The Virgin Mary - or was she? (Jesus Christ, reject, Earth)

[kadzbiz]

Originally Posted by kai

very interesting but bizare

How so?

[kai]

well
None of the traditional genealogical sources existed, like living family members who could be interviewed, vital records of birth marriage and death, census records, and probate records. But most importantly, there were no records that existed at the time the events occurred.
so this genealogical research was based mostly on religious text, we could do king arthur next

[Captain Civic]

Originally Posted by kai

so this genealogical research was based mostly on religious text, we could do king arthur next

Yes, because the New Testament and the records of King Arthur score about the same on textual criticism.

[kai]

Originally Posted by Captain Civic

Yes, because the New Testament and the records of King Arthur score about the same on textual criticism.

as far as geneology could go yes, you dont think so ? theres been a lot of research on arthur you know , some people actually think he was a real king

[MidnightBlue]

Originally Posted by kai

so this genealogical research was based mostly on religious text, we could do king arthur next

Genealogy is what I do. This isn't genealogy, and Tony Burroughs admits as much, but I guess you don't pass up a chance to travel to three continents at PBS' expense.

I find the whole thing confusing. Mormons I can understand, because they have have their own myth, but Protestants are just weird when it comes to myth.

We're not talking about factual historical narrative here. The events recorded in Matthew and Luke are mythological in every sense of the word. What I can't understand is the bizarre Protestant semi-acceptance of myth. Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians take the whole myth. It may be fantastic, and maybe the ones who stop to think about it don't really believe it, any of it, but it's a myth that has resonance and meaning. Protestants take the myth only insofar as it's explicitly stated in scripture, and where scripture leaves off, "common sense" -- the common sense of middle-class American Protestants, that is -- takes over.

Yes, an angel appeared to Zacharias and struck him dumb, and then his elderly wife miraculously got pregnant with a child who turned out to be a prophet, and then her young cousin, though a virgin, miraculously got pregnant with a child who turned out to be the Creator of the Universe, and angels appeared to Mary and Joseph, and Mary and Elizabeth spoke in poetry about their momentous pregnancies, and Joseph inexplicably had to journey to his ancestral home to register for a census, dragging the pregnant virgin to whom he was betrothed along with him, and Mary gave birth in a stable (or a cave), and angels appeared to announce the birth to shepherds, and wise men from the East saw the star announcing the birth of a future king in Judaea and journeyed to Judaea bearing precious gifts (because that's what one does, after all, when one takes one's astrology really seriously), but then got confused and blabbed the whole thing to Herod, and then Herod flipped out and ordered the slaughter of all the male babies in Bethlehem, and Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the infant Jesus, and I believe all that is historical fact, I really do. It's not at all fantastic. But obviously, once Joseph and Mary relocated to Nazareth, they settled down and had six or seven more kids and lived a normal middle-class life, because that's what one does, after all. I mean, you can't tell me that Mary devoted her life to prayer, remaining a virgin all her life! Why, things like that don't happen! That would just be silly!

[kadzbiz]

Originally Posted by kai

None of the traditional genealogical sources existed....

True, but (and it would be advantageous to watch the doco to understand) Burroughs used a lot of sensible deductions and known artifacts, etc to conclude his findings. I'm not a follower of the bible in a religious sense, but as a historical aide, Burrough's deductions seemed quite plausible to me.

Originally Posted by MidnightBlue

..... you can't tell me that Mary devoted her life to prayer, remaining a virgin all her life! Why, things like that don't happen! That would just be silly!

I'm not going to try and find an example, but I would almost bet my house that there would be at least one woman in the world who has devoted her life to prayer and remained a virgin. Mother Theresa I'm guessing.

[kai]

Originally Posted by kadzbiz

True, but (and it would be advantageous to watch the doco to understand) Burroughs used a lot of sensible deductions and known artifacts, etc to conclude his findings. I'm not a follower of the bible in a religious sense, but as a historical aide, Burrough's deductions seemed quite plausible to me.



I'm not going to try and find an example, but I would almost bet my house that there would be at least one woman in the world who has devoted her life to prayer and remained a virgin. Mother Theresa I'm guessing.

mother theresa had a lot of problems you know , but we are straying a little

[MidnightBlue]

Originally Posted by kadzbiz

I'm not going to try and find an example, but I would almost bet my house that there would be at least one woman in the world who has devoted her life to prayer and remained a virgin.

Check your sarcasm meter, Kadz.

[Ringer]

Originally Posted by MidnightBlue

Yes, an angel appeared to Zacharias and struck him dumb, and then his elderly wife miraculously got pregnant with a child who turned out to be a prophet, and then her young cousin, though a virgin, miraculously got pregnant with a child who turned out to be the Creator of the Universe, and angels appeared to Mary and Joseph, and Mary and Elizabeth spoke in poetry about their momentous pregnancies, and Joseph inexplicably had to journey to his ancestral home to register for a census, dragging the pregnant virgin to whom he was betrothed along with him, and Mary gave birth in a stable (or a cave), and angels appeared to announce the birth to shepherds, and wise men from the East saw the star announcing the birth of a future king in Judaea and journeyed to Judaea bearing precious gifts (because that's what one does, after all, when one takes one's astrology really seriously), but then got confused and blabbed the whole thing to Herod, and then Herod flipped out and ordered the slaughter of all the male babies in Bethlehem, and Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the infant Jesus, and I believe all that is historical fact, I really do. It's not at all fantastic. But obviously, once Joseph and Mary relocated to Nazareth, they settled down and had six or seven more kids and lived a normal middle-class life, because that's what one does, after all. I mean, you can't tell me that Mary devoted her life to prayer, remaining a virgin all her life! Why, things like that don't happen! That would just be silly!

Bill Graham once said that he believed that Jonah was eaten by a whale. In fact, if the bible said so, he would have even believed that Jonah ate the whale. I don't think Billy Graham is being a fool, he just understands that through God the presence of miracles are normative. Although, I don't expet you to see things his way. If I recall correctly, he was on your list of men/women that Christianity produced with him being on the naughty list.