Mystic-Skeptic Radio: Uncensored/Raiders of the Unknown

In this week’s show our guest is Robert Conner author of Jesus the Sorcerer and the website Magic in Christianity. His articles “The Romans meet Jesus” and “Faking Jesus” are featured on disinfo.com and Scribd respectively.We discuss the topic Magic & The Supernatural in the early church focusing on Jesus’ relation to Greek Culture and how the apostle Paul borrowed ideas from some of the mystery cults in the Mediterranean. We also discuss sourcery and demonology in the Greco/Roman culture of that time.According to Gershon Scholem, the late expert in Jewish mysticism, Jewish Gnosticism did not exist since as Kabbalistic literature did not develop until later centuries. Mr. Conner discusses the work of Elaine Pagels,’ an expert in the Gnostic Gospels, as she wrote the most extensive work on Gnosticism in Paul’s writings.Our topic is very controversial in nature, especially as our guest discusses information that can be misconstruded by some. For example: when discussing how early Christians commited acts of vandalism in the Roman Empire he is reporting accounts from Roman leaders who are antagonistic to the nascent Jesus movement. Regarding Jesus claims the aspect of fulfilled prophecy is a debatable topic that is not covered in this series. In this show we also do not discuss the impact of Christianity on human history or the traditional Christian interpretation of world events.Our guest shares the worldview of the apocalyptic groups which were part of first century Judaism. However, he does not address claims scholarly concerns that the gospels are not historically reliable sources, but apologetic missionary tracts which make it difficult to do a historical reconstruction of the events that transpired.At first impression it appears that in some of his works he claims that the Gnostics were the majority of Jesus followers. This is one of the controversial points of his argument since it is part of the justification for his view of Jesus and his followers using magic to gain members. Gnosticism is known as secretive in nature, not evangelistic as many groups in that time period and beyond.I asked our guest regarding the sexuality of Jesus and his followers because in his booklet Faking Jesus he alludes to the accusation of some Roman leaders that the early Christians were immoral in their relationships. This type of personal attack on the opposition is common among groups struggling for political power. The demonization of the other is the easiest way to neutralize your opponents views.Mr. Conner also does not address the differences between the Gnostic perspective of God and the biblical one. This is an important topic that I will try to bring up in our future interviews. I am also interested in discussing the Gospels’ birth narratives which have many parallels in other cultures.Many academic would disagree with his view that later Christians manipulated the scriptures; instead some scholars see the Hebrew Bible as inspiration for many different views. One examples is the Essenes at Qumran who reinterpreted the scriptures to meet their theological needs, but this does not mean they were heretical for doing this since it took centuries for classical Judaism to develop.

Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 10 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space...

In this week’s show we are honored to have as our guest Dr. Susannah Heschel, the Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College. Her scholarship focuses on Jewish-Christian relations in Germany during the 19th and 20th centuries, the history of biblical scholarship, and the history of anti-Semitism. Her numerous publications include On Being a Jewish Feminist (Schocken), Abraham Geiger and the Jewish Jesus (University of Chicago Press), The Aryan Jesus: Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany (Princeton University Press) and numerous articles. She is also the daughter of civil rights activist and modern Jewish Philosopher Abraham Joshua Heschel.Today’s topic is the current social and political trends in the U. S. and the normalizing of bigotry, racial hatred and anti-Semitism; the intensity of these incidents can be seen from the political provocateurs who mesmerize large audiences to irresponsible political leaders and celebrities who act as mouthpieces to radical groups. In the last year there has been a resurfacing of Anti-Semitism in the U.S. such as cemetery desecrations, Jewish Community Centers being evacuated often and a 45 percent spike in anti-Jewish incidents across college campuses; as well as other incidents in England, France and Sweden. Dr. Heschel discusses how racism, ethnic hatred and religious persecution affect modern day politics.

Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 10 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space...

“I command you, ghost of the dead (nekudaimon), by the powerful and implacable god and by his holy names, to stand beside me in the night to come, in whatever form you had...” Michael A. Morgan Sepher Ha-Razim: The Book of Mysteries., Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1983., pg. 36,38.In this week’s show we continue our discussion of early Christianity, Greco-Roman culture and Gnosticism with Robert Conner. He is the author of Resurrection or Ghost Story? available on Scribd.During our program we discuss his research and the different types of ghosts stories in the ancient world. He shares how modern ghost stories are influenced by ancient ones and describes the documented apparitions of Romulus & Apollonius of Tyana which have many parallels to the resurrection stories in the New Testament and other stories.

Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 10 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space...