Jesus did NOT die on cross, claims scholar

Jesus may not have died nailed to the cross because there is no evidence that the Romans crucified prisoners two thousand years ago, a scholar has claimed.

The legend of his execution is based on the traditions of the Christian church and artistic illustrations rather than antique texts, according to theologian Gunnar Samuelsson.

He claims the Bible has been misinterpreted as there are no explicit references the use of nails or to crucifixion – only that Jesus bore a ‘staurus’ towards Calvary which is not necessarily a cross but can also mean a ‘pole’. Full story at the Telegraph.

Us Godcheckers are left wondering. Jesus never went near a cross – it was a pole. So how did he die then? Hit over the head with it? Impaled? A terrible pole-vaulting accident?

In case you’re wondering, the scholar in question is a devout Christian. We urge him to complete his research and track down the missing murder weapon before anyone else gets injured.

Godchecker the Third

Today, on the very pinnacle of the Summer Solstice, we unleash the brand new Godchecker site on an unsuspecting interweb.

This is the third major version of Godchecker since we began back in 1999. The first version was embarrassingly primitive, but the second was quite clever for its time, even sporting pseudo Web 2.0 features – before Web 2.0 was even invented.

It’s been our aim to revamp the site for a while. A lot has changed since the last upgrade. Gone are the days of browser wars and incompatibility hell; now there are such things as widescreen monitors, iPads and CSS3. What a wonderful thing is technology. We thank all the Gods for inventing it.

Please let us know what you think of the new look site. We will be adding more bits and pieces over the next few weeks, so your feedback will really help us. If there’s anything you love or hate, let us know!

Act of God: Jesus zapped by lightning bolt

The calm before the storm - Jesus in happy times. Click for larger pic

A huge statue of Jesus Christ in Monroe, Ohio, USA was struck by lightning and destroyed during a thunderstorm yesterday night.

The six story statue, built next to the not entirely aptly-named Solid Rock Church, was the idea Church founder and former horse trader Lawrence Bishop and his wife.

The 'Beacon of Hope' - Click for larger view.

The $250,000 statue was intended to be a ‘beacon of hope’, but after being struck by lightning it became a rather more conventional beacon with searing flames and smoke etc. It is now more or less obliterated.

We are left wondering how the quarter of a million dollars insurance claim will fare. This was indeed the ultimate Act of God…

Original story here.

More dramatic pics can be found here.

Cover revealed! The Book of the Gods

The Book of the Gods front cover. Click for larger view

And here in all its glorious glory is the FRONT COVER of the forthcoming Godchecker hardback The Book Of The Gods, published September 2010 by History Press.

We had a small meeting today and decided to release the image to our loyal followers. Some of you have been waiting a long time for this! Hope you like it.

Click the thumbnail for a larger view.

More book previews soon!

News from Godchecker HQ

Just to keep our loyal acolytes in the loop, here’s a quick rundown of the freshest Godchecker news.

• After much hectic editorial poking and prodding, The Book of the Gods is finished, checked, stamped and approved. The artwork is currently in India being scrutinised by a crack team of expert printers and we expect an exciting parcel to arrive some time in September. Godchecker HQ sends out a large thank-you to Robin Harries of The History Press and his team for their sterling work during the editorial and design process.
• We are hoping to give everyone a sneak preview of the amazingly gorgeous cover soon. Maybe even a sample page or two. We are very very very pleased with it. The Gods have indeed been smiling upon us.
• Godchecker Marketing Dept are planning and plotting ideas for the book launch. A party seems inevitable. Maybe two. Where and when? Beer or wine? Casual dress or togas? We’ll let you know.
• Never a man to rest on his laurels (for that is extremely uncomfortable), the magnificent Chas Saunders is once again delving into pubs and real ale for his Pubology project. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it.
• Meanwhile, behind the scenes on Godchecker.com, the technical coding team lead by Dr Kludge have been working insanely on a brand new version of the site. Godchecker Mk III will be unveiled very soon!
• Many of our loyal and wonderful readers have discovered the Official Godchecker Twitter where the quirkiest of our many quirks are tweeted for your viewing pleasure. Please help us to help the Gods and spread the word!

That’s all for now. More very soon!

Discovered: Loki and Medusa’s dinosaur lovechild

Artist's rendering of Medusaceratops. (Copyright Luis Rey)

Michael J. Ryan of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History has announced the discovery of a new kind of horned dinosaur named after hideous Greek gorgon Medusa and Loki the infamous Norse Trickster God.

Approx 20 feet long and weighing more than two tons, Medusaceratops Lokii was a plant-eating dinosaur living nearly 78 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Montana, USA.

Its identification marks the discovery of a new genus of horned dinosaur. Medusaceratops had giant 3 feet long brow bones and a large, shield-like frill off the back of its skull adorned with large curling hooks. The name refers to the thickened, fossilized, snake-like hooks on the side of the frill. Medusa the Gorgon had a full head of hair consisting of horrible wriggling snakes, which were ugly enough to turn any onlookers to stone.

Medusaceratops Lokii means ‘Loki’s horn-faced Medusa’.This particular example was named after Loki, the Norse God of mischief, because the new dinosaur initially caused scientists some confusion. Loki is well-known amongst Godcheckers for producing some pretty nasty offspring. However his newly-discovered dinosaur child seems quite unique and strange. Typical Loki behavior  really.
Read the story in full at Science Daily.

Bouncey Gods: Mesoamericans invented rubber balls

Rubber Soul: Aztec God Xiuhtecuhtli playing with his rubber balls. Note the awesome sneakers. Click for larger view.

New research from MIT indicates that pre-Columbian peoples, including the Aztecs, Olmecs and Maya, were advanced rubber chemists.

By processing the sap from local rubber trees and fine-tuning it with other ingredients, an extraordinary variety of rubber materials were created.

For the soles of their sandals, they made a strong, wear-resistant rubber. For the balls used in their famous religious games, they processed it for maximum bounciness. And for rubber bands and adhesives used for ornamental wear, they produced rubber optimized for resilience and strength.

An Aztec football pitch.

It turns out that rubber production was much more advanced in Mesoamerican times than was previously thought, and the rest of civilisation’s budding football teams had to be content with kicking pig bladders around until the rubber renaissance of Charles Goodyear’s vulcanisation process in 1839.

We are busy checking our archives for Rubber Gods. Rubber balls and other bouncey items from antiquity have already been found. Now the search is on for a genuine pair of Aztec sneakers with rubber souls.

Original story from MIT here.