lying angel - silly ol' Gabriel - just musings

[drfuzzy]

Ok, the real problem with making extra $$$ playing the organ for the Catholics is that I just DREAD Christmas.
I had to play Advent Mass today, and it's the start of the magic baby gauntlet.


Of course, one of the readings today was the Angel Gabriel's message to Mary.   (Luke 1)
“Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God.
You will become pregnant, give birth to a son, and name him Jesus.
He will be a great man and will be called the Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
Your son will be king of Jacob’s people forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

Wow, ol' Gabe didn't keep up on current events, did he?  -- Or whatever greek writers penned the fantasies of Luke/Acts didn't?
Is it possible that this author didn't know that the Middle East was under Roman control when Gabe supposedly had his chat with Mary?
Is it possible that the writer didn't know that there WAS NO "King of Jacob's people" and no throne?  Maybe this writer thought that
this was going to happen in his lifetime?

And how do people listen to this and just nod and smile and not say . . . hey waitaminnit . . . 
Of course, Gabe probably couldn't say "and the temple will be destroyed, Jacob's people scattered to the winds, your Son will be a Gentile deity
because the Jewish high poobah leaders aren't gonna take that "son of the most high" thing well and are gonna get him killed, and in 
about 1900 years 6 million Jews will be slaughtered - some people will say it's because they are "Christ-killers".  Wouldn't have gone over well.

Now Fundies will tell you that this refers to the Second Coming.  Well, if Jeebus finally shows up for reals, he's gonna get some 
push back.  Exactly what percentage of the World Population would be thrilled with having this guy proclaim himself King of the Jews, and 
King of the Planet?   Yeah, he's going to have to do a whole boatload of killing.  Makes me really happy he doesn't exist.

But seriously.  Intelligent people listen to this crap and just nod and smile.  It's really horrifying to think that I did the same for 40 years.
Thanks for letting me rant.

[Minimalist]

That the same "Gabe" who whispered in mohammed the pedo-prophet's ear?

Fucker gets around, huh.

[chimp3]

The same Gabriel recalled in this song about jelly rolls :

Mr Jelly Roll Baker
Let me be your slave!
When Gabriel blows his trumpet
Let me rush from my grave
For some of that good jelly!
Good for my worried soul!
It's good for the sick
And it's good for the young and old!

[Banned]

But seriously.  Intelligent people listen to this crap and just nod and smile.  It's really horrifying to think that I did the same for 40 years.
Thanks for letting me rant.

So if you were intelligent, and this was such crap, how come it took you 40 years to come out of your closet?
How can you be so sure that you haven't migrated to another dark closet?

[ignoramus]

So you're admitting you're in a dark closet with Jesus?


Tell us moar!

[drfuzzy]

But seriously.  Intelligent people listen to this crap and just nod and smile.  It's really horrifying to think that I did the same for 40 years.
Thanks for letting me rant.

So if you were intelligent, and this was such crap, how come it took you 40 years to come out of your closet?
How can you be so sure that you haven't migrated to another dark closet?

All of my closets are dark.  

But seriously.  I was playing for an Easter Vigil service and listening to the readings, and I realized that I didn't believe what I was hearing.
It was a cumulative path, of course.  I did some of my own comparative religion reading and philosophy and science and -- it apparently seeped in little by little.

But now I listen to Bible readings without the mindset of "ooh, GOD wrote this" that I was taught as a child.  So a lot of it now, I just listen and think "this is absolutely absurd".

[chimp3]

But seriously.  Intelligent people listen to this crap and just nod and smile.  It's really horrifying to think that I did the same for 40 years.
Thanks for letting me rant.

So if you were intelligent, and this was such crap, how come it took you 40 years to come out of your closet?
How can you be so sure that you haven't migrated to another dark closet?

SDAs! The people who brought us bran flakes! Thanks to your denomination migrating to the water closet is a bigger concern than migrating to dark closets.

[Fireball]

But seriously.  Intelligent people listen to this crap and just nod and smile.  It's really horrifying to think that I did the same for 40 years.
Thanks for letting me rant.

So if you were intelligent, and this was such crap, how come it took you 40 years to come out of your closet?
How can you be so sure that you haven't migrated to another dark closet?

My, aren't you the burr under her saddle? I''l let you figure the answer out for yourself, while you remain in your own dark closet.

[vulcanlogician]

But now I listen to Bible readings without the mindset of "ooh, GOD wrote this" that I was taught as a child.

And that makes all the difference, doesn't it? Once I learned how to give something a proper critical reading (ie read it keeping in mind the cultural context, motivations of the author etc.) the bible seemed just as cheap as those pamphlets the Jehovah's Witnesses give you. That's why there's all this hype surrounding it. That's why people are encouraged to believe it first, then read it. Otherwise, it would make an entirely different impression...

"this is absolutely absurd".

[Banned]

So if you were intelligent, and this was such crap, how come it took you 40 years to come out of your closet?
How can you be so sure that you haven't migrated to another dark closet?

All of my closets are dark.  

But seriously.  I was playing for an Easter Vigil service and listening to the readings, and I realized that I didn't believe what I was hearing.
It was a cumulative path, of course.  I did some of my own comparative religion reading and philosophy and science and -- it apparently seeped in little by little.

But now I listen to Bible readings without the mindset of "ooh, GOD wrote this" that I was taught as a child.  So a lot of it now, I just listen and think "this is absolutely absurd".

I appreciate your honesty, and I am glad that you are becoming more aware of what you really think.