Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Jesus Project part 2:Orwell Hits the fan


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On Monday I posted a piece about the atheist propaganda machine know as Center for Inquiry, and particular their attempt to create a Jesus project to dispute the existence of Jesus in history. The  plug was pulled on the project by R.l Joseph Hoffmann who started the project. His reason was that the Jesus mythers were taking over and using it as a platform for their propaganda rather than doing real scholarly work. They only went two of their five years. Yet they have been so totally effective the Jesus myth thing has just exploded. It's everywhere where atheist talk. There are some instructive lessons in looking at the Jesus Project. It's a lesson in Propaganda.


from the website of the project, one would think it's still going. The thing was canceled in 2009 and yet not a  hint on the website that it is not still going.

TJP scholars--among the finest on the world-stage--recognize the status and influence of the New Testament as a resource for Christian believers. It is particularly because of that status and influence that the New Testament invites the scrutiny of scholars who can illuminate its background, trace the origins of the movement that brought the documents into existence, and reconstruct the story of its leading figure. [1]

Present tense, they recognize as though they are still in session. They have had more than enough time to take it down or make a note that it quite work. Here's how they justify their propaganda thing:
The Project is also new in opening this investigation to a much wider range of "experts": its scholar associates represent not only professionals in New Testament Studies, but specialists in the social sciences, including archaeology, legal history, intertestamental Judaism, educational studies, Near Eastern studies, philosophy and classics. The Project expresses the growing importance of interdisciplinary studies and the "interdependence of knowledge" in contemporary research. For that reason, TJP emphasizes its character as a scholarly collaboration, a voluntary association of scholar-teachers who believe in the power of conversation and correction. (Ibid)



They are going to open up a wider range of experts, meaning, Propaganda merchants distilling thye party line, Note  the Orwellian aspects. As we go don they list we see more and more subtle changes from a scholarly endeavor to shameless propaganda. They do have some real scholars and even believers listed among their fellows. Yet they clearly stacked the deck to have Jesus mythers take over.
The Project will meet, on average, every nine months at academic venues throughout North America and Europe. Its meetings are open to the public, and in all sessions there is opportunity for free and open discussion. CSER, and the TJP, have traditionally maintained that scholarship is a public business--not simply a colloquy of the well-informed--and should be of public benefit. TJP will conduct its business accordingly. Prometheus Books will publish the essays and papers presented at its meetings on a regular basis. (Ibid)


What? Scholarship is not a colloquy of the well informed? Scholarship is not closed to the well informed. So one wonders how they use the term "Scholar" if it doesn't mean well informed. Let's open the seminar up to badly informed people just for the heck of it. Colloqqyy is a word they use in seminary to mean a discussion of scholars. "a gathering for discussion of theological questions." Webster defines it as "a high-level serious discussion :  conference." So we are going to have a high-level discussion with those who are well informed and he ignorant. "Prometheus Books will publish the essays and papers presented at its meetings on a regular basis. " Prometheus primarily publishes atheist materials. I tried to get them to publish my book and that's how I found out they don't  publish much that is not of use to atheists. What they really mean is they are making a place for those who have no expertize in Bible and who are committed to Jesus mytherism. That's so people like Carrioer who are teaching at university can be on it.

fellows

 


Paul Kurtz listed as a fellow. What expertise does he have in Bible? As you might recall rfrom Monday's post he founded the Center for Inquiry and helped to start the New Atheist movement. He is a philosopher but not a historian or Bible scholar. He's bound to be biased. I am not saying they did not have good scholars. But they stacked the deck with mythers, atheists and people they knew would go there way. Richard Carrier is an obvious example. He has made his career as a professional atheist. His career is riding high on the Jesus myth fad he helped to create.

Center for Inquary lists Roland Boer as a fellow:
Roland Boer previously taught at the University of Sydney, McGill University, the University of New England, the United Theological College, Sydney and the University of Western Sydney. He is the author of the following books: Marxist Criticism of the Bible (2003), Last Stop Before Antarctica: The Bible and Postcolonialism in Australia (2001), Knockin' on Heaven's Door: The Bible and Popular Culture (1999), Novel Histories: The Fiction of Biblical Criticism (1997) and Jameson and Jeroboam (1996).[2]\
Doesn't say what he teaches. Doesn't say What his degrees are let's see if we can figure it out. Here is his blog: Roland Boer's Blog: Marxism, Religion, Politics, Bible, whatever …[3]

Top Posts



His books are about the villainous church in oppressing the worker.
The economy ancient Israel. Call me reckless I am going to take a wild guess and saqy "Marxism." He teaches Marxism. I am not red baiting (I hate that) and I'm not saying as Marxist he has to be wrong. But it is very likely he has biases that make him not ideal to be in a project studying the historical Jesus.

The next one takes the prize. This guy is a study in things seeming what they are not. He has impeccable scholarly credentials yet his bias is blatant.Robert M. Price is a real scholar who is also passionately committed atheist. He is a soldier.

"Drew University, a PhD in Systematic Theology (1981) and a second PhD in New Testament (1993). He has served as Professor of Religion at Mount Olive College, North Carolina, pastor of First Baptist Church, Montclair, NJ, and Director of the Metro NY Center for Inquiry."


This book is an exceptionally well-written, informed and witty smack down of Christian attempts to deny the fact of evolution or incorporate it into their faith. The authors show us in this masterful book, the likes of which I have never seen before, that the implications of evolution are devastating for the Bible and the doctrines based on it. Absolutely brilliant!—John W. Loftus, author of Why I Became an Atheist and The Outsider

This is why I call Price a soldier, a soldier of atheism. He's got one of the most zealous atheist apologists, Loftus, hawking his books for him. Price is  real scholar and a good one, by both credential and skill but in my view he violates the basic code of the scholar. He is a soldier a combatant for atheism. That will become even more clear shortly. One of hia booka:


The Amazing Colossal Apostle the search for the historical Pail

The story of Paul is one of irony, the New Testament depicting him at the martyrdom of Stephen holding the assassins' cloaks……The stories were didactic tales meant to keep us reverent and obedient. As adults reading the New Testament, we catch glimpses of a very different kind of disciple—a wild ascetic whom Tertullian dubbed “the second apostle of Marcion and the apostle of the heretics.” ...Robert M. Price, in this exciting journey of discovery, gives readers the background for a story we thought we knew.
He is merchandizing. You can buy a price T-shirt: Bible Geek Donation Store. "theology with a twist but without the spin" The twist his he hates religion and doesn't believe in God.[4]


bottom left corner of his home page a graphic with Sater looking guy Zerathustra speaks[5]


Zarathustra Speaks
Proclaiming the death of God and the dawn of the Superman
Bulletin of The Sect of Zarathustra (former member, Alliance of Secular Humanist Societies 1999 - 2001)
The Sect of ZarathustraSheep in Wolves’ Clothing
The Great NoonShe's Not Chinese!


Monthly Essays Zarathustra Speaks has since been resurrected as RMP's monthly essay's
available as a free subscription through this Web site.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

one of the essays Mausoleum of God. Accepts ossuaries found in Israel with names of Jesus, Joseph Mary and so on as authenthic with 600/1 odds. Holy Irony meter Batman he thinks if othyer bone box of James is reals it doesn't disprove this one biut disproves Jesus and thye Bible. zin otjer

But then, uh-oh!, this set of ossuaries would seem to prove too much! It would mean that, a la Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code, Jesus survived or escaped crucifixion, got married, and fathered children—much as happens in Jesus’ dream-escape from the cross in The Last Temptation of Christ. No saving death, no resurrection. Yikes.

But it could just as easily mean the other one is fake, they are both fake, why can't he see that/? Here's the irony, the point of his essay: "Bible is no less victim to death by a thousand speculations than the blind gropings of unaided human reason. Because that’s all any of us have anyway, even if, like Bible preachers, you’d like to pretend otherwise."

Gee really ? Then what are his thousand speculations? They are truth and intellectual honesty like pretending  to be a  unbiased Bible scholar while fighting for atheism and making assertions as stupid as any the fundies make.

He has to admit Jesus existed to claim he has his bones. Ironic that he speaks of intellectual honesty because he doesn't have it, He uses his credentials to9 destroy faith by asserting that these are definitely Jesus' bones but he doesn't even hint that there is counter evidence No this totally a fact there's no getting out of it so Christian scholars are hypocrites. Here is what he does not tell you:

(1) The combo of names Jesus son of Joseph has been found on two other tombs this century,[7]

(2) Caruso said he was 95% sure that the “Lost Tomb” proponents had correctly interpreted the shin (Hebrew letter giving the “sh” sound in Yeshua), but could not be more than 10% certain of anything else other than “Jose 90.[8]

(3) Dr. Pfann said that the name is probably Hanun instead of Jesus. Dr. Pfann is the one who excavated the Nazareth farm. [9]

What does this say for jis honesty? For the scholarship of the Jesus project" of the new atheism. Of Bible Scholars in sheep's clothing?




[1] Website of Jesus Project, Center for Inquiry, URL:
http://www.centerforinquiry.net/jesusproject  (aacessed) 2/2/2016

[2] Ibid. page lists Boer as Fellow
http://www.centerforinquiry.net/jesusproject/fellows/boer_roland/

[3] Roland Boer, Stalin's Mustache :Marxism, Religion, Politics, Bible, whatever blog
http://stalinsmoustache.org/

If I was J.P.Holding I would say he's a Boer.

[4] rmp, Rpbert Prices Hme Page URL:
http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/ (accessed 2/3/16)

[5] Zerat5hustra speaks, Prices more discrete hard to see website

http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/zara/index.htm

[6] Eobert Price, "Mausoleum of God." Zerathustra Speaks website by Robert Price URL
http://www.robertmprice.mindvendor.com/zara/march__2007.htm  (accessed 2/4/16)

[7] Bauckham, “The Names on the Ossuaries,” 100.

[8] Steve Caruso, “The Jesus Son of Joseph Inscription Part 2,” The Aramaic Blog, March 29, 2007. Available at aramaicdesigns.blogspot.com/2007/03jesus-son-of-joseph-inscription-part-2.html. Accessed January 31, 2013

[9] Gary Habermas, The Secret of the Talpiot Tomb: Unravelling the Mystery of the Jesus Family Tomb (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2007), 39





 
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