Rating: 
Summary: This book is amazing
Review: Acharya has done a marvelous job of showing how christianity and all religions that claim to follow a humanized god are nothing more than shams. They are copies of copies and the original has been bastardized and distorted beyond recognition.Particularly, to know the truth about christianity and to contemplate the millions and millions of atrocities that have been commited in the fictitional name of Jesus Christ is enough to anger even the most good-natured individual to the point of lividity. In the reading of this book, you can actually sense Acharya's anger growing in the tone of her writing. She was behaved herself quite nicely toward the beginning of the book but toward the end she couldn't help herself and started throwing in scathing, sarcastic comments for which I applaud her while still laughing at her wit. This book is a gift of truth and a gift of knowledge. One should never fear either. This isn't the "work of the devil" and the FACTS contained in this book cannot be disputed. What is sickening is that this information is not taught in schools. What is sickening is that questioning minds have to dig in order to find the truth, which just allows religion to perpetuate itself seemingly endlessly. Even a lot of critics of christianity make vague statements that the religion was stolen from pagans, but often don't have knowledge of specifics other than the theft of pagan holidays. And the theft of the holidays can be explained away by christians. I never knew the meaning behind the song "Age of Aquarius" until reading this book, thanks Acharya!
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Summary: I Wish I'd Read this Book 30 Years Ago!
Review: According to The Christ Conspiracy by Acharya S, that which is original in Christianity is not good - and that which is good in Christianity is not original. I believe she's right, and I wish I'd read this book 30 years ago, before I wasted an education on a seminary degree and a career on the Eastern Orthodox priesthood. Even so, better late than never!
This highly readable book marshalls a major body of scholarly material exposing the shaky historical foundations of Christianity as the author reviews the ongoing scholarly quest for the historical Jesus, his message, and his soteriology. The author shows when and how Christianity was crafted, and why it was designed to incorporate within itself all the myths and godman traditions of the ancient world. She documents the process whereby the original mysticism in Christianity's precursor religions was eliminated from the new system. She shows state Christianity to be engineered in such a way as to be functionally exoteric only, the outer mysteries without the inner. She explores Christianity's forged scriptures and false credentials. She concludes that Christianity was conspiratorially created in the first centuries of the Common Era, purposely designed to enforce ideological conformity, political control, and economic exploitation of the masses.
After debunking the hagiographical legends of the martyrs, the author spares neither the Church Fathers (some of the most intolerant people in history) nor the post-Constantinian church which, in tandem with the throne, tortured and oppressed the entire populace of the known world into conformity. Ancient religions and native cultures everywhere were obliterated under Christianity's missionary impulse, their books burned, the treasures of their learning and experience obliterated in the face of the imposition of monotheism by threat of present force and eternal punishment. It's a history most Christians would like to forget or deny. Acharya S's engaging style and capable use of evidence eliminates that option. Whether you are a pastor troubled by the "loose ends" left by your seminary or Bible college education, or a professing Christian puzzled by the bad passages in the "good book", or an inquirer troubled by the Bible's many contradictions and ethical failures, you'll find the answers here.
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Summary: Give me a break!
Review: Why read this book? Because it's one of the most important ever written! ... Here's the bottom line: If you want to know the hidden history of the world's religions, you must read this book. There's a reason why it is consistenly in the top 3,000 on Amazon - BECAUSE IT'S GOOD. And it's necessary. There's no other book like it. If you don't want to believe me, just read the 18 pages of excerpts provided here ... Acharya S has done a service to the world with this book.
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Summary: Excellent and Important!!
Review: This book has spurred a great debate, and for that the author should be praised loudly. She demonstrates unusual courage and determination. ... Acharya makes the case that religion creates a really hateful mentality - and her critics verify it! Even if they claim not to be "religious" themselves. Acharya has put together a huge amount of research, using numerous other scholars and authors in order to back up her points. Despite some incredibly harsh criticisms, she has been called a "scholar's scholar" - I quite agree! She weaves a wonderful, if disconcerting, tale, using an extrarordinary amount of data that most people couldn't come up with in 10 lifetimes. This story includes not only the origins of Christianity - that Jesus is a Sun God remade into a "Jewish" messiah, and that the Gospel story is astrological - but also of other religions. I've been curious for decades about religions, and now I know what they really are. Considering how much destruction has been wrought, and how much of their lives people have given to what turns out to be a hoax, it's a darned good thing there are scholars like Acharya who can expose the truth, with clarity and courage. Don't miss this one!
Rating: 
Summary: Not for everyone, but...
Review: This book is quite well written. One thing people should know before buying it is that it is from an atheist perspective...so for example if you are a Jew looking for a book that reveals false Christianity, know that the author also tries to break apart the Hebrew Bible as well.
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Summary: The Truth Will Make You Free
Review: As a former Baptist minister, I literally rejoice that someone has finally brought together all the research from all the various disiciplines that bear upon the actual origins of Bible religion. Acharya S has done so with a completeness and effectiveness that leaves the Judeo-Chrostian house of cards in ruins. If you are the sort of person whose mind is made up and doesn't wish to be confused with the facts, this book is not for you. If, however, you are one of the rare ones who seek truth and facts over comfort, this book is indeed for you and for everyone like you. Acharya S has left no stone unturned, no fact unexamined, no lie unexposed, in her successful effort to bring down the Goliath of literalistic religion. Are you such a one as I once was? A Christian whose mind is constantly at war because your belief system doesn't accord with the facts of science? Who feels unclean and sinful and dirty and unacceptable? That you will never measure up to "God's standard?" Then read this book and cast the monkey off your back once and for all! The Truth WILL make you FREE!
Rating: 
Summary: Thought provoking, but lapsing into speculation
Review: Overall this is a very good, thought provoking book. If your religious beliefs are so fragile that a single book would cause doubt, this is not the book for you. She raises a lot of interesting comparisons between Christianity and other (earlier) religions. On the surface, it seems to be well researched. However, parts (specifically that last 2-3 chapters) lapse into theory and speculation. For example, her theory of where the commonalities of all religions originate is from a "global civilization" that existed (far) in the past. What is especially interesting in this chapter is that throughout her book, she critisizes Christiananity for taking elements from past religions (that have no concrete evidence other than in myth), yet the story of a past, advanced, civilization are also common (and equally mythical). According to her theory, there existed a ancient group with the sophistication to navigate the globe, make maps (of the globe), suggests the use of "light bulbs", etc., but through some catastrophic event, reverted to primitive man. hmmmm... Another interesting theme in the book, that should speak volumes about her motivations (and bias) is that she repeatedly paints a picture of Christianity of having a monopoly on religion sponsered violence. As if Christians are the only ones to have commited this crime. Again, Christians are yet just another group that use God (and a lot of other reasons) as an excuse to perform terrible acts against their fellow man.
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Summary: Two months of pure pleasure
Review: I've just finished reading Acharya S' book "The Christ Conspiracy (mamma mia, two months inside this pages, so dense, full of sensational information) and I did'nt have yet the opportunity to tell the author how much I am an "admirador" of her work. It's absolutely fantastic !!! I'm an addict now, and still want some more...
Rating: 
Summary: The Christ Conspiracy
Review: I read "The Christ Conspiracy", and honestly, I didn't like it. Unfortunately (or fortunately, perhaps), I don't think either the book or its author lived up to the claims. The book raised a number of points I take issue with, and so in the interest of those who may wonder whether Acharya S is a credible scholar and writer, I'll take a moment to comment on a few passages from the book. On p. ii of the preface, the reader is informed that the author has a "working knowledge" of more than six different languages, and has read everything from Euripides to the Bible in their original languages. In fact, we're told that, as a result of her knowledge of Biblical Greek and Hebrew, the author has acquired an understanding of the Scriptures that exceeds even "most clergy". This is of particular interest in light of her discourse on p. 91 concerning the Hebrew term "Elohim" (translated God, gods, or sometimes judges in English versions). The author attempted to effectively convince the reader that Biblical scholars mistranslate the term as "God", when it should only refer to gods, as it is plural in the Hebrew. This, it's added, is why we find Elohim, or "the gods", saying in Genesis 1:26: "Let us make man in our image." One source is even quoted as saying that translators "always singularized the plurals to conceal the fact that...Jews worshipped...multiple gods." Now, the author did correctly point out that this word is in the plural form, but mistakenly added that its singular form is "El". As it is, the singular for Elohim is "Eloah", and the plural for El is "Elim" (Synonyms of the Old Testament, R. Girdlestone, p. 31). Also, in almost every case where Elohim, the God of Israel, is the subject of a particular verse, the corresponding verb is in the singular (indicating that the subject is to be understood likewise). For example, Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning Elohim created (in the singular) the heavens and the earth." (Add to this that in the verse that follows we find: "...and the Spirit [in the singular] of Elohim, etc." Are we to understand that a plurality of gods have but one spirit?) Also, in reference to the passage where God (not "the gods") says "Let us make man in our image", the verse that follows, v. 27, reads: "So Elohim created (in the singular) man in his own image, etc." At any rate, the reason why both Jewish and Christian scholars have always translated Elohim to the English "God" (in most contexts) is because it usually refers to a single being in the Hebrew. Later, Acharya stated that the Greek word Christ (or Christos), as applied to Jesus, was taken from the Hindu religion and the Hindi word "Krishna" (one of the Hindu gods). The author even sometimes altered the spelling of Krishna, such as Christna or Cristna, in order to further emphasize the relation. On p. 256 we find: "As noted, in Greek Krishna is also Christos, and the word 'Christ' also comes from the Hindi word 'Kris'..." First, it's worth pointing out that a literal transliteration of the Sanskrit would actually be "Krsna" (with the three little dots below the r, s, and n); there's no "t" in the Sanskrit word. (And the "i" and "h" are typically added just to aid in proper English pronunciation). Now second, and more importantly, the ordinary meaning of the word Krishna is "black". Christ, on the other hand, is a Greek translation of the Hebrew "Messiah". The meaning of both is simply "anointed one". Thus, there is no etymological relationship between the words Krishna and Christ, and therefore, Krishna is not Christ in Greek. On pages 107-25 the author listed a number of supposed correspondences between pagan gods, such as Krishna, and Jesus. On p. 116, it's stated that Krishna, like Jesus, was born from a virgin-namely, his mother Devaki-on December 25th. According to the story found in the Indian scriptures, though, particularly the Mahabharata, Krishna was the eighth child of his mother, born on the 8th of the Hindu month Shravan (which corresponds to our August/September). The author noted that Krishna's "beloved disciple" was named Arjuna, or "John". Of course, this seems to be another obvious parallel between Krishna and Jesus. However, once again, neither word (Arjuna or John) is related to the other. The Sanskrit name Arjuna means, "White". John, however, comes from the Hebrew "Yochanan"-meaning, "Yahweh is gracious".
On p. 257 of the book we find the assertion that the compound name Jesus Christ "appeared in no writings before [AD 325]." On the contrary, though, the name Jesus Christ (or Christ Jesus) is found 226 times in the New Testament, all of which was written well before AD 325. Also, the standard edition of the ante-Nicene writings that we have today, which consists of 10 volumes, contains numerous references to "Jesus Christ"; far too many for me to attempt a complete count. However, I did find that in Polycarp's short letter to the church in Phillipi (ca. AD 150), the name is present 11 times. Likewise, the name is found 26 times in Ignatius' relatively brief epistle to Ephesus (ca. AD 107). Finally, on p. 51, the author dismissed a letter by Pliny the Younger (ca. AD 112) which is often mentioned by Christian apologists in reference to Christ's historical existence. She essentially said that the letter is of no value whatsoever, as it contains only a single word of any interest-"Christians". However, in Pliny's letter we actually find, "[The Christian apostates] reviled the name of Christ...They all worshipped [Emperor Trajan's] statue...uttering imprecations at the same time against the name of Christ." And that the Christians themselves "addressed a form of prayer to Christ, as to a divinity"(Epistle 97, Letters and Treatises of Cicero and Pliny, p. 424). Thus, there is more to the letter than just a single appearance of the word "Christian".
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for those that want to know the truth
Review: For those people that want to know some truth in this world of lies, hypocricy, and blind gullibility, this book is for you. This is truly one of the best books I've read. Acharya S. did a great job presenting facts and cutting through the lies that have propagated through the centuries. I highly recommend this book.
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