The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold

Rating:
Summary: Typical Christ Propaganda !!!!!
Review: Acharya S is a typical Propagandanist. To infer that the Jesus Mythos is similar to the Buddha Mythos is like saying Ford Motors is quite similar to General Motors. Nevermind the fact that both Ford and General are manufactured by two different companies with two different manufacturing techniques. It's quite asinine only to focus on the simililarities between Jesus and Buddha just because both are 'Savior Gods', but it's equally absurd to suggest that either of the two Mythological characters are the product of a conspiracy without 6 billion humans ever noticing the plot. Thus,Acharya S seems desperate to form her own viewpoints to unsubstantiated similarities between Jesus and Buddha to support her own religious hindu bias beliefs. (Note: Acharya S is recorded in one of her earlier books [I dont remember the specific title] that Christianity is a product of Hindu beliefs.)

Rating:
Summary: A REMARKABLE BOOK!!
Review: First of all, as others have said to give this amazing book one star is foolish and IRRESPONSIBLE. The author has clearly spent a lot of time researching a very important issue, coming to an obvious conclusion that many people of the past have also concluded.

The fact is that there are no historians of "Christ's era" who recorded his existence. So, anyone who is claiming the opposite has not done his homework but is blowing smoke.

Also, personally I could care less what an author's name is--using the net, how can we know that a critic's name is not a pseudonym? And, bringing up the mysticism of the likes of Leadbetter and Bailey hardly constitutes a credible argument. Also, were the believers in all the past gods, such as Hercules and Osiris "deluded?" Common sense would tell us that if "theologists" of the past wrote hundreds upon hundreds of texts regarding Osiris being the Lord and Savior of mankind, then indeed he was! This argument is simply not valid. Nor is the comparison with the "flat earthers."

The fact is that The Christ Conspiracy has thoroughly demonstrated, in a VERY sensible manner, that Jesus Christ is as mythical as are the countless gods of many other cultures and times. The author lays out a comprehensive and intelligent argument in this regard. Page after page provides evidence of this conclusion, which is as valid as the conclusion that the Greek, Roman and other gods of old are mythical. In my opinion, THAT is common sense, not just believing the story--and certainly not basing this belief in a historical Jesus on a "library [that] runs into the tens of thousands of pages and speaks about Christ many times." Such a "library" is no different than the many sacred texts of non-Christian cultures that hail the various other divinities as being "real." Gosh, were all those people who wrote about Zeus and Apollo "victims of myth?" Again, an absurd argument.

In the end, the Christ Conspiracy is not only a well-documented book, but one which is quite responsible and much needed.

If you're really interested in the truth of the matter, you would do well to read this book. Also, for anybody who wants back-up material, Acharya S's Suns of God lays it all out in a very scholarly manner. You just can't do any better.

Rating:
Summary: Use common sense if you read this book
Review: First, it would be nice to know the author's last name. That's ordinary literary courtesy. Responsible modern-day authors would never withhold their identity.

This book, like many of its type, begins by assuming its conclusion and then goes out to find folks who agree with her. That is not research, that's called pursuing your agenda. So Acharya believes that Christ was made up. She then goes to great lengths to quote other authors who think the same. The same method can be used to "prove" any unpopular idea. Just search for "flat earth."

When we invoke our own common sense and apply it to this book, we have to ask questions like these:

1. Are all the brilliant theologists who ever wrote about Christ deluded?

2. Are the recorded historians of Christ's era purposely writing about a non-existent person?

3. Is the entire library of occult literature (Leadbeater, Bailey, etc.) part of some "conspiracy" to perpetuate the "Jesus myth"? This library runs into the tens of thousands of pages and speaks about Christ many times. Have all these writers been fooled?

If you want to know the real story about Jesus you will have to explore more than just the Bible. Then you will see the folly of this irresponsible book. Any fair-minded answer to the central question "Did Christ exist" will have to conclude that, yes, Christ did exist. To conclude otherwise one would have to believe that eveyone who wrote about him was just a victim of a myth. Surely 2000 years of writers are smarter than that!



Rating:
Summary: Credibility?
Review: For someone to give this remarkable book ONE STAR immediately shoots his credibility down to zero. Sounds like a lot of sour grapes by a frustrated person who himself wishees to be taken as an authority.

This PITIFUL person doesn't seem to have read The Christ Conspiracy, merely thumbed through it and seen a couple of citations.

As is usual, such critics inflate minor points to make the entire work appear ridiculous. Acharya cites Berlitz about twice in hundreds and hundreds of footnotes, and Barbara Walker is an outstanding scholar well deserving of inclusion in this superb book. What these ranting critics are basically doing is making themselves and their critiques appear ridiculous, but their arrogance exceeds their common sense.

This book is not only outstanding, but it clear that Acharya S IS one of the leading SCHOLARS in this field. Otherwise such rabid critics wouldn't bother to bat her down with their useless and ignorant attempts to disparage a great thinker and dissuade others from reading her EXCELLENT works. As they say, ignorance is bliss, except that these individuals are usually extremely angry, with little other to express.

I would suggest that you actually read the book before making obnoxious and erroneous commentary. There are many ways to do this--including obtaining one FREE on loan from a public library. Find out what the fuss is all about and decide for yourself, instead of listening to pretend pedants who think they know everything but obviously do not and cannot ever approach the intellectual standard set by scholars such as Acharya S.

Rating:
Summary: A Pitiful Treatment
Review: Acharya S. has mastered the art of Christian apologetics in reverse.

The cover of her book hails Acharya as an archaeologist, a historian, a mythologist, and a linguist. Participating in excavations in Greece and Connecticut does not an archaeologist make. An undergraduate degree in Classical Studies does not a historian make. Her only resume item that is apparently accurate is her claim of being a linguist, as she is literate in seven or more languages. I do not bring these items up to make personal attacks against the author, but rather to demonstrate that she is by no means the scholar that she is too often portrayed as.

As far as her treatment of the origins of Christianity goes, her central thesis is accurate to some degree however one is left with the impression that it may be entirely by accident. Her methods are sloppy, her references are very poor, and many of her conclusions are either demonstrably false or highly questionable. This is where her lack of formal education becomes significant, which is why I made mention of it.

I did however enjoy her enthusiasm, wit, and biting sarcasm, which frankly are the only reasons to purchase the book. I would encourage readers to digest the material with an open mind, but at the same time realize that she has absolutely butchered the (very legitimate) Christ Myth thesis.

A casual perusal through the bibliography will demonstrate that Acharya is by no means a scholar in the traditional sense, and certainly not a writer to be taken seriously. Apparently the author prefers to ignore primary source materials in favor of such classical works as Charles Burlitz's Atlantis: The Eigth Continent and Barbara Walker's The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. On the positive side, her book has served to educate many Christians about the mythological foundations of their faith. It is just unfortunate that her presentation of the material is about as fictional and inaccurate as the bible itself.


Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books on the Subject
Review: I have to give this book five stars for many reasons, including that audacity to touch the subject matter in the first place. Acharya's work is not only groundbreaking but it is easy for the average person to read. "The Christ Conspiracy" is a classic, and will remain so, despite the mainly unwarranted criticism. Yes, some of her conclusions appear hasty, but I've also studied her follow-up book "Suns of God" (which I would give SIX stars) is exquisitely researched and written and addresses pretty much all of those criticisms, which henceforth wither on the vine.

Acharya is quite obviously a well-educated person who makes few mistakes in her conclusions, albeit a few facts here and there may be wrong. That's certainly understandable in any piece of writing, much less one of this size and scope. Acharya covers the history of Christianity quite thoroughly and brilliantly shows it predecessors in form and thought throughout so-called "Pagan" history. Her dates for the events within Christianity are and will be hotly debated, but I believe she makes their case quite soundly, especially in "Suns of God." It becomes apparent that Christianity as we know it did not at all exist in the first century of the Common Era.

When it is understood that practically all of the Christian god, son of god and doctrine existed widely in previous religions and mythologies, a reason for this situation must be considered. Acharya has hit the nail on the head, as it become clear that a group of individuals wove together all these tales and religious ethics in order to create a new religion that united the various factions of the Roman Empire. From her study of history, which includes the remarkable works of others preceding her, Acharya is able to clearly demonstrate that there was no historical founder of Christianity, that "Jesus Christ" is an amalgam of numerous characters, that his "sayings" are old wisdom sayings and platitudes widely circulated around the known world, and that the New Testament represents forged and falsified texts full of fiction.

Some of the most scholarly aspects of "the Christ Conspiracy," including the chapter on the Essenes, Zealots and Zadokites, are completely ignored by critics, because they do indeed demonstrate that Acharya is a "scholar's scholar," that she is not a writing of popular pabulum, and that she can think clearly using a wide variety of intellectual tools. Since the publication of Christ Con, I have seen her more original work appear in the books of others, without attribution.

With the appearance of Suns of God, critics will be hard-pressed to level the same spurious and petulant charges against Acharya. As far as I am concerned, her highly important work will endure, while that of her critics will fade away, appearing at best as footnotes in history.

Just as the gods of old and other cultures have been overthrown in time, so too will the Christian creation. Considering what havoc this ideology has wrought upon earth, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially--we can feel a sense of relief and gratitude for that day to come.

Kudos for a fine work.

Rating:
Summary: Rejecting Lies = Finding Peace
Review: I just finished The Christ Conspiracy and I can't begin to tell you the sense of peace that I feel right now. Acharya S brings everything together. The Christian god is a guilty god. You are guilty of everything and need the permission of your "Father" to continue with your life (confession). She dissolves this guilt of life that the Christian, or more accurately, the Catholic faith instills in you. In my case it was the capable discussion on Alexandria being a forge to create a unified world religion. That is the REAL reason they destroyed the library there - to hide the crime. A real mystery solved. Incredible. Her book makes so much sense.

I became awake about 2 years ago and it has been a journey to discover the REAL history of humanity. Her scholarly manner with an edge was a very rewarding treatment of the subject. There was one part that got me laughing out loud. I can "attest" to that. :) (Read the book) Her lack of an agenda (other than the truth) made the book more believeable. Other books lacked sanity. She is obviously a rational woman who has resolved many things in her life.

Thank you again. I hope that the rest of humanity wakes up so that they can be at peace with themselves. People like her make that possible.

Rating:
Summary: This book goes beyond radical scholarship
Review: This book is radical by radical standards! Even John Dominic Crossan-who is regularly criticized by his contemporaries for going too far in his hasty, unchecked speculations about the historical Jesus-looks tame if not authoritative compared to Acharya S's bizarre proposals in this book.

"S" begins with the presupposition that Jesus never existed-but was merely the fictitious product of pagan and mystery religions woven into some bizarre Jewish hybrid religion. And it all just goes down hill from there.

For anyone who is a layman on New Testament history I recommend that you run as fast as you can away from the misinformation in this book. Come back to it when you've at least read some authoritative works and have a feel for where scholarship is really at.

The wide mainstream of New Testament historians reject the ideas of radicals like Acharya S. Even the controversial liberal theologians that make up the "Jesus Seminar" would have to chuckle at some of Acharya's assertions.

The majority of scholars believe that Jesus was indeed a real Jewish teacher and wonder-worker in 1st Century Palestine. To give "S" some credit, the pagan influence theories were taken seriously by scholars around a hundred years ago-but with archeological and other developments, these ideas have been almost universally abandoned by historians.

If you are a layperson and want a primer on the historical Jesus from REAL scholars, try anything by N.T. Wright, formerly of Oxford University. Another great resource is the book "Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?" A debate between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan (and if you read through the references in this book you'll notice that Acharya is no where to be found).

Also, if you are interested in further researching Acharya's bizarre claims about mystery religions that created a Jesus myth, try the book "The Gospel and the Greeks: Did the New Testament Borrow from Pagan Thought?" by Ronald Nash.

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Summary: AUTHOR IS EXTREMELY KNOWLEDGEABLE
Review: namaste

To say that this very well educated and well-read author "doesn't know jack" instantly destroys the writer's credibility. In the first place, this book contains very little about Krishna, maybe a page or two. Her OTHER book has loads on Krishna, inclluding an in depth analysis of the few claims made in this book. "Suns of God-Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled" is her other book. It is LOADED with references, showing that she certainly DOES "know jack." And Krishna, buddha and Christ, as well. Like somebody else says, Archarya knows far more than her critics, and it looks like people like that didn't even read this book. They sure haven't read Suns of God.

Acharya points out that there are THOUSANDS of texts not even translated from Sanskrit and other Indian languages. She also shows that many of the most important ideas about these gods are MYSTERIES that are not recorded in literature. Many traditions about Jesus, for instance, were not included in the gospels. however, the claim that her analysis regarding Krishna is unsubstantiated by Indian texts is false. There are few things not in there, but even the Catholic Encyclopedia admits that Krishna and Christ are "nearly identical" in many ways. (Look it up on google--Catholic Encyclopedia and Krishna.)

Again, this book The Christ Conspiracy spends very little time on Krishna. It's obvious that the huffy critics haven't read it and that THEY "don't know jack." It's also obvious from "Suns of God" that Acharya is extremely knowledgeable about Krishna, Buddha and many other gods, as well as religions in general. Throwing temper tantrums ain't gonna change THAT!!

Satyam Shanti

Rating:
Summary: Not worth buying
Review: The author doesnt know jack about what she is writing. Saying something wild does not make it true, no matter how much you want to believe it - you must give some basis for saying something. I know for a fact that all the stuff she wrote about Krishna is unsubstantiated - there are no references from any Indian source to substantiate what she writes about Krishna. It seems quite cooked up and even though its a conspiracy book - it is really lame in research quality - at least definitely on the indian sources front. That makes me suspect her other writing, too - that it may be full of improper research (BS, in other words).
There are many books on similar subjects in the market with at least some authenticity. But this book seems a totally cooked up thing.
Well, this author is definitely off my list henceforth.