S

CIE Reviews & Easter Special

I wanted to remind everyone just once more that the Stellar House Easter special will be ending on Sunday, April 12, 2009! Be sure to check it out -

http://stellarhousepublishing.com/special.html

Here's some more feedback on my book Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection:

"I could hardly wait to get my hands on this tremendous book: Christ in Egypt: The Horus Jesus Connection.

"This well researched book is accessible both to the general reader and to the scholar interested in the origins of the Christian belief system.

"The author has probably collected every scholarly reference to the Egyptian correlations to Christianity. In doing this, she researched materials that had never been published before and many that until now had never appeared in English.

"This book, which surely will become a classic, is the most enlightening and well researched I have ever read on the origins of Christianity."

M.G. Ketteridge, UK

-------------------

"A Genuine Masterpiece!"

"...Christ in Egypt: the Horus-Jesus Connection is an extraordinarily well-researched and well-written volume that will illustrate unequivocally the direct link between the ancient Egyptian religion and modern Christianity.

"Ms. Murdock has published a number of volumes on similar topics, most notably Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled, Who Was Jesus: Fingerprints of the Christ and The Christ Conspiracy: the Greatest Story Ever Sold. I have found each of them not less entertaining than elucidating. Her research is second to none. She is intimately familiar with the subject, its literature and artifacts and is capable of reading many of the ancient texts on which her research is based in the original languages.

"A work such as this with its voluminous references to primary sources and serious academic and archeological scholarship would seem, at first blush, destined for the dusty shelves of a university reference library. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Ms. Murdock writes in an extremely clear and comprehensible style, and one finds oneself caught up in the narrative as in a finely-crafted mystery which, in a certain sense, it is.

"One discovers early on that the Egyptian religion was a fully-formed cultural imperative that influenced to a marked degree the daily lives of the people Egypt as well as Greece, Turkey and the Levant for well over two millennia. Central to its belief system was the god Horus, born of a virgin, Isis-Mery, and the god Osiris. We see clearly that the parallels between the stories of the lives of Horus and Jesus leave little doubt that the one is extracted directly from the other.

"I believe that Christ in Egypt is a genuine treasure for anyone wishing to understand the truth behind our modern beliefs. This book will place that truth before you in the most lucid, cogent and reasonable fashion. It is a splendid work, powerful, elegant and highly readable, and must surely be considered, in future, a seminal work on the topic. I recommend it unreservedly."

John Reardon, NY

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"You just keep getting more and more impressive. You are definitely on a roll, and I can't wait for further installments of that amazing mind of yours.

"I am a mere 30 pages into Christ in Egypt, and I already know that this is destined to become a classic. You have created a work that will illuminate and inspire for generations.

"It is such a pleasure to read. The work and care you have put into this really shows. As someone who's been in pain this week, I can say without exaggeration that reading your book has been an anodyne for the pleasure it gives. And that's just at 30 pages.

"So I thank you for this ouvre, this masterpiece of yours, and I eagerly await Who Was Jesus?, which should be arriving I assume in a few days as well.

"This is just fantastically inspiring."

Robert T.

--------------

http://www.stellarhousepublishing.com/special.html

Enjoy!

Jesus in India?

With the creation of a new movie, there is increased interest in the old tale that Jesus Christ traveled to India, where he lived to a ripe old age.

While this story may be fascinating, when examined scientifically it fails to hold water. This legend has been spread in recent years largely by an Islamic sect that wishes to claim the hereditary inheritance of the famed Jewish godman.

For more information about this story, as well as the equally implausible tale about Jesus having been in Great Britain, see my essay:

Jesus in India? The Myth of the Lost Years

As has been demonstrated repeatedly in scientific and scholarly books on the subject, the character called "Jesus Christ" is a mythical entity based on other mythical figures dating back into the hoary mists of time.

The fact of Christianity essentially representing a contrived rehash of sun worship is clearly shown in my latest book Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection.

The "lost years" of Jesus are in fact atrotheological, representing part of solar mythology. In the story of the sun god, the solar hero is a "child teacher" at the "age" of 12 noon, when he reaches the "temple" of his "father" - Re or Ra in the Egyptian myth. When the sun transits from one month of the 360-day year or 1/12th or the zodiacal circle, he attains the age of 28 or 30. And here was have the 18 "lost years."

Fortunately, there are those who have actually studied the subject, read my work and who realize that by denying the facts presented therein we are robbing the world of the real history of religious ideology and mythology.

Support Geert Wilders!

Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders has been touring the U.S. following his atrocious ousting from Great Britain for courageously sharing the truth about Islamofascism, as he showed in his short film Fitna. For years now, Geert has been living under heavy security because of constant death threats from members of the "religion of peace." He lives in jail cells and bunkers while in Europe. Yet, the cowards in the U.K. could not see fit to support this famous and brave EU politician, while kowtowing to a Pakistani businessman who bought his way into the British House of Lords and threatened to storm the streets of Britain with 10,000 rabid Muslim fanatics if Wilders were allowed to enter. This episode with the convicted criminal Muslim "lord" was apparently an allusion to the invasion of Mecca by Mohammed and his 10,000 violent thugs. In other words, it was a cloaked threat of a military takeover.

In the meantime, Wilders has been enjoying the civility of the United States of America, where the laws are more humane and where liberty is actually valued. He has been making the media rounds, once again risking his life and limb to warn of the dangers of "radical" Islam (real Islam, in other words, as opposed to "Islam lite").

On Saturday, April 4, 2009, Geert Wilders will be speaking at Chapman University in Orange County, CA. Once again, Islamofascists have threatened protests against this brave man, merely because he dares to speak the truth. I hope that many people who believe in free speech--especially when it's the truth!--will come out and show their support for Wilders, who stands against a huge wave of suppression and censorship.

In case you need a nudge to see how important this issue is, do take a look at this article on Women's Rights in Islam. You will quickly understand why I, as a FREE WOMAN, must take this hardline stance against Islamofascism and must stand up for great heroes like Geert Wilders.

PLEASE SEND TO ANYONE YOU KNOW IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

As many of you may be aware, Dutch MP Geert Wilders, hero of the free world, will be visiting Orange County, CA this Saturday [April 4, 2009] at Chapman University thanks to the David Horowitz Freedom Center.

We have just got word that a collection of Islamist organizations are organizing a protest. Please urge everyone you know in the surrounding area to show up in force to give these jihadis a nice counter-protest welcome.

Let's get the media to pay attention to the anti-free-speech jihadists right here in our own back yard.

Counter-protesters will assemble starting at 1:00 PM in front of Memorial Hall which faces Glassell Ave at E. Palm several blocks north of the turning circle at the intersection of Glassell and Chapman in Orange, CA.

For driving directions, campus map, and parking lots.
see http://www.chapman.edu/map/map.pdf

Bring cameras, flags, signs.

For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Wilder's work, please see the following interview:

P.S. A commenter has stated that Wilders has "prophet's hair," like Charleton Heston in "The 10 Commandments." A funny observation, indeed.

Acharya S on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Squidoo, Friendster

Okay, I've been tweeting a little lately. Gimmicky, of course, but, heck, everybody's doing it, and it can get lonely otherwise. Businesses, politicians, churches, newspapers, journalists - everybody's got Twitter on their website, cell phones and PDAs. (I don't even have one of those.)

I've read articles on how seriously Twitter is being taken and how it's changing the world. Most of the "tweets" I've read from those given publicity in these articles are BORING. I really don't know what the appeal is there, that's for sure.

And then there are those who are using it for marketing purposes, which is pretty much every business that wants to stay with the times.

But now, my tweeting has to be far more interesting than all that!

So here's my Twitter URL - come join me!

Acharya S on Twitter

I've also got a MySpace, of course, as well as being on Facebook and Tagged. I don't post at Tagged very often - it seems like a waste of time.

Acharya's MySpace
Acharya on Facebook
Acharya's Squidoo
Acharya on Tagged
Acharya on Friendster
Acharya on HiF.com
Acharya's Google Profile
Acharya on Delicious
Acharya on Digg
Acharya on Xanga
Acharya on 4shared.com
Acharya on Metacafe
Acharya on Fotolog
Acharya on Crunchyroll
Acharya on Flickr (People)
Acharya on Flickr (Photos)
Acharya on Bebo
Acharya on Daily Motion
Acharya on Metroflag
Acharya on Hulu
Acharya on Propeller
Acharya on Windows Live
Acharya on LiveJournal
Acharya on Google Reader/Buzz
Acharya on Blinklist
Acharya on WordPress
Acharya on Sodahead
Acharya on Typepad
Acharya on AllMyFaves
Acharya on Gather
Acharya on Tumblr
Acharya on Thoughts.com
Acharya on Netlog.com
Acharya on Pinterest 
Acharya on Newsle


If you have any other Web 2.0 sites you feel are helpful - but not a waste of time - please post them in the comments section below!

Christian Apologist: "ZEITGEIST is Right"

In an article posted on March 25, 2009, conservative Christian website WorldNetDaily.com claims that the film "ZEITGEIST" is an "'Antichrist' movie tricking Christians." The article by Joe Kovacs goes on to cite the opinions of Christian apologist Richard Rives, who ironically runs a website called "ZEITGEISTisRight.com"

According to WND, Rives "has himself been educating the public about the impact heathen sun worship has had on traditional Christianity." Indeed, he has published a book called Too Long in the Sun, which highlights the usurpation of Pagan solar religious traditions by Christianity. As a fundamentalist Christian, however, Rives's purpose is to distinguish between true biblical teachings and supposedly later attachments to Christian tradition from heathenism.

In Rives's videos and on his "ZEITGEIST is Right" website, he specifically names me, D.M. Murdock aka Acharya S, as the "scholar who provided data for the movie ZEITGEIST." On his book website, Toolong.com, Rives has posted articles concerning the connection between "Traditional Christianity" and Pagan sun worship, such as regards the Persian sun god Mithra, the Roman sun god Sol Invictus and the solar holidays of "Christmas" and Easter. In effect, Rives is verifying that various important aspects of Christianity were taken from sun worship and that ZEITGEIST is correct in its identification thereof.

However, again, Rives delineates between the Christianity of tradition and that of the Bible, reiterating that Christ's winter-solstice birthday, for example, is not in the New Testament. Rives also claims that Christ's crucifixion and resurrection occurred not during Easter but during Passover, which was changed to coincide with Easter. In his analysis, Rives says:

"Today Contemporary Christianity has not only allowed truth to fall, but it has thrown truth in the street as a gesture of religious tolerance and compromise. It has given the adversaries of scripture exactly what they need to substantiate their claims that what most present as Christianity is nothing more than redefined pagan mythology. Educated theologians know that; yet they continue to present a compromised gospel filled with pagan tradition that never had anything to do with Christ."

While we wholeheartedly concur with Rives's assessment concerning "Traditional Christianity" adopting various Pagan holidays and doctrines, we disagree that the gospel story itself is devoid of such influences. Indeed, my work in dissecting the gospel story and demonstrating its "borrowing" from pre-Christian religions is extensive and covers much more than simply Christmas and Easter. As one glaring example, the Virgin Mother concept unquestionably existed in the Pagan world long before Christianity was created - yet, there it is in black and white in the New Testament. Furthermore, such biblical doctrines as having 12 followers, healing the sick, raising the dead, walking on water, transfiguring, resurrecting and ascending are all present in pre-Christian Pagan religion and mythology as well. This fact is demonstrated thoroughly in my book Christ in Egypt: The Horus-Jesus Connection, which draws from thousands of pre-Christian Egyptian texts and the works of highly credentialed scholars in relevant fields.

As concerns labeling me or ZEITGEIST's producer Peter Joseph "antichrists," the word "Christ" simply means "Anointed One." It is not the exclusive name of a Jewish son of God who allegedly lived 2,000 years ago. The term was also used long prior to the Christian era, in the Greek Old Testament or Septuagint, for example, as applied to anointed figures such as Saul, David, Solomon and various priests - all of these are deemed Christs. Moreover, the word "christ," or "christos" (χριστος) in the original Greek, was likewise utilized in non-biblical, pre-Christian literature as well. "Anti" means to be against; however, while I do make the case that many of these characters are mythological in nature, I am not "against" them. Hence, I am not "antichrist" at all.

I feel for the sincere Christian who has been taught what amounts to falsified history, and I truly appreciate that Christian apologist Richard Rives has the integrity to admit that Part 1 ZEITGEIST is right in its overall premise of Christianity taking over Pagan sun worship.

Pat Condell: Free speech is sacred

Famed atheist vlogger Pat Condell, whom I count among my friends, is just so, so important. He doesn't have any position--he's not a president or prime minister. But Pat may be more important than all world leaders combined.

Astonishingly, just as I am working on a new book that emphasizes our freedoms as holy tenets, here comes Pat spelling it all out in a most brilliant manner. Pat has just made himself the high priest of the most important religious movement ever to hit planet Earth: Freedom.

I have taken the liberty of transcribing the juicy bits most appropriate for my current project. Regarding the obscene and blasphemous attempt by Islamists to criminalize criticism of their cult by their "defamation of religion" U.N. resolution, Pat remarks:

Now, to defame something, first of all you have to say something untrue about it. So, for example, if I say that religion is the art of sugar-coating a turd and selling it as a donut, well, that's not defamation because of course it is absolutely true.

In this video “Free speech is sacred,” Pat also says:

The only actual defamation I can detect here is defamation of humanity by religion, because religion is bearing false witness against us to our detriment - and that is defamation. Religion is telling us a poison story about ourselves, because it doesn't want us to like ourselves one little bit. So it denigrates us from the moment we're born, as unworthy, unclean and stained with sin, persuading us that there's something that we need to be saved from. And indeed there is: The curse of religion, which for its very survival depends on keeping us enthralled to a view of reality that's so childish, so stunted, so utterly and transparently false, it amounts to nothing less than a malicious assault on our very identity as human beings, which I believe makes religion a crime against humanity.

Pat also calls himself a “freedom-worshipper.” He further says:

I claim free speech as my religion. Yes, I'll have a slice of that pie too, thank you, along with all the attendant rights and privileges, of course. Because I can assure you that I venerate free speech as highly as anybody on this planet venerates their god or their scripture or their prophet, and any attempt to suppress free speech is deeply insulting and grossly offensive to me on a personal level. I feel violated to the very core of my being, which seriously hurts my feelings. Whenever I hear free speech being comprimised or restricted - or even heavily criticized - I take that as a grave personal affront and as a grotesquely insensitive attack on my most cherished values: Freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of identity - this is my holy trinity. Each one an intrinsic aspect of my god. Freedom, the holiest of holies. Yes, it bloody well is. It is absolutely sacred and inviolable beyond any negotiation or compromise now and forever. Amen.

Amen indeed. Be sure also to see my blog post from 2006 concerning the U.S. Constitution and the freedoms it represents: A Truly Sacred Scripture.

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