Rating: 
Summary: A Must-Read for Believers and Skeptics Alike
Review: This book articulates for me all the reasons why I've had a hard time believing the stories in the Christian Bible.
Acharya S demonstrates very clearly in a number of segments why believing in the Bible as a literal fact (both Old and New Testaments) is nonsensical. One of these segments is so simple that I should have figured it out years ago. Rather than tell you who might read this review what that was, I suggest one purchase the book so as to get the full impact of this Conspiracy. You will be amazed.
If the author had tried to write this during the time of the Inquisition (or any number of others times and locations), the book would have never been published. She would also have died a most unpleasant death.
As you read the work, focus on the word Control in every context. This book makes it very clear that this is what Christianity has been about.
Some of you may be devastated; many more of you will come away enlightened.
I look forward to her next book.
Rating: 
Summary: From the Mouth of the Prince of Lies.
Review: _The Christ Conspiracy_ basically consists of a concocted pseudo-history which attempts to paint Christians as the universal enemy, always choosing to portray their deeds in the most cynical and insane light. The book contains hundreds of remarks which are utterly laughable and rarely quotes original sources, choosing instead to quote from various obscure works by eccentric and rogue scholars of the nineteenth century. Where original sources do appear, the author always has them concealed as a quote in the writing of another who always happens to be another pseudo-scholar from the nineteenth century. Examples of absurdities include the idea that bigot and cretin orginally referred to Christians, thus indicating the supposed stupidity and arrogance of the early priests. However, a careful exegesis of these two words will show how absurd this assertion is. While bigot may have originated from the curse "By God" thus perhaps indicating religious fanaticism, it probably originated from the roving Begouins who were medieval groups of flagellants and entirely outside of the church proper. While cretin shares the same origin as the word Christian, a proper exegesis will show that the term was not meant as one of abuse at all. Rather, the term cretin was applied to certain mentally inadequate individuals by priests because it was said that they were at least good Christians. Thus, it is a term of respect for the poor and mentally inadequate among Christian believers and not one of disdain in its original meaning. Of course such fine shades of distinction are utterly meaningless to Acharya S who will use all she can get to attack Christianity in her blind hatred of God and His Church. Acharya S proposes an interesting theory however with regards to the origin of the Christian Gospels arguing that the Gospels in fact were concocted from Gnostic texts and that Gnosticism is the original source of the Christian myth (Christ having been a sort of fictional character). Thus, she will argue that the Gnostic Marcion's text _The Gospel of the Lord_ is the first written Gospel which describes Christ as a kind of angelic being and not as a man and was subsequently used as a source for the _Gospel of Luke_. While I believe she does have a point about Gnosticism, the influence of which has been woefully misunderstood (cf. the works of the entirely orthodox Roman Catholic traditionalist theologian Jean Borella for a sort of gnostic retrieval in the Christian tradition) her assertions about the origins of the Gospels are something that no scholar (outside of the few eccentrics she cites to prove her point, almost entirely from the nineteenth century, many with links to the occult) either traditionalist or modernist would be able to accept. In fact, _The Gospel of Matthew_ was written first perhaps 8 or 10 years after the Lord's ascension into heaven (as traditionalists have always maintained). As the book progresses the arguments used by Acharya S become more and more absurd and it becomes clear that she has been influenced by occult, neo-gnostic, and new age myth making (much of which had its origin in the nineteenth century - although as _Ecclesiastes_ has it "there is nothing new under the sun" meaning that this sort of mythmaking is nothing more than resurrected heresy and satanism for the modern world). Acharya S frequently makes use of terms like "sexist" and "racist" etc. to describe her understanding of Christian tradition; however, as can be seen these terms are basically without meaning, both sex and race differences being entirely real, and thus properly understood as a construct of the politically correct era used with a distinctly "social engineering" type agenda in mind. One thing that does emerge from reading this book is this: Acharya S totally hates Christians and Christ and His Church and will resort to any methods available to smear them and their cause. While she claims to love pagans (a term originally meaning roughly "country folk"), in fact her methods reveal a complete and total loathing for the heritage of the European West (as well as the Christian East) in all its forms. While it is true that many of the communists were Jewish influenced (as Acharya S claims, cf. _The Rulers of Russia_ by Roman Catholic priest Father Denis Fahey) it is also true that Marx renounced Judaism proper (cf. his notorious "antisemitic" essay on the "Jewish Question") and may in fact have turned to Satanism himself (as much modern research shows after examining certain of his letters) and not atheism (which is really a sort of Jewish/materialist adaptation) as originally believed. On the other hand, there is no evidence to support the insane claims of Acharya S that either Adolf Hitler or even less so Joseph Stalin were influenced in any manner by traditional Christianity (either Roman or Eastern Catholicism). In fact, both fascism and communism have roots much closer to the occult, freemasonry, and the ancient revival of Gnostic heresy. I have not finished this book yet, being only about halfway through, but from the look of things, it appears that Acharya S delves deeper and deeper into occult insanity, eventually concluding (accurately, ironically) that an ancient global culture existed from which originated modern religions. Of course, she fails to mention that the same Christian God has been watching history from its onset preparing the way for His incarnation in Jesus Christ and eventual Second Coming. It is clear to me however, that Acharya S has one goal in mind complete degradation of Christian holiness and Our humble Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who was brutally crucified upon a Cross for proclaiming his Godmanhood. It is clear that her interests are not those of truth and light and love and joy but rather those of hate and rancor and deceitfulness, just as her own father, the prince of this world, a fallen archangel cast out of heaven for pride before God has taught her.
Rating:
Summary: The Christ Conspiracy is BRILLIANT
Review: No matter how right Acharya S may be, no matter how scholarly and credentialed, there's awlays going to be some smart aleck, know-it-all who doesn't like it because of some egotistical and irrational reason. In the introduction to her new book, "Suns of God," online at truthbeknown.com, Acharya writes, "When it comes to religion, alternative perspectives are considered highly suspect and are subject to intense scrutiny, held up to impossible standards of proof, while the accepted paradigm is lightly handled and can pass with little or no evidence at all. Those who step outside the box are dunned with requests for credentials and bibliographies, while believers in the mainstream ideology require no credentials except belief and seem not to need to read much at all, including the very 'sacred scriptures' they defend." Not only is this true, but Acharya DOES have credentials, unlike so many others who write books and defend theories, including most of her critics. Having a great ability with languages is not necessary to study the world's ancient cultures? Bah ha! That's ridiculous. Having a degree and experience in archaeology also isn't needed? Absurd - but, Acharya's detractors can have none of those things and still present themselves as "experts." I know for a fact that Acharya went to the American School of Classical Studies - but, doh, she uses a pseudonym, which INTELLIGENT critics should have been able to figure out. These are plenty of credentials, but it will never be enough for the know-it-all. In any case, Acharya quotes dozens of authorities and its clear she's profoundly knowledgeable about the subject, unlike her critics. One thing the Christ Conspiracy does prove is that people are off their rockers.One guy doesn't like "conspiracies," so Acharya's great work is to be thrown into the river. The biggest loudmouths are those who know very little but who throw temper tantrums when their egos are hurt. Some of the negativity reminds me of a child holding his breath until he turns blue, while throwing himself to the ground and pounding his fists and feet. And reading a preface puts you "in trouble," boy, you do lead a perilous and sheltered life! Dr. Demento, you don't speak for the rest of us, and THANK GOODNESS Amazon is able to sell this wonderful, well-written, fabulously researched and truthful book! It's simply the best and possibly the most important book everybody should read. And most of the books are NOT from Health Research - all anybody needs to do is check the bibliography. In regards to certain claims that cause foaming at the mouth, I have checked numerous of Acharya's facts, which she footnotes continuously, and they check out, including whether or not the founders of Communism were "Jewish." Checks out-most of them were. Just consult the Jewish Encyclopedia! Regarding Hitler, read his own writings! Screeching and throwing fits isn't going to change the facts. Also Acharya's writing regarding the ancient civilization is some of the best out there. These ruins and legends exist, how else do we explain them? And why do they sound so much like Christianity, which is the focus of this book? The chapter is relevant and interesting. Period. Like others have said regarding this book, don't blindly believe what the disturbed critics have to say. There are a dozen or more pages online that you can read for yourself. If you are honest and balanced, you will have to say that Acharya's scholarship is impressive and that she backs up practically every point. Like I say, READ THIS BOOK, pronto! Heck, buy it from the guy who was just too weak-stomached to face reality (and too sickly, it appears, to be balanced about it). And remember, if someone says "DO NOT BUY OR READ" a book there must be something VERY interesting inside... Can you say "Fahrenheit 451?"
Rating:
Summary: Terrible; and I¿m an agnostic
Review: Summary:
Supposedly, this book was written to refute the authority claims of Christianity. It claims it is going to show how Christianity is rooted in myth, falsehoods, and lies. The author tries to follow up on this claim by citing a bunch of arcane authors to 'prove' her points.
Comments:
I have walked out of terrible movies, plays, and modern dance performances. But this is the first time that I intentionally walked away from a book. I literally put it down and said, "I see no point in subjecting myself to this drivel any longer."
I'm an agnostic, though I talk like an atheist most of the time. Thus, I was excited to read a book that supposedly had a bunch of authoritative references that was going to refute the truth claims of Christianity. But I am also a graduate student in Sociology and have been trained to do scientific research (okay, social scientific). The very first thing I did when I got the book was to check the references in the back. The majority of them are books published by a company named 'Health Research Publishers'. The name is remarkably misleading; as you quickly find out when you visit their website what they publish has nothing to do with 'health'. Instead, they are "the world's largest publisher of rare and unusual books" (quote from their website); these are essentially books that cannot get published elsewhere. What they don't tell you is that they are not an academic press that would be concerned with historical accuracy. They are simply interested in controversy, and controversial is what most of their books are. So, before I even started reading the book, I was pretty confident it wasn't going to be very good.
But when I read the preface, I knew I was in for trouble. Kenn Thomas, the person writing the preface, says the following about the author, "Under the flashing head of Bob Dobbs on her website and the words "God is BORG [resistance is futile]" are essays/rants on Earth and the cosmos, the existence or nonexistence of "God," the spiritual paucity of organized religion, as well as conspiracy and UFO/alien realities. "The believers/theists feel my views are intolerant," she [Acharya S] writes, "while the nonbelievers/atheists object to the mysticism and perceive me as creating new beliefs... While I do not wish to live in a world where everyone is deluded by blind belief, I also do not want to totally dismiss all imagination or color" (p. i). If you go to the author's website (www.truthbeknown.com), that's a pretty accurate description. She isn't interested in historical accuracy, nor is she an atheist in the traditional sense of the word. She is a mystic, conspiracy theorist with no professional training.
Speaking of no professional training in empirical research... Later in the preface, Acharya S's credentials are listed as, "She has traveled extensively around Europe and has a "working knowledge" of Greek, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, and other languages. She has read Euripides, Plato and Homer in ancient Greek and Cicero in Latin, as well as Chaucer in Middle English, and has clearly sat down with the Bible - in English, as well as in the original Hebrew and Greek - long enough to understand it more than most clergy" (p. ii). It is also claimed that Acharya works at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece and has lead archeological excavations. These have to be the most ridiculous credentials I have ever seen. Supposedly she does have a BA degree (that's a claim I don't have the time to verify), but from what I can discern, that's where the legitimacy ends. Her 'scientific' and 'objective' authority is based on travel (I've done that), being familiar with Romance languages (I can claim that), sticking a shovel in the ground (done that), and having read a few books in their native languages (I've done that too). There is absolutely no mention of a PhD or MA or anything else. What's more, I went to the American School of Classical Studies website and there is no mention of Acharya S (I used their search engine and followed every link). My guess is she is a janitor or secretary, because she isn't a faculty member. Conclusion - Acharya S has no professional training or qualifications to write an authoritative book on the origins of Christianity.
Moving on...
I was pretty confident after only the preface that this book was written for idiotic conspiracy theorists, but the author just had to go ahead and prove me right! The very first paragraph of the introduction had three major mistakes in it: (1) She says all religions have a god, gods, or goddesses. Buddhism has no gods. (2) She says nothing is more divisive than religion. Fascism is more divisive than religion, and that's just one well known ideology. What about the KKK and white domination groups? (3) She says every religion has an enemy. There is no enemy other than oneself in Buddhism (p. 1). It quickly became plain that Acharya S has no clue what she is talking about.
But what finally tipped me over the edge, making me decide that absolutely could not read any further was when she claimed Marx and Lenin were believing Jews, "To deflect the horrible guilt off the shoulders of their own faith, religionists have pointed to supposedly secular ideologies such as Communism and Nazism as oppressors and murderers of the people. However, few realize or acknowledge that the originators of Communism were Jewish (Marx, Lenin, Hess, Trotsky) and that the most overtly violent leaders of both bloody movements were Roman Catholic (Hitler, Mussolini, Franco) or Eastern Orthodox Catholic (Stalin), despotic and intolerant ideologies that breed fascistic dictators. In other words, these movements were not "atheistic," as religionists maintain" (p. 2). Lies, lies, and more lies. Yes, each of these individuals may have been born into families that belonged to these religions, but I know at least three of them were very open about their atheism - Marx, Lenin, and Stalin. They may have been raised in a religion, but most of them died atheists. Just because I was born into a Mormon family doesn't make me a Mormon, though apparently Acharya S believes it does. (Which makes me wonder in which religion she was raised...) Does my birth religion trump my current religious stance? Does she really think that any right-minded person with a fourth grade education is going to believe the founder of Marxist socialism/communism, which is avowedly atheistic, is going to be an active, believing Jew? I don't think I've heard such a ridiculous claim in that last, um, 15 years or so.
But because I actually spent money on this book (I have no idea why), I decided to press on. Acharya then says Hitler used religion to gain power, which is true, and that Hitler was actually an active Catholic, which is not true. Of course, all of her references are completely bogus. For a real reference on this see Sikkink and Regnerus in Christian Smith's book Disruptive Religion (1996). She also says the Vatican supported Hitler. The above reference refutes that idea as well. Couldn't she bring herself to read something based on empirical data?
I read about two more pages than couldn't stomach anymore. I put the book down and don't plan on picking it back up other than to get rid of it. I figure I'll sell it (to some more gullible sap) or tear it up and recycle it. This has to be the most poorly written piece of trash I have ever read (well, partially read). I would highly suggest that Amazon stop selling it as it reflects poorly on them (that's where I bought it) and that everyone that has a copy of the book tear it up and recycle it. The value of the recycled paper pulp is worth more than the thought that went into this book. DO NOT BUY OR READ!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Jesus is boring
Review: More and more people are beginning to realize that the Jesus story as presented by Christian orthodoxy can't possibly be right. Some have begun to entertain remarkably fact-free theories about how Jesus was supposedly married to the Mary Magdalene mentioned prominently in the Gospels, even postulating that they had children and left biological descendents alive down to our day. But these speculations seem like a desperate search for "patches" to Jesus' alleged biography to get it to make sense. The traditional Jesus story might also be suffering in comparison with more recent and better story-telling, since Christianity arose in a relatively impoverished cultural environment compared with today's. The Gospels now have to compete with novels, comic books, movies and television series. Children these days would much rather read about Harry Potter than Jesus. Acharya S would have none of those pro-historical arguments, instead basing her analysis of the Jesus story on its unmistakable resemblance to pagan myths derived from a prescientific understanding of natural cycles. Premodern peoples were much more aware of celestial phenomena than modern city-dwellers, and they tended to encode their knowledge of these recurring patterns in ways that to the uninitiated sound like fantastic tales of gods, demons, heroes and monsters. In other words, like the stories and obscure imagery we find in the Bible, especially in the Book of Revelation. The argument for a "historical" Jesus, by contrast, leaves so many unanswered questions that it looks increasingly untenable. If Jesus was historical, he seems to have left no impression on his contemporaries in one of the most literate societies before the invention of printing, since the "biographical" accounts came many decades, possibly even a couple centuries, after the time he supposedly lived. And these accounts are so full of holes that nobody intellectually honest can take them seriously. Acharya S does an admirable job of presenting her case for the mythical origins of Christianity, but she had to spoil it by adding a considerable amount of fringe speculation about a lost, technologically advanced global civilization predating the last ice age that built pyramids around the world in places that according to standard archeology and history supposedly had no contact until the last few centuries. There's nothing mysterious about how various agricultural civilizations could have independently built pyramids. That's about the only structure that can survive for millennia constructed from primitive stonework. And as for this lost civilization's alleged high level of technology, you have to wonder how they powered their vehicles for their global travels. If they used fossil fuels, which take millions of years to form, they would have burned most of the easily accessible ones in a few centuries and left nothing for us to find. Moreover, they would have left landfills containing artifacts made of relatively inert materials not found in nature, like styrofoam, aluminum foil or silicon chips. Because of this lapse, I can give this book only three stars.
Rating:
Summary: Scared the bejesus out of me!
Review: This could be true! It is scary to think even this way. Sheep should not read it. Good cristians should read it only if you have strong faith and will not be moved. It is a very stimulating read, I could not put it down once I started.
Rating:
Summary: HELIOPOLIS
Review: ( this is my story ) Right before I read your book, I thought I was
completely insane. Than when I started reading
the book....I said OMG..... now I am really losing it,but
after the process I feel like a human should always
feel... HUMANE...... and if truth is to be known,
your piece fits right in with mine. I am an ARTIST.
Creativity is the doorway to the future. I don't
know if you ever study astrology etc.... But this
past June there was a big date for my chart. ( VENUS was making it's eight round) Months and Months
ahead, I had wondered where I would be, and what I
would be doing on that particular day.
Well as lady luck would have it, I was supposed to
be doing a BIG ART show in Dallas, but at the last
minute, it was cancelled. Where did I end up you
might ask .... Well I had bought your book that week and
had not really even looked at it. That Friday night, June
13th i found myself at my friends house and he had gone
to sleep. I was up and I started reading your
book,,,, about 3 hours into it. BANG_CCCRACK.......
it was the most eerie sound I had ever heard, the
wind began blowing the sky turned dark and I peeked through the mini-blinds ........ I looked up in the AIR and
my mind said OH MY G-G-GGOD..... I don't believe what I
just saw.... It was the Biggest conspiracy I
could've ever imagined.... Your book clicked in my
head..... I looked out the window and it was dark
and rainy with thunder and lightning. The storm
kept blowing for 1½ days. Well I sat there and read your
book completely through ,Not perfectly, but like
speed reading...... by Sunday I had torn a ligiment in my eye, and i couldn't read for a few days. As my mind went
through a transformation that is barely describable. IT WAS AWESOME.... especially with the
storm and the wind blowing in a dark empty house...
It was like a scene out of a Steven King movie......
I LOVED IT AND STILL DO........ ANY SKEPTIC NEED ONLY READ HER BOOK AND CROSS REFERENCE HER MATERIAL TO COME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION SHE DID.....
Contempt Prior to Investigation is one of the greatest ills of mankind... - Jas
Rating:
Summary: SCIENTIFIC PROOF THAT GOD DOESN'T EXIST !
Review: Finally after 2000 years we have first scientific proof that God doesn't exist. After everybody learns this truth there will be no more wars because religion causes wars. The Vatican will be turned into a night club and all the churches will disappear, and the new era of human wisdom will ensue.
The greatest book ever written, should be taught in every school as absolute 100% truth, there is not a single error in this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Christ Conspiracy
Review: I enjoyed beyond words this incredibly well-researched book. The extensive facts and common sense approach shocked, overwhelmed and enlightened me. Few books have the ability to change the way in which you view history, religion, and the earth -- all at once. This book does exactly that. A MUST READ.
Rating:
Summary: EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!
Review: THE CHRIST CONSPIRACY is one of the few books I have ever read which dares to engage the reader to consider the heretofore unthinkable: that Jesus Christ was a myth. Acharya S. does a very thorough and thoughtful job of debunking that myth. She covers in some detail the pre-existent "Christ" myths which have existed for millenia, and which in itself is pretty powerful stuff when considering the Truth (or lack thereof) of the existence of the Savior. The book also delves into the murky past of Christianity: who were the actual authors of the Bible, who actually founded the Roman Catholic Church, and most importantly, what were their motivations.
The main reason I found this to be such a fascinating exploration of the subject is because a) the whole of Western culture is founded on the belief in Jesus and his pre-cursors; b) it would behoove anyone -- believer and non-believer alike to examine the real Truth about their own religiion and let the chips fall where they may. Many Fundamentalist Christians will undoubtedly find this book to be the work of the devil. To those people, please take solice in the fact that Satan has not made one move against me (that I know of) in the week or so since reading it, although the stock market could be just a tad better.
The book held my interest most of the way through, although I felt there was some material which was not germaine to the discussion included near the end. The scholarship would not qualify one for a PhD, since most of the research was not from original sources. However, this is a book which is geared toward a general audience, and succeeds quite well in communicating the ideas contained within. It's a good starting point for a person interested in the subject, and contains lots of specific references if one should wish to verify or dismiss the author's assertions.
After having some time to ruminate on the ideas presented, I have come to the conclusion that the book is well worth spending the time to read, even if 90% turned out to be misinformation! That kernel of truth, the other 10%, is so explosive and powerful that it could alter one's perception of reality permanently. And who knows, maybe the other 90% is the Truth as well.
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