Skeptic Project

I am honestly surprised this topic has not been covered here before, and even though I do not post often (especially in new topics) I felt like getting this off my chest. Recently (about 5 minutes ago) I read a wall post on the Facebook group.

Matias: As I was very seducted by this issue, I did a little research.

Edward pointed out that his primary sources are Acharya S, but until I looked at Matias' linked posts it was not clear to me that his "research" into Acharya S consisted of only Acharya S. I find that extremely disturbing. For an apt analogy, consider if I were interested in learning about altruism I would only read what Ayn Rand had to say on the matter; furthermore if I were interested in learning about Ayn Rand, only reading the Fountain Head.

Her followers have a history of attacking those who disagree with her, and even Edward has experienced this, being called a "sexist", "homophobic", "hateful", "a junior high school student", "a kid", and so forth. Other followers go so far as to say Edward must "pay" for what he's said and be "held accountable."

I know I cannot be the only person concerned with how incredibly blind her followers are to all outside research and consider her above all others. If a follower is brave enough to leave the comfort of posting on Acharya S' forums, they typically tow the party line that one must "read everything [she] writes" in order to comment on whether something is right or wrong.

In this thread I would like to have a discussion about her and her sources (almost all have been highly discredited, such as the work of Gerald Massey), as well as her rabid fans who have created a cult of personality around her. I believe what is happening in The Zeitgeist Movement right now with Peter Joseph holds many parallels with the Free Thought Nation and its centralization around the opinions of Acharya S. I imagine fairly soon Peter Joseph's own movement will be much like hers.

I've said it once, I'll say it again: she's basically a nobody in the conspiracy community. She has been around far longer than TZM and gets about the same hits we do, even after the attention she got from Zeitgeist. I imagine her popularity rests on giving fuel to angsty teenagers and 20-somethings disenchanted with Christianity.

Other aforementioned name calling, I also get called a "Christian" or "Apologist" a lot, even though I'm neither.

By the way, the book that Matias guy talks about "Suns of God" is the primary origin of the "Sun = Son" stuff she's so famous for.

I find her members to be on the same level as die hard PETA supporters.

Wait, since I actually purchased The Christ Conspiracy does this mean I am a more qualified researcher than her fans?

Fuck that whore then.

"I can't figure out if this woman is actually so bat shit crazy she actually believes her half-assed attempts at scholarship, or if she is a shameless con-artist."

A little from column A, a little from column B.

I think she takes the stance of: well since Christianity lies so can I.

Anything can be justified in the cause of fanaticism.

Christ alive (pun intended) she cites ANGELFIRE websites in her books. Not even Angelfire takes itself seriously!!

She's a pseudohistorian. Most pseudohistorians have an agenda to "rewrite history" with some explosive revelation, and themselves go down in the history books.

I'm pretty sure I remember sources being just personal websites in TCC in the footnotes.

So I mean, I could create a site on like homestead.com, say Edward L Winston eats huge veiny dongs and then use it as a source for my book.

I'm celebrating Acharya's feminism by downloading gloryhole videos.

lol

I've seen papers submitted to local National History Day competitions by 8th graders that had a better bibliography and overall research than what she has used -- nothing but websites????

Her L337 googling skills are apparently very useful in her latest endeavor on Facebook -- posting FUD articles on how the Muslims are taking over the world.

Judging from the fracas on the FB group this morning, I agree with Eric that her supporters are foaming at the mouth to deflect any criticism of her. It's not that unusual though--long before the Internet era, Emmanuel Velikovsky had his own cadre of shrieking sycophants trashing anyone who criticized "Worlds in Collision." That is primarily why conspiracy theorists detest Carl Sagan, who led the academic charge against Velikovsky.

Great article, Falkner.

The irony is you dont need to make shit up to show how Christianity isn't special and no different to other religions.

FALKNER YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!

The reason Acharya S gets under my skin is because she takes a topic that is relatively simple to "debunk," and twists into a huge clusterfuck of lies in order to sell books.