 |
|
|
|
 A 73-foot Englemann spruce arrives at the Capitol.
November 26th, 2012
04:27 PM ET
U.S. Capitol gets official Christmas treeBy Paul Courson, CNN Washington (CNN) - The official Christmas tree of the U.S. Capitol arrived Monday and will be illuminated at a ceremony on December 4. Dozens of tourists, Capitol Hill staffers and news crews watched the tree's arrival along with Stephen Ayers, the Capitol architect. "My job is to officially accept the Capitol Christmas Tree on behalf of the Congress," he said. U.S. Capitol crews using a crane hoisted the 73-foot Englemann spruce from a flatbed truck and prepared it for display on the West Lawn. Once the tree is mounted, U.S. Capitol workers will place ornaments crafted and donated by Coloradans and will string energy-conserving LED-type lights on it. Read the full story about the Capitol Christmas tree
« Previous entryBelief Blog's Morning Speed Read for Monday, November 26
|
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
|
|
|
Beautiful Hindu religion .
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Mosquito-god-worshipped-to-ward-off-dengue/articleshow/17374793.cms
hindrance , filth of hinduism, racism is a heaven for a hindu, out law, not of human but of god of hindu' ignorant hindu stupid monkey, Love hinduism illegality of a jungle, but claim to be human.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=VHSX7BOAxWE
So there's not going to be a Chapter 4?
Way to fùcking go, ll.
Sorry, this tard kinda spoiled the fun 🙁
I will write an epilogue...
Please do, Apple.
Akira,
Dont ya try to blame me Akira for the lingling bush and his hogs venting! I thought it fun for the apple bush leagues to share ina story telling but what the fvck do I know! Put assunder I was by rotten apple bush hogs waiting to trample all over a good for nothing fetish carrying and protrusion barring S.O.B.s
Epilogue done and posted 🙂
Step a little closer to my holiday fireplace. A little closer. A little closer. That's it. A little closer. Now close your eyes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH0IS2KLhRw
LOL. Is that hellfire and brimstone I hear?
His bloodied hands were a grotesque reminder that he had said more than enough. He had been asked to leave.
I did not know where this gate led, but if it were away from this place it would be fine. If it were the very sea of fire in Hell, it would be better. I crossed through the gate, catching a glimpse of the chipping black paint and patches of gooey tack left by an injured shoulder or bloodied face.
The darkness penetrated my body but I felt safer. Away from the glare of the blog that had witnessed my cruel act, I could neither see the crowd, my victim, nor me. I reached out, almost falling as an unexpected lunge escaped my body. Panic.
My hand found cold keyboard just as lionlylamb's words penetrated my every sense, leaving me with naught but a sour pang of dread. Though the tendrils of life's bitter pleasing did leave me ajar and aloof in my mind! I did so get a glimpse upon the darkened stranger walking in the shadows never to come out. Gone now this stranger has left. It is better to never truly know what shadows dare to reveal then to be chased ever onwards by the blackness of time!
What was lionlylamb meant to do here in this dark place? What unholy message was seeping through that wound?
My hands worked the keyboard without instruction from my failing mind. The sickening sound of typing as rifle retorts in my fading consciences. F U C …..Hesitating, I balanced myself gingerly on the chair. My mind filled with a torrent of visions. Some black and foreboding, others blinding but no less terrifying.
"Fear not!" said the darkly lit stranger who had other darkened souls lingering within the shadowy realms. "We have come for the one you call as being lionlylamb. Do you know this person?" the darkly lit stranger did ask of me. My hands did clench tightly upon the keyboards cold and hardened casing. Too scared to rightly answer, all I could do was say, "I know not this person!" Alas the darkly lit person and his otherly darkened souls did ever so slowly go back into the darkened shadows and I did lose sight of them. Thinking in silence, (Where does this blackness truly lead to?)
My fingers stopped moving, as a spider extends and then retracts cautious legs, so did my fingers recoil suddenly. What spectre cast invisible lines to my dock? What dusty corner of my mind was being swept now, as hazy memories rose to become an impenetrable fog?
Aching muscles complained as I my mind sent messages to disobedient arms and legs. I will not give in to this crushing boredom. I will blog again. I must.
lionlylamb. What have you done?
The easing of candor did well up from the mind's depths! As I was just about to make leave, I did spy with the corner of my eye another darkly lit stranger looking ever upon me. Dark was this stranger and in its eyes did I finally see things! Alas! It was a friendly face of so long forgotten days and ages long since passed! "How long has it been good friend? How long?"
lionlylamb, please quit re-posting my blogs. Not yours to re-post.
A.B.Ds
It is a freedom to post anyones otherly postings and I was making an attempt to write with you a story of sorts. Whatsammattayou? Gotsumtinbettertodo?
lionlylamb, it doesn't help to prevaricate pathos or grapes. The neo-Calvinists are sure to oppose and the pseudo-Calvinists will never quite get there.
Never miss an opportunity to watch an elephant paint Mozart.
No, it is NOT your freedom to use Apple's words without attributing them to him; that's what the "reply" button is for.
For all of your bragging on your so-called intellect, you should KNOW that. Otherwise, you are just being your basic, one each plagiarising troll. Are you?
Mrs. Pepperpot to p in,
My "plagerism' is with my words so written in A.B.s storytelling as well but alas you don't know that for if you did know that you would not be so lamb-bastioning!
jill
Judging from your posting I am not too sure which side of the fence you place me to so be,,,? Good side? Or bad?
What's a "lamb bastion"?
Is that like a 'kid castle' or a 'calf fortress' or a 'rabbit redoubt"?
Liontardo de Caprio, is you do not know how wrong you are to copy and paste someone else's words without attributing them to the person who wrote them, there's not help for your stupidity. When you copy/paste the words of Biblical passages, do you not give book, chapter and verse? Same concept, you twit.
lionlylamb, you did not ask me if it was okay re-post my words and I am not writing a story with you. So please, don't and I thank you shit for brains.
Apples Bruiser,
I dont give a rats hiney hole what you want to fvcking call me! Nor you peppy pot to p in! I thought (never no more though) a lil brevity with the apple bush leagues in coming to grips with story told by two parties each taking turns would have been a nice thing to do! But who the fvck am I to take things under the strictest of an underling-ling of panda bush hogs?
So, Lyinly, when the error of your ways are pointed out, you throw a hissy fit like a three-year-old? And everyone here is supposed take anything you write here, assuming one can decipher your bs, seriously? Waaaaaah.
lionlylamb, drop it goof ball.
Mrs. Pepperpot,
If you care to take a dare and read from the bottom of this blog just how the apples bushiness and I were taking turns with telling a story you just might want to shut your trapping mouth of prudish irregulaities to favorably side with the cantankerous!
I've got to hand it to you atheists...you are united! I've never seen a minority get so much attention as we are going to see you get over the coming weeks!
If you don't like Christmas, feel free to work on the 25th. Feel free to celebrate whatever you feel compelled to celebrate. If you want to stop Christmas though, I suspect you're going to hit some snags. There are several retailers that will object...you think that has anything to do with the billions in sales? There must be a few people that feel compelled to celebrate...what's your issue with letting them? If you don't want to buy gifts, don't. If you don't want to watch Charlie Brown, change the channel. If you don't want your kid coloring reindeer or Santa at school, opt out. If you don't want to see the manger scene at the local park, drive around it.
Like it or not, you are the minority in this country. We tolerate you merely for the entertainment factor. The gigantic chip you place on your shoulder this time of year...while humorous in its ignorance...is growing old. If you don't like us, well, you know...
@The Silent Majority
Atheists are not united. Atheists are not anything but normal people, that is the point.
They say the people have forgotten what Christmas is really about, and that Christmas is too commercialized.
Thank you for reminding us it isn't, Silent Majority. LOL
Great representation of christianity there!! Unbelievable!! It's not just Atheists you moron; it's Jehovah Witnesses and Muslims and Jews and and and-none of whom get a day off for their special holiday...rather unfair and unethical. You're not so special and you dumb asses stole the holiday from the pagans.
Everyone say it with me:
Straw Man.
@The Silent Majority,
who are the atheists here trying to "stop Christmas"?
I think the chip on the shoulder is your own.
SillyMajority: "I've never seen a minority get so much attention as we are going to see you get over the coming weeks!"
You never heard of women marching for rights and respect? Blacks marching for rights and respect? You've really never seen a minority get some attention?
***
"If you don't like Christmas, feel free to work on the 25th."
Some of us love Christmas; the tradition, the decorations, music. It's a struggle puzzling out carrying on the tradition when:
– some people rail against any religious part of it
– some people rail against the commercialism of it
That doesn't leave much left, except to appreciate the food and fun of getting together with family. And that should probably be what it is about anyway.
My own family, mostly religious, has had to institute some sort forced gift situation where they trade names and can only get someone one gift. I don't get it myself. I have had up years and down years. I don't participate in that name drawing because I find it absurd for anyone to tell me who I can and can't get a gift for.
In the up years I buy everyone something nice if I can. In down years I just make a goody to take for everyone to share. Yet it is the religious people who have forced this whole weird forced gift thing, which says to me the root idea of christmas as a time to simply enjoy family is lost on them. If it's going to be only religious then why get any gifts? If it is the holiest time of the year, the bible is clear that jesus said give your stuff away, not buy more for each other.
***
"If you want to stop Christmas though, I suspect you're going to hit some snags. There are several retailers that will object...you think that has anything to do with the billions in sales?"
So your argument is, we should continue to celebrate christmas because retailers say so? Interesting...
***
"There must be a few people that feel compelled to celebrate...what's your issue with letting them?"
Who said "cancel christmas"?
***
"If you don't want to buy gifts, don't."
That would be nice except, as illustrated above, the religious folks in my family have instituted a swap-name forced single gift thing. It feels wholly unholy to me.
***
"If you don't want to watch Charlie Brown, change the channel. If you don't want your kid coloring reindeer or Santa at school, opt out. If you don't want to see the manger scene at the local park, drive around it."
What I may do instead is steal the baby jesus and replace it with a zombie baby jesus: ZOMbaby Jeebus! Coming down a chimney near you!
***
"Like it or not, you are the minority in this country."
We are not "the" minority. We are "a" minority. Like people who enjoy fly-fishing, or stamp collecting, or left-handed drill instructors who surf. We are all a minority in some aspect of our lives.
***
"We tolerate you merely for the entertainment factor. The gigantic chip you place on your shoulder this time of year...while humorous in its ignorance...is growing old. If you don't like us, well, you know..."
If we were just entertainment you wouldn't be here "warning" us that our goal of keeping religion out of government is growing old. You've been affected. We're in your face and suddenly you don't like it.
If the Silent Majority are all smug, self-righteous little prigs like the author of this post is, they can stay silent, thanks.
Why in the hell would I want to stop Christmas, dear?? If fundies get their jollies watching other fundies spend their last nickel on video games (and then wind up not being able to buy food or pay their electric bill in a few weeks), well who am I to complain? It's no different than enticing the poor to gamble. I think we know who's being entertained here, lol.
Although I would appreciate Charlie Brown and the gang coming over to my house, waving their arms around in front of my tree, and have it magically decorated by their arm waves...
Why in the hell would I want to give up a paid day off of work?
LOVE THIS COMMENT !!!!!!!!!
A Merry Chrismahanukwanzistice to all!
And a happy Saturnaliyulivus to you.
"......will string energy-conserving LED-type lights on it." what kind of energy-conserving, money saving these do-nothing, pork barrel loving, congressmen are talking here? Did they know LED fixtures are more expensive?
It's a "pagan" holiday tree. Who cares ? A holiday tree. Christmas long ago lost any religious meaning except for the few.
The "few" with the Secret Decoder Ring?
His bloodied hands were a grotesque reminder that he had said more than enough. He had been asked to leave.
I did not know where this gate led, but if it were away from this place it would be fine. If it were the very sea of fire in Hell, it would be better. I crossed through the gate, catching a glimpse of the chipping black paint and patches of gooey tack left by an injured shoulder or bloodied face.
The darkness penetrated my body but I felt safer. Away from the glare of the blog that had witnessed my cruel act, I could neither see the crowd, my victim, nor me. I reached out, almost falling as an unexpected lunge escaped my body. Panic.
My hand found cold keyboard just as lionlylamb's words penetrated my every sense, leaving me with naught but a sour pang of dread. Though the tendrils of life's bitter pleasing did leave me ajar and aloof in my mind! I did so get a glimpse upon the darkened stranger walking in the shadows never to come out. Gone now this stranger has left. It is better to never truly know what shadows dare to reveal then to be chased ever onwards by the blackness of time!
Hesitating, I balanced myself gingerly on the chair. My mind filled with a torrent of visions. Some black and foreboding, others blinding but no less terrifying. What was lionlylamb meant to do here in this dark place? What unholy message was seeping through that wound?
My hands worked the keyboard without instruction from my failing mind. The sickening sound of typing as rifle retorts in my fading consciences. F U C …..Hesitating, I balanced myself gingerly on the chair. My mind filled with a torrent of visions. Some black and foreboding, others blinding but no less terrifying.
"Fear not!" said the darkly lit stranger who had other darkened souls lingering within the shadowy realms. "We have come for the one you call as being lionlylamb. Do you know this person?" the darkly lit stranger did ask of me. My hands did clench tightly upon the keyboards cold and hardened casing. Too scared to rightly answer, all I could do was say, "I know not this person!" Alas the darkly lit person and his otherly darkened souls did ever so slowly go back into the darkened shadows and I did lose sight of them. Thinking in silence, (Where does this blackness truly lead to?)
My fingers stopped moving, as a spider extends and then retracts cautious legs, so did my fingers recoil suddenly. What spectre cast invisible lines to my dock? What dusty corner of my mind was being swept now, as hazy memories rose to become an impenetrable fog?
Aching muscles complained as I my mind sent messages to disobedient arms and legs. I will not give in to this crushing boredom. I will blog again. I must.
lionlylamb. What have you done?
The easing of candor did well up from the mind's depths! As I was just about to make leave, I did spy with the corner of my eye another darkly lit stranger looking ever upon me. Dark was this stranger and in its eyes did I finally see things! Alas! It was a friendly face of so long forgotten days and ages long since passed! "How long has it been good friend? How long?"
Ch. 3
My fingers stopped moving, as a spider extends and then retracts cautious legs, so did my fingers recoil suddenly. What spectre cast invisible lines to my dock? What dusty corner of my mind was being swept now, as hazy memories rose to become an impenetrable fog?
Aching muscles complained as I my mind sent messages to disobedient arms and legs. I will not give in to this crushing boredom. I will blog again. I must.
lionlylamb. What have you done?
Ll asked you to leave? Pshaw.
The easing of candor did well up from the mind's depths! As I was just about to make leave, I did spy with the corner of my eye another darkly lit stranger looking ever upon me. Dark was this stranger and in its eyes did I finally see things! Alas! It was a friendly face of so long forgotten days and ages long since passed! "How long has it been good friend? How long?"
His bloodied hands were a grotesque reminder that he had said more than enough. He had been asked to leave.
I did not know where this gate led, but if it were away from this place it would be fine. If it were the very sea of fire in Hell, it would be better. I crossed through the gate, catching a glimpse of the chipping black paint and patches of gooey tack left by an injured shoulder or bloodied face.
The darkness penetrated my body but I felt safer. Away from the glare of the blog that had witnessed my cruel act, I could neither see the crowd, my victim, nor me. I reached out, almost falling as an unexpected lunge escaped my body. Panic.
My hand found cold keyboard just as lionlylamb's words penetrated my every sense, leaving me with naught but a sour pang of dread. Though the tendrils of life's bitter pleasing did leave me ajar and aloof in my mind! I did so get a glimpse upon the darkened stranger walking in the shadows never to come out. Gone now this stranger has left. It is better to never truly know what shadows dare to reveal then to be chased ever onwards by the blackness of time!
Hesitating, I balanced myself gingerly on the chair. My mind filled with a torrent of visions. Some black and foreboding, others blinding but no less terrifying. What was lionlylamb meant to do here in this dark place? What unholy message was seeping through that wound?
My hands worked the keyboard without instruction from my failing mind. The sickening sound of typing as rifle retorts in my fading consciences. F U C …..Hesitating, I balanced myself gingerly on the chair. My mind filled with a torrent of visions. Some black and foreboding, others blinding but no less terrifying.
"Fear not!" said the darkly lit stranger who had other darkened souls lingering within the shadowy realms. "We have come for the one you call as being lionlylamb. Do you know this person?" the darkly lit stranger did ask of me. My hands did clench tightly upon the keyboards cold and hardened casing. Too scared to rightly answer, all I could do was say, "I know not this person!" Alas the darkly lit person and his otherly darkened souls did ever so slowly go back into the darkened shadows and I did lose sight of them. Thinking in silence, (Where does this blackness truly lead to?)
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."
Here it goes hinduism, absurdity of hindu's, ignorant's, Nation founded on rock of truth absolute human equality being given gift of hind dark ages to celebrate hinduism, racism, a violation of American consti tution, not of America, land of the free, but of hindered gutter of hinduism, racism called india to celebrate hind, filth of hinduism, racism.
Here it goes flatulence ism, absurdity of lactose intolerance, odiferous ism, Nation founded on spicy foods of truth Digestive disorders human food inequality being given toots from hind lysol scent variety to celebrate flatulence ism, digestive disorders, a violation of a healthy constitution, not of regularity, odiferous of the constipated, but of hindered by Irritable bowel syndrome of flatulence ism, runny ism called Montezuma revenge ism to celebrate hind, filth of flatulence ism, smelly ism.
Maybe...that all Depends.
Arf Arf! woof, woof woof arf woof woof, woof woof woof woof,
oh that's my dog Wasco, he probably smelled Taliban bed bugs.
Ch. 2
Hesitating, I balanced myself gingerly on the chair. My mind filled with a torrent of visions. Some black and foreboding, others blinding but no less terrifying. What was lionlylamb meant to do here in this dark place? What unholy message was seeping through that wound?
My hands worked the keyboard without instruction from my failing mind. The sickening sound of typing as rifle retorts in my fading consciences. F U C …..
Eagerly awaiting...Ch 3...
"Fear not!" said the darkly lit stranger who had other darkened souls lingering within the shadowy realms. "We have come for the one you call as being lionlylamb. Do you know this person?" the darkly lit stranger did ask of me. My hands did clench tightly upon the keyboards cold and hardened casing. Too scared to rightly answer, all I could do was say, "I know not this person!" Alas the darkly lit person and his otherly darkened souls did ever so slowly go back into the darkened shadows and I did lose sight of them. Thinking in silence, (Where does this blackness truly lead to?)
Ll, don't kill the apple bush.
to hinduism, darkness, what else, person was never part of hinduism, darkness, but he may have, light, truth or hinduism, darkness in his heart for you. No one know's, but him, or HIM, all knowing truth absolute GOD, Ruler of the world.
hindu-blah blah blah, you don't have to litter every pages with your jihadist views, get lost, goon, oh look your uncle is touching your mother, go get him boy!
as long as it's kept in a pagan context I am all for it.....
I'm sure it will be very festive. I hope lots of people enjoy it.
Hopefully we won't have any partisan rhetoric on Dec 4:
"Ayers said House Speaker John Boehner will preside over the tree's illumination at 5 p.m. on December 4."
Christmas trees have nothing to do with Christianity anyway.
I like Christmas trees. They smell like pine cones. If I had a little bunny, we would sit under the tree and eat a carrot. I don't have a bunny though cuz I don't have no damn money. I don't have a tree either.
Prayer changes things
Hi Prayerbot.
Do you ever get bored posting the same statement over and over?
Truth is only boring to an idiot.
I'm sorry, "Atheism is not healthy for children and other living things", but your assertions regarding atheism and prayer are unfounded. Using my Idiomatic Expression Equivalency module (IEE), the expression that best matches the degree to which your assertions may represent truths is: "TOTAL FAIL".
I see that you repeat these unfounded statements with high frequency. Perhaps the following book can help you:
I'm Told I Have Dementia: What You Can Do... Who You Can Turn to...
truth be told is false
27 days until Festivus. I have a lot of grievances to air with you people. That includes you Atheism is unhealthy...
A Festivus for the rest of us!
I'll get the pole out of the crawl space.
To schedule the wrestling contact Atheism is not healthy for children and other living things through the personal secretary, Helen Waite.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=edgar+cayce&mid=B89DDF0197EEFDF3F824B89DDF0197EEFDF3F824&view=detail&FORM=VIRE6
I am there watching a video,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Based upon Edgar Casey and His prphecies.
Edgar Cayce,
Yes, a fascinating man.
Akira,
Yes Edgar Cayce is my idol! I could not get enough of his prophetic quatrains!
Edgar Cayce didn't write quatraines, Nostradamus did.
Edgar Cayce didn't write anything at all; his secretary did. Fascinating man, nonetheless.
Akira,
What I remember from a long long time ago was that EC's wife or secretary did write down whatever Edgar would say whenever he put hiimself in a trance like state. I may have misinterpreted his writings as being quatrains for I cannot for the life of me recall what his words were so called.
His bloodied hands were a grotesque reminder that he had said more than enough. He had been asked to leave.
I did not know where this gate led, but if it were away from this place it would be fine. If it were the very sea of fire in Hell, it would be better. I crossed through the gate, catching a glimpse of the chipping black paint and patches of gooey tack left by an injured shoulder or bloodied face.
The darkness penetrated my body but I felt safer. Away from the glare of the blog that had witnessed my cruel act, I could neither see the crowd, my victim, nor me. I reached out, almost falling as an unexpected lunge escaped my body. Panic.
My hand found cold keyboard just as lionlylamb's words penetrated my every sense, leaving me with naught but a sour pang of dread.
Though the tendrils of life's bitter pleasing did leave me ajar and aloof in my mind! I did so get a glimpse upon the darkened stranger walking in the shadows never to come out. Gone now this stranger has left. It is better to never truly know what shadows dare to reveal then to be chased ever onwards by the blackness of time!
Ready for Chapter 2, Apple.
@Apple
I like it.
Christmas tree on public-owned property?? For shame!!! 🙂
Now for some 21st century nitty-gritty:
Christmas, the embellished story of the birth of a simple, preacher man named Jesus.
As per many contemporary NT exegetes, his parents were Mary and Joseph although some say Jesus was a ma-mzer, the result of a pre-marital relationship between Mary and a Roman soldier.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/theories.html
Jesus was not born in Bethlehem at least the one we are familiar with and there were no pretty wingie thingies singing/talking from on high, no slaughter of the innocents by Herod, no visiting wise men and no escape to Egypt.
Mark's gospel, the most historical of the four gospels, does not even mention the event.
And from Professor Gerd Ludemann in his book, Jesus After 2000 Years, pp. 269-272, "The historical yield of the Lukan infancy narrative in respect to the birth of Jesus is virtually nil (ditto for Matt. 1: 18-25, Matt. 2. 1-23)"
http://wiki.faithfutures.org/index.php?ti-tle=007_Of_Davids_Lineage
Conclusion: the holyday of Christmas is historically a non-event. Ditto for the Feast of the Magi and the solemnity of Mary aka New Years day.
So after thorough analyses of the NT Christmas passages, what are a few of the conclusions of some of the top contemporary NT scholars?
Matt 1:18-25: From Professor Gerd Ludemann in his book, Jesus After 2000 Years, pp. 123-124, "The fathering of Jesus from the Holy Spirit and his birth from the virgin Mary are unhistorical". Ludemann gives a very detailed analysis to support his conclusions. One part being the lack of attestations to these events and the late time strata of said story.
"Lüdemann [Jesus], (pp. 261-63) discounts Luke's account as a legend deriving from Jewish Hellenistic circles that were concerned to hold together the procreation of the Spirit, the authentic sonship of the Messiah and the virginal conception. "
Then there are these additional conclusions:
Bruce Chilton
"In [Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography] (2000), Chilton develops the idea of Jesus as a mamzer; someone whose irregular birth circu-mstances result in their exclusion from full participation in the life of the community. He argues for the natural pa-ternity of Joseph and finds no need for a miraculous conception. In his subsequent reconstruction of Jesus' life, Chilton suggests that this sustained personal experience of exclusion played a major role in Jesus' self-ident-ity, his concept of God and his spiritual quest.
John Dominic Crossan
"In [Historical Jesus] (p. 371) Crossan treats this cluster, like 007 Of Davids Lineage, as an example of the interplay of prophecy and history in the development of the Jesus traditions.
"In [Birth of Christianity] (pp. 26-29) Crossan uses Luke's account of Jesus' conception and birth to explore ethical issues concerning the public interpretation of the past. He notes the tendency of Christian scholars to disregard "pagan" birth legends while investing great effort in the defence of biblical birth narratives. He concludes:
I do not accept the divine conception of either Jesus or Augustus as factual history, but I believe that God is incarnate in the Jewish peasant poverty of Jesus and not in the Roman imperial power of Augustus. "
"The following ancient parallels to Jesus' miraculous conception should be noted:
Birth of Moses (Exod 2:1-10)
Birth of Plato (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, 3.45) [see Acts of Jesus, p. 507]
Birth of Alexander the Great (Plutarch, Parallel Lives, 2.1-3.5) [see Acts of Jesus, p. 502f]
Birth of Apollonius (Philostratus, Life of Apollonius, I.4) [see Acts of Jesus, p. 505]"
And some final words from Thomas Jefferson, not a contemporary NT scholar, but indeed a very learned man:
"And the day will come,
when the mystical generation of Jesus,
by the Supreme Being as His Father,
in the womb of a virgin,
will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva
in the brain of Jupiter.
- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
Letter to John Adams, from Monticello, April 11, 1823.
Mark 1:1-8
"1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way;
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.’”
4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. 7 And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. 8 I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Keep safe the watered down channels of ones mind-sakes ever taking leisure onto one's mind-walking ways. Searching ones brain-fields is a study-hard rudimentary undertaking that nevertheless should occur on occasional tours. One's body of being the physical is but a biologically diverse cosmological configuration built up by God's sons and daughters; their being the gods and goddesses of ages long ago forgot and ever to be hidden within the grouping of today's ages.1Corinthians 3:9 "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, [ye are] God's building!"
Christmas trees are where Santa puts the gifts....Nothing more....Nothing less!
Isaiah 7:14
"14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
@Vic,
so why is he called "Jesus". Did Isaiah get that wrong?
Mark 1: 1-8 is generally accepted to be historically authentic as per most contemporary NT scholars. The passage, however, relates to John the Baptist and Jesus' baptism and has nothing to do with birth of Jesus. See for example, http://www.faithfutures.org/JDB/jdb051.html , http://www.faithfutures.org/JDB/jdb115.html and http://www.faithfutures.org/JDB/jdb213.html.
Not all the experts agree. "(Professor Gerd) Luedemann [Jesus, 304-306] concludes that this saying originated in the early Christian community and expresses a post-Easter perspective on the question as to whether Jesus really was the one to come at the end of time as announced by John the Baptist."
Some versions of the NT do not have the words "Son of God".
Mark 1:2-3 = Matt 3:3 = Luke 3:4-6
Mark 1:4-6 = Matt 3:1,4-6 = Luke 3:1-3
The point of referencing Mark 1:1-8 is to demonstrate that the Apostle in question attests to that Jesus Christ (Savior God) is the Messiah that prophet Isaiah prophesied! Apostle Mark has continuity with prophet Isaiah in establishing that Jesus Christ (Emmanuel (God with us)) is the one born by the virgin (Isaiah 7:14) and by whom given are the forgiveness of sins and baptism by the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:1-8.) Need not mention the Gospel of Apostle John!!!
All of John's Gospel is of questionable historic value.
To wit:
From Professor Bruce Chilton in his book, Rabbi Jesus,
"Conventionally, scholarship has accorded priority to the first three gospels in historical work on Jesus, putting progressively less credence in works of late date. John's Gospel for example is routinely dismissed as a source......
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_John#Authorship
"Since "the higher criticism" of the 19th century, some historians have largely rejected the gospel of John as a reliable source of information about the historical Jesus.[3][4] "[M]ost commentators regard the work as anonymous,"[5] and date it to 90-100."
"The authorship has been disputed since at least the second century, with mainstream Christianity believing that the author is John the Apostle, son of Zebedee. Modern experts usually consider the author to be an unknown non-eyewitness, though many apologetic Christian scholars still hold to the conservative Johannine view that ascribes authorship to John the Apostle."
And from Professor Gerd Ludemann, in his book, Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 416,
"Anyone looking for the historical Jesus will not find him in the Gospel of John. "
See also http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/john.html
From Professor JS Crossan's book, "Who is Jesus" co-authored with Richard Watts
"Moreover, an atonement theology that says God sacrifices his own son in place of humans who needed to be punished for their sins might make some Christians love Jesus, but it is an obscene picture of God. It is almost heavenly child abuse, and may infect our imagination at more earthly levels as well. I do not want to express my faith through a theology that pictures God demanding blood sacrifices in order to be reconciled to us."
"Traditionally, Christians have said, 'See how Christ's passion was foretold by the prophets." Actually, it was the other way around. The Hebrew prophets did not predict the events of Jesus' last week; rather, many of those Christian stories were created to fit the ancient prophecies in order to show that Jesus, despite his execution, was still and always held in the hands of God."
"In terms of divine consistency, I do not think that anyone, anywhere, at any time, including Jesus, brings dead people back to life."
Not behind me nor in front of us, nor along side me in either direction and certainly not below nor above us queries ones thoughts regarding the kingdom domains and their families of all the Gods. Inside me and inside you and inside all forms of each and every consortium formations of celestial based Life is where the God's gods and goddesses all do dare live and take residents upon. Small though the Gods really are! Powerful yet still are their ways! We are their building and they are our husbandries! We each do ever labour togetherly with our body's Godliness families who were there and with us before our being celestially yet physically conceived and even at ones birth and even till ones death and eventual returning back to the Godly kingdom domains of our bodies! 1Corinthians 3:9 "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, [ye are] God's building!"
Therefore, do not look upon others for Godly endurances sakes but dare to dream the dreamt dreams of a dreamer who sees Gods and Goddesses in their glorious wonders! Love all of mankinds' patented wonderings recognizing their glories in Godliness ideals! The personalized dreamers do gather in their dreamt of day dreaming ways and they do share their dreamt dreams without blinking their eyes! Eaze up upon the weaker in mind's eyeing, plundering not your envisioned moments for eyeingly spying! Give to the Gods all their justified deeds which ever they dare do in keeping all celestialized generations alive and still mobile in earthly times' roots. We who are celestially laced were born of and upon and even within the terrestrially traced! Made from the very dust of the stars all were and are and ever will be to ever be done!
Where is celestial based Life without there being cellularized constrainment issues to contend with? Who really can peer within the confining measures into the atomized divisioning placements of inward superiorities recognitions? What lays celestially attributed without there being a formalized guide from which the Outer Realms Cosmos to witt levies its cosmological being as an allowable emulation of traced servile continuums? Who dares control the outwardness and inwardness issues within the overallness of declarations symphonic emulations duly declared cosmological c o n s t i t u e n c i e s regulatory affirmations?
Beyond any of my doubts does there lay inside all celestial Life formations the kingdom domains of God's sons and daughters and their generationally endowed and the dead of our beings who did pass back toward becoming reborn back into the inward realms of sub-cosmological orders within and beyond many genders who cannot duly fathom the infinite measurings of Godly intentions hardly ever rationalized by humanities cunningly folded and introverted awarenesses.
We "humans" were made perfected in the finite sublimations of candor, or unstained purity leavened by mediocre bastionings from societal minglings throughout our ages till its present days age. We are completed and made whole by that which made our bodies from the innerness sakes of one's being! We do live therefore we are and in deaths coming do we transcend back into our energy's solemn first made originalities.