Christianity

Undeniably true on all counts. One picks and

chooses which of several options to emphasize.

I'd really, truly prefer to believe that Ron

 

Howard, a much loved character, and as in

 

Backdraft, a terrific director, is a man of good

 

character. My kids ADORE that movie. At

 

Universal center some years ago I saw family

 

groups standing in line for Backdraft and all

 

were wearing white T-shirts showing the logos

 

of fire fighting companies.

What I want, and probably what everyone wants,

is peace, especially peace between different

religions. I'm incredibly moved by the fact

that more words are devoted to Mary (The Mother

of God to Catholics) in the Koran, than there are

words devoted to Mary in The New Testament. I

read that in a Parish news letter.

Some Christians, following ideas in the

 

Beatitudes, believe that the Mission of Jesus

 

was to make God available to everyone. In his

 

time on earth that was not possible because in

 

order to enter the inner sanctum of the temple,

 

and make sacrifice, one had to change one's

 

coins into acceptably cleansed coins with

 

which to purchase the animal or bird to be

 

sacrificed. Hence the New Testament

 

narrative of Jesus upsetting the tables of the

 

money changers. That is, changing money,

 

selecting whose money would be changed and

 

whose would not be changed, allowed various

 

discriminations. Unfortunately that scene was

 

never filmed for The Passion of the Christ.

 

I believe the subject of 'money' was too potentially

 

dangerous. Yet, having the chief priest actually at

 

the crucifixion was an even greater mistake: it's

 

not in the Bible, and it screams out, "antiSemitism!".

 

In history, going by the Bible, it was the crowd, not

 

the chief priest, who wanted to free Barabass, and

 

crucify Jesus.

Some Christian ministers (not sure about

Catholic priests) make a lot out of the fact

that it was women who discovered that Jesus

was no longer in the tomb. Jesus appeared,

I believe, to a woman first. There is

a lot of evidence in the Bible that Jesus loved

and respected women. The idea that he'd get

 

married when he knew his end was near is mind

 

bogglingly insulting. Just think of all the tender,

 

unprecedented mention of children and women

 

meeting with Jesus!  The woman at the well,

the foot washing, the woman about to be stoned,

 

and "Suffer little children to come unto me"!

Nice exchanging views with you! Thanks! You

 

help me find my thoughts.

 

Barry