http://www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/2014 ... ent-857791
he linked to the following statement from an article entitled "The Forged Origins of the New Testament" by Tony Bushby.
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/bibli ... zar_40.htm
The source of this article is "March 2007 Extracted from Nexus Magazine Volume 14, Number 4 (June - July 2007) from Nexus Magazine Website [https://www.nexusmagazine.com/]." That site provides a blurb as follows:
So anyways, the site states:Tony Bushby, an Australian, became a businessman and entrepreneur early in his adult life. He established a magazine-publishing business and spent 20 years researching, writing and publishing his own magazines, primarily for the Australian and New Zealand markets.
With strong spiritual beliefs and an interest in metaphysical subjects, Tony has developed long relationships with many associations and societies throughout the world that have assisted his research by making their archives available.
Roger notes that the citation from N&PNF is completely bogus. However, I did find out where "Bushby" got all this.Constantine saw in this confused system of fragmented dogmas the opportunity to create a new and combined State religion, neutral in concept, and to protect it by law. When he conquered the East in 324 he sent his Spanish religious adviser, Osius of Córdoba, to Alexandria with letters to several bishops exhorting them to make peace among themselves. The mission failed and Constantine, probably at the suggestion of Osius, then issued a decree commanding all presbyters and their subordinates "be mounted on asses, mules and horses belonging to the public, and travel to the city of Nicaea" in the Roman province of Bithynia in Asia Minor.
They were instructed to bring with them the testimonies they orated to the rabble, "bound in leather" for protection during the long journey, and surrender them to Constantine upon arrival in Nicaea (The Catholic Dictionary, Addis and Arnold, 1917, "Council of Nicaea" entry [probably bogus]).
Their writings totaled, "in all, two thousand two hundred and thirty-one scrolls and legendary tales of gods and saviors, together with a record of the doctrines orated by them"
(Life of Constantine, op. cit., vol. ii, p. 73; N&PNF, op. cit., vol. i, p. 518).
Really?Law Notes, Volume 11, E. Thompson Company, 1908
[July 1907]
STORIES FROM THE LAW REPORTS: THE LIABILITY OF A FALSE PROPHET.
Ellis vs Newbrough, 6 N. Mex. 181, 27 Pac. Rep. 490
... is the founder of a new religious sect liable in damages for seducing a member of an old communion from the faith of his fathers and inducing him to join a community composed of the new sectarians? This question was answered in the negative in Ellis v. Newbrough... In that case the defendants, the leaders of the "Faithists," who had established a religious Utopia in New Mexico which they called the First Church of the Tae in the Land of Shalam, induced the plaintiff to abandon his home in far-off Georgia and cast his lot with the faithful seekers after the Life Everlasting. The plaintiff, according to his complaint, was persuaded by the false and fraudulent representations of the defendant to become a member of the community, whereupon he did to the new faith "consecrate his life, his labor, and all his worldly effects and prospects, together with those of his two children, placing all good faith und confidence in said community."
The plaintiff, after living in the community for more than two years, reached the conclusion that he had been led to follow faIse gods, and that he had been greatly damaged thereby, whereupon he brought his action, alleging that "he has sustained great damage in loss of time and labor and opportunity, and in the education of his children, and that he has suffered great anguish of mind in consequence of the dishonor and humiliation brought upon himself and his children by reason of his connection with said defendants in said community, to the damage of the plaintiff in the sum of $10,000."
... The court, however much it may have been distressed at seeing the plaintiff in such sad case, held that the law could afford him no remedy.
From a hasty examination of the religious writings used to convert the plaintiff it is difficult to determine which to admire the more — the imagination of the author or the credulity of the convert. The principal writing was entitled as follows: "Oahspe: A New Bible in the words of Jehovih and his Angel Embassadors. A sacred history of the dominions of the higher and lower heavens on the earth for the past twenty-four thousand years, together with a synopsis of the cosmogony of the universe; the creation of planets; the creation of man; the unseen worlds; the labor and glory of gods and goddesses in the ethereal heavens. With the new commandments of Jehovih to man of the present day. With revelations from the second resurrection, formed in words in the thirty-third year of the Kosmon era." A neat, illuminative, and modest title that. The book was written in an admirable spirit, too, as was shown by the declaration in the preface that "it blows nobodys horn; it makes no leader."
The Oahspe contained a very interesting account of the circumstances attending its origin. This account was summarized by the court an follows: "That once upon a time the world was ruled by a triune composed of Brahma and Buddha and one Looeamong; that the devil, entering into the presence of Looeamong, tempted him by showing the great power of Buddha and Brahma, and induced him (Looeamong) to take upon himself The name Kriste, so that it came to pass that the followers of Kristie were called Kristeyans; that Looeamong or Kriste, through his commanding general, Gabriel, captured the opposing gods, together with their entire command of 7,600,000 angels, and cast them into hell, where there were already more than 10,000,000 who were in chaos and madness. This Kriste afterward assembled a number of his men to adopt a Code. At this meeting it in said there were produced 2,231 books and legendary tales of gods and saviors and great men, etc. This council was in session four years and seven months, and at the end of that time there had been selected and combined much that was good and great, and worded so as to be well remembered of mortals."
This statement, condensed though it is, shows that the book threw some valuable sidelights upon sacred history. After having agreed upon a Bible — or "adopted a platform,” as the court somewhat irreverently says — the council proceeded to the election of a god. The contest for this honorable position seems to have been a free-for-all one, the contestants including, in addition to "Kriste," heathen and Brahmin deities, to say nothing of others whose religious affiliations we are unable to classify. On the first ballot there were thirty-seven candidates, among them being such well-known divinities as Vulcan, Jupiter, and .Minerva. It seems that the convention was deadlocked for quite a while. “The record tells us that at the end of seven days' balloting 'the number of gods was reduced to twenty-seven.' And so the convention or council remained in session 'for one year and five months, the balloting lasted, and at the end of that time the ballot rested nearly equal on five gods, namely, Jove, Kriste, Mars, Crite, and Siva,' and thus the balloting stood for seven weeks. At this point Hataus, who was the chief spokesman for Kriste, proposed to leave the matter of a selection to the angels. The convention, worn out with speech-making and balloting, readily accepted this plan. Kriste, who, under his former name of Looeamong, still retained command of the angels (for he had prudently declined to surrender one position until he had been elected to the other), together with his hosts, gave a sign in fire of a cross smeared with blood, whereupon be was declared elected [as presiding god], and on motion his selection was made unanimous." J.C.M. [pp 67-69]
http://books.google.com/books?id=VQQvAA ... 22&f=false
DCH