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{{Dablink| This article is about the 2007 film. For other uses, see [[Zeitgeist (disambiguation)]].}} |
{{Dablink| This article is about the 2007 film. For other uses, see [[Zeitgeist (disambiguation)]].}} |
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{{Infobox film |
{{Infobox film |
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| name = ''Zeitgeist: the Movie'' |
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| image = Zeitgeist-themovie.jpg |
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| director = [[Peter Joseph]] |
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| producer = Peter Joseph |
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| url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166827/ |
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| title = IMDb Profile |
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| publisher = imdb.com |
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| date = February 18, 2008 |
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| accessdate = March 15, 2009}}</ref> |
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| url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166827/companycredits |
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| title = IMDb company credits |
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| publisher = imdb.com |
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| accessdate = March 15, 2009}}</ref> |
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'''''Zeitgeist: the Movie''''' is a [[2007 in film|2007]] [[documentary film]] by [[Peter Joseph]] that asserts a number of ideas, including an artificial, mythological origin of [[Christianity]], alternate theories for the parties responsible for the [[September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks|September 11th attacks]], and finally, that a cabal of international bankers have been manipulating the international monetary system and the media in order to consolidate power under a [[New World Order (conspiracy theory)|unified world government]]. |
'''''Zeitgeist: the Movie''''' is a [[2007 in film|2007]] [[documentary film]] by [[Peter Joseph]] that asserts a number of ideas, including an artificial, mythological origin of [[Christianity]], alternate theories for the parties responsible for the [[September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks|September 11th attacks]], and finally, that a cabal of international bankers have been manipulating the international monetary system and the media in order to consolidate power under a [[New World Order (conspiracy theory)|unified world government]]. |
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⚫ | The film was officially released online on June 18, 2007 on zeitgeistmovie.com.<ref>{{Cite web|title= Zeitgeist Addendum: Steps toward a sustainable future| last= Ananda| first = Rady| publisher= [http://www.opednews.com/ OpEdNews]| url= http://www.opednews.com/articles/Zeitgeist-Addendum-Steps-by-Rady-Ananda-081012-334.html| accessdate= 23 July 2009}}</ref> In addition to attracting significant public interest,<ref name="IrishTimes">[[Irish Times]] (August 25, 2007) ''[http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/weekend/2007/0825/1187332519087.html Zeitgeist: the nonsense]'' Section: Weekend; page 16.</ref> it has been widely criticized for ignoring facts and being deceptive.<ref>Constant, Paul. (September 5, 2007) [[The Stranger (newspaper)|The Stranger]] ''[http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=309650 Beauty Is Truth.]'' Section: Features.</ref><ref>Frauenfelder, Mark. (August 6, 2007) [[Boing Boing]] ''[http://www.boingboing.net/2007/08/06/jay-kinney-reviews-z.html Jay Kinney reviews Zeitgeist, the Movie.]''</ref><ref>Tossell, Ivor. (August 20, 2007) [[The Globe and Mail]] ''[http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FRTGAM.20070816.wweb17%2FBNStory%2FTechnology&ord=5691605&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true Rejecting conspiracy thinking keeps it alive and well]''</ref><ref name=Gauntlet>Marcellus, Jordyn. (March 13, 2008) [[Gauntlet (newspaper)]] ''[http://gauntlet.ucalgary.ca/story/12284 Zeitgeist ist "time ghost" auf Deutsch, ja!]''</ref> A sequel, ''[[Zeitgeist: Addendum]]'', focuses further on the monetary system and advocates a resource-based social system influenced by the ideas of [[Jacque Fresco]] and [[The Venus Project]].<ref name="NYT20090317"/><ref>{{cite web| title= Statement|publisher= Zeitgeistmovie.com| url= http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/statement.htm| accessdate= 23 July 2009}}</ref> Following ''Zeitgeist: Addendum'', Peter Joseph created an organization called [[The Zeitgeist Movement]] to promote the ideas of Fresco's Venus Project.<ref name="zeitgeist manual">{{cite web|url=http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/The%20Zeitgeist%20Movement.pdf|title=Movement Orientation Guide:THE ZEITGEIST MOVEMENT – OBSERVATIONS AND RESPONSES|last=Joseph|first=Peter |coauthors=Roxanne Meadows, Jacque Fresco|date=February 2009|work=Activist Orientation Guide|publisher=www.thezeitgeistmovement.com|accessdate=2009-04-08}}</ref> A third film called ''Zeitgeist: Moving Forward'' is scheduled to be released in Fall 2010. Peter Joseph has stated that its topics will focus on human behavior, technology, and rationality.<ref>[http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=1905&func=showcat&catid=232 The Zeitgeist Movement Public Forum, Radio Address, Full Q & As.] Retrieved on 2009-05-31</ref> |
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The film was officially released online on June 18, 2007 on zeitgeistmovie.com.<ref>{{Cite web |
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| title = Zeitgeist Addendum: Steps toward a sustainable future |
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| last = Ananda | first = Rady |
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| publisher = [http://www.opednews.com/ OpEdNews] |
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| url = http://www.opednews.com/articles/Zeitgeist-Addendum-Steps-by-Rady-Ananda-081012-334.html |
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| accessdate = 23 July 2009 |
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⚫ | }}</ref> |
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by the ideas of [[Jacque Fresco]] and [[The Venus Project]].<ref>{{cite web |
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| title = Statement |
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| publisher = Zeitgeistmovie.com |
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| url = http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/statement.htm |
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| accessdate = 23 July 2009 |
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}}</ref> Following ''Zeitgeist: Addendum'', Peter Joseph created an organization called [[The Zeitgeist Movement]] to promote the ideas of Fresco's Venus Project.<ref name="zeitgeist manual">{{cite web|url=http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/The%20Zeitgeist%20Movement.pdf|title=Movement Orientation Guide:THE ZEITGEIST MOVEMENT – OBSERVATIONS AND RESPONSES|last=Joseph|first=Peter |coauthors=Roxanne Meadows, Jacque Fresco|date=February 2009|work=Activist Orientation Guide|publisher=www.thezeitgeistmovement.com|accessdate=2009-04-08}}</ref> A third film called ''Zeitgeist: Moving Forward'' is scheduled to be released in Fall 2010. Peter Joseph has stated that its topics will focus on human behavior, technology, and rationality.<ref>The Zeitgeist Movement Public Forum, Radio Address, Full Q & As (from Peter), available at http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=1905&func=showcat&catid=232. Retrieved on 2009-05-31</ref> |
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==Synopsis== |
==Synopsis== |
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This section also claims the existence of a secret agreement to merge the United States, Canada and Mexico into a "[[North American Union]]". The creation of this North American Union is then alleged to be a step towards the creation of "[[world government|One World Government]]." The film speculates that under such a government, every human could be implanted with an [[Microchip implant (human)|RFID chip]] to monitor individuals and suppress dissent. |
This section also claims the existence of a secret agreement to merge the United States, Canada and Mexico into a "[[North American Union]]". The creation of this North American Union is then alleged to be a step towards the creation of "[[world government|One World Government]]." The film speculates that under such a government, every human could be implanted with an [[Microchip implant (human)|RFID chip]] to monitor individuals and suppress dissent. |
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An updated version of ''Zeitgeist'' released in 2010 removes the North American Union section among other changes.<ref>{{Cite web |
An updated version of ''Zeitgeist'' released in 2010 removes the North American Union section among other changes.<ref>{{Cite web| title= Zeitgeist: The Movie - Q&A| publisher= Zeitgeistthefilm.com| url= http://www.zeitgeistthefilm.com/qa.html| accessdate = September 2010}}</ref> |
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| title = Zeitgeist: The Movie - Q&A |
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| publisher = Zeitgeistthefilm.com |
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| url = http://www.zeitgeistthefilm.com/qa.html |
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| accessdate = September 2010 |
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}}</ref> |
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== Awards == |
== Awards == |
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⚫ | The film was screened on November 10, 2007 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood as part of the 4th Annual [[Artivist Film Festival]], where it won the Best Feature award in the Artivist Spirit category for feature-length documentaries.<ref name="MW20071105">{{cite web|title=4th Annual Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Awards Announce the Winning Films of This Year's Festival|date=November 5, 2007|publisher=Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Award press release|url=http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=788818|accessdate=February 10, 2009}}</ref><ref name="NB20071031">{{cite web|title=4th Annual Artivist Film Festival & Artivist Awards: "Merging Art & Activism"|date=October 31, 2007|publisher=Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Awards press release|url=http://newsblaze.com/story/20071031143153tsop.np/topstory.html|accessdate=February 10, 2009}}</ref> In 2008, the film's sequel, ''[[Zeitgeist: Addendum]]'', received the same award at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.<ref name="Artivist">{{cite web|url=http://www.artivist.com/festival/artivist_awards.php|title=Artivist Awards 2008|publisher=Artivist}}</ref> In September 2008, ''Zeitgeist, The Movie'' also received a Special Acknowledgment Award at Rutger Hauer's ICFILMS Film Festival in Milan, Italy.<ref name="milan">{{cite web|url=http://www.cortoweb.com/icfilms/eng/2008_winners.php|title=The 2008 Winners|publisher=I've Seen Films International Film Festival}}</ref> |
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The film was screened on November 10, 2007 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood as part of a film festival held there (the 4th Annual [[Artivist Film Festival]]) where it won the Best Feature award in the Artivist Spirit category for feature-length documentaries.<ref name="MW20071105">{{cite web |
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|title=4th Annual Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Awards Announce the Winning Films of This Year's Festival |
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|date=November 5, 2007 |
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|publisher=Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Award press release |
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|url=http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=788818 |
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|accessdate=February 10, 2009}}</ref><ref name="NB20071031">{{cite web |
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|title=4th Annual Artivist Film Festival & Artivist Awards: "Merging Art & Activism" |
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|date=October 31, 2007 |
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|publisher=Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Awards press release |
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|url=http://newsblaze.com/story/20071031143153tsop.np/topstory.html |
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==Critics== |
==Critics== |
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A review in ''[[The Irish Times]]'' entitled “Zeitgeist: the Nonsense” wrote that “these are surreal perversions of genuine issues and debates, and they tarnish all criticism of faith, the Bush administration and globalization—there are more than enough factual injustices in this world to be going around without having to invent fictional ones."<ref name="Irish">{{Cite news|last=O'Dwyer|first=Davin|title=Zeitgeist: the nonsense|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2007/0825/1187332519087.html|accessdate=16 September 2010|newspaper=[[Irish Times]]|date=8 August 2007}}</ref> [[Skeptic (U.S. magazine)|''Skeptic'' magazine's]] Tim Callahan criticizes the first part of the film on the origins of Christianity: |
A review in ''[[The Irish Times]]'' entitled “Zeitgeist: the Nonsense” wrote that “these are surreal perversions of genuine issues and debates, and they tarnish all criticism of faith, the Bush administration and globalization—there are more than enough factual injustices in this world to be going around without having to invent fictional ones."<ref name="Irish">{{Cite news|last=O'Dwyer|first=Davin|title=Zeitgeist: the nonsense|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2007/0825/1187332519087.html|accessdate=16 September 2010|newspaper=[[Irish Times]]|date=8 August 2007}}</ref> [[Skeptic (U.S. magazine)|''Skeptic'' magazine's]] Tim Callahan criticizes the first part of the film on the origins of Christianity: |
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<blockquote>Some of what it asserts is true. Unfortunately, this material is liberally—and sloppily—mixed with material that is only partially true and much that is plainly and simply bogus. […] ''Zeitgeist'' is ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' on steroids.<ref name="callahan">{{Cite news |
<blockquote>Some of what it asserts is true. Unfortunately, this material is liberally—and sloppily—mixed with material that is only partially true and much that is plainly and simply bogus. […] ''Zeitgeist'' is ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'' on steroids.<ref name="callahan">{{Cite news| title= The Greatest Story Ever Garbled| last= Callahan| first = Tim| magazine= Skeptic| volume= 28| issue= 1| year= 2009|url= http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/09-02-25#feature}}</ref></blockquote> |
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| title = The Greatest Story Ever Garbled |
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| last = Callahan | first = Tim |
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| magazine = Skeptic |
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| volume = 28 |
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| issue = 1 |
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| year = 2009 |
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| url = http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/09-02-25#feature |
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}}</ref></blockquote> |
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Other reviews assert that it is "conspiracy crap",<ref name="vvoice">{{Cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-09-10/film/able-danger/|publisher=[[The Village Voice]]|last=Orange|first=Michelle|title=Able Danger|date=10 September 2008}}</ref> “based solely on anecdotal evidence” and “fiction couched in a few facts”,<ref name="utne">{{Cite web|date=January 1, 2008|publisher=[[Utne Reader]]|url=http://www.utne.com/2008-01-01/Politics/Towers-of-Babble.aspx|title=Towers of Babble}}</ref> or disparaging reference is made to its part in |
Other reviews assert that it is "conspiracy crap",<ref name="vvoice">{{Cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-09-10/film/able-danger/|publisher=[[The Village Voice]]|last=Orange|first=Michelle|title=Able Danger|date=10 September 2008}}</ref> “based solely on anecdotal evidence” and “fiction couched in a few facts”,<ref name="utne">{{Cite web|date=January 1, 2008|publisher=[[Utne Reader]]|url=http://www.utne.com/2008-01-01/Politics/Towers-of-Babble.aspx|title=Towers of Babble}}</ref> or disparaging reference is made to its part in the [[9/11 truth movement]].<ref name="NYT20090317">{{Cite news|title=They’ve Seen the Future and Dislike the Present|author=Alan Feuer|date=March 17, 2009<!--"A version of this article appeared in print on March 17, 2009, on page A24 of the New York edition." -->|publisher=The New York Times|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/nyregion/17zeitgeist.html|accessdate=March 17, 2009}}</ref> |
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{{Cite news |
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|title=They’ve Seen the Future and Dislike the Present |
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|author=Alan Feuer|date=March 17, 2009<!--"A version of this article appeared in print on March 17, 2009, on page A24 of the New York edition." --> |
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|publisher=The New York Times |
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|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/nyregion/17zeitgeist.html |
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|accessdate=March 17, 2009}}</ref> |
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Film-maker Dmitri Bushny, writing in the Russian |
Film-maker Dmitri Bushny, writing in the Russian weekly ''[[Literaturnaya Gazeta]]'', was a rare voice in the mainstream press in praising the film, saying that it "utterly destroyed the official version" of the [[September 11 attacks]]. Acknowledging widespread criticism of part 2 as "internet nonsense", he defended the film for raising questions about the attacks, arguing that "there is no distortion in putting forward rational questions and trying to answer them. This is done persuasively, and no perception of underhand shuffling or manipulation arises."<ref name="Litgaz1">{{Cite news|last=Bushny|first=Dmitri|title=Долгое эхо кошмара (Long echo of a nightmare)|url=http://www.lgz.ru/article/6173/|accessdate=16 September 2010|newspaper=[[Literaturnaya Gazeta]]|date=15 October 2008|language=Russian}}</ref> |
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Some journalists have focused on it as an example of how conspiracy theories are propagated in the internet age. For example, Ivor Tossell in the [[Globe and Mail]] argued that contradictions in the film are overwhelmed by passion and effective use of video editing: |
Some journalists have focused on it as an example of how conspiracy theories are propagated in the internet age. For example, Ivor Tossell in the ''[[Globe and Mail]]'' argued that contradictions in the film are overwhelmed by passion and effective use of video editing: |
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<blockquote>The film is an interesting object lesson on how conspiracy theories get to be so popular... It's a driven, if uneven, piece of propaganda, a marvel of tight editing and fuzzy thinking. Its on-camera sources are mostly conspiracy theorists, co-mingled with selective eyewitness accounts, drawn from archival footage and often taken out of context. It derides the media as a pawn of the International Bankers, but produces media reports for credibility when convenient. The film ignores expert opinion, except the handful of experts who agree with it. And yet, it's compelling. It shamelessly ploughs forward, connecting dots with an earnest certainty that makes you want to give it an A for effort.<ref name="Globemail1">{{Cite news|last=Tossell|first=Ivor|title=Conspiracy theorists yelling in the echo chamber|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/article116192.ece|accessdate=15 September 2010|newspaper=[[Globe and Mail]]|date=17 August 2007}}</ref> </blockquote> |
<blockquote>The film is an interesting object lesson on how conspiracy theories get to be so popular... It's a driven, if uneven, piece of propaganda, a marvel of tight editing and fuzzy thinking. Its on-camera sources are mostly conspiracy theorists, co-mingled with selective eyewitness accounts, drawn from archival footage and often taken out of context. It derides the media as a pawn of the International Bankers, but produces media reports for credibility when convenient. The film ignores expert opinion, except the handful of experts who agree with it. And yet, it's compelling. It shamelessly ploughs forward, connecting dots with an earnest certainty that makes you want to give it an A for effort.<ref name="Globemail1">{{Cite news|last=Tossell|first=Ivor|title=Conspiracy theorists yelling in the echo chamber|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/article116192.ece|accessdate=15 September 2010|newspaper=[[Globe and Mail]]|date=17 August 2007}}</ref> </blockquote> |
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And Felipe Feio in [[Diário de Notícias]] reflecting upon the film's tremendous internet popularity, stated that "Fiction or not, ''Zeitgeist, The Movie'' threatens to become the champion of conspiracy theories of today." |
And Felipe Feio in [[Diário de Notícias]] reflecting upon the film's tremendous internet popularity, stated that "Fiction or not, ''Zeitgeist, The Movie'' threatens to become the champion of conspiracy theories of today."<ref name="Diario1">{{Cite news|last=Feio|first=Felipe|title=Teoria da conspiração no 'top' do Google Video (Conspiracy theory is the 'top' Google Video)|url=http://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/interior.aspx?content_id=1002811|accessdate=16 September 2010|newspaper=[[Diário de Notícias]]|date=18 February 2008|language=Portuguese}}</ref> |
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===Scholarly responses=== |
===Scholarly responses=== |
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{{quote|“The postmodernist belief in the relativism of truth, coupled to the clicker culture of mass media where attention spans are measured in New York minutes, leaves us with a bewildering array of truth claims packaged in infotainment units. It must be true—I saw it on television, at the movies, on the Internet, ''The Twilight Zone'', ''The Outer Limits'', ''That's Incredible'', ''The Sixth Sense'', ''Poltergeist'', ''Loose Change'', ''Zeitgeist the Movie''.”<ref name="SciAm">{{Cite journal|title=I Want to Believe|last=Shermer|first=Michael|journal=''Scientific American''|date=July 2009|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-skepticism-reveals}}</ref>}} |
{{quote|“The postmodernist belief in the relativism of truth, coupled to the clicker culture of mass media where attention spans are measured in New York minutes, leaves us with a bewildering array of truth claims packaged in infotainment units. It must be true—I saw it on television, at the movies, on the Internet, ''The Twilight Zone'', ''The Outer Limits'', ''That's Incredible'', ''The Sixth Sense'', ''Poltergeist'', ''Loose Change'', ''Zeitgeist the Movie''.”<ref name="SciAm">{{Cite journal|title=I Want to Believe|last=Shermer|first=Michael|journal=''Scientific American''|date=July 2009|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-skepticism-reveals}}</ref>}} |
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A more severe overall treatment is given by Jane Chapman, a film producer and reader in media studies at the [[University of Lincoln]], who analyzes ''Zeitgeist'' (“A fast-paced assemblage of [[agitprop]]”) as an example of unethical film-making.<ref name="chapman">{{Cite book|title= Issues in Contemporary Documentary|publisher=Polity Press|last=Chapman|first=Jane|pages=171–173|year=2009|isbn= 978-0745636122}}</ref> She accuses Joseph of deceit through the use of unsourced and unreferenced assertions, and standard film-making propaganda techniques. While parts of the film are, she says, |
A more severe overall treatment is given by Jane Chapman, a film producer and reader in media studies at the [[University of Lincoln]], who analyzes ''Zeitgeist'' (“A fast-paced assemblage of [[agitprop]]”) as an example of unethical film-making.<ref name="chapman">{{Cite book|title= Issues in Contemporary Documentary|publisher=Polity Press|last=Chapman|first=Jane|pages=171–173|year=2009|isbn= 978-0745636122}}</ref> She accuses Joseph of deceit through the use of unsourced and unreferenced assertions, and standard film-making propaganda techniques. While parts of the film are, she says, "comically" self-defeating, the nature of “twisted evidence” and use of Madrid bomb footage to imply it is of the London bombings (she approvingly cites a student journalist who calls it an "out and out lie") amount to ethical abuse in sourcing (in later versions of the movie, a subtitle is added to this footage identifying it as from the Madrid bombings). She finishes her analysis with the comment: |
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{{quote|Thus legitimate questions about what happened on 9/11, and about corruption in religious and financial organizations, are all undermined by the film’s determined effort to maximize an emotional response at the expense of reasoned argument.}} |
{{quote|Thus legitimate questions about what happened on 9/11, and about corruption in religious and financial organizations, are all undermined by the film’s determined effort to maximize an emotional response at the expense of reasoned argument.}} |
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Chris Forbes, Senior lecturer in [[Ancient History]] of [[Macquarie University]] and member of the [[Synod]] of the Diocese of Sydney, has severely criticized Part I of the movie as having no basis in serious scholarship or ancient sources, relying on amateur sources that "borrow ideas from each other, and who recycle the same silly stuff" and "not a single serious source" can be found in official reference lists attached to the movie.<ref name= |
Chris Forbes, Senior lecturer in [[Ancient History]] of [[Macquarie University]] and member of the [[Synod]] of the Diocese of Sydney, has severely criticized Part I of the movie as having no basis in serious scholarship or ancient sources, relying on amateur sources that "borrow ideas from each other, and who recycle the same silly stuff" and "not a single serious source" can be found in official reference lists attached to the movie. Of the film he says, "It is extraordinary how many claims it makes which are simply not true."<ref name=forbes>{{Cite web|url=http://www.publicchristianity.com/Videos/zeitgeist.html|title=Zeitgeist: Time to discard the Christian story?|publisher=Interview at the Centre for Public Christianity, Sydney, Australia}}</ref> |
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Forbes claims there is no evidence in Egyptian sources saying that Horus' mother [[Isis]] was a virgin. Similarly, neither [[Krishna]] (the eighth son), [[Dionysus]] (whose mother had slept with Zeus) nor [[Attis]] were ever supposed born of virgins. He points out that "son" and "sun" are not [[Homophone|homophonic]] words in either Latin, Ancient Egyptian, or Greek, and therefore no such misunderstanding would occur; that the December 25 birth is not part of any of the myths, including that of Jesus, for whom Christmas Day was appointed as a festival day in open knowledge that the real date was not known |
Forbes claims there is no evidence in Egyptian sources saying that Horus' mother [[Isis]] was a virgin. Similarly, neither [[Krishna]] (the eighth son), [[Dionysus]] (whose mother had slept with [[Zeus]]) nor [[Attis]] were ever supposed born of virgins. He points out that "son" and "sun" are not [[Homophone|homophonic]] words in either Latin, Ancient Egyptian, or Greek, and therefore no such misunderstanding would occur; that the December 25 birth is not part of any of the myths, including that of Jesus, for whom Christmas Day was appointed as a festival day in open knowledge that the real date was not known, as December 25 was actually the day when the god [[Mithras]] was born.<ref name=forbes/> |
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Forbes also criticizes the movie's use of Roman sources to suggest that Jesus didn't exist, noting that a long list flashed across the screen of supposed contemporaneous historians that did not mention Jesus is actually a list of geographers, gardening |
Forbes also criticizes the movie's use of Roman sources to suggest that Jesus didn't exist, noting that a long list flashed across the screen of supposed contemporaneous historians that did not mention Jesus is actually a list of geographers, writers of farming or gardening, literature professors, poets, philosophers and uncredentialed amateur Egyptologists who should not be expected to mention him. Forbes criticizes the film's allegation that [[Josephus]]' mention of Jesus was doctored by pointing out that Josephus actually mentions Jesus twice, and that only one of these mentions is believed by scholars to have been doctored in the Middle Ages, in order to change an already existing mention of him. Forbes also asserts that while Constantine legalized Christianity, it was [[Theodosius I]] who made it compulsory later in the 4th century, and that contrary to the film's thesis, Constantine did not invent the historical Jesus, as early records show that his historicity was already a key element of early Christianity prior to Constantine's conversion to it.<ref name=forbes/> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist|2}} |
{{Reflist|2}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ |
* [http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ The Zeitgeist Film Series Gateway] |
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* [http://www.zeitgeistthefilm.com/index.html |
* [http://www.zeitgeistthefilm.com/index.html Official Website for ''Zeitgeist: The Movie''] |
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* [http://www.zeitgeistaddendum.com/ |
* [http://www.zeitgeistaddendum.com/ Official Website for ''Zeitgeist: Addendum''] |
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* [http://www.zeitgeistthefilm.com/Zeitgeist,%20The%20Movie-%20Companion%20Guide%20PDF.pdf |
* [http://www.zeitgeistthefilm.com/Zeitgeist,%20The%20Movie-%20Companion%20Guide%20PDF.pdf Official 220 Page "Companion Source Guide" for Zeitgeist: The Movie (2010)] |
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* [http://vimeo.com/13726978 ''Zeitgeist, The Movie'' (2010 updated version)] at [[Vimeo]] |
* [http://vimeo.com/13726978 ''Zeitgeist, The Movie'' (2010 updated version)] at [[Vimeo]] |
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* [http://vimeo.com/13770061 ''Zeitgeist: Addendum''] at [[Vimeo]] |
* [http://vimeo.com/13770061 ''Zeitgeist: Addendum''] at [[Vimeo]] |
Revision as of 20:42, 20 September 2010
Zeitgeist: the Movie | |
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Directed by | Peter Joseph |
Written by | Peter Joseph |
Produced by | Peter Joseph |
Edited by | Peter Joseph |
Music by | Peter Joseph |
Distributed by | GMP LLC |
Release date | 2007 |
Running time | 122 min |
Language | English |
Zeitgeist: the Movie is a 2007 documentary film by Peter Joseph that asserts a number of ideas, including an artificial, mythological origin of Christianity, alternate theories for the parties responsible for the September 11th attacks, and finally, that a cabal of international bankers have been manipulating the international monetary system and the media in order to consolidate power under a unified world government.
The film was officially released online on June 18, 2007 on zeitgeistmovie.com.[1] In addition to attracting significant public interest,[2] it has been widely criticized for ignoring facts and being deceptive.[3][4][5][6] A sequel, Zeitgeist: Addendum, focuses further on the monetary system and advocates a resource-based social system influenced by the ideas of Jacque Fresco and The Venus Project.[7][8] Following Zeitgeist: Addendum, Peter Joseph created an organization called The Zeitgeist Movement to promote the ideas of Fresco's Venus Project.[9] A third film called Zeitgeist: Moving Forward is scheduled to be released in Fall 2010. Peter Joseph has stated that its topics will focus on human behavior, technology, and rationality.[10]
Synopsis
The film opens with animated abstract visualizations, film and stock footage, a cartoon and audio quotes about spirituality, followed by clips of war, explosions, and the September 11 attacks. This is followed by the film's title screen. The film's introduction ends with a portion of the late comedian George Carlin's monologue on religion accompanied by an animated cartoon.
Part I, entitled The Greatest Story Ever Told, questions religions as being god-given stories, arguing that the Christian religion specifically is mainly derived from other religions, astronomical facts, astrological myths and traditions, which in turn were derived from or shared elements with others. In furtherance of the Jesus myth hypothesis, this part argues that the historical Jesus is a literary and astrological hybrid, nurtured politically.
Part II, entitled All the World's a Stage, uses integral footage of several 9/11 conspiracy theory films to illustrate how the September 11 attacks were either orchestrated or allowed to happen by elements within the United States government in order to generate mass fear, initiate and justify the War on Terror, provide a pretext for the curtailment of civil liberties, and produce economic gain. These claims include that the US government had advance knowledge about the attacks, the response of the military deliberately let the planes reach their targets, and the World Trade Center buildings 1, 2, and 7 underwent a controlled demolition.
Part III, entitled Don't Mind the Men Behind the Curtain, argues that three wars of the United States during the twentieth century were waged purely for economic gain by what the film refers to as "international bankers". The film alleges that certain events were engineered as excuses to enter into war including the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, the Attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.
According to the film, the US was forced by the Federal Reserve Bank to become embroiled in these wars, not with a view to win but to sustain the conflict, as this forces the US government to borrow money from the bank, allegedly increasing the profits of the "international bankers". The film then goes on to claim that the Federal Income Tax is illegal.
This section also claims the existence of a secret agreement to merge the United States, Canada and Mexico into a "North American Union". The creation of this North American Union is then alleged to be a step towards the creation of "One World Government." The film speculates that under such a government, every human could be implanted with an RFID chip to monitor individuals and suppress dissent.
An updated version of Zeitgeist released in 2010 removes the North American Union section among other changes.[11]
Awards
The film was screened on November 10, 2007 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood as part of the 4th Annual Artivist Film Festival, where it won the Best Feature award in the Artivist Spirit category for feature-length documentaries.[12][13] In 2008, the film's sequel, Zeitgeist: Addendum, received the same award at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.[14] In September 2008, Zeitgeist, The Movie also received a Special Acknowledgment Award at Rutger Hauer's ICFILMS Film Festival in Milan, Italy.[15]
Critics
Media
A review in The Irish Times entitled “Zeitgeist: the Nonsense” wrote that “these are surreal perversions of genuine issues and debates, and they tarnish all criticism of faith, the Bush administration and globalization—there are more than enough factual injustices in this world to be going around without having to invent fictional ones."[16] Skeptic magazine's Tim Callahan criticizes the first part of the film on the origins of Christianity:
Some of what it asserts is true. Unfortunately, this material is liberally—and sloppily—mixed with material that is only partially true and much that is plainly and simply bogus. […] Zeitgeist is The Da Vinci Code on steroids.[17]
Other reviews assert that it is "conspiracy crap",[18] “based solely on anecdotal evidence” and “fiction couched in a few facts”,[19] or disparaging reference is made to its part in the 9/11 truth movement.[7]
Film-maker Dmitri Bushny, writing in the Russian weekly Literaturnaya Gazeta, was a rare voice in the mainstream press in praising the film, saying that it "utterly destroyed the official version" of the September 11 attacks. Acknowledging widespread criticism of part 2 as "internet nonsense", he defended the film for raising questions about the attacks, arguing that "there is no distortion in putting forward rational questions and trying to answer them. This is done persuasively, and no perception of underhand shuffling or manipulation arises."[20]
Some journalists have focused on it as an example of how conspiracy theories are propagated in the internet age. For example, Ivor Tossell in the Globe and Mail argued that contradictions in the film are overwhelmed by passion and effective use of video editing:
The film is an interesting object lesson on how conspiracy theories get to be so popular... It's a driven, if uneven, piece of propaganda, a marvel of tight editing and fuzzy thinking. Its on-camera sources are mostly conspiracy theorists, co-mingled with selective eyewitness accounts, drawn from archival footage and often taken out of context. It derides the media as a pawn of the International Bankers, but produces media reports for credibility when convenient. The film ignores expert opinion, except the handful of experts who agree with it. And yet, it's compelling. It shamelessly ploughs forward, connecting dots with an earnest certainty that makes you want to give it an A for effort.[21]
And Felipe Feio in Diário de Notícias reflecting upon the film's tremendous internet popularity, stated that "Fiction or not, Zeitgeist, The Movie threatens to become the champion of conspiracy theories of today."[22]
Scholarly responses
Academic coverage of Zeitgeist has been sparse, mainly lumping the movie in with other conspiracy movies, and typically treating it as part of a contemporary phenomenon of “truth” movies. According to an article published in Scientific American by Michael Shermer:
“The postmodernist belief in the relativism of truth, coupled to the clicker culture of mass media where attention spans are measured in New York minutes, leaves us with a bewildering array of truth claims packaged in infotainment units. It must be true—I saw it on television, at the movies, on the Internet, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, That's Incredible, The Sixth Sense, Poltergeist, Loose Change, Zeitgeist the Movie.”[23]
A more severe overall treatment is given by Jane Chapman, a film producer and reader in media studies at the University of Lincoln, who analyzes Zeitgeist (“A fast-paced assemblage of agitprop”) as an example of unethical film-making.[24] She accuses Joseph of deceit through the use of unsourced and unreferenced assertions, and standard film-making propaganda techniques. While parts of the film are, she says, "comically" self-defeating, the nature of “twisted evidence” and use of Madrid bomb footage to imply it is of the London bombings (she approvingly cites a student journalist who calls it an "out and out lie") amount to ethical abuse in sourcing (in later versions of the movie, a subtitle is added to this footage identifying it as from the Madrid bombings). She finishes her analysis with the comment:
Thus legitimate questions about what happened on 9/11, and about corruption in religious and financial organizations, are all undermined by the film’s determined effort to maximize an emotional response at the expense of reasoned argument.
Chris Forbes, Senior lecturer in Ancient History of Macquarie University and member of the Synod of the Diocese of Sydney, has severely criticized Part I of the movie as having no basis in serious scholarship or ancient sources, relying on amateur sources that "borrow ideas from each other, and who recycle the same silly stuff" and "not a single serious source" can be found in official reference lists attached to the movie. Of the film he says, "It is extraordinary how many claims it makes which are simply not true."[25]
Forbes claims there is no evidence in Egyptian sources saying that Horus' mother Isis was a virgin. Similarly, neither Krishna (the eighth son), Dionysus (whose mother had slept with Zeus) nor Attis were ever supposed born of virgins. He points out that "son" and "sun" are not homophonic words in either Latin, Ancient Egyptian, or Greek, and therefore no such misunderstanding would occur; that the December 25 birth is not part of any of the myths, including that of Jesus, for whom Christmas Day was appointed as a festival day in open knowledge that the real date was not known, as December 25 was actually the day when the god Mithras was born.[25]
Forbes also criticizes the movie's use of Roman sources to suggest that Jesus didn't exist, noting that a long list flashed across the screen of supposed contemporaneous historians that did not mention Jesus is actually a list of geographers, writers of farming or gardening, literature professors, poets, philosophers and uncredentialed amateur Egyptologists who should not be expected to mention him. Forbes criticizes the film's allegation that Josephus' mention of Jesus was doctored by pointing out that Josephus actually mentions Jesus twice, and that only one of these mentions is believed by scholars to have been doctored in the Middle Ages, in order to change an already existing mention of him. Forbes also asserts that while Constantine legalized Christianity, it was Theodosius I who made it compulsory later in the 4th century, and that contrary to the film's thesis, Constantine did not invent the historical Jesus, as early records show that his historicity was already a key element of early Christianity prior to Constantine's conversion to it.[25]
See also
- The Zeitgeist Movement
- Bible conspiracy theory
- Christ myth theory
- Jesus Christ in comparative mythology
- 9/11 conspiracy theories
- Money as Debt
References
- ^ Ananda, Rady. "Zeitgeist Addendum: Steps toward a sustainable future". OpEdNews. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
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- ^ Irish Times (August 25, 2007) Zeitgeist: the nonsense Section: Weekend; page 16.
- ^ Constant, Paul. (September 5, 2007) The Stranger Beauty Is Truth. Section: Features.
- ^ Frauenfelder, Mark. (August 6, 2007) Boing Boing Jay Kinney reviews Zeitgeist, the Movie.
- ^ Tossell, Ivor. (August 20, 2007) The Globe and Mail Rejecting conspiracy thinking keeps it alive and well
- ^ Marcellus, Jordyn. (March 13, 2008) Gauntlet (newspaper) Zeitgeist ist "time ghost" auf Deutsch, ja!
- ^ a b Alan Feuer (March 17, 2009). "They've Seen the Future and Dislike the Present". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
- ^ "Statement". Zeitgeistmovie.com. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
- ^ Joseph, Peter (February 2009). "Movement Orientation Guide:THE ZEITGEIST MOVEMENT – OBSERVATIONS AND RESPONSES" (PDF). Activist Orientation Guide. www.thezeitgeistmovement.com. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
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suggested) (help) - ^ The Zeitgeist Movement Public Forum, Radio Address, Full Q & As. Retrieved on 2009-05-31
- ^ "Zeitgeist: The Movie - Q&A". Zeitgeistthefilm.com. Retrieved September 2010.
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(help) - ^ "4th Annual Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Awards Announce the Winning Films of This Year's Festival". Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Award press release. November 5, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ^ "4th Annual Artivist Film Festival & Artivist Awards: "Merging Art & Activism"". Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Awards press release. October 31, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ^ "Artivist Awards 2008". Artivist.
- ^ "The 2008 Winners". I've Seen Films International Film Festival.
- ^ O'Dwyer, Davin (8 August 2007). "Zeitgeist: the nonsense". Irish Times. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ^ Callahan, Tim (2009). "The Greatest Story Ever Garbled". Skeptic. Vol. 28, no. 1.
- ^ Orange, Michelle (10 September 2008). "Able Danger". The Village Voice.
- ^ "Towers of Babble". Utne Reader. January 1, 2008.
- ^ Bushny, Dmitri (15 October 2008). "Долгое эхо кошмара (Long echo of a nightmare)". Literaturnaya Gazeta (in Russian). Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ^ Tossell, Ivor (17 August 2007). "Conspiracy theorists yelling in the echo chamber". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ Feio, Felipe (18 February 2008). "Teoria da conspiração no 'top' do Google Video (Conspiracy theory is the 'top' Google Video)". Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ^ Shermer, Michael (July 2009). "I Want to Believe". Scientific American.
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(help) - ^ Chapman, Jane (2009). Issues in Contemporary Documentary. Polity Press. pp. 171–173. ISBN 978-0745636122.
- ^ a b c "Zeitgeist: Time to discard the Christian story?". Interview at the Centre for Public Christianity, Sydney, Australia.
External links
- The Zeitgeist Film Series Gateway
- Official Website for Zeitgeist: The Movie
- Official Website for Zeitgeist: Addendum
- Official 220 Page "Companion Source Guide" for Zeitgeist: The Movie (2010)
- Zeitgeist, The Movie (2010 updated version) at Vimeo
- Zeitgeist: Addendum at Vimeo
- Zeitgeist: Addendum at IMDb
- Zeitgeist: The Movie at IMDb
- Skeptic: The Greatest Story Ever Garbled by Tim Callahan
- Zeitgeist Debunked with guest Tim Callahan Reasonable Doubts podcast
- Interview with ancient historian Dr Chris Forbes at Centre for Public Christianity