Just brilliant. We are all God's children, even the chicken people.
I was just thinking of the multitude of creche scenes occupying lawns, and about the reality of the actuality. For all these big fancy homes sportin' those lavish layouts, the fact is, what would these same people think of someone so poor she gave birth, or was born, in a barn? Livestock, poop, the whole nine yards. Would they be sitting down to dinner with them, or even invite them in?
I mean, Mary always looks quite placid,lovely and clean in the plasticine representations, but the reality would've been much different.
Ooh, it is all so phony. I always think, "Monty Python", when I think of our mythological constructions.
Lisa: Yeah, Life of Brian seems like a pretty good depiction of some of the more ridiculous aspects of the whole biblical Nativity.
The life of a village carpenter in the Galilee was probably not an easy one. One suspects that Jesus spoke so much about the poor and the sick because he saw a LOT of poor people and sick people growing up...
The current popularity of Christian perversions such as the "prosperity gospel" make me suspect that if the Christians' own stories are true that there will be some VERY disappointed people come Judgment Day...
"One suspects that Jesus spoke so much about the poor and the sick because he saw a LOT of poor people and sick people growing up..."
He didn't just see it, he WAS it. Even though the velvet paintings show him looking like Fabio, I imagine he didn't really have that hair wax look ...
"Prosperity gospel" is a joke. What Jesus meant by prosper and what they think are two different things.
Why they will be especially disappointed come Judgment Day is that they have disobeyed their own gospel -- they have hastened the coming of the End Times, something prohibited 5x in scripture (I think.) And yet, the Apocalypticos are reveling in the showdown in the Holy Land.
Lisa: Fred Clark (Google "slacktivist" for his blog) tells this great joke about the guy who dies and is being shown around Heaven. He is shown, and quite enjoys, the happy diversity of beatified spirits sporting in the celestial afterlife, each in their own fashion. Then he spots this immense walled compound and asks his guide what the hell that is.
"Oh, that's for the Christian fundamentalists" says the angel, "They're only happy if they think they're the only ones here."
And of course, that's what it is. What is it with most good religious folk that they must think they are the only ones? Would it seem all to silly to cleave to any particular myth if one realized that everyone's getting in, anyway? Or, no one (because there is no place to go?)
It has always seemed so repellant to me to spout that "love thy brother" pap, while thinking, "He's really a heathen who is damned to eternal hellfire..." Doesn't that just seem ... incongruous?
Lisa: My understanding is that the appeal of many religions is that they allow you to be part of a club that has a relatively low entrance fee (all you have to do is give up part of your critical thinking) and allows you to feel not just immensely superior to but actually less endangered than your heathen neighbor.
I've never felt the need to be that "special", but observation shows me that it is a very human drive.
Just wish they'd keep letah weapons out of the hands of those sort of people. Leads to crusades and other dangerously random acts of violence.
Yes -- low entrance fees (and I would add, no competency testing) allowing members to feel "superior to but actually less endangered than your heathen neighbor." That's it.
I've never sought that particular brand of specialness nor felt the need of ponying up protection fees. It's a racket. I'd rather take that which I know will provide me succor -- the love and support of friends on this plain. People are not their affiliations -- oh that they could see that.
like a reproduction of the event as portrayed by anthropomorphic chickens.
8 comments:
Just brilliant. We are all God's children, even the chicken people.
I was just thinking of the multitude of creche scenes occupying lawns, and about the reality of the actuality. For all these big fancy homes sportin' those lavish layouts, the fact is, what would these same people think of someone so poor she gave birth, or was born, in a barn? Livestock, poop, the whole nine yards. Would they be sitting down to dinner with them, or even invite them in?
I mean, Mary always looks quite placid,lovely and clean in the plasticine representations, but the reality would've been much different.
Ooh, it is all so phony. I always think, "Monty Python", when I think of our mythological constructions.
Lisa: Yeah, Life of Brian seems like a pretty good depiction of some of the more ridiculous aspects of the whole biblical Nativity.
The life of a village carpenter in the Galilee was probably not an easy one. One suspects that Jesus spoke so much about the poor and the sick because he saw a LOT of poor people and sick people growing up...
The current popularity of Christian perversions such as the "prosperity gospel" make me suspect that if the Christians' own stories are true that there will be some VERY disappointed people come Judgment Day...
"One suspects that Jesus spoke so much about the poor and the sick because he saw a LOT of poor people and sick people growing up..."
He didn't just see it, he WAS it. Even though the velvet paintings show him looking like Fabio, I imagine he didn't really have that hair wax look ...
"Prosperity gospel" is a joke. What Jesus meant by prosper and what they think are two different things.
Why they will be especially disappointed come Judgment Day is that they have disobeyed their own gospel -- they have hastened the coming of the End Times, something prohibited 5x in scripture (I think.) And yet, the Apocalypticos are reveling in the showdown in the Holy Land.
Quite sad and sick, methinks.
Lisa: Fred Clark (Google "slacktivist" for his blog) tells this great joke about the guy who dies and is being shown around Heaven. He is shown, and quite enjoys, the happy diversity of beatified spirits sporting in the celestial afterlife, each in their own fashion. Then he spots this immense walled compound and asks his guide what the hell that is.
"Oh, that's for the Christian fundamentalists" says the angel, "They're only happy if they think they're the only ones here."
"...asks his guide what the hell that is"
And of course, that's what it is. What is it with most good religious folk that they must think they are the only ones? Would it seem all to silly to cleave to any particular myth if one realized that everyone's getting in, anyway? Or, no one (because there is no place to go?)
It has always seemed so repellant to me to spout that "love thy brother" pap, while thinking, "He's really a heathen who is damned to eternal hellfire..." Doesn't that just seem ... incongruous?
"too silly".
Lisa: My understanding is that the appeal of many religions is that they allow you to be part of a club that has a relatively low entrance fee (all you have to do is give up part of your critical thinking) and allows you to feel not just immensely superior to but actually less endangered than your heathen neighbor.
I've never felt the need to be that "special", but observation shows me that it is a very human drive.
Just wish they'd keep letah weapons out of the hands of those sort of people. Leads to crusades and other dangerously random acts of violence.
Yes -- low entrance fees (and I would add, no competency testing) allowing members to feel "superior to but actually less endangered than your heathen neighbor." That's it.
I've never sought that particular brand of specialness nor felt the need of ponying up protection fees. It's a racket. I'd rather take that which I know will provide me succor -- the love and support of friends on this plain. People are not their affiliations -- oh that they could see that.
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