OK. I'm taking a huge risk on this one. Well, not really. What do I have to lose, besides friends?
Anyway, I'm going to go off on a little tangent about Jesus. He is the reason for this upcoming blessed season, afterall. I will start by saying that I am a believer. I'm not doubting Him or his existance or anything of the sort. I just want clarity on a few issues that have raised some questions for me over the years. That's all. Breathe, breathe... it'll be alright. Shhhh.
First of all. What if there was DNA testing back then? Wouldn't that have been something? We could have taken Mary to a clinic, swabbed her mouth, done the same for Joseph and within 5-7 business days, we could have an answer to the age old addage with regard the virgin birth. I'm not saying Mary wasn't a virgin, mind you, I'm just saying that story wouldn't hold up in court today, I'll tell you that. It is possible, just possible that Joseph was the father of Jesus? Wasn't he her husband? We wouldn't love little Jesus any less had Joe been his biological father, would we? Well, in Joseph's defense, he was there for the birth, so at least he showed some support. He didn't stand there and pout that Jesus looked nothing like him, did he? No, he accepted the little guy just as He was. Wasn't Joe the least bit skeptical? He probably kept his feelings all bottled up inside (that's how they handled emotions back then). But alone, in his shed at night, he probably thought to himself, "Naw, Naw, dat baby ain't EVEN mine. He don't look nothin' like me, Mary's a ho, dawg".
Which brings me to my next question. Who was responsible for raising baby Jesus? Times were tough back then. Diapers and formula didn't grow on trees, you know. I mean, seas parted and water turned into wine, but I know for a fact that diapers didn't grow on trees. Did Joseph help raise Jesus or did God drop by once in a while to help out? I am not trying to be disrespectful, I am just trying to grasp the magnitude of this. In my defense, I am not schooled on the subject of religi0n. I was raised in a pretty much non-practicing Jewish home. We didn't keep kosher, we attended Shul on Passover and Yom Kippur, and I lit the Chanukah candles while saying the prayer. That about sums up my religious education, so don't judge.
Second, did Jesus grow up knowing that God was his father? How do you come to terms with that? Can you imagine? We thought Jenna and Barbara Bush had it rough.
Lastly, why and when did using the Lord's name in vain become synonomous with angry expressions? The poor guy was just minding his own business, curing disease and leading his peeps. He wasn't hurting anyone, when all of a sudden, fast forward a million years and we're spouting off his name whenever we accidentally scald our hands, get cut off in traffic or learn that our spouse lost $1500 at a poker table. Allegedly.
Well, that sums up my nativity questions for the day. I usually don't encourage opinions or comments that differ from my own, but in this instance, I welcome them. School me. Enlighten me. Save me.
Happy Holidays, to you and yours.
LB
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4 comments:
Blast Femur!
And here I thought you were going to dish about Christmas Letters! As one who is schooled in such things, with my recent conversion to Catholicism and all, I need to clarify something....Mary is called the Virgin Mary because SHE was born from an immaculate conception, not because she became "with child" immaculately. I KNOW! I was shocked to learn this too! I'm not sure why the church doesn't correct this misconception, but it is true. So, Joe really IS the Lord's Father, but begs then, WHY isn't HE the one we refer to as God??? His son gets ALL the accolades, but good ol' regular Joe gets bupkis (yiddish for nothing). Sad but true. I guess regular Joe's aren't, well, regular. Amen.
Thank you for that li'l factoid, Anonymous! Indeed, I did NOT know that! There is still so much I have to learn, which is why I welcomed any comments on this particular subject. Lastly, I am quite familiar with bupkis, what with being a non-practicing Jew (hence, my lack of Christian knowledge). As in, I know bupkis about my husband's religion!
Only Christians can say his name in vein although it is highly frowned upon on according to what is written on the holy tablets, If your Jewish you must use old testiment names in vein like, Holy Moses, Mother Eve, son of a babylon, etc.
By the way, something Christians forget: Jesus was Jewish. Of course you already knew that. But think about it, he was the first Jewish entreprenuer known to man. His legacy and products based on his teachings have earned Trillions of dollars. If only he would have trade marked his name or likeness. His great great great great great great grandchildren would be lliving the higher calling life. Low and behold, the Zig Zag man is born and soon ripped off the image of Christ and now the Zig Zag man's great grand children are lving the high life.
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