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miekko

Member Since 16 Oct 2012
Offline Last Active Apr 12 2015 10:27 AM
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Topics I've Started

Debunking Acharya S: An Update

07 March 2015 - 03:51 PM

So, I set out a couple of years ago to thoroughly debunk The Christ Conspiracy. At the time, my intention was also to debunk Suns of God, and maybe even some more works of hers.

 

I wrote the last installment of the TCC review about half a year ago. Quite a few of the posts still need a bit of editing, so I go over them when time permits. 

 

I have found that some of the problems I've pointed out have been mentioned - although not in detail and never with page references given. Whenever such a problem previously has been pointed out, Murdock or her acolytes have come up with some disingenuous argument as to why the mistaken claim is not a problem; my favourite example is when she explicitly and in no unclear words states that Sun and Son are cognates, only later to backtrack and even go so far as to claim that she never has claimed they are cognates. But other similar examples abound. The fact that people do seem to be convinced by her apologetics (and the apologetics of her acolytes) convinced me that a thorough explanation for why her claims don't work was necessary.

 

Murdock has not commented on any of the more notable problems TCC showcased, and her fans have only commented on a few items where they think they might squeeze in their point of view. As a sign of good will, I even retracted one post where their point is kind of warranted if you squint really hard. That particular fan saw this as a great victory and evidence of how unethical my blog was from the outset.

 

Now, I have noticed that the publishing date for the next edition of TCC has been pushed back quite a bit, and I hope I am one of the causes for that. However, I decided not to go on with Suns of God before maybe a few years down the line - too much going on at the time, and too little time. Meanwhile, the blog http://somerationalism.blogspot.com may intermittently contain criticism of various pseudoscientists, but also of pseudoscientist tendencies among people who identify as rationalists. 

 

Criticism of the Murdock-related posts is especially welcome, but criticism in general is much appreciated.