Unveiling Christianity

Christianity had its beginnings in Judaism and in the life and teachings of a Jew who lived two thousand years ago in the town of Nazareth (in what is now northern Israel). Today, he is known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, but his original name was Jeshua ben Joseph, that is, Jesus son of his father Joseph. Jesus’ life and teachings provided the impetus for the early Christian religion. However, the most influential early Christian theologians tended to bypass Jesus’ fundamental teachings: love, forgiveness, peace, and the kingdom of God (Love) dwelling within each and every one of us. By the early 4th century CE, the Christian religion was largely ignoring the teachings of Jesus. Then, in 380 CE, the Roman Catholic Church had become the official religion of the Roman Empire, with profound social and spiritual control over the populace.

Unveiling Christianity is intended to help Christians who love and believe in Jesus and his teachings of love and forgiveness to understand that much of Christian dogma that emerged in the Christian religion is both untrue and in direct opposition to Jesus’ teachings.

Note:   CE stands for Common Era, which began with the birth of Jesus.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John, chapter 4:8

The Christian religion has impacted a significant portion of humanity for well over fifteen hundred years. The majority of Christians are Christians because of their parents’ influence. Christian dogma is unquestioned by most Christians due to their parents’ influence and because the dogma has been so prevalent in our culture—so many people believe it’s true, so it must be true. However, much of it is just not true. Churches have long ignored the truth that God’s Spirit dwells within every one of us, despite clear statements in the gospels affirming our divine nature… Click here for more…

How could God, who is eternal—without beginning or end, have an origin? Here we consider God historically, as having arisen from among a group of ancient deities. In this chapter, we discuss Christianity’s place among the major religions of today’s world and several aspects of the origin of the Christian conception of God. The  sections are as follows:

  • Religion in the Modern World 
  • Origins of Religion 
  • Yahweh and Associated Deities 
  • Countless Deities and Demons 
  • Who Represents the One True God? 
  • God as Love 

Hebrew Bible

Dead Sea Scroll

Upcoming

Biblical Archaeology

Petra

Upcoming

New Testament

Unveiling Christianity

Upcoming

Critical Research on the Bible

Upcoming

Reincarnation Revealed in the Bible

How the Bible Reveals Reincarnation

Upcoming

Kingpins of Christianity

Council of Nicea

Upcoming

Original Sin

Upcoming

The Delusion of Satan

Delusion of Satan

Upcoming

History of Heaven and Hell

Heaven and Hell

Upcoming

Christianity: Religion of Fear and Hope

Upcoming

Healing from Toxic Theology

Upcoming

U.S. Christianity Today

Upcoming

Jesus without Dogma

Upcoming

Unveiling Christianity References

Note:  Book titles are linked to amazon.com, which offers numerous book reviews.

Ancient Israel

Romer, Thomas

The Invention of God
by Thomas Romer, 303 pages (2015)

Thomas Romer is the Professor of the Hebrew Bible at the College de France and a professor at the University of Lausanne.

Video:   Yhwh, a God of the Wilderness: A Biblical and Extrabiblical Investigation

Biblical Archeology

Dever, William G.

Has Archaeology Buried the Bible?
by William Dever, 280 pages (2006)

William G. Dever is a professor emeritus of Near Eastern archaeology and anthropology at the University of Arizona, a leading expert in his field.

Video: Prof. William G. Dever  

Finkelstein, Israel and Silberman, Neil Asher

The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of its Sacred Texts 
by Professor Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman, 385 pages (2001)

Comparative Religion

Armstrong, Karen

Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence
by Karen Armstrong, 512 pages (2014)
Karen Armstrong is a New York Times bestselling author who has written over two dozen books and who is known for her books on comparative religion. Among her many achievements and honors are an appointment to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and a Fellowship to the Royal Society of Literature.

Website:   Charterforcompassion.org    

Video:   Karen Armstrong: 2008 TED Prize wish: Charter for Compassion

Freke, Timothy and Gandy

Jesus and the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians 
by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy, 336 pages (2002)

The Jesus Mysteries: Was the “Original Jesus” a Pagan God?
by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy, 368 pages (2001)

Timothy Freke is a best-selling author of more than twenty books and is an authority on world spirituality.

O'Donnell, James

Wright, Robert

The Evolution of God
by Robert Wright, 565 pages (2009)

This book was one of three finalists for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction.

Video: The Evolution of God | Robert Wright | Talks at Google 

Dead Sea Scrolls​

Vermes, Geza, (Translator)

Early Christianity​

Carmichael, Joel

The Birth of Christianity: Reality and Myth
by Joel Carmichael, 228 pages (1989)

Ehrman, Bart D.

MacMullen, Ramsay, Ph.D

Christianizing the Roman Empire A.D. 100-400
by Ramsay MacMullen, Ph.D, 183 pages (1984)

Dr. Ramsay MacMullen has authored over a dozen books.

Pagels, Elaine, Ph.D.

Adam, Eve and the Serpent
by Elaine Pagels, 189 pages (1988)
Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas
by Elaine Pagels, 257 pages (2005)
The Gnostic Gospels
by Elaine Pagels, 182 pages (1979)

Dr. Elaine Pagels in an American historian of early Christianity and author of New York Times bestselling books. She and her books have received many prestigious awards.  She is the Huntington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University.

Pryse, James Morgan

Reincarnation in the New Testament
by James Morgan Pryse, 106 pages (1904)

James Morgan Pryse was a publisher, author, and a theosophist who published several books on religion in the 1900s.

Spong, John Shelby

Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy
by John Shelby Spong, 416 pages (2016)
The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic
by John Shelby Spong, 342 pages (2013)
Jesus for the Non-Religious
by John Shelby Spong, 316 pages (2007)

John Shelby Spong was a retired American bishop of the Episcopal Church, who had served as Bishop from 1979 to 2000. This liberal theologian and New York Times bestselling author has written over two dozen books on Christianity. He has received many awards, including the 1999 Humanist of the Year.

Wilken, Robert Lewis, Ph.D.

The Christians as the Romans Saw Them
by Robert Lewis Wilken, 214 pages (2003)

Dr. Robert Lewis Wilken is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of the History of Christianity, professor emeritus at the University of Virginia. He is past president of the American Academy of Religion and author of ten books about Christianity.

Early Judaism

Friedman, Richard Elliott

Who Wrote the Bible?
by Richard Elliott Friedman, 282 pages (1987)

Richard Elliott Friedman is a biblical scholar, author of multiple books, and winner of numerous awards and honors.

Website:   RichardElliottFriedman.com

Video:   Who Actually Wrote the Bible and What is the Origin?! [2019]  

History of Christianity

De Rosa, Peter

Vicars of Christ: The Dark Side of the Papacy
by Peter De Rosa, 484 pages (1988, 2000)

International Best Seller

Ellerbe, Helen

The Dark Side of Christian History
by Hellen Ellerbe, 221 pages (1995)

Gonzales, Justo L., Ph.D.

MacCulloch, Diarmaid

Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years
by Diarmaid MacCulloch, 1,161 pages (2007
The Reformation
by Diarmaid MacCulloch, 792 pages (2003)

Diarmaid MacCulloch holds a Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of Oxford. He and his books have garnered many awards.

Website:   www.theology.ox.ac.uk/people/diarmaid-macculloch#/

Nixey, Catherine

Named Book of the Year by The Telegraph, The Spectator, The Observer, and BBC History Magazine

Video:   Darkening Age : The Christian Destruction of the Classical World

Shelley, Bruce L., Ph.D.

Church History: In Plain Language
by Bruce L. Shelley, 541 pages (2008, 2013)

Scripture

Hone, William

The Lost Books of the Bible
by William Hone, 278 pages (2016)

Metzger, Bruce M. (Translator)

Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Edition (NRSV) with Apocrypha
Translator Bruce M. Metzger;  by NRSV Bible Translation Committee, 1,600 pages (1989)

This edition of the Holy Bible is most commonly preferred by biblical scholars today.

Meyer, Marvin W. (Editor)

This is the English-language edition of the library of Gnostic manuscripts which were discovered in Egypt in 1945.  Among the many Gnostic gospels and sacred texts is the Gospel of Thomas, which consists of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus.

Theology

Aquinas, Thomas

The Summa Theologica: Complete Edition by Thomas Aquinas, 1,113 pages (1266-1273, 2018);  Catholic Way Publishing

Augustine of Hippo

The City of God
by Saint Augustine of Hippo – Illustrated, 1,184 pages (426, 2003) Penguin Classics edition
The Confessions
by St. Augustine of Hippo with translation by Maria Boulding, 304 pages (400, 2002)

Author Unknown

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition
Authors Unknown, 904 pages (2000)

Puryear, Herbert Bruce , Ph.D.

Why Jesus Taught Reincarnation: A Better News Gospel
by Herbert Bruce Puryear, Ph.D., 262 pages (1992)

Spong, John Shelby

Trends in Christianity

Hedges, Chris

Chris Hedges authored multiple books and won a Pulitzer Prize in 2002 as a reporter at the New York Times.

Video:  A Conversation with Chris Hedges: Corporate Totalitarianism  

Kruse, Kevin M., Ph.D.

Dr. Kevin Kruse is an award-winning author.

Website:  KevinKruse.com

Video:  Kevin Kruse on “One Nation Under God”

MacLean, Nancy, Ph.D.

Dr. Nancy MacLean is an award-winning author.

Website:  scholars.duke.edu/person/nancy.maclean

Video:  Nancy MacLean: Democracy in Chains

Nelson, Anne

Anne Nelson has won multiple awards for her journalism, books and research.

Website:  Anne-Nelson.com

Video:  Anne Nelson: Inside the Radical Right’s Shadow Network

Seidel, Andrew L.