THE CONSPIRACY OF THE CHRIST

LaFond offers an investigation of the true story of Jesus Christ in this spiritual memoir.

The author writes that he was raised Catholic, but now, he says, he does “not believe in God, although I am not opposed to a reasonable description of such a thing.” He developed a strong interest in Christianity’s foundations, he says, and this work takes readers back to those foundations in the days of Ancient Rome for an alternative version of Jesus’ story. The author’s argument is that, although Jesus was a real historical figure and miracles do sometimes happen, the story of the resurrection is false, and Jesus’ death on the cross was faked. He was administered a drug, the author asserts, that was initially tested on biblical figure Lazarus, and which allowed Jesus to appear dead. His close associates simply made it seem as if he was resurrected to cement their claim that he was the Messiah, LaFond writes, and Jesus’ true message was about diminishing one’s ego; for example, when Jesus told his followers to do such things as turn the other cheek, he was telling them to let go of their superficial selves. Such teachings connect with those reported by author Carlos Castaneda in his books on shaman Don Juan, LaFond says. Ultimately, the book argues, the Christ figure has many similarities to a shamanic warrior. The author explains in this personal account how ancient sources, such as those of historian Flavius Josephus, shaped his views, and he intriguingly opines that Castaneda was either “a consummate fraud and genius, or he was an inept anthropology student who told what he lived.” Such information offers clear insight into how the author has reached his conclusions, and he gives readers who are interested in questions of Christian theology plenty to consider. However, some aspects of the work, such as the author’s assertion of humanity’s disposition to “see development as Hegelian Dialectic,” don’t always make for easy reading. LaFond straightforwardly states that his interest lies in “why [Catholicism] fails and what could we do to improve its inadequacies”; in the end, his book provides readers with an earnest, studied look at what he characterizes as the muddled history of early Christianity.

A bold, earnest, and sometimes-dense faith exploration.