In existographies, John Jackson (1907-1993) (RMS:91) (FA:136) was an American Afro-American studies and religio-mythology scholar, noted for []
Christ myth
In 1938, Jackson wrote a little pamphlet called “Christianity Before Christ”. [4]
In 1974, Jackson wrote the foreword to Gerald Massey’s Lectures; the following is an example quote: [2]
“Massey, a man of many talents, distinguished himself as a social reformer, a poet and an Egyptologist. His fame rested mainly on the six monumental volumes in which he dealt at length on the mythology and religion of ancient Egypt, and on his poetry. Although he was a capable lecturer, the lectures were not widely circulated, and were privately printed in an obscure volume.”
In 1985, Jackson, turned his earlier pamphlet notes into the book Christianity Before Christ, a work which soon became of the best-selling books of the American Atheist Press (Zindler, 2002), wherein builds on Augustine’s statement that “that which is known as Christian religion existed among the ancients”, as elaborated on by Alvin Kuhn (Shadow of the Third Century, 1949), to attempt to summarize in synopsis form the comparative religion and mythology works of: T.W. Doane, James Frazer, Edward Carpenter, Godfrey Higgins, Gerald Massey, Albert Churchward, G.R.S. Mead, Arthur Drews, and Heinrich Zimmern, the German Assyriologist who discussed the “Bel passion play”, as found on a 2000BC Babylonian tablet.
In 1986, Jackson, in his lecture on “Introduction to African Civilizations”, said that his Christianity Before Christ had sold a thousand copies; commenting on an aside that he would have rather entitled as the "African Origin of Christianity", but reasoned that since most black folks were illiterate, owing to television, that he need to gear the title towards "white intellectuals", in hopes that it would be read. [4]
Religion | Atheism
Jackson, in old age, averred that he had been an atheist since he was old enough to think; his earliest recollection being when, born into a family of Methodists, the family minister asked him: “how made him”, to which he replied: “I don’t know”. [1]
In 1930 to 1955, Jackson lectured at the “Ingersoll Forum” of the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism; he also wrote for Truth Seeker magazine and the Rationalist Press association.
Influences
Jackson was influenced by Hubert Harrison, who he referred to as an "agnostic atheist". [3]
Quotes | By
The following are noted Jackson quotes:
“Most of you have the brain capacity of an intellectually retarded mule.”
— John Jackson (c.1950), comment to students, at City College New York, after finding out that most of his college students were reading at a fourth grade reading level [4]
References
1. Jackson, John G. (1985). Christianity Before Christ (forward: Frank R. Zindler). American Atheist Press.
2. Massey, Gerald. (1900). Gerald Massey Lectures (foreword: John G. Jackson; Introduction: Sibyl Ferguson) (arc) (pdf). Samuel Weiser, 1976; The Book Tree, 2008.
3. Jackson, John G. (1987). Hubert Henry Harrison: the Black Socrates (Amz) (7-pg pamphlet). American Atheist Press.
4. Jackson, John G. (1986). “Introduction to African Civilizations” (Ѻ) (pamphlet, 11:15-; mule, 14:15-14:45), Church lecture, YouTube, BrooklynMagi, 2011.
External links
● John G. Jackson (writer) – Wikipedia.
