Ideas or Ignorance?

Warning: This post contains ideas which may offend readers who are Christians. I believe that ideas shouldn't be feared but ignorance should. Let's discuss everything and leave nothing out. If you a staunch Christian and are offended by ideas contrary to Biblical teachings then stop now and read no further.

I have started a book which will change me. I know this because the book's ideas are so different that I can't help but think about them when my mind wonders. I can be sitting at my desk at work and a passage from the book will cross my mind. What book has caused such a reaction? The Jesus Papers. This is a book that everyone should read. The entire Christian community should have a discussion about the assertions within this book. But I will never see that happen. Why? Because we aren't ready for such a discussion yet. The world is so dependent on Christianity for it's compass that any threat to it's monopoly on control, guilt, and judgment will be met with ferocious opposition. Hearing words like hieratic, evil, and demon will become an everyday occurrence. A calm and rational discussion about the legitimacy of Christianity can never happen. Oh, just think of the fighting and edicts from the Vatican. Our society, as we know it, would break down.

The Jesus Papers was written by one of the authors that wrote Holy Blood, Holy Grail. In the book the author lays out a very convincing but far fetched idea that Jesus survived the crucifixion. The historical Jesus as depicted in the book was a radical, anti-establishment kind of guy. He fought hard to get the Romans out of The Holy Land. He was a member of the resistance group called "The Zealots". Jesus was crucified for this offense, not for being the Messiah. The book asserts that Jesus was placed in the tomb while he was still alive. That night his Zealot cohorts removed him from the tomb, thereby faking his death. Jesus was shuttled out of the city and nursed back to health. Everyone that saw him after that assumed that he had risen from the dead. A pregnant Mary Magdalene, Jesus' wife, went to the South of France to have her baby. There are records in the South of France to support the idea of a Hebrew woman arriving pregnant and giving birth to a daughter, Sarah. There is so much more to talk about. I couldn't possibly go into it all. I may post several posts on this book.

One of the strongest assertions in this book is that the Vatican has almost always known about this. The Holy See could not give up the power, money, and priviledge associated with being the first Church of Jesus, so they have actively suppressed the knowledge for over one thousand years. The greatest coverup in history? I don't know, but it is worth talking about.