Just the title of the book would probably make my great grandfather rollover in his grave. "The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold" was written by a person identified as 'Acharya S.'

First, let me state that I am not a Christian and not a devout Buddhist; however that should not indicate I am not a person of faith. While there is no personal requirement to reject her theory on religious grounds, all my Buddhist teachers recognize that the historical Jesus was a great man and would dismiss any suggestion otherwise. Also, in my humble opinion, the world is a better place with the Jesus who spoke of peace, loving-kindness and compassion.

'Acharya S.' is welcome to espouse her theories, however controversial and each reader should weigh the evidence carefully, especially in the case of Acharya S. Her view indicates that Christianity, as an institution, is irreconcilably corrupt and enslaves humanity. One must wonder what motivation drives someone to discount and demonize an entire religion and its followers. On the other hand, James' world view sees a fallen humanity and speculates a possible return to greatness. James would have identified himself as a Christian and would not have agreed with the premise of the written works of 'Acharya S'.

Now, onto the subject at hand; 'Acharya S.', her background, beliefs and character are all discussed on the internet. Please avail yourself of the opportunity to read her articles and the rebuttals thereof; however, I must warn those at work to note that her website is blocked as 'hate speech' on some corporate firewalls.

Out of the 1130 notes in the book, "The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold," thirteen (13) are attributed to James Churchward which might indicate only a minor influence, however one chapter (#24) begins with a paragraph long quotation from James the source of which is not noted. The underlying premise and conclusion is:

"In reality, the gospel story of Jesus is not a factual portrayal of a historical "master" who walked the earth 2,000 years ago but a myth built upon other myths and godmen who in turn were personifications of the ubiquitous solar mythos and ritual found in countless cultures around the world thousands of years before the Christian era. As such, the tale served to amalgamate the numerous religions, cults and sects of the Roman Empire and beyond, to create a state religion that was promulgated through forgery, fraud and force."(page 407)

"Christ was placed on earth as an example for man Ð to teach and to show what man must eventually become."

The author in question chose to select passages where James' credibility and prestige could sway the reader. That James' theories did not weigh heavily enough to be included elsewhere is of no concern; James tried to establish evidence for the source of a highly advanced civilization that could bind humanity together. The author's written text labors to prove that a common belief among Christians and Muslims is a hoax; that a symbol representing goodness and mercy is actually selfish and evil and never existed. If the only bone I had to pick with her was that she cherry-picked passages to support her theories, then she was in good company with James, however; the outrage just starts there.

In this supposedly scholarly work, the author's choice of quotations from James' works attempts to persuade the reader to accept evidence that is contrary to the theories espoused by James. I know the listener will want examples, so let's give it a go:

On page 114, to indicate that Jesus and Osiris were the same characters displaced by time, the author states:

"As Colonel Churchward naively exclaims, 'the teachings of Jesus and Osirus are wonderfully alike. Many passages are identically the same, word for word.' "

"Both Osiris and Jesus were selected instruments of our Heavenly Father, the Great Nameless, sent on Earth by Him to teach His children the road to eternal happiness."

On page 387, the author uses a passage from the 1931 "Lost Continent of Mu". The end of the quoted passage leaves off the following sentence:

"The rest of the chamber reminded the adept of what he passed through. He now emerged from the tomb."

"Thus, the Great Pyramid is not and never has been a 'tomb' except symbolically, as it was used to introduce the adept to the higher mysteries of death."

I would also like to mention that James' younger brother Albert Churchward was also used as a reference in this work to support her theories. Albert's written works predate the works of James and Albert wrote more than a couple books from a Freemason's viewpoint. However, one would not know that from the references in this book because from my reading, there are only page number references after Albert's name. The titles of his works are left off so that page 87 could be from the "Signs and Symbols of Primordial Man" (1910) or "Origin and Evolution of the Human Race" (1921) or any of his other books. This is an obvious abuse of Albert's works, just like James, but this presentation does not research the quoted passages and provide examples. Since Albert was also a Christian, it is also safe to assume that he (Albert) would not have agreed with the underlying premise of this book.

Such scholarship calls out for the other 98% of the references to be checked and verified by the reader before the author's statements can be believed, especially since both examples clearly demonstrate the willingness of the author to take statements out of context when James' intent was quite different.

In summary, James Churchward would roll over in his grave if he knew that his works were being used to support and advance the theories set forth in "The Christ Conspiracy." Whether or not I agree with the views espoused by James or 'Acharya S.' does not enter into the discussion. The fact that the author quoted and misquoted James Churchward does not indicate that James Churchward or his written works are in agreement with the theme, conclusions, or goals of the "The Christ Conspiracy." Actually, as shown earlier, James Churchward did NOT agree.

Furthermore, considering the outrageous scholarly behavior, I would not be inclined to read another sentence from her pen, nor would I ever quote her works so as to avoid the stain thereof.

If you believe that the author's work did not deserve this scrutiny or that I have somehow offended someone's sensibilities (or heaven forbid, been politically incorrect,) please leave a comment on the my-mu.com blog at jameschurchwardsmu.blogspace.com. If you wish to respond with a video comment of your own, please post a link to it on the same blog. Angry or insulting comments will be ignored (and perhaps removed.)

Thanks for listening and have a great day.