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Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled

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This a big book. Make no mistake. The materials covered are also big. Big in ideologies. Acharya S. takes apart the age old dogma's piece by piece and not only states what's erroneous, but how it came to be so mistaken. These issues, from creation to judgments did not all occur in the flash of an eye, but across countless several generations of writers seeking to establish a basis for social control. You may not like what she says in Suns, but that does not make it any less factual. Those seeking not only answers, but a basis for those answers would do well to get a copy of this book. Those, however, who have made up their minds, on either side of the fence, will find very little to dispute. Acharya S. has done her work well, and has, I believe, covered the topics exceptionally well. After reaching the last page, the reader will have covered not only the history of the son of god ideology, but the reason so many religions, that may on the surface seem dissimilar, start from the very same mythology. This is a book the serious mythologist or spiritual seeker should have at their disposal.

As a former Christian minister, and perhaps more importantly as a former apologist for the faith I would like to comment on this latest book from Acharya S.

First, and what is often hardest for the faithful to accept, is that she is correct in nearly all of her statements concerning the history of organized religions, especially in the west.
Second, and perhaps equally difficult for those who prefer fantasy to reality, is that she is so direct about it. She makes no bones about her belief, or perhaps lack of belief, and although she and I do not agree on every detail- still, Acharya has pretty much outlined, at least for anyone seriously considering a leap off that fence between belief and disbelief, a required text- a primer of common sense if you wish. I have read the reviews and it would seem that you either loved the book- or hated it. There is no way anyone, regardless of how faithful to their religion they might be, can rate this book any less than 4 stars, if for nothing more than the viable research it involved. One major problem that many find with adherents to religion is their black and white- all or nothing approaches to pretty much everything. They are not open to new ideas or new beliefs- they have a vested interest in staying the course. Recently I was asked to be part of a panel formed to investigate the accuracy of some of the Gnostic texts that were voted out of the official Bible. For purposes of historical and social accuracy, many panel members were using the accepted Bible. This I felt was completely wrong headed- as anyone who sees the Bible as the final edict of historical fact is already refusing to accept or acknowledge any other authority, for example the writers Tacitus and Philo of Alexandria. This ties in to the very basis of Acharya's books- the search for and use of other source materials and mythologies that may perhaps better explain the history of western religions. If we remember that the first synod was in Laodicea a part of modern day Greece, where about 363 AD, a group of men came together to decided which books of the dozens of Gospel accounts were to be aloud to be read in churches. Since that time, there have been almost a dozen similar organizations, headed by Bishops, Popes, and Emperors, that have managed to rule out many of the stories about Jesus that conflicted with the idea that some, and certainly not most, of his original followers held of who he was. They have given us the Bible in it's current accepted edition. Had all the original manuscripts been kept, the Bible of today would be an even bigger jumble of contradiction, confusion, and myth. However, having read most of this material, I think it would certainly would have made for a better read.

Finally, as I explained to the committee- the Gospels are not history; they are religious stories and propaganda. They are contradictory, exaggerated, and in many aspects mythical. To many non-Christian historical researchers, those who deal with cold facts, there remains serious doubt that Jesus ever existed as a real person, although I believe he did. Still, it is impossible to prove anything about him apart from he may or may not have been an historical figure and it is more plausible, as Acharya points out in her first book, that Jesus was the result of myth making, a human process that is indeed historically documented.

Finally, let me say to the faithful, I would recommend avoiding this book- it may well become the fly in your ointment of a faith based life. To others, especially those indoctrinated into religion at an early age- perhaps it is time to seek a foundation for your beliefs in a book other than the Bible. Also I especially enjoyed the FOREWORD.

Acharya S is a wonderful scholar who thoroughly ferrets out a picture of the truth behind the world's religions. To a large extent, this truth is the symbolic mythology of astro-theology, which predates all major existing religious belief systems. Acharya S provides extensive references and documentation of her contentions, exposing the lack of historicity for the personalities associated with major religions. One one level, Jesus, Buddha, & Krishna, as well as other deities less significant to our modern era, are personified symbols of the Sun. Reading this book along with her prior Christ Conspiracy is a double whammy that no religion defender will ever attempt to directly challenge. Free your mind from literal acceptance of religious myths and plow through the deep scholarly soil of Acharya's Suns of God! Then learn to connect with your real spiritual essence independent of mythology characters or astral spirits and thought forms who take on the mythic character roles. After all, the Sun itself has been the symbol for the masculine aspect of the Supreme Source/Creator, so we can all learn to see the spiritual "Sun" of God as part of our own essence rather than misinterpreting the astro-theological drama of the Sun, Moon, Planets, & Zodiac that is encoded in religions. I highly recommend Suns of God for its breadth of information and integration of important ideas and evidence. There is an increasing flow of revelations arising about the topic of astrotheology and the secret wisdom, symbolism, and secret society/mystery school tradition - this book is one of the best of the genre.

This is a superb book. There are books on the mythical nature of Jesus, particularly "The Jesus Mysteries" and its sequel "Jesus and the Lost Goddess" by Timothy Freke. Freke goes in-depth into the very nature of mystery myth deity worship, whereas Acharya S tends to focus her scholarship on the nature of these solar deities: Christ, Krishna, and Buddha. Enough scholarship to have been awarded a Ph.D., though unfortunately, in the American academic world, to question the historicity of Jesus is to ask for trouble and indeed not ever attain the status of professor of religion. Hopefully things will change.

Raja Bhat

Recently, I have been involved in research into a number of aspects of religion, in particular how it has been beneficial and how it has been harmful. As to the harm religion has caused, one need only reflect on the Crusades, the Inquisition and Islamic jihads, to realize that hundreds of millions of people have died because religion gives people a basis (an irrational basis) for killing people they don't like. Wouldn't it be great if humankind had a way of understanding religion and religious belief that would increase our tolerance for differing religious views and encourage us to stop the killing? Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled, by Acharya S., is a book that can lead us in that direction. Regardless of whether one is quite religious or completely without religion, there is much in this book that will cause any reasonable person to conclude that we share common ground, and very interesting ground at that.

In America today, where Christianity is dominant, almost everyone believes that Jesus Christ was present in the flesh 2,000 years ago in an around Jerusalem, that he was the son of God, born of a virgin, who performed miracles, was crucified, died on the cross, was entombed, then came alive and ascended to Heaven. Further, Jesus died to expiate the sins of mankind so that men could be absolved of their sins and make it to Heaven themselves. Quite a familiar story. Remarkably, most Americans (and probably most Europeans) believe that the Jesus story is the only one of its kind. Not so. The same essential story was told many times in many different locations over hundreds, even thousands, of years before the Jesus story developed. Why and how that happened is the subject of Suns of God.

One can easily understand that primitive people, particularly after they left the hunter-gatherer life and adopted agriculture, would see the sun as the source of all good, especially as it affected the seasons; they would follow its position in the heavens closely, ultimately coming to worship it as something divine, a God. Similarly, they sought guidance from the moon and the stars. How, they would have asked, do these heavenly entities affect our lives, and can we do anything to appease or mollify them so as to make our lives better. Driven by this, the ancients developed an amazingly high level of astronomical and mathematical understanding. They understood and could accurately predict the movement of the sun through the astrological signs of the Zodiac. Acharya S. demonstrates how the ancients created allegorical myths for the progression of the sun, moon, stars and planets and their seasonal effects on earth and man. The stories of such mythological heroes as Heracles, Apollo, and Prometheus can be understood in terms of sun-god worship. The story of Heracles, for example, and his 12 labors, is a metaphor for the sun's travel through the 12 constellations of the Zodiac.

The sun-god religions were world-wide and told similar myths. The general mythological pattern was that the sun, creating itself miraculously by virgin birth, took human form on earth, taught important lessons, then died and was reborn and returned to heaven. Osiris in Egypt, Dionysius in Greece, Mithra in Persia, Krishna in India, Buddha in Asia, (these being only the better known examples), their stories all preceded Jesus by many centuries. And all were mythological metaphors for the sun-god. The Jesus story is only the latest iteration of the myth. That so many think it is the one true story is a good example of the adage: the victors write the history books.

In Suns of God, Acharya S. has given us a deeply researched background of and explanation for the religions that dominate the world and that have dominated human thinking for thousands of years. I found it, not only illuminating, but uplifting. It gave me cause for hope that widespread knowledge of what religions have in common will cause humankind to pause and think twice when the next set of extremists calls for a holy war. I consider it a "must read" along with her other book, The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold.

In response to the latest one star review by someone name Jeri who supposedly read this book most likely in attack mode and no intention to comprehend or listen and I doubt he even spent his money on any non-Christian literature or gave serious time because of the close-mindedness and selfish mentality religion promotes. And not being a hypocrite, I've been in the house of an atheist who studies both Christian and Atheist works. And Acharya had to read the whole bible in order to refute it. This person proves his ignorance of atheism by saying the author hates God and just how can one hate something they don't even believe in! And just how can this person refer to God in the masculine when he can't even prove God exists much less refer to God as a "he".

I've debated with many Christians before and majority of them have one major problem, they assume things without questioning anything. They're so close-minded it's sad! There's one main point that many Christians who attack the author's thesis fail to understand, that we're not just saying that Horus or Mithra predated Christ. We're saying that there's an origin where they ALL come from and that's the SUN. Some Christians get the impression that we're trying to imply that Horus, etc were real beings who did the same things as Christ and that's not what we're saying. That's why they keep saying "Jesus was 1st." Well just how do they explain the movements of the sun as it relates to Christ? If you believe in God and believe that everything on earth and the heavens are of God then you can't disagree with "SUN OF GOD"! I think any Christian who tells a non-believer that they need to go to the library is the biggest hypocrite in the world and needs to follow their own advice. It's religions that teach "don't question, just believe." Just how many churches encourage their members to read and discuss non-Christian literature? How many priests or pastors will tell their followers it's ok to question something in the bible or even something about Christ? The truth is Jesus sells, not saves! I think that reviewer needs to investigate what made Christianity the world's most popular religion. And if you think it's all because it's based on truth then you're one naive person! Also it would make sense that if the Pagans stole from the Christians and Christians were so persecuted like they claim that today Paganism would be the world's most popular religion and Christianity wouldn't be popular at all. It just goes to show who were really persecuting and oppressing people and who went around the world converting others pretending they were trying to save you when in reality they were out to steal your mind!

Suns of God is a tour de force regarding the links between mankinds' search for the sublime religous experience and the need for later anthropomorphic depictions of God. This solidly referenced book cover all the links between Near and Far Eastern
religions and their eventual development into Christianity. This book is a thorough read about the most neccessary part of our lives, and how we got to be where we are now. Nearly all religious development has stopped in the last 1500 years, and after reading Suns of God, it's easy to see why. A must read for all to see where our religious past originated.

Suns Of God: Krishna Buddha And Christ Unveiled is the sequel to the archaeologist, historian, mythologist and linguist Acharya S.'s controversial expose "The Christ Conspiracy", which walks the reader through a revealing and sobering exploration of the origin and meaning of the world's religions and most popular deities. Contesting that the remarkably similar stories of Christ, Krishna and Buddha - each portrayed as a redeemer who surpasses challenges, teaches morality and performs miracles - has its roots in a global phenomenon that has permeated cultures since ages before the Christian era. Explaining the god-like humans not as "historical" personages but as anthropomorphizations of the focus of "mysteries" steeped in an ancient tradition predating civilization, Suns Of God dares to hypothesize concerning the forces that shape entire cultures, and therefore history itself. A compelling alternative and iconoclastic perspective that breaks away from traditional theology to contemplate an alternative view of humankind's religious and spiritual development.

Acharya S answers the critics of her last chef d'ouevre, The Christ Conspiracy, with this in-depth follow up study of the similarities and connections between the myths of resurrection, virgin birth, miraculous works and so forth having to do the favorite characters of various world religious cultures. Her most controversial point remains her most obvious one: simply that these characters are not real historic figures. Readers with rigid and steadfast religious paradigms may not find much pleasure in Acharya exposing their beliefs as amalgams and retreads of older, deeper paradigms about the earth and sky. Suns of God goes beyond Christ Conspiracy in reclaiming an ancient heritage of astrotheology common to much of mankind's deepest cultural roots, in utter contrast to the religionists so upset that the author might deprive them of their own, personal cherished religious fables. Read Suns of God if for no other reason than to encounter the work of an impassioned scholar working tirelessly to educate her readers about a past far richer than the established current religions want people to know. Along the way, learn how these religions conspire to control the minds of vast populations for various agendas of power and greed by limiting their perspectives. When some crazy believer in this or that embarrasses himself or herself by trying to attack this work of iron-clad scholarship, think of their agenda. Then think of Acharya's, one of true "liberation" astro-theology. Acharya entertains while she educates her readers in Suns of God with great success, all the while rattling the religion-formed thought cages so many people find themselves in.

My goodness, what a mess--dishonest drivel--is the one-star "review" that follows! It is obviously an advertisement by a Christian apologist, not an honest review of this book. To "never mind" this nonsense is a good place to start. This "review" is SO foolish one wonders if it was deliberately constructed to torpedo the apologists' position.

The blather about the author of "Suns of God" "killing God" is simply absurd slander--showing the low quality of this "review." Talk about "loony ravings" and a "low IQ!"

The age of a thesis is irrelevant, otherwise Christianity would surely be "outdated" and proved false merely by its age. That Christianity has been shown to be the source of FAR OLDER religions is just plain ridiculous and FALSE. Mithraism was a MUCH MORE WIDESPREAD force than this critic pretends. All one needs to do is consult a simple encyclopedia to see that these statements are FALSE. The CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA, for example, which Suns of God cites many times, along with MANY OTHER of the thousands of books on the subject that the author HAS CLEARLY READ.

Another COLOSSAL MISREPRESENTATION by this "reviewer" is that this 600-page book primarily uses Cassels "Supernatural Religion." There are 12 pages of sources cited in "Suns of God," comprising approximately 250 books and articles. Cassels' is only ONE of these sources cited and is only used in TWO CHAPTERS. Furthermore, Cassels' work constitutes 1100 pages of SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS and is by no means refuted by Lightfoot's minuscule, superficial and inadequate retort. Supernatural Religion is available online for anyone to view. It is clear that this "expert" reviewer has not read Cassels' masterpiece and has NO IDEA WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT.

In addition, Suns of God painstakingly reproduces the arguments against the Docetists by THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS THEMSELVES to show that they did NOT believe in a "historical" Christ. For heaven's sake, that was the entire complaint against them!

The point about the physical gospels not existing is that there is no proof that they were written by the people it is claimed wrote them! That is a very important point. Obviously, this inept reviewer is incapable of comprehending these facts.

It is evident that it is the reviewer himself who needs a library. Frankly, his remarks--despite a couple of quotes--are indicative that he has NOT READ the book he is pretending to review.

Any interested reader can him or herself go to a library and read THIS BOOK to see how WRONG and FALSE are these criticisms.