Editing Pseudohistory (section)

==== Religious pseudohistory ====
''[[Holy Blood, Holy Grail|The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail]]'' (1982) by [[Michael Baigent]], [[Richard Leigh (author)|Richard Leigh]], and [[Henry Lincoln]] is a book that purports to show that certain historical figures, such as [[Godfrey of Bouillon]], and contemporary aristocrats are the lineal descendants of [[Jesus]]. Mainstream historians have widely panned the book, categorizing it as pseudohistory,<ref>{{cite book |first=Damian |last=Thompson |title=Counterknowledge. How We Surrendered to Conspiracy Theories, Quack Medicine, Bogus Science and Fake History |publisher=Atlantic Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84354-675-7|title-link=Counterknowledge }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Pierre |last=Jarnac |title=Histoire du Trésor de Rennes-le-Château |location=[[Saleilles]] |publisher=P. Jarnac |year=1985}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Pierre |last=Jarnac |title=Les Archives de Rennes-le-Château |publisher=Editions Belisane |date=1988 |quote=Describing ''The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail'' as a "monument of mediocrity"}}<br>{{cite book |first=Jean-Luc |last=Chaumeil |title=La Table d'Isis ou Le Secret de la Lumière |publisher=Editions Guy Trédaniel |year=1994}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Marie-France |last1=Etchegoin |first2=Frédéric |last2=Lenoir |title=Code Da Vinci: L'Enquête |publisher=Robert Laffont |year=2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Jean-Jacques |last=Bedu |title=Les sources secrètes du Da Vinci Code |publisher=Editions du Rocher |year=2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Bernardo |last=Sanchez Da Motta |title=Do Enigma de Rennes-le-Château ao Priorado de Siao – Historia de um Mito Moderno |publisher=Esquilo |year=2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Neville |last=Morley |title=Writing Ancient History |page=19 |publisher=Cornell University Press |year=1999 |isbn=0-8014-8633-5}}</ref><ref name="Miller2004">{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Laura |title=The Last Word; The Da Vinci Con |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07E0DD103AF931A15751C0A9629C8B63|date=22 February 2004 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> and pointing out that the genealogical tables used in it are now known to be spurious.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Secrets of the Code|year=2006|publisher=Vanguard Press|isbn=978-1-59315-273-4|author=Laura Miller|editor=Dan Burstein|page=[https://archive.org/details/secretsofcode00dani_0/page/405 405]|url=https://archive.org/details/secretsofcode00dani_0/page/405}}</ref> Nonetheless, the book was an international best-seller<ref name="Miller2004" /> and inspired [[Dan Brown]]'s bestselling mystery [[Thriller (genre)|thriller novel]] ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]''.<ref name="Miller2004" /><ref name="Fritze" />{{rp|2–3}}

Although historians and archaeologists consider the [[Book of Mormon]] to be an anachronistic invention of Joseph Smith, many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) [[Archaeology and the Book of Mormon|believe that it describes ancient historical events in the Americas.]]

[[Searches for Noah's Ark]] have also been categorized as pseudohistory.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fagan|first1=Brian M.|author1-link=Brian M. Fagan|last2=Beck|first2=Charlotte|year=1996|title=The Oxford Companion to Archaeology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ystMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA582|location=Oxford, England|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=0-19-507618-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Cline|first=Eric H.|author1-link=Eric H. Cline|year=2009|title=Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zwNIDHSPsSMC&pg=PA72|location=Oxford, England|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-974107-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Feder|first=Kenneth L.|author1-link=Kenneth Feder|year=2010|title=Encyclopedia of Dubious Archaeology: From Atlantis to the Walam Olum|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RlRz2symkAsC&pg=PA195|location=[[Santa Barbara, California]]|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-0-313-37919-2}}</ref><ref name="Rough Guides">{{cite book|last1=Rickard|first1=Bob|last2=Michell|first2=John|author1-link=Bob Rickard |author2-link=John Michell|date=2000|chapter=Arkeology|title=Unexplained Phenomena: A Rough Guide Special|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MO-TWKwyEh0C&pg=PA179|location=London|publisher=[[Rough Guides]]|isbn=1-85828-589-5|pages=179–83}}</ref><ref>Dietz, Robert S. "Ark-Eology: A Frightening Example of Pseudo-Science" in ''Geotimes'' 38:9 (Sept. 1993) p. 4.</ref>

In her books, starting with ''[[The Witch-Cult in Western Europe]]'' (1921), English author [[Margaret Murray]] claimed that the [[witch trials in the early modern period]] were actually an attempt by chauvinistic Christians to annihilate a [[Witch-cult hypothesis|secret, pagan religion]],<ref name="Purkiss1996">{{cite book|last=Purkiss|first=Diane|author-link=Diane Purkiss|year=1996|title=The Witch in History: Early Modern and Twentieth-Century Representations|url=https://archive.org/details/witchhistoryearl00purk|url-access=limited|publisher=Routledge|location=Abingdon, England|isbn=978-0415087629|page=[https://archive.org/details/witchhistoryearl00purk/page/n70 62]}}</ref> which she claimed worshipped a [[Horned God]].<ref name="Purkiss1996"/> Murray's claims have now been widely rejected by respected historians.<ref>{{citation|last1=Russell|first1=Jeffrey B.|last2=Alexander|first2=Brooks|year=2007|title=A New History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics and Pagans|publisher=Thames and Hudson|location=London|isbn=978-0-500-28634-0|page=154}}</ref><ref name="Simpson1994">{{cite journal|last=Simpson|first=Jacqueline|author-link=Jacqueline Simpson|year=1994|title=Margaret Murray: Who Believed Her and Why?|journal=Folklore|volume=105|issue=1–2 |pages=89–96|doi=10.1080/0015587x.1994.9715877|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Purkiss1996"/> Nonetheless, her ideas have become the [[Origin myth|foundation myth]] for modern [[Wicca]], a contemporary [[Modern paganism|Neopagan]] religion.<ref name="Simpson1994"/><ref name="Rabinovitch2002">{{cite book|last1=Rabinovitch|first1=Shelley|last2=Lewis|first2=James|title=The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism|date=2002|publisher=Kensington Publishing Corporation|location= New York|isbn=0-8065-2407-3|pages=32–35|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xuvLRbKvyGEC&q=Burning+Times+debunked&pg=PA35}}</ref> Belief in Murray's alleged witch-cult is still prevalent among Wiccans,<ref name="Rabinovitch2002"/> but is gradually declining.<ref name="Rabinovitch2002"/>

===== Hinduism =====
The belief that [[Ancient India]] was technologically advanced to the extent of being a nuclear power is gaining popularity in India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://undark.org/article/indian-scientists-confront-pseudoscience/|title=The Threat of Pseudoscience in India|website=Undark|first=Ruchi|last=Kumar|date=12 October 2018|access-date=2 March 2019}}</ref> Emerging [[Hindutva|extreme nationalist]] trends and  ideologies based on [[Hinduism]] in the political arena promote these discussions. [[Vasudev Devnani]], the education minister for the western state of [[Rajasthan]], said in January 2017 that it was important to "understand the scientific significance" of the [[Zebu|cow]], as it was the only animal in the world to both inhale and exhale oxygen.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/cow-only-animal-to-inhale-and-exhale-oxygen-rajasthan-minister/story-a8nPi8XDxpvO8YKwibN5RJ.html|title=Cow only animal to inhale and exhale oxygen: Rajasthan minister|date=16 January 2017|newspaper=Hindustan Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427022930/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/cow-only-animal-to-inhale-and-exhale-oxygen-rajasthan-minister/story-a8nPi8XDxpvO8YKwibN5RJ.html|archive-date=27 April 2019}}</ref> In 2014, [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]] [[Narendra Modi]] told a gathering of doctors and medical staff at a [[Mumbai]] hospital that the story of the [[Hindu god]] [[Ganesha]] showed [[genetic science]] existed in ancient India.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/28/indian-prime-minister-genetic-science-existed-ancient-times|author=Maseeh Rahman|title=Indian prime minister claims genetic science existed in ancient times|date=28 October 2014|access-date=26 April 2019|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> New-age pseudohistorians who claim that Hindu mythology is historically factual have been well received by audiences. An example was the [[2015 Indian Science Congress ancient aircraft controversy]], when Capt. Anand J. Bodas, retired principal of a pilot training facility, claimed at the [[Indian Science Congress]] that [[Vimana|aircraft]] more advanced than today's aircraft existed in ancient India.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/01/04/indians-invented-planes-7000-years-ago-and-other-startling-claims-at-the-science-congress/?noredirect=on|title=Indians invented planes 7,000 years ago – and other startling claims at the Science Congress|last=Lakshmi|first=Rama|date=4 January 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=30 April 2019}}</ref>