Five Myths About the Nativity

Not to play the role of Scrooge, but as Christians around the world celebrate today the supposed birth of Jesus - including falsely pious Christofascists and hate filled evangelicals who betrayed the Gospel message they pretend to honor by voting for Donald Trump - it is necessary to remember that much of the day's celebrations are based on myths that have little or no historic basis. Even the day December 25th was picked by Pope Julius I in the 4th century most likely to in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival and/or other pagan festivals held in December around the time of the Winter Solstice.    More troubling yet to the Christmas story is the fact that the human genome project has proven that Adam and Eve never existed as historic persons, so the myth of the Fall due to Adam and Eve's sin is purely fabricated. No Fall, then no need for a savior. I find it disturbing in the year 2017 that so many base their lives on and justify their hatreds based on myths and legends. A column in the Washington Post by a historian reminds us of myths surrounding Christmas.  Here are highlights:

[T]he story of the birth of Jesus is more complicated than many people think. Between the difficulty in reconciling different versions of the tale and the 2,000 years of popular interpretation and culture layered on top of them, much of what people commonly know about the story of Jesus’ birth, from the date to where it took place, is wildly different from what the Gospels have to say. MYTH NO. 1Jesus was born on Dec. 25.The overwhelming majority of Christians mark the birth of Jesus on Dec. 25. But there’s no biblical reason to celebrate Christmas on this particular day.

According to the Gospel of Luke, shepherds were watching their flocks at night at the time Jesus was born. This detail — the only clue in the Gospels about the timing of the birth — suggests that Jesus’ birthday was not in the winter, as shepherds would have been watching their flocks only during the lambing season in the spring. In the colder months, the sheep probably would have been corralled.

As late as the 3rd century, Christians didn’t celebrate the birth of Jesus. The earliest discussion of the birthday is found in the 3rd-century writings of Clement of Alexandria, who raises seven potential dates, none of which correspond to Dec. 25. The first record of a celebration of the birth of Jesus on Dec. 25 comes from a 4th-century edition of a Roman almanac known as the Philokalia. Alongside the deaths of martyrs, it notes that on Dec. 25, “Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea.”

Some have argued that the date of Jesus’ birth was selected to supplant pagan festivals that were held at the same time. But while Pope Julius I set the date of Christmas (for Western Christians) in the 4th century, Christians did not deliberately adapt pagan rituals until the 7th century, when Pope Gregory the Great instructed bishops to celebrate saints’ feast days on the days of pagan festivals.

MYTH NO. 2Jesus was born in a stable.As depicted in Nativity creches and Renaissance paintings such as Giotto di Bondone’s Nativity scenes and Sandro Botticelli’s “The Mystical Nativity,” Jesus was born in a simple stable. Generations of pastors and priests have used this notion as evidence that Jesus had a humble birth. As a theological argument, that’s true. But this particular detail of the story isn’t in the Bible.

The more likely interpretation, as New Testament scholar Stephen Carlson has argued, is that Joseph and Mary intended to stay with his relatives in Bethlehem and that there wasn’t enough room in the guest quarters — typically located in the upper level of a house — to accommodate an imminent delivery. So, Mary had to give birth elsewhere, most likely in the main room of the house, on the lower floor. There’s no mention of animals being present, but the detail of the manger seems to be what has led to the image of a stable — and many live Nativity scenes featuring farm animals. MYTH NO. 3‘Manger’ is another word for ‘stable.’When people talk about a manger scene, or Jesus being born in a manger, or a star shining down on the manger, it’s not clear they always understand that “manger” refers not to a barn but to Jesus’ makeshift crib. . . . In 1st-century Judean houses, mangers were found both outside and inside the home, sometimes separating an interior space for people from a space where animals were kept. Thus, in the Nativity story, Mary may have had one at her disposal, despite not being in the immediate vicinity of a stable.

MYTH NO. 5Three wise men attended Jesus’ birth.According to the Christmas creche on display in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, the best-dressed attendees at the birth of Jesus were the three wise men. Often mistaken for kings — think of the Christmas carol “We Three Kings” — these visitors from the east are described in the Gospel of Matthew with the Greek word “magoi,” or wise men. Nothing about the story’s language suggests that these visitors were monarchs or even that they were three in number. People commonly think there were three because of the gifts enumerated in the Gospel of Matthew: We are told that they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh, but there could as easily have been two, four or eight wise men as three.

There’s also no indication that the wise men visited Jesus as He lay in the manger, as is often shown on Christmas cards. When King Herod anxiously meets with them in Matthew 2:16, he thinks his reign might be threatened by the child they’ve come to visit, so he orders all boys 2 years old and younger slain. Thus Jesus could have been as old as 2 — a walking, talking toddler — when the wise men arrived.

I fully support Christmas as a time for family and loved ones and for charity for towards others, but this behavior can - and should - fully exist without reliance on myths.  To me, it is telling that those who bloviate the most about Christmas the most and shriek about the "war on Christmas" are the Christofascists and evangelicals who in their daily lives do not reflect Jesus' purported values but instead resemble the Pharisees that the Gospels say he so harshly condemned. Better to stay home away from church and do an act of kindness to someone less fortunate than go to church and be filled with hate and bigotry throughout the year. 

The Idiocy of Biblical Literalism

One of the things that I find most amazing (or disturbing, depending on how one wants to describe the phenomenon) is the lengths that Christofascists will go to avoid admitting that the Bible is neither historically correct as a narrative of accurate history and that much of its premise, The Fall and the coming of a savior as embodied by Christ, has a major problem, namely that Adam and Eve never existed as historical persons.  Without Adam and Eve, there was no Fall, and the rest of the story line collapses. No Fall, and then no need for a savior, etc.  Related to this is the manner in which Christofascists ignore the impossibility of some of the Old Testament.  Which brings me to an article in The Atlantic on the "Ark Encounter."  How 8 people built the huge ark - especially when they had no shipbuilding experience - defies belief.  The same goes for the lunatic claim that dinosaurs were on board.  Here are article highlights (note the references to fabricating "facts"):

Of all the biblical episodes, Voltaire thought none required more faith than the story of Noah’s Ark: “The history of the deluge being that of the most miraculous event of which the world ever heard, it must be the height of folly and madness to attempt an explanation of it.” If only he had visited Ark Encounter—a Christian theme park that opened this summer in Kentucky and boasts a “life-sized” reconstruction of Noah’s Ark. Seemingly impossible details have been fanatically researched and naturalistically explained by Answers in Genesis (AiG), a literalist Christian organization that’s also responsible for the nearby Creation Museum. 

In over 100 exhibits on the ship, visitors learn how each difficulty might have been surmounted: How could eight people feed so many animals? Through an elaborate system of drains and chutes, as illustrated by an interactive video. And what about the stench? Solved easily enough—Noah just needed a ventilation system powered by the tides. And the daily tons of animal waste? Noah could dispose of that with a treadmill-cum-conveyor belt powered by elephants. But how did he fit elephants on the ship? And all those dinosaurs? They were babies at the time. And if visitors doubted that a wooden ship carrying all this cargo could withstand an apocalyptic flood, a placard explains that the ship’s dimensions, as specified in Genesis . . . .

But many I spoke with also confessed that they had never really worried about these details before; instead, they had just ascribed it to God’s power. 

For self-proclaimed literalists, the ark includes a striking amount of fabrications and fictionalizations. Consider, for example, one of the most popular exhibits, where visitors can walk through the family’s living quarters. At the entrance are two placards, one entitled “Artistic License,” and the other “Why Are the Living Quarters So Nice?” In each of the following rooms, visitors can see mannequin renderings of the family and read short bios. . . . But none of these details appear in the Bible. Genesis never takes a charming detour through the family’s hobbies. It never even reveals the names of the women on the ship. And yet these details are integral to the experience of Ark Encounter.

On AiG’s blog, Simon Turpin equates literalism with “plain reading” and “natural interpretation,” suggesting that anyone with common sense will read the Bible as they do. But as Ark Encounter reveals, this apparent simplicity demands endless fabrication. 

Obviously, the First Amendment guarantees citizens the right to cling to whatever religious belief they choose.  That does not, however, mean that the rest of us have to  agree with them or, more importantly, respect them or their insane beliefs that defy reality.

Michael Gerson to Conservative Christians: Get Over It

As the world and America evolve and the nation's demographics change, evangelical Christians - those whom I call the Christofascists - are fighting an increasingly hysterical rear guard action against anything that threatens their fairy tale image of "Christian America" and white privilege - the two go hand in hand.  Indeed, they are battling against modernity itself, especially scientific knowledge that is increasingly proving that the myths of the Bible are not based in fact but rather the tales of ignorant, uneducated nomadic goat herders. (Islam is having its own battle against modernity which challenges the purported writings of a historical figure who likely suffered from mental illness, but that's the subject of another post).  In today's Washington Post conservative columnist Michael Gerson has a message for the Christofascists: get over it and move on.  Here are column highlights:

[C]onservative Christians have been lately pondering their relationship to American culture. And not just those who are hysterical for a living. When the court rejected traditional sexual ethics as a permissible basis for laws defining marriage, many conservative believers felt a cultural milestone had been reached. 

It had once been plausible — though not necessary accurate — for conservative Christians to regard themselves as part of a “moral majority” in which traditional Judeo-Christian views were broadly shared. That is no longer minimally credible on issues of the family and sexual ethics. And the change in self-perception among some believers has been jarring. 

In an essay in Christianity Today, “The Power of Our Weakness,” my co-author, Peter Wehner, and I explore this altered landscape. The manner in which conservative Christians navigate their journey away from outdated notions of a “Christian America” will have much to say about the quality of our public life in the actual America.

The cultural, legal and theological arguments of the essay might be summarized as: Snap out of it. There is, as legal scholar John Inazu told us, “an insecurity caused by a rapidly lost social position,” leading some to a “growing bitterness and despair.” But this reaction is not particularly constructive or religiously serious.  

But this set of legal challenges does not translate into social apocalypse. By many (though not nearly all) indicators, American culture is getting better. Divorce rates and abortion rates have declined in recent decades. Rates of violent crime and homicide are down dramatically from historical highs. Many religious conservatives mistake alarming legal trends for across-the-board cultural decay. 

[R]eversing the Supreme Court decision on marriage — which is rooted in long-term cultural changes that emerged in the context of heterosexual relationships — is not a realistic political goal. This means that religious conservatives must learn to operate in a same-sex marriage world.

This is not moral compromise; it is the normal practice of democracy. Beyond issues of sexuality, there is a broad agenda for which the building of coalitions is essential: the global fight against HIV/AIDS and sexual trafficking, the reform of foster care and the criminal justice system, the building of safe, healthy, child-friendly communities. 

 Pulling back from the practical, religious conservatives will need to recover some perspective. For most of the past 2,000 years, Christians have lived in societies that did not reflect their sexual ethics.  And sexual ethics is not the sum total of Christian ethics, which, at its best, affirms the priority of the person and the defense of human rights, well-being and dignity. 

I disagree with other parts of the column that suggest the changing face of the nation may be a time of opportunity for Christianity.  With every passing date, science and knowledge further undermines the myths on which Christianity is based, including the myth that Adam and Eve and :The Fall" were all real.  They were not real and the Genesis story is a myth and, hence the whole story line begins to crumble.  The hatred and bigotry towards others that now defines conservative Christians is not the only reason the younger generations are walking away from religion.   Increasingly, they simply do not buy the story line.

Southern Baptist Convention Doubles Down on Anti-Gay Venom

Like the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention ("SBC") is hemorrhaging members and as  youth go off to college like so many Millennials they leave their Baptist parishes never to return.  Despite the numerous surveys that show that anti-gay bigotry is a huge factor in the exodus of Millennials from organized religion, Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary,thinks it is time for the SBC to double down on it anti-gay animus.  Mohler even goes so far as to state "even if scientists prove people are born gay, the “sinfulness of homosexuality” would not be eliminated."  Of course, Mohler still clings to the myth of the existence of Adam and Eve despite the fact that the human genome project has proven that they never existed as historical persons because without them the entire Christian story line of "The Fall" and the need for a savior crumbles.  If you want an example of the Christofascist embrace of ignorance, look no farther than Mohler.   Huffington Post looks at Mohler's latest batshitery.  Here are highlights:

Christians should not attend a same-sex wedding — even of their own child — because it signals “moral approval” of the union, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said in a new book. . . .  “At some point, attendance will involve congratulating the couple for their union,” he wrote. “If you can’t congratulate the couple, how can you attend?”

Even if scientists prove people are born gay, the “sinfulness of homosexuality” would not be eliminated because human sin taints the world, Mohler said in addressing other topics of sexual identity. He contended that transgender people who are “saved” should consult with their pastors about whether to have surgery to return to their original gender.

In the past he has said that delaying marriage and limiting family size are both sins, that the Roman Catholic Church teaches a “false gospel,” that the pope holds an “unbiblical office,” and that Christians who practice yoga “either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace” of it.

He wrote his 213-page book, subtitled “Speaking truth to a culture redefining sex, marriage & the very meaning of right and wrong,” for what he called “intelligent evangelical readers,” pastors, other church leaders and the public, he said.

“Dr. Mohler’s self-righteous intractability on this issue — even banning followers from simply attending the weddings of their LGBT loved ones — can cause nothing but strife, heartache and hardship,” said director Chris Hartman of the Fairness Campaign, a Louisville-based non-profit advocacy organization that works to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Southern Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination in the USA, numbering a little less than 15.5 million members, down from a peak of 16.3 million in 2003.

While Jesus regularly ate with sinners, Mohler said that “his constant call was to repentance” and in no case did he endorse sin.

Mohler said he never has attended a same-sex wedding and wouldn’t even if one of his children or grandchildren were marrying. In an interview, he said he addressed the question in the book because students and grandparents had asked about it even before the June 26 Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage.

“I don’t want to underestimate the difficulty of these questions, but I don’t think a faithful Christian can recognize or celebrate … what we don’t think is a marriage,” he said.

I have to laugh at Mohler's comment about "intelligent evangelical readers."  Intelligent and evangelical are oxymoron.  Moreover, studies have shown that the more evangelical and fundamentalist ones denomination is directly correlates to a lower level of education and intelligence.  It's not an accident that Episcopalians and Lutherans are better educated and intelligent than sat Jehovah's Witness members.  Sadly, individuals like Mohler celebrate the embrace of ignorance and the bigotry that often goes with it.

What's Really Wrong With Alabama

Right now it's a fun time to be in Mobile, Alabama - gay marriages have commenced and this coming Tuesday is Mardi Gras.   It is the height of the Mardi Gras season.  When I lived in Alabama, the Mardi Gras season was perhaps the most interesting and social time of year and, through the law firm I belonged to, we went to many of the balls.  One favorite was the Dominao Ball at the Athelstan Club where I was a member and, were I still in Mobile, we'd likely be headed to the Mystics of Time Ball tonight, and Infant Mystics Ball on Monday night (a full schedule of the many balls is here).  Tomorrow is Joe Cain Day and is part of the story behind the term "raising Cain."  

Behind this fun and revelry, however, there remains a deep sickness particularly outside of the Catholic dominated Gulf coast part of the state.  The sickness?  The embrace of religious based ignorance especially among Baptists and evangelical Christians.  The Mobile Press Register ran an op-ed yesterday by a Baptist minister that crystallizes the ignorance and bigotry that continues to poison Alabama and much of the Deep South.  In the op-ed, Pastor Morris ignores all modern scientific knowledge, ignores the reality that polygamy was the normative form of marriage in the Old Testament, and more or less demonstrates why decent people need to make folks like Morris social pariahs and call them out for their ignorance.  Here are snippets of the batshitery that Morris thinks constitute a reasoned argument against gay marriage:

[M]arriage between one man and one woman is the Biblical mandate for the family.  (Genesis 2:21-24) God not only ordained marriage but performed the first marriage when He brought Eve to Adam. . . . . He did not bring a man to Adam but a woman.  Homosexuality is wrong in the sight of God as is indicated in numerous passages in the Bible.  You may not agree with how God established marriage but there is no doubt about marriage between one man and one woman as being the mandate God established, historically, from the beginning.

The problem for Morris, of course is that the human genome project has confirmed that Adam and Eve never existed. NEVER.    Like most Southern Baptist, Morris cannot accept this truth because it causes the entire Christian story line to collapse.  If there's no Adam and Eve, there's no "Fall" and hence no need for a Messiah.   Then there's also the problem of Morris' reliance on the Bible which in terms of the Old Testament was the work of wandering goat herders who were less than knowledgeable sources on the origin of the planet and mankind.  But Morris' batshitery continues and ignores much of the Bible:

Second, marriage between one man and one woman is the biological mold established for the family. (Genesis 1:27-28)  Not only did God establish marriage but He also created man to be the means of procreation. . . . . Third, marriage between one man and one woman is the building block of civilized society.  (Genesis 1:29-31) 

Never mind that as noted in other posts, in the Old Testament polygamy was the norm.  Morris utterly ignores King Solomon's huge number of wives not to mention concubines.  In short, Morris engages in the all too typical hypocrisy of "godly Christians" and picks and chooses what he wants from the Bible as if he's making selections from column A and column B in a Chinese menu.  And then Morris enages in one of the biggest lies of the Christofascits:

The right side of history records the fact that of all the great civilizations that rose to power and fell many did so because of a deterioration of family values.  Included in that collapse is the history that there was a breakdown in the family as the cornerstone of society.  Rome was one of the most powerful empires to ever exist. 

Morris conveniently ignores that many historians - as opposed to snake oil merchant pastors - blame the rise of CHRISTIANITY and its undermining of the imperial order as perhaps one of the largest reasons Rome feel.  But who cares about facts when one's a charlatan pastor fleecing the gullible.

The real problem in Alabama is that cretins and shysters like Morris are still afforded deference and respect.  They need to be shunned and laughed out of polite and educated society.  Airbus Industries is building a huge plant in Mobile, but an improved economy will not bring Alabama into the 21st century.  That will only happen when politicians cease prostituting themselves to the likes of Morris and when an educated populace look on folks like Morris with disdain.  That day cannot come soon enough.