Rating: 
Summary: Surprised and disappointed at previous reviews
Review: First of all let me state I am not a Christian, I have no axe to grind. I am very interested in the time of Christ and the early church as historical study, nothing more and nothing less. ....The Author is tackling a very controversial, but not original thesis in claiming that Jesus never existed and the Christian religion was influenced by earlier religions such as Paganism and the beliefs in Egypt. Claims such as this have been made before, and for these claims to stand there should be clear documented historical evidence, and this is where the book falls very short. Time after time the author makes extraordinary claims with no references to back them up other than previous authors of the same genre. For example, she quotes an author named Martin Larson from a book written in 1977. He claims that early church fathers such as Jerome, Antony and Martin were definitely psychotic. From this, the author draws the following conclusion, and I quote "Thus, deceiving, mentally ill individuals basically constitute the genesis of Christianity." Now, I ask the reader, is this research or is this a sentence from an author whose conclusion was drawn before the book was even begun. She also writes that the gospels of the New Testament are dated much later than the time of Christ. For any scholar of that period, this is not earth shattering news. This has been known for many years. She does however date them almost 100 years later than even one of the most liberal of Christian scholars (Burton Mack) and uses no references or historical data to back up the claim.... When I read this type of book, I expect solid historical research. I am not interested in reading books full of nothing but opinion, such as you get from many Christian apologists. In my opinion, this book is nothing but the opposite side of the same coin.
Rating: 
Summary: The Truth Will Set You Free
Review: When Marx claimed that religion was the opium of the masses, he couldn't have made a truer observation. For those who are still nursing the opium baby bottle, it's time to come out of the nursery and see the light. Acharya's book is the perfect antidote to the addiction of religion and its mind numbing effects. With great skill and scholarship, she systematically tumbles the foundations of this ages old prison of the mind. She carefully demonstrates that Christianity and its icons are nothing new and have in fact been borrowed from much older pagan sources. From these sources, they created a myth of great power. Without a doubt, the manipulative church fathers realized the potential of this myth and used it to their advantage to control the minds of the masses and give themselves absolute power. For those who are ready to come out of the prison, throw off the shackles of the mind and the soul and awaken from the opium dream, this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent writing by a warm and responsive author
Review: This book has served me well as an outstanding stand-alone text, as well as an extremely useful guide to other works and texts. If you find some of Acharya's conclusions hard to believe, simply follow up on them yourself - the citations are accurate and frequent. I've noticed that some reviewers find the tone of the book to be "hateful", but I think it is better described as "matter-of-fact". Acharya does not beat around the bush, and christians will undoubtedly find the book at least discomforting. If you ware seeking truth, however, then you will likely find the style engaging. From time to time, I have had questions regarding the accuracy of some of her points, and simply emailed her. Despite the fact that she is clearly swamped with email, she has consistently responded within a week or so to each of my queries, offering clear and concise insight and assistance in finding the answers to my questions on my own. I have not found any fault yet, after almost a year. Likewise, I have occasionally presented here with christian arguments, and received the same assistance. Her tone is always warm, welcoming, and helpful. I found the book exciting and compelling while learning more than I ever expected. If you want the truth, you must seek it yourself; if you can keep an open mind and you seek the truth, this book will be very helpful to you.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe...
Review: Many of the points in this book, (historicity, or lack thereof, of Jesus, etc), are better covered in other works for the intrepid explorer. Many of those other works, however, are not very accessible to the lay student and would probably be only of interest to old toothless heretics like me...So for the first-timer willing to take a peek behind the curtain this will be a mind-blowing expereince. But for you other Heretics out there, some points to ponder...Acharya weaves together the various martyred-saviour-solar warrior-eucharistic myths, anchors them in Egypt, ?, and then, voila!, pulls Christianity out of a tophat. The Christian Apologist, C.S.Lewis, took those mythological similarities and chose to see them as antecedents to the "Christian Revelation"...in other words, six of one/half dozen of the other. Frazier's "Golden Bough" seems to suggest that all of these myths express common human concerns and I'd puts my money on 'dat one, personally. What to make of the Conspiracy part of this? As that great western philosopher, Bugs Bunny, might say..."hmmmmm, could be...", but who cares? And was Jesus completely fictional? Perhaps; but it's much more likely that he was a real, if obscure, figure of Roman occupied Palestine who was one of many loony apocalyptic figures that plagued Judea at the time. That this minor player was then taken by Paul of Tarsus, (assuming HE existed, which I'm not too sure), and the historian Eusebius-in-the-pay-of-Emperor Constantine, and transformed into the Saviour of the World seems more likely. The Roman world at the dawn of Byzantium was awash with pious fictions...what's one more? But, fun stuff here, will push the envelope for you, and Acharya's humour, and compassion, will charm you.
Rating: 
Summary: CAUTION THIS BOOK MAY BLOW YOUR MIND
Review: THIS BOOK WOULD LIKELY OFFEND MOST OF STRONG CHRISTIAN CONVICTIONS... FORTUNATELY FOR ME, I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE... THE BOOK SEEMED SLOW AT FIRST BUT AFTER A SHORT WHILE BECOAME A VERY INTERESTING READ... MOST OF THE DATA IS NOT NEW BUT HERE IT IS PUT TOGETHER TO FORWARD THE AUTHOR'S POINT OF VIEW... MANY HAVE SUSPECTED THAT ORGANIZED RELIGION IS AN INSTITUTION PUT FORTH TO KEEP THE AVERAGE TOM, DICK AND HARRIETS IN LINE... THE FACTS AS STATED SEEM TO BEAR THIS OUT... SHE MAKES THE CASE, I THINK, WITH THE FOLKLORE ABOUT THE STARS I.E. ASTROLOGY SINCE IT WOULD THE FIRST THINGS FOLKS WOULD SEIZE ON BEFORE THE ADVENT OF MYTHOLOGY AND/OR RELION... SOME OF HER ASSERTIONS ABOUT ANVANCED ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS IS INTERSETING AND I WOULD TO READ MORE ABOUT THEM... FOR MANY INTERSTED IN COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS THIS WOULD BE INTERESTING, FOR THOSE WHOSE RELIGION IS A PILLAR OF STRENGTH WOULD FIND THE BOOK DISQUIETING... I ENJOYED THE BOOK AND WOULD RECCOMEND THE BOOK BUT CAUTIOUS ABOUT WHO I RECCOMEND THE BOOK TO...
Rating:
Summary: Same tired, uneducated, angry claims of New Agers
Review: Terrified of Yahweh? Hope He isn't real? This isn't the book for you. "Archaeologist, historian, mythologist, and linguist" Acharya S, a New Ager, makes the same tired, uneducated claims any New Age author makes about the Bible and Christianity. No scholarship; no evidence; only quotes from other New Agers and infidels. Acharya, seemingly angry at someone or everyone, gives the reader nothing new. However, if you don't find the book compelling, you can flip to the end of it and order "The Time Travel Handbook," "Atlantis: Mother of Empires" or "Lost Continents & The Hollow Earth." I'm betting those books are better reads than "The Christ Conspiracy." If you hope (and that's all you can do - hope) to calm your fears about Yahweh, you'll have to dig do better than "The Christ Conspiracy."
Rating:
Summary: Pulpit Fiction
Review: Irrefutable proof that the stories of the Bible are rip-offs of earlier pagan myths. Jesus is a composite character based on the legends of Horus, Krishna, Buddha, Mithra etc. Interestingly, Pontious Pilate & Herod are among the only Bible figures who really existed. Sadly, most believers will refuse to read this with an open mind.
Rating:
Summary: The key to escaping christian prisons
Review: If you are still trapped in the prison of christianity or any other bible based religion, this book presents you with the keys you need to escape. Easy read with loads of detail. My one criticism will only be recognized by other astrologers. Acharya uses the word 'decan' to describe a five degree segment of the astrological wheel. This is incorrect. While there are five degree segments, she has used the ten degree segment name. Since she lists 'linguist' as one of her titles, I was surprised that she failed to recognize that decan refers to units of 10. The dwad is the word astrologers use for the five degree segment. Of course this is only significant to other astrologers and Acharya is not an astrologer. Apart from her misuse of decan in several places, the book is otherwise excellent.
Rating:
Summary: This book changes lives!
Review: The Christ Conspiracy is not only well written, and fairly easy to digest, it is a bold and significant challenge to the blindly accepted constructs of reality. It lays out the biggest hoax in history in a legal manner, but like a John Grisham thriller, smoothly leading the reader through a series of thorough and devastating arguments. These arguments cover a large range of topics, including archeology, history and language, extending back thousands of years. The Christ Conspiracy is over 400 pages long, but it can't cover every subject in depth or it would be an encyclopedia, as most people can understand. The book is scholarly, but it is written in a style that is available to the average person. It contains incredibly important information which has been known to scholars but which has not made it to the masses. It also contains much new info and reasoning not found in other books on the subject. It is, in fact, unique, to my knowledge. Those with wisdom, or even a little common sense, will understand why the author criticizes Christianity for the horror it has caused in the world. ... In addition to moments of righteous indignation are countless important FACTS, not "bias" and "opinion." This life-changing book was obviously very difficult to research and write, but the author does an amazing job, with honesty and integrity, and the knowledge she presents is vast. Still, the whiners and complainers will continue to bleat and wail, as the very foundation of their fear-based reality crumbles before their eyes! I will say this: Reading the Christ Conspiracy gives me a strong dose of reality. From another perspective--understanding AND disillusionment are doorways to enlightenment. I strongly suggest reading this book: It just could give you THE JOLT of enlightenment that will last a lifetime...Get a CLUE!
Rating:
Summary: More like 3 1/2 stars
Review: I like the book and I think the author explores some interesting avenues of thought, especially the linking of Jesus to the old Sun gods. However with many of her arguments she seems to lose steam and switch to another theme just when it is getting interesting. She never really fleshed out the copmparison of the desciples to the zodiac, which I thought was really interesting and important. While I would say that the chapter on Jesus' predecessors is worth the book alone, the book seems to rely on other books that are available here and I wonder if I would have been better off reading one of those. Also as someone who should be providing some objectivity to her arguments, she is blatantly spiteful towards Christianity. I have no problem with the sentiment, but let me make that decision instead of inundating us with your bias. Someone posted earlier that this book isn't going to change the blinded faithful's mind. I agree, but this book isn't for them. This is for people who are already questioning monotheism, Christianity or religion. And for them it can be helpful. For me, I believed that Jesus was a historical figure prior to this, but believed the church was a crock. Now I don't believe that Jesus was real. And it has helped me grow and seek out a spirituality that I am quite happy with. I hope this helps.
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