+ All Categories
Home > Documents > Acharya s.'s Interview

Acharya s.'s Interview

Date post: 14-Apr-2018
Category:
Upload: mauro-sergio-huguenin-marques
View: 218 times
Download: 0 times
Share this document with a friend
33
7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 1/33 Atheism, unbelief, and other subjects of interest to religious infidels CCCLXI, ANNO INFIDELI INDEX TOPICA children's stories (4) fallacies (2) frauds (8) fun with google (3) homophobia (9) humor (38) interviews (2) newsgroupfun (18) outrages (7) parenting (7) personal (12) plays (2) poems (2) politics (61) religion (110) responses (9) reviews (13) science (14) secret verses (7) sex (28) signs of the apocalypse (3) site of the week (8) the bible (27) the fool hath said (2) today's question (2)
Transcript
Page 1: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 1/33

Atheism, unbelief, and other subjects of interest to religious

infidels

CCCLXI, ANNO INFIDELI

I NDEX TOP ICA

• children's stories (4)• fallacies (2)• frauds (8)

• fun with google (3)• homophobia (9)• humor (38)• interviews (2)• newsgroupfun (18)• outrages (7)• parenting (7)• personal (12)•

plays (2)• poems (2)• politics (61)• religion (110)• responses (9)• reviews (13)• science (14)• secret verses (7)• sex (28)• signs of the apocalypse (3)• site of the week (8)• the bible (27)• the fool hath said (2)• today's question (2)

Page 2: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 2/33

• wherewasgod (4)• xmas (5)

ARCH IVUM

• Θ 2007 (201)

o Θ December (1)

I’m back 

o † September (18)

Stepping outside for a smoke  Is infidelity wrong?  Atheism defined  Suck it, Jesus  Flimflamboyant Benny Hinn Exposed  Lady M.  So many Tuesdays ago  Religious censorship is alive and well  Wife Spanking, Part Tres  In defense of Larry Craig 

Offbeat Sexuality  Four-Star General Blasts Bush Enemy

Combatant Poli...  Site of the Week: Atheist Hussy  Evening shadows grow long for Shrub  Bob Price's New Essay  Secret Verses: Am I Not Thine Ass?  Tagged, this is it 

Late August o † August (19)

Reagan Remembered  Today's question: What does Europe think?  A Toast to Curvy Women  Still paying for Watergate 

Page 3: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 3/33

More on Michael Vick  Telling someone off   Site of the Week: Dooce  Spare the rod and...spare the child?  More on wife spanking  A stairway to heaven?  Something akin to the truth about Martian

canines ...  Michael Vick Should Fight  A Good Movie for Atheist Kids  Site of the Week: Brian Flemming's Blog  Signs of the Apocalypse: 50 Cent to Stop

Writing ...  Space  Eulogy post  I'm back  What’s in a name? What the names of God in

the Ol... 

o † July (15)

Yes, Super Columbine Massacre is still

tasteless  Restless in Seattle  I’ve seen it all; now I can die  With a capital “H”  What does the assassination of John F.

Kennedy hav...  The most sickening thing I've seen in awhile  Apparent evil 

Afterglow  Interview with John W. Loftus  Give it up for Cheney and Rove  Site of the Week: Too Many Tribbles  Movie reviews 

o † June (39)

Page 4: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 4/33

o † May (57)o † April (25)o † March (6)o † February (10)o † January (11)

• † 2006 (33)

o † December (11)o † October (2)o † September (1)o † August (6)o † July (2)

o † June (3)o † May (8)

PANTHEON

• Freedom From Religion Foundation • The Secular Web • Secular.org • The Freethinker • Brian Flemming's site • A Whore in the Temple of Reason • Landover Baptist Church • Acharya S' site • James Huber's site • James Randi's site • Sam Harris' site • Richard Dawkins' site • Earl Doherty's site • Bart D. Ehrman's site • Robert Price's site 

B IBL IOTHECA

Page 5: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 5/33

• Incredible Shrinking Son of Man: How Reliable Is theGospel Tradition? 

• Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist • The God Delusion • Sense and Goodness Without God: A Defense of 

Metaphysical Naturalism • The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of 

Reason • Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the

Faiths We Never Knew • The Jesus Mysteries: Was the "Original Jesus" a Pagan

God? 

• Can We Trust the New Testament?: Thoughts on theReliability of Early Christian Testimony 

• H.L. Mencken on Religion • Who Wrote the New Testament?: The Making of the

Christian Myth • The Book Your Church Doesn't Want You to Read • Does the New Testament Imitate Homer?: Four Cases

from the Acts of the Apostles •

The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark • The Empty Tomb: Jesus Beyond The Grave 

CODEX

• Faith of Our Fathers? • On Einstein and God • The Gospel of Murder • Jim Bakker Rides Again • On Original Sin • I Am the Antichrist • Echoes of Irenaeus • The Shifting Sands of the New Testament Canon 

Page 6: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 6/33

• The Road From Sodom • It was good enough for Paul and Silas • Proof of Intelligent Design • Why Errors in the Bible Matter • Recipe for making fools of the deluded • NOMA • An Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of 

Scripture • Perspective • Christian Charity • I'm damned to hell • Tamara Hoover Has Boobs 

• The Life and Times of Simon the Ant • Relais and the Volcano Gods • Peace On Earth • Would Pat Robertson Please Shut the Hell Up • Christian Hypocrisy Challenge • Take the Hypocrisy Challenge, Get a Free Movie 

NOVAE INF IDEL I

Loading... 

Loading... 

NPR REL IG ION FEED

• Obama Backs Bush's Faith-Based Initiatives - Jul 1, 2008• A Home On The Web for Polygamists' Fashion - Jul 1,

2008• Anglican Conservatives Step Back From Split Threat

- Jun 30, 2008• Polygamist Raid is PR Nightmare for Mormons - Jun 30,

2008

Page 7: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 7/33

• Religious Fallout over Recent Obama Comments - Jun27, 2008

ACLU REL IG ION FEED

• ACLU Calls For End To Mandatory Prayer At U.S. NavalAcademy - Jun 25, 2008

• Preferential Treatment of Praying Parents is RuledUnconstitutional - May 30, 2008

• Lawsuit Aims To Remove Amendments 7 And 9 FromFlorida's November Ballot - Jun 13, 2008

• Americans United For Separation Of Church And StateAnd ACLU File Brief Objecting To GovernmentPromotion of Prayer In Texas' "Moment Of Silence" Law- Jun 9, 2008

• Judge Orders Children Returned To Their Families - Jun2, 2008

JAMES RAND I FEED

• Swift September 28, 2007: God Answers - Oct 3, 2007• Swift September 28, 2007: Corrections Made - Oct 3,

2007• Swift September 28, 2007: A Justified Complaint - Oct

3, 2007• Swift September 28, 2007: More Cable Nonsense - Oct

3, 2007• Swift September 28, 2007: Re Steiner Schools - Oct 3,

2007

AUSCS FEED

Page 8: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 8/33

• Obama Support For Expansion Of 'Faith-Based' ProgramIs Disappointing, Says Americans United - Jul 1, 2008

• Americans United Will Monitor Implementation Of NewLouisiana Anti-Evolution Law - Jun 27, 2008

• Bush, White House Push 'Faith-Based' Agenda DespiteMounting Record Of Misuse - Jun 26, 2008

• Dobson Attack On Religious Diversity, SecularGovernment Is Deplorable, Says Americans United - Jun24, 2008

• Americans United Files Brief In Supreme Court ReligiousDisplay Case - Jun 23, 2008

AUSCS BLOG FEED

• Bloggers And Blasphemy: Iran May Update An Outdated— And Outrageous — Law - Jul 3, 2008 - Ilana Stern

• Biased Bunch: Religious Right Wants ‘Faith-Based’Hiring and Firing Along With Federal Funds - Jul 2, 2008- Sandhya Bathija

Pulpit Politicking: Why It’s Not A Free-Speech Issue- Jul 1, 2008 - Rob Boston• Compassionate Con Game: Bush And Towey Are Still

Selling ‘Faith-Based’ Snake Oil - Jun 30, 2008 - JosephL. Conn

• Love Sidney: Americans United Loses One Of Its MostFaithful Florida Activists - Jun 27, 2008 - Beth Corbin

I NF IDELS .ORG FEED

• New Chick Tract - Jul 3, 2008 - Taner Edis• Seriously Deluded - Jul 2, 2008 - Taner Edis

Page 9: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 9/33

• US Religious Landscape Survey - Jun 30, 2008 - TanerEdis

• Christian Student Deflates Atheist Professor (Round II)- Jun 27, 2008 - Keith Parsons

• Lunatic "science" textbooks - Jun 27, 2008 - Taner Edis

AMER ICAN ATHE I STS FLASH FEED

• Man Files Lawsuit Against LDS Church, Boy Scouts - Mar31, 2008

• Creation Museum founder's book says Darwinism fuels

racism - Feb 12, 2008• Huckabee: Amend Constitution to be in 'God's standards'

- Jan 30, 2008• Jan. 20-27 is Sanctity of Human Life Week in El Paso

County - Jan 30, 2008• Huckabee stands by 'Christ' comment - Jan 8, 2008

AMER ICAN ATHE I STS PRESS RELEASE FEED

• Atheist Civil Rights Group Blasks Obama Support forBush Faith-Based Scheme - Jul 1, 2008

• George Carlin Dead At 71 – Comedian, Critic, Atheist- Jun 23, 2008

• Atheists Hail Findings of Pew Survey of AmericanReligious Landscape - Feb 27, 2008

• Atheist Group Claims Victory – County Board Votes toEnd Special Salary Tax Exemption for Ministers - Dec19, 2007

• ’Tis The Season, Even for the Godless – Many Atheistsand Other Nonbelievers Celebrate Winter Solstice - Dec7, 2007

Page 10: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 10/33

AMER ICAN ATHE I STS ACT ION ALERT FEED

• Support Taslima Nasrin - Dec 26, 2007• Kathy Griffin Free Speech Alert - Sep 13, 2007• PERA Legislation Ready for House Vote! - Sep 9, 2006• Speak Out Against Bush Veto of Stem Cell Research Bill!

- Jul 21, 2006• Battle to Retain Mt. Soledad Christian Cross Moves to

U.S. Senate, Fast Track on Sessions’ Taxpayer Buy-outScheme - Jul 20, 2006

ATHE I ST BLOGS AGGREGATED FEED

• Weekend retreats for recovering from religion - Jul 4,2008 - Marlene Winell

• Appeals to Emotion - Jul 3, 2008 - Alonzo Fyfe• Science is thrilling - except in our schools - Jul 3, 2008

- crabsallover

• John McCain is a Racist - Jul 3, 2008 - vjack• Faith schools and a free society - Jul 3, 2008 - Maryam

Namazie

PHARYNGULA FEED

• Friday Cephalopod: Brilliant blue - Jul 4, 2008•

Coloradans are wimps! - Jul 4, 2008• Public intellectuals labeled and targeted - Jul 3, 2008• Chris Comer strikes back - Jul 3, 2008• Denver bound in the morning - Jul 2, 2008

Page 11: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 11/33

THE PANDA"S THUMB FEED

• The Alliance Against Darwin 150 Years Later - Jul 3,2008 - Timothy Sandefur

What critics of critics of neo-creationists get wrong: areply to Gordy Slack - Jul 3, 2008 - Nick Matzke• The "Darwin Year" - Jul 1, 2008 - John S. Wilkins• One Hundred Fifty Years - Jul 1, 2008 - Wesley R.

Elsberry• The Crews Favorite Science and Evolution Books for

Kids! - Jul 1, 2008 - SA Smith

BrightsOnline Webring memberhome - join - previous - next 

random site - list sites - top sites

powered by RingsWorld 

This site is part of an Internet Web-ring Community hostedat World of Newave

Previous - List: brights - Home: brights - Forum: brights -Join - Next

D IES LUNÆ, JUN IUS 4 , MMV I I  

Interview with Acharya S 

charya S recently entered my thoughtscapewhile I was doing some research on the Christ myth andhappened to stumble onto her work. I was immediatelyfascinated by it. For one thing, I was pleased to seesomeone giving Kersey Graves his due. Some modern

Page 12: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 12/33

scholars like to pick on him, but I have always liked himand appreciated his work in helping debunk Christianity .For another, she is an expert in astrotheology, which I thinkis the missing piece in understanding much of the remaining

mysteries of the Bible. For example, as she alludes below,the Book of Revelation contains numerous astrotheologicalreferences that are lost on the modern reader. Much of thesymbolism people have imputed to the Bible is actuallybasic astrotheology. Acharya believes that today’s religionsdescend largely from sun worship, and her work is afascinating exploration of that concept.

Below is an interview I conducted with her over email. We touchedon everything from the Bible to religious extremism to politics, as

you’ll see. Stop by Acharya’s site, www.TruthBeKnown.com, for 

more info. For more info on her most recent books, visit

www.StellarHousePublishing.com.

 IM : You frequently debunk evangelical Christian positions but do

not consider yourself a hard-core atheist. What do you consider 

 yourself?

AS: I am neither a theist nor an atheist, as I believe the

human mind can conceptualize both ideas at once - and

that MANY people do alternately believe and doubt the

existence of a "higher power" of some sort. For 

example, at times there appears to be something magical

about the cosmos, when bizarre or delightful

"coincidences" occur. At too many other times,

however, such as when horrible things happen toentirely innocent creatures like babies, there seems to be

absolutely nothing in charge of life on Earth. In other 

words, sometimes it seems as if there is "divine

intervention," while at others, nothing.

Page 13: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 13/33

My perspective of "God" is pretty much along the lines

of what Carl Sagan described when he said the

following:

"The idea that God is an oversized white male with a flowing beard who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of 

every sparrow is ludicrous. But if by 'God' one means

the set of physical laws that govern the universe, then

clearly there is such a God." 

I am also reminded of a story about "the Buddha" in

which he tells a fervent theist that there is no God and a

rabid atheist that "God is."

The following equation may sum up the question:

God is now here.

God is nowhere.

IM: You've mentioned being involved with archaeological digs

around the world. Give us some examples of your favorite digs and 

why they were your favorites.

AS: I have only physically been involved in a couple of 

archaeological digs, although I've probably been to a

couple of hundred archaeological sites, the vast majority

of which were in Greece. I also dug at a "paleo-Indian"

tool-making camp in Connecticut. That was a great deal

Page 14: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 14/33

of fun, because there was no serious pressure, while in

Greece, where I excavated at Corinth - the place where

St. Paul is alleged to have spoken - everything was quite

serious. Nevertheless, these experiences were very

exciting.

IM: Do you believe there was ever any sort of historical person

behind the Jesus figure or is he merely a myth?

AS: I am quite convinced through intense study,

analysis and exegesis of the pertinent texts and other 

data that there is no historical core to the onion of the

 New Testament character called Jesus

Christ. Between the patently obvious characteristics of 

 preceding pagan gods that were applied to the Christcharacter, and the incorporation of Old Testament

scriptures, as well as various sayings found in pre-

Christian texts, the entire construct appears to have been

contrived. As Gerald Massey stated in regard to this

question, "A composite of 20 people is no one."

When we consider ancient religion, inspecting for 

example the story of Hercules, we have no problem

accepting that he is a mythical character.

Such was not the case in ancient times, when the

followers of Hercules were as certain that Hercules

had been a real person who walked the Earth as are

the Christians today regarding Jesus.

Page 15: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 15/33

IM: What do you think of the historicity of other NT characters

besides Jesus such as Peter, Paul, James, John, Mary, Mary

 Magdalene, etc? Do you believe they existed? Why or why not?

AS: None of these characters finds any place in thehistorical or archaeological record of the time, and their 

lives have a decidedly unreal air about them. I believe

there is a strong basis for the claim that they are in

large part mythical entities, although James and

Paul seem to have been founded upon one or more

historical personages, with Paul also incorporating

aspects of mythical characters such as Orpheus.

IM: You wrote the foreword to the recent reprint of Kersey Graves' 

The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors . What do you say to critics

who claim Graves was a dishonest hack?

AS: I can assure you that I have not discovered one

individual in modern times who has looked into the

issues surrounding Kersey Graves as much as I have.

When the subject is studied IN DEPTH, it becomes

apparent that Kersey Graves made nothing up, as he has been charged, but was working with preceding

scholarship. Whether or not that scholarship is

accurate becomes the issue then, not whether or not

Kersey Graves "fabricated" anything. I have

examined many aspects of his work and have not found

one instance of "fabrication." More careful citation on

Graves's part would have prevented many of these

aspersions from being cast upon him.

IM: Having written quite a bit about both camps, who do you think 

 poses more of a threat to world peace: Islamic extremists or 

Christian extremists?

Page 16: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 16/33

AS: At the moment, the Christian extremists - such as

Inquisitors or theocratic fundamentalists - have been

reduced in their power to control everyone else's lives

and behavior. Christianity in general has been tamed of 

its vicious and violent past. Islam has yet to experiencethat sort of push to become civilized, such that my

conclusions are Islam in its most fervent form - held by

millions of people worldwide - is much more of a threat

to humanity as a whole.

This extremist perspective - Islamic fundamentalism - is

upheld by HUNDREDS of millions of "moderates" who

are either too afraid to mitigate it or are willfully goingalong with it. This mentality is not a small thing, and it

is spreading quickly for a variety of reasons, including

and especially through a high birth rate.

IM: Do you believe the New Testament's Book of Revelation

 provides any guidance about future events or the end of the world?

AS: No, not at all. The Book of Revelation is basically

an astrotheological text reflecting what is called the"Great Year" or the 26,000-year cycle of the precession

of the equinoxes. The only manner in which it is a

"guide" for the future - and this IS a big deal, in

actuality - is that Revelation is being used as a

BLUEPRINT to deliberately bring about Armageddon.

This fact does not bode well for the future of 

humankind.

IM: What do you say to Christians who claim the United States is

"a Christian nation" and that Christianity should have more of a

role in American government given that the country was founded 

by Christians?

Page 17: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 17/33

AS: That America was founded by "Christians" is a

 bunch of hooey. Even if the Founding Fathers

considered themselves "Christian" - and a number of 

them, I believe, are more aptly described

as "Deists" - they were not of the ilk we find today

calling themselves "Christians" or the kind from

yesteryear either. The American Founding Fathers were

in general a group of extraordinarily enlightened

individuals who knew very well what harm religioncould do to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,"

and they worked very hard to make sure religion would

not destroy their dream of creating an egalitarian and

free society.

(Note that I am well aware of the existence of slavery

at that time and neither condone nor justify such a

"tradition" - it is a black mark on this otherwiseenlightened group.)

As concerns Christianity having more of a role in the

American government, give me a break! There is no

doubt that Judeo-Christian - and, coming soon, Islamic -

 perspectives are the most influential forces in the

American government today. The current candidates for 

 president prove that point repeatedly in their 

"expressions of faith."

IM: What do you think of George W. Bush's faith-based 

initiatives?

Page 18: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 18/33

AS: It's a scary thing to be sure. As if faith-based

organizations don't have enough power as it is! When I

think of George Bush or his somewhat ideological

 predecessor, Ronald Reagan, I think of "The

Handmaid's Tale" - very frightening!

IM: Do you think the war in Iraq has ultimately made the world a

better place or a worse place?

AS: The mess in Iraq has been incredibly badly handled

and has created a huge amount of animosity towards the

U.S. and Americans in general. The fact is that

Saddam Hussein was in large part empowered by

the same warmongers who subsequently took him

out. Such treachery and deception do not do anyone any

good at all. George Bush joking about not being able

to find the weapons of mass destruction in his closet

and elsewhere is frankly a disgrace. Behind the scenes

of this nightmare, of course, are what we could call

"international industrialists" and "third-party weapons

manufacturers." Moreover, when people attack 

"Americans" as being responsible for this horror, who inspecific are they referring to? I didn't vote for George

Bush, I can guarantee you that!

IM: What are your hopes for the world your son will inherit?

AS: I am DEEPLY concerned that my son will grow up

in a world that has lost most of its

freedoms and is profoundly entrenched in a theocracy

more bizarre and heinous than the world has ever seen

Page 19: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 19/33

 before, because this theocracy will be so far-reaching as

to leave practically no place on Earth free of its fascistic

and sadistic tentacles. I am disturbed to consider that

my little guy might be compelled to wear a particular 

form of dress, to pray in a particular manner, to think ina certain way and to be aggressive towards and

oppressive of women. I myself may not be around for 

such a development, but I am horrified to contemplate

such a future for him and his offspring, as I am for just

about anyone on the planet.

What we are seeing is a bunch of sadistic, cruel and

 psychotic barbarians who are using religion and God toforce their savagery and brutality upon the rest of 

mankind. This deranged menace has always been with

us, but now it is fast becoming overwhelming, and I

 believe we are already in deep trouble. Like the

 proverbial frogs in the pot of boiling water, however,

many people simply cannot feel the heat.

 Nevertheless, the peril is there.

Like most thinking individuals concerned for the future,

I sincerely HOPE that we will be able to overcome this

dire threat and will instead enter into an age when

human beings have achieved psychological and spiritual

health, appreciating and cherishing the extraordinary

wonder and beauty of life in the cosmos as whole.

Visit Acharya's web site to learn more about her and herwork:

Page 20: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 20/33

DIVINELY BREATHED ON MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2007 AT10:46 PM 

LABELS: INTERVIEWS, POLITICS, RELIGION 

18 comments:

Loren said...

Because I am both an astronomer and an ex-

Christian, I have a pretty good understanding of theastrotheological aspects of the origins of the Christian

cult. I am also a great fan of Acharya and I can

recommend both of her books. The Christ Conspiracy

and Suns Of God are both fascinating works, and should

be read by everyone who desires to know more about

Christian origins.

Loren

1:36 PM

Anonymous said...

Page 21: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 21/33

It would be Ron Paul to start the teachings of the

Buddha, to get rid of this "god" problem. For people to

become self thinking and not listen to others,

unfortunatelu ppl are so lazy that it is my future dream,

global birth control and no religions.... Ha, ha!

4:10 PM

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed your comment that sometimes it seems as if 

there is more to life than just chance, yet at other

times it seems just the opposite. Some days I would

dearly love for there to be a higher power to reach outto. In my humble opinion though, a being that

understood and indeed caused the complexity andmystery of all creation would not resemble the petty,

ethnocentric, small-minded, vicious and cruelbloodthirsty tyrant that is portrayed by the world's

religions.

Boogedybones

12:37 AM

Infidelis Maximus said...

Loren: Yes, I think astrotheology is the Rosetta Stone

for understand much of the remaining mysteries of the

Bible, the peculiar fascination the ancients had with

certain numbers, their assumption that God was "above"

while the Devil was "below," etc. Acharya's work is a

fascinating study of this area, and one that is oddly

overlooked by many of her contemporaries in

freethought.

2:14 AM

Page 22: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 22/33

James Blair said...

Hitler starts out in the introduction to The Christ

Conspiracy claiming Hitler was Jewish. (long ago

disproved by historians like John Toland and AlanBullock)

That was enough for me.

I can see where here anti religious rants are going.

And she uses a fake name, just like J.P. Holding (whom

John Loftus blasts for uses a fake name.)

Who need this third rate stuff when there are first rate

scholar like Crossan, Luke Timothy Johnson, and Marcus

Borg?

6:00 AM

DocMike said...

Thank you, IM, for a wonderful interview and for

introducing me (and others I'm sure) to Acharya's work.

I can't wait to dig in to her site and books! --DocMike

8:16 AM

jupiter said...

The United States was not declared a "Christian Nation".

The Treaty of Tripoli, passed by congress and signedby John Adams states,"As the Government of theUnited States of America is not, in any sense,

founded on the Christian religion------+" (Per Article

11,date, June 7, 1797.)

Jupiter

Page 23: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 23/33

9:24 AM

Infidelis Maximus said...

James Blair: I wasn't going to publish your remark

because it's provably false, then I thought: why notembarrass the guy? First, I think you meant to accuseAcharya of claiming Hitler was Jewish. You pull a

Bush and get your words mixed up and say Hitler saidit. Second, Acharya doesn't make this claim. She says

his maternal grandmother was "allegedly" Jewish inthe middle of a several statements pointing out that

he was actually a Catholic, the same claim Richard

Dawkins makes in The God Delusion. You know what'allegedly' means, don't you? Third, even if there's a

minor error in the beginning of a book, does thatnecessarily mean the whole book is 'third rate'? You

didn't even read the book. How do you know it's thirdrate? The thing that occurs to me about you stopping by

here is that some village somewhere is missing its idiot.

Please go back there.

9:44 AM

Infidelis Maximus said...

docmike: You're welcome. She was a delightful find for

me, as well.

9:45 AM

Infidelis Maximus said...

jupiter: Yeah, that's a great quote from Adams. I should

use that one more often. Thanks for reminding me of it.

9:46 AM

Rene said...

Page 24: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 24/33

LOL! Infidelus: there is a village idiot missing

somewhere. Great reply to Blair (was he a character in

the Wizard of OZ...LMAO!). I am a fan of Acharya's also,

because she has wonderfully encapsulated material that

I read throughout my own search so many decades ago.(In fact we have read many of the same published

material, though she is way ahead of me on that).

Thanks for interviewing her on your blog!

6:06 PM

Anonymous said...

Acharya's claim that Hitler's grandmother was Jewishwas long ago diproved by the historians mentioned.

Why would she even repeat this canard, common on

anti-semitic sites?

Could it have anything to do with her other derogatory

remarks about Jews, sprinkled throughout her book?

Just check the index, for JEWS.

And who is this person anyway? She has all these

academic pretensions, but doesn't offer a lick of proof!

Am I supposed to take it on faith?

Of course you will censor this, but people are

wondering about HER claims, and she is being discussedover at John Loftus' site so its out!

6:57 AM

Infidelis Maximus said...

Page 25: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 25/33

Anon: Again, I almost didn't publish your comments. You

appear to be doing web searches for Acharya and

slamming her on the various forums that give her work

any type of good press. You must know her or have an

ax to grind with her for some reason.

As for who she is, who are you? If I were you, I don't

think I'd be casting a lot of stones about using a pen

name via comments posted anonymously.

I went ahead and published your comments to give

Acharya a chance to respond to them. I've contacted

her and let her know that, like a bad rash, you're back.

We'll see what she has to say about your latest

contribution to the discussion.

5:02 PM

22 said...

First of all, thanks to I.M. for doing this interview with

Acharya - well done.

Second, Anon 6:57 AM sounds like Steinmaster or

McDowell over at the Loftus blog where they've already

been addressed so now they're bringing that trash over

here to spread lies.

-

http://debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com/2007/06/inf 

idelis-maximus-blog.html

Hitlers Jewish family connections, "long disproved by

the historians mentioned, Toland and Bullock."

- Ahh, this doesn't appear to be correct as there is no

Page 26: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 26/33

consensus still to this day. And, who cares at this point

in time. Plus, having actually read her work, the

accusation of "anti-Semitism" is utterly false - laughably

so. LOL.

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_325b.html(BTW, Are you claiming that since Cecil Adams points

out that the debate is not finished that he's also an

anti-semite?)

As for the sleazy charge of "Anti-Semitism"

- Yes, Acharya debunks Judaism as well as Christianity,

Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism, to varying degrees.

Since you're posting to a blog that debunks Christianity,

I guess that makes you some sort of anti-Christian bigot?

Acharya's book ALSO relieves the Jewish community of 

the horrible epithet of "Christ killers," a very important

point that you conveniently leave out in your diatribe

and vilification.

Oh and BTW, the Palestinians are Semites. Are you pro-

Palestinian? If so, doesn't that make you an "Anti-

Semite"?

"She has all these academic pretensions, but doesn't

offer a lick of proof! Am I supposed to take it on faith?"

- As Acharya states, she is a member of the American

School of Classical Studies at Athens, Greece. She's got

a BA in Classics, Greek Civilization, from Franklin &

Marshall college. That's all she's ever claimed, and

these facts are easily verifiable, especially since Robert

Price revealed her name to the world. What your snide

Page 27: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 27/33

and disrespectful comments prove is your own inability

to do simple research. Here's a photo of mail sent to

her from that school that she went to BECAUSE she is an

alumni.

http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/Christ_Conspiracy/photos/view/50fe?b=18&m=f&o=2

What are your credentials and where's the proof of your

academic achievements? Do tell...

So, Acharya's entire body of work is to be dismissed -

and she herself is to be disrespected and viciously

attacked - because of a few sentences you don't like

and deliberately misinterpreted in order to uphold your

nasty opinion of Acharya? My, THAT intolerant and

aggressive mentality and behavior is a REAL

improvement of fanatical religionists!

This is so typical of those who attack Acharya - they

never seem to actually study her work. How

embarrassing, LOL

* a little tid of info:

Acharya's "Christ Conspiracy" has a 4 star rating after

nearly 8 years and over 250 reviews from Amazon

alone. Well done Acharya, that's OUTSTANDING!!!

1:53 PMInfidelis Maximus said...

Thanks, 22. I appreciate the response. The vitriol

brought on by this interview has been shocking, to say

the least. I'd never have guessed a little personal piece

Page 28: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 28/33

on an author would have engendered such strong

feelings. The outrageous thing is that some of theworst comments are from people on the same side of 

the Christ question as Acharya. You people need to

pick your battles better and realize that the enemyof your enemy is your friend. There's room for a widevariety of unbelievers in the unbelief camp. Weought to aim our debunking bullets at the bigger

targets and the ones doing the most damage in theworld: evangelical Christianity, Islamic extremism,

etc. When the people in the unbelief camp fight

amongst themselves, they only hurt the cause and

provide lots of free ammo to the other side. And lest

you think I'm being a bit melodramatic in likening the

fight with religionists to a war, let me assure you: it is a

war, and they are winning.

2:45 PM

Anonymous said...

I started to read her book The Christ Conspiracy but Igot a paper cut from the second page so I knew where

this was going to lead me so I didn't read it. Thank God

for my lucky Jesus foot and my rabbit's cross to protect

me in these bad times. No, seriously I have read both

her books and her e book. This interview is like her

books; she knows what she's talking about. As a 40 year

ex christian (whom she set free) Thank God for Acharya

S.

6:48 PM

Don't Drink the Purple Punch! said...

Page 29: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 29/33

Wow...I don't think I've ever googled that much based

off of one blog or article in my entire life! Great GREAT

interview Max. Thanks for presenting that to myself and

others. Her input as to Christian vs. Muslim Extremism

was very interesting, however, I was surprised that shefelt that we live in a Theocratic government. Hadn't

considered that before. More research to be done, but

thanks for your awesome insights as always!

Dan

5:09 PM

Infidelis Maximus said...

Thanks, Dan, appreciate your comments. Research is

indeed the best course here. Research Acharya and

form your own opinion. Don't trust what anyone else

(including me) says without checking it out.

6:45 PM

Post a Comment 

Newer Post Older Post Home 

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) 

SALUS

I write this blog as a hobby and to try my hand at differenttypes of writing. I spent many years lost in Christianity, and Iwant to help as many as possible avoid making the mistakes Imade. I also believe the world is a better place when peoplelive reason-based lives. I don’t have an ax to grind, but I am 

Page 30: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 30/33

sickened by the corrosive effect of religion on the world,particularly the hate inspired by fundamentalist belief systems. I’m more acerbic here than I would normally bebecause, well, it’s fun, and I think the PC response to

religion has failed miserably. If this blog seems a bit \polemical, it’s entirely intentional.

Disclaimer: This is a blog; it is not a book or a researchpaper. I write it when I have time, and that is often not untilthe middle of the night. Believe it or not, I actually have alife outside of giving away my work for free on the web. Bydefinition, blogs are stream-of-consciousness affairs. The

pieces I write for this blog were never intended for formalpublication. They aren’t reviewed by anyone prior to goingout, they may contain unsubstantiated claims, and they may(egads!) even contain a few errors. I try as hard as the nextblogger to avoid flaws in what I write, but I do not have timeto write with the same care I might take when writing abook. Feel free to email me if you have general suggestionsabout how to improve this blog.

Click here to join my discussion group and receiveemail when I add new posts 

SAP IENT IA

I know few Christians so convinced of the splendor of therooms in their Father's house, as to be happier when theirfriends are called to those mansions.... Nor has the Church'sardent "desire to depart, and be with Christ," ever cured itof the singular habit of putting on mourning for every personsummoned to such departure.

Page 31: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 31/33

 John Ruskin (1819-1900), English philosopher and artist 

ARS D IES

ARTWORK FROM INTERGALACT IC HUSSY

CL IPS FROM THE MOV IE THE GOD WHO

WAS N " T T H E R E  

BUSH ISMS

SHAKESPEARE"S DA ILY WORD TO BUSH

COUNTDOWN

CL IP FROM JUL IA SWEENEY"S LETT ING GO OF  

GOD

ABOUT ME

Page 32: Acharya s.'s Interview

7/29/2019 Acharya s.'s Interview

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/acharya-ss-interview 32/33

INFIDELIS MAXIMUS

I'm an infidel, reprobate, heretic--whatever you want to

call it. I'm a humanist, liberal, and a freethinker. I'm an

a-theist just as I'm an a-zeusist and an a-baalist.

Depending on what day you ask me, I might describe

myself as an agnostic or an atheist or both, but I

definitely do not believe in any sort of supreme being

(unless it's a sandwich or a pizza). After sitting on thesidelines for years watching religious zealots ruin the

world I live in, I finally decided to do something about

it. I conceal my identity here because so many religious

people are nuts.

VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE 

ABOUT THE LAT IN

For those who actually speak or read Latin, take note that the use of 

what I’d call “Faux Latin” here is intentional. I sometimes use the

wrong Latin term for a section so that people who don’t know Latin

can still guess what it is (e.g., “Index Topica” for the topical index).

The motif here is one of an old illuminated manuscript with some

Latin and medieval elements mixed in for effect, but the blog still

has to be navigable by English-only readers. If you hover your 

mouse over any of the Latin terms on the page, the Englishequivalent will display in a pop-up hint. You can also click many of 

them to drill into their meaning elsewhere on the net.


Recommended