Freethought Nation

"* Acharya S., Suns of God: Krishna, Buddha and Christ Unveiled

Jesus, like Buddha and Krishna, started out as a solar myth. Acharya revives the old solar-stellar mythology approach unjustly abandoned long ado[sic]. Bravo! " http://webulite.com/node/1818

Tom Verenna/Rook Hawkins

A young bullshit artist by the pseudonym of “Rook Hawkins,” of the now infamous Rational Response Squad, is currently using the name Thomas Verenna (apparently his birth name). Unfortunately for him, the name changed has not changed the fact that he is a full of shit.

First and foremost among his bullshittery is the fact that he often (very often) calls himself a “critical historian” and sometimes even a “public historian,” despite that fact that many of us in the Atheist world doubt that the boy even has a high school diploma.

That fact that he doesn’t have any training at all in the discipline of historical studies doesn’t seem to bother the boy one bit.

Not that being an “autodidact” (as he claims), in and of itself, is anything to be ashamed of, but when a person self-addresses themselves as a “public historian” we (those of us who study history) have certain expectations for that person, e.g. having published some original work or done research with sources documents, etc.

So what is the point? Well, I, as a history student, am annoyed that Rook self-applies titles he has not earned in any sense of the word.

But not only that, I have been reading Rice University’s Dr. DeConick’s blog entitled The Forbidden Gospels because she has been commenting on the “new” and improved “Jesus Seminar.” It is fairly interesting to me because of my Divinity background and the fact that while I was attending Seminary the first “Jesus Seminar” was being held. So who appears in Dr. DeConick’s comments the other day? Rook.

So good for him, right? Wrong. He got mentioned (wow, cool) and then wrote a rather lengthy, whiny, post on his new blog claiming that the Rice University professor doesn’t understand his (a nobody with no training) argument:



It is of course insulting to suggest that the Isla Carroll and Percy E. Turner Professor of Biblical Studies at Rice University doesn’t understand his argument. But this is Rook’s modus operandi in his on-going pursuit to present himself as something he is not.

In light of this, I certainly hope that it is merely a coincidence that Dr. DeConick’s desicion to no be involved in the new Jesus Project coicided with Rook’s latest temper tantrum.

Shame on you Rook, go to college.

Rook Hawkins/tomverenna said...

"Richard Carrier has all his degrees in Classics, Classical Science, and ancient history James. And, by the by, I plan on getting my BA in Classics as well. =P (PhD...not sure what program I am entering into yet) "

"Then again many historians tend to favor Hegel--Hegel isn't a favorite of theologians. The argument, though, is that in antiquity, history was far less important--in many cases not important at all--than theology, spirituality, and narrative. Historical methodology doesn't really take that into account because its focus is on something other than theology and the narrative, and more of discovering the historical core--if any--upon which it (sometimes wrongly) assumes the narrative (any narrative) was based. This is the argument I see most often and the one I find most reasonable, in any event."