What They Think of Us: Jesus Parodies

Apparently They Think This is Funny

Jesus Walks on Water Prank

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgGmedc-AEM&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Jesus Turns Water into Wine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgrSyokK6H0

Jesus Levitation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4q6Zx5n9Jw

Jesus Carries the Cross

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40mPaWqffSc

Sitting Alone Together

The other day in the cafeteria of the hospital where I work, I saw a round table at which several employees were sitting together, but they were not together.  Every one of them was busily texting on their smart phones.

No one was talking to anyone else.  This seems to be a hallmark of our modern culture.  We are all talking but no one is listening.  This is happening even within the Church.

http://www.basicsofchristianity.com/growth/new-believer-basics-fellowship.htm

http://www.victorious.org/felwship.htm

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” Romans 12:5

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;” Ephesians 2:19

Definitions: Chastity

Chassity, Chassidy, Chassitee, Chessity, Chessidy, Chasadee.  These and a great many more are variants of a very popular English language female personal name.  They all are apparently attempts to represent the word “chastity.”

One wonders how much people understand about the word if they cannot even be bothered to spell it correctly.  The English language word is derived ultimately from the Latin word “castus,” meaning “pure”.

Aldous Huxley humorously (I think) called chastity “the most unnatural of all the sexual perversions.”

An internet Google search brings up numerous attempts at a definition, most centering on the avoidance of sex.  The Christian understanding of the word can include that meaning but it is much more meaningful than that.  Remember that God viewed the Israelite’s attraction to other cultures and other gods as adultery against Himself. (Hosea 4; Ezekiel 16:35-42; Jeremiah 3:1, 13-14, and, in the New Testament, James 4:4)

The Christian martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, said of the virtue, “The essence of chastity is not the suppression of lust, but the total orientation of one’s life towards a goal.”

Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:23

"By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned," 2 Corinthians 6:6

"One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;" 1 Timothy 3:4

"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12

"For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:2

"That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience." Titus 2:2

"Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;" 1 Timothy 3:8

"Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things." 1 Timothy 3:11

“Sex in the Body of Christ” http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/may/34.28.html

Swearing on the Bible

On Monday, 21 January 2012, Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term as President of the United States of America.  For the oath, the President placed his hand on the family Bible of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. which was sitting on top of a Bible which was owned by the United States President Abraham Lincoln.  The King Bible was on loan from the family of the civil rights leader.  The Lincoln Bible was the one used in President Lincoln’s 1861 inauguration and  is preserved in the Library of Congress. 

United States Presidents being sworn into office upon the Bible is a tradition from the earliest days of the Republic.  Only four presidents, Franklin Pierce, Rutherford B. Hayes, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson, were sworn in without the use of a Bible.

Swearing on the Bible is used in courts for witnesses before they testify.  Many Christians refuse to do this, as do believers in other faiths.  In the United States and some other countries, it is acceptable to decline to swear on the Bible.  Members of other faiths may use the holy text of their faith if the court is notified beforehand.  In the case of a declination, the witness must affirm that he or she will tell the truth.  Any of these methods places one “under oath.”  Lying “under oath” is perjury, a crime punishable by fines and/or imprisonment.

 Dr Helmut Thielicke, in Life Can Begin Again (1963), says that an oath is insulting because it assumes that otherwise the witness would lie. 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths (Here, Jesus is referencing Deuteronomy 6:13):  But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:  Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.  

Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.  But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” Matthew 5: 33-37  The verb in verse 37, ἔστω, translated into English as “let it be,” is in the present active imperative form, a command. ἔστω δὲ ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ναὶ ναί, οὒ οὔ· τὸ δὲ περισσὸν τούτων ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν.

James, Jesus’ brother, echoed Jesus, “But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.” James 5:12

_______________________________________

While preparing this post I found this on the website of conspiracy theorist David Icke posted by someone calling himself (or herself) MALKOR.  There is always at least one:

 “There is a bit of irony there … swearing to tell the truth while placing your hand on a book of lies.” 

Female Images of God: Maintaining Clothing

"Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not." Nehemiah 9:21 In biblical times, weaving of fabrics was mostly a female occupation although there were men who were skilled embroiderers and engravers, such as Oholiab the son of Ahisamach (Exodus 38:23).  The fabrics were linen, flax, and wool.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Some of those listed may surprise you.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Abraham Johannes Muste: (b. 1885, Netherlands – d. 1967; A.J. Muste) American Clergyman, civil rights activist, pacifist.  Muste was a proponent of the Social Gospel.  He was a Dutch Reformed Socialist who became a Quaker Christian pacifist.

Honorio Hermeto Carneiro Leao, Marquis of Parana: (b. 1801, Brazil –d. 1856) Judge, politician, diplomat, and monarchist.  Roman Catholic.

Howard Thurman: (b. 1899, Florida (USA) – d. 1981) Baptist minister, educator, author, philosopher, theologian, civil rights leader.  Thurman was a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr.

James Leonard Farmer, Jr.: (b. 1920, Texas (USA) – d. 1999) Civil rights activist who organized the 1961 Freedom Ride and was a cofounder of the Congress of Racial Equality.  Son of James Leonard Farmer, Sr. Methodist.

James Leonard Farmer, Sr.: (b. 1886 – d. 1961) Author, theologian, educator, university professor.  Father of James Leonard Farmer, Jr.  Methodist.

Hello, Reunion!

Bonjour, La Réunion! Bienvenue sur le groupe de lecteurs de 120 Bonjour, autres pays qui ont également visiter ce blog. J'espère que vous trouverez quelques-uns des messages utiles et significatives.

Le "Traduire cette page" gadget directement au-dessus des "Pages totales" Compteur a la capacité de traduire le texte anglais de ce blog directement dans de nombreuses autres langues.

Cent vingt et un pays: Albanie, Algérie, Antigua-et-Barbuda, Argentine, Arménie, Aruba, Australie, Autriche, Azerbaïdjan, Bahreïn, Bangladesh, Bélarus, Belgique, Belize, Botswana, Brésil, Bulgarie, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chili , Chine, Colombie, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatie, Chypre, République tchèque, Danemark, République dominicaine, Équateur, Égypte, El Salvador, Espagne, Estonie, Ethiopie, Finlande, France, Géorgie, Allemagne, Gabon, Ghana, Grèce, Guam, Hong Kong, Hongrie, Islande, Inde, Indonésie, Iran, Iraq, Irlande, Israël, Italie, Côte-d'Ivoire, la Jamaïque, le Japon, la Jordanie, le Cambodge, le Kenya, Kirghizistan, Koweït, Laos, Lettonie, Liban, Lesotho, Libye, Lituanie, Luxembourg , Macédoine, Malaisie, Mali, Malte, Mexique, Moldova, Mongolie, Maroc, Myanmar, Namibie, Pays-Bas, Nouvelle-Calédonie, Nouvelle-Zélande, Nigéria, Norvège, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Pérou, Philippines, Pologne, Portugal, Qatar, Réunion , Roumanie, Russie, Saint-Kitts-et-Nevis, l'Arabie saoudite, Sénégal, Serbie, Singapour, Slovaquie, Slovénie, Afrique du Sud, Corée du Sud, Espagne, Sri Lanka, Soudan, Suriname, Suède, Suisse, Taiwan, Tanzanie, Thaïlande, Trinité-et-Tobago, Tunisie, Turquie, Ouganda, Ukraine, Emirats Arabes Unis, Royaume-Uni, États-Unis d'Amérique, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yémen, Zimbabwe.

A Weak Vessel

I am a weak and deficient vessel for Your Grace.
This is why I am filled with wonder;
For You have chosen to freely fill me with Your Spirit.

Faith on a Staircase

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."  Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

Ezekiel 4:9 Cereals

This is not a joke.  There is a breakfast cereal named Ezekiel 4:9.   It is produced in the State of California (USA) by the Food for Life Baking Company.

The cereal is multigrain (wheat, barley, millet, lentils, soybeans, and spelt).  I bought a box of the Ezekiel Almond Cereal to test it.  If you eat this cereal, expect that it will have little inherent taste and will be highly crunchy.  The fiber count is 6 grams per a ½ cup (57 grams) serving.  This is 24% of the recommended daily human fiber intake.  Total fats are 3 grams.  Cholesterol is 0 grams , so this may be an option for those who need to restrict their lipid intake.  The sodium and potassium levels are 190 and 220 milligrams respectively.  The sugars are less than 1 gram but this is counterbalanced by the 38 grams of total carbohydrates.

I personally found the cereal to be mostly inedible by itself but, with added bran flakes and cut fresh strawberries, I could eat it.  It would not be one of my favorites.

The included grains were used mainly to feed cattle; they were used to make bread by people who were extremely poor or during a time of famine.  The Israelites considered it to be a humiliating defilement to be forced to mix these grains together and eat them.

A sarcastic response.  Be warned that it contains vulgarities.

http://www.nobeliefs.com/washingtonnews/EzekielBread.htm

Female Images of God: El-Shaddai

Star Trek (The Original Series) was a science fiction television program which was ambivalent, if not overtly hostile, towards religion.  It reflected the attitudes of its creator, Gene Roddenberry, who as an adult rejected his Southern Baptist roots.

Actor Leonard Nimoy, who is Jewish, introduced some aspects of religion to the program.  These included the Vulcan Salute and the Vulcan Salutations, "Live long and prosper" and its response "Peace and long life." 

The salutations reflect the Hebrew greeting, "Shalom aleichem" ("Peace be upon you") and its response  "Aleichem shalom" ("upon you be peace").

The Vulcan Salute reflects the hand positions used in the Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing).  The positioning of the fingers reflects the Hebrew letter sim/shim, the first letter of the word "shaddai."

ש

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17:1 "I am El-Shaddai."

El-Shaddai is often translated as "Almighty God" because the translators of the Septuagint believed that it came from the word "shadad," which means "to overpower."  Some now say that it actually comes from "shad," meaning "breast," carrying the idea of sufficiency and nurturing.  So, instead of "God Almighty," this name would mean "All-Sufficient/Nurturing God."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Spock_vulcan-salute.png  (Use rationale for this image)

Links;
The Vulcan Salute

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Vulcan_salute

The Jewish Origin of the Vulcan Salute

http://upstel.net/~rooster/v-salute.html

Amy Grant El-Shaddai

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydd4XTIDzF0

Hebrew Names of God

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Names_of_G-d/El/el.html

El-Shaddai

http://www.parentcompany.com/awareness_of_god/nog6.htm

Lightbulb Joke

“How many singers does it take to change a light bulb?

Only one, But she’ll need six weeks preparation and will get upset if you don’t spell her name correctly in the bulletin.”

From the Big Book of Church Jokes, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.

Hello, Mongolia!

Hello, Mongolia!  Welcome to the group of readers from one hundred and nineteen other countries who also visit this blog.  I hope you find some of the posts useful or meaningful.

The “Translate This Page” gadget directly above the “Total Pageviews” Counter has the capability of translating the English text of this blog directly into numerous other languages.

One hundred and twenty countries: Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France,  Georgia, Germany, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kampuchea, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg,  Macedonia, Malaysia, Mali, Malta,  Mexico,  Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan,  Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Venezuela, Vietnam,  Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Psalm 119

Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem intentionally built by the author. This is an ancient Hebrew literary form which is not evident in translation.  The poem is built on the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, in alphabetical order.



Verses 1 - 8 all begin with the letter Aleph.

Verses 9 - 16 all begin with the letter Beth.

Verses 17 - 24 all begin with the letter Gimel.

Verses 25 - 32 all begin with the letter Daleth.

Verses 33 -40 all begin with the letter He.

Verses 41 - 48 all begin with the letter Waw.

Verses 49 - 56 all begin with the letter Zayin.

Verses 57 - 64 all begin with the letter Heth.

Verses 65 - 72 all begin with the letter Teth.

Verses 73 - 80 all begin with the letter Yodh.

Verses 81 - 88 all begin with the letter Kaph.

Verses 89 - 96 all begin with the letter Lamedh.

Verses 97 - 104 all begin with the letter Mem.

Verses 105 - 112 all begin with the letter Nun.

Verses 113 - 120 all begin with the letter Samekh.

Verses 121 - 128 all begin with the letter Ayin.

Verses 129 - 136 all begin with the letter Pe.

Verses 137 - 144 all begin with the letter Tsadhe.

Verses 145 - 152 all begin with the letter Qoph.

Verses 153 - 160 all begin with the letter Resh.

Verses 161 - 168 all begin with the letter Sin/Shin.

Verses 169 - 176 all begin with the letter Taw.

How Many Words Are In the Bible?

The hopelessly complicated and voluminous United States tax code made me wonder just how many words are in the Bible.  United States Representative Dave Camp, the Chairman of the House (of Representatives) Ways and Means Committee said of a watchdog agency report, “This report confirms that the code is 10 time the size of the Bible with none of the good news.”  Estimates place the word count of the 16,845 page document to be approximately 3,800,000.  The document consisted of 11,400 words in 1914.

The word count of the Bible depends, of course, on which language and which translation is used and how the words are counted.  Should you include the names of the books or the word “chapter”?  Should you use the Greek and Hebrew originals, which, of course, do not apparently still exist in their autograph state?  Especially with the Greek text, there are numerous variants, which, while not changing the meaning of the text, would cause the word count to vary.

Should you include the supercripts  and postscripts to the Psalms (http://www.bombaxo.com/blog/?p=330)?

If one uses the King James version of the Bible, there may several word counts derived based on the method used for the count.  One estimate is 783,137 words.  Another is 788,280, while a third is 823,156.   All are far short of 3.8 million.

http://www.biblebelievers.com/believers-org/kjv-stats.html

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_words_in_the_King_James_Bible

She Dances

Here is an excellent article posted in An Upside Down World, my friend Mark's teaching blog.  "Every little girl deserves to dance and dream."

The Flu Epidemic

15.This may seem to be off topic, but actually it is not.  Church services are gatherings of people, so anything which would affect the gatherings is a legitimate topic of discussion.  Currently in the United States and numerous other countries there are spreading influenza (“flu”) and norovirus  epidemics.

The H3N2 Influenza A virus is the predominant virus rapidly diffusing across the United States (as of today it has spread to 41 states).  As of 31 December 2012, 2200 persons have been hospitalized and over 18 children have died.  Annually, various forms of the flu kill an average of 36,000 persons in the United States alone.  The route of transmission of the H3N2 virus this time appears  to be East and Southeast Asia, to Australia and New Zealand, then to North America, Europe, and finally South America.  Basically, everyone.

The norovirus is not flu but is a gastrointestinal virus which causes vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, and stomach cramping.  It appears to be spreading in the following path: Australia to the United States, France, New Zealand, Japan, and Great Britain.  It lasts about three days and is not likely to kill anyone who is not already immunocompromised or debilitated.

There are numerous things which people can do to lessen their chances of contracting these viruses.

1.     Wash your hands often, especially after touching anything public such as doorknobs, hand rails, toilet handles, etc.

2.     If sanitary wipes or sanitary hand foam are provided, use them.

3.     Wipe your phone after someone else uses it.

4.     Wipe the handles of carts or baskets at shopping malls.

5.     Use your knuckle or the end of a pen to push the buttons on an elevator.

6.     Keep your hands away from your face, and out of your mouth, nose, or eyes.

7.     If advised to do so by public health officials, do not hesitate to wear a mask in public.

8.     Wash clothing thoroughly and machine dry.  Wash your hands after handling the clothing.

9.     Do not eat raw foods; thoroughly cook fish, meats, poultry, and seafood.  Wash fruits and vegetables under running water before processing them.  Wash your hands after handling uncooked food.

10. Avoid drinking from public fountains if at all possible.

11. Do not share cups, glasses, or eating utensils with other people, especially anyone noticeably sick.

12. If someone is repeatedly coughing or sneezing you might want to move away from them.

13. Sneeze into a napkin, handkerchief, or your shirt sleeve.

14. Before sitting on a public toilet, put down a paper seat cover.  If one is not available, lay down toilet paper on which to sit.

At least during the epidemics, it might be wise not to use a communal communion cup.  If everyone puts his or her mouth on the cup, medically it is the same as if everyone used the same toothbrush.

Hello, Guam!

Hello, Guam!  Welcome to the group of readers from one hundred and eighteen other countries who also visit this blog.  I hope you find some of the posts useful or meaningful.

The “Translate This Page” gadget directly above the “Total Pageviews” Counter has the capability of translating the English text of this blog directly into numerous other languages.

One hundred and nineteen countries: Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France,  Georgia, Germany, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kampuchea, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg,  Macedonia, Malaysia, Mali, Malta,  Mexico,  Moldova,  Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan,  Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Venezuela, Vietnam,  Yemen, Zimbabwe.

When We Stumble

When Christians stumble, when we fall short, and we all do, even the Apostle Paul, God is right there, waiting to comfort us and set us on the right path again.  He knows what we have done, but He expects us to tell Him.  Once we do, He tells us to not do it again and then He “remembers it not” as if it never happened.  “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34, also Hebrews 10:17)

Christians are covered by the Blood of Christ.  When God sees His people, He sees the Blood.  “… when I see the blood I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13)

The Blood of Christ must be there and it is only there when we accept it as the gift that it is.

A Dream About Jesus and the National Championship Game

When I heard this, at first I thought that JJ was having a Michael Jr. moment but, then, about halfway into his story, I realized that he had veered off into a totally different direction.  As long time readers of this blog already know, Michael Jr. is my favorite comedian.  Michael tells funny stories and then, suddenly, the story becomes a sermon or a twist of the Holy Spirit’s sword, exposing our failings or hypocrisies.

I find this video to be troublesome.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W6QAy9dR78

I am not going to tell you what to think, or why.  Make up your own mind.

Unusual Christian Places: Chapel of the Snows

The non-denominational Chapel of the Snows is at the United States McMurdo Station on Ross Island, Antarctica.  Protestant chaplains are supplied by the United States Air National Guard and Roman Catholic priests by the Archdioceses of New Zealand.  The chapel is also used by Mormons, Bahai’s, Buddhists, and Alcoholics Anonymous.  The chapel is the southernmost religious building on Earth.

The chapel has burned to the ground and been rebuilt twice.

Oldest Person in the United States Dies

Mamie Rearden, of Edgefield, South Carolina (USA) died Wednesday 2 January 2013 at the age of 114.  She was, until her death, the oldest living person in the United States.  Her rapid decline in health came after she fell and broke her hip.

Mamie Rearden, a schoolteacher and homemaker, was born on 7 September 1898.   She had eleven children, ten of whom survive her.

When asked her opinion of a local preacher’s very boring sermon she had nothing negative to say because, as she said, “Well, it came from the Bible.”

Mrs. Rearden was not the oldest person on Earth.  That honor belongs to Jimeron Kimura of Japan, who is 115. 

New Recurrent Topic

I am beginning a new recurrent topic to go along with all the others: Differences Between Protestants and Roman Catholics/Orthodox: We are all Christians but there are some very real differences in attitudes and beliefs between us.  The unity of the Mind of Christ, the ἐκκλησία, unites us even if we may never be united on a human, organizational level.

http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/was-jesus-born-on-december-25-faq.htm

A difference between us which is relevant for this time of year is the celebration of Christmas. Protestants and Catholics celebrate Christmas on 25 December while Orthodox observe the holiday on 7 January.  Biblical scholars and historians are almost universally agreed that both of these dates are incorrect.

The biblical and historical evidence points to the birth of Jesus having occurred in March or April of 6-5 BC/BCE.  Calculations by other scholars point to Jesus having been born in September or October.  The birth could not have occurred in 1BC/AD because Herod died in 4BC/BCE

About the 25 December and 7 January dates: Orthodox follow the Roman Julian calendar which was in use at the birth of Jesus while Protestants and Catholics follow the Gregorian calendar (Pope Gregory XIII, 1582) which corrected an error caused in dating because the year is not exactly 365 days in length. 

The 25 December date was first suggested by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 AD/CE and was celebrated on that date as early as 354, but it was not officially declared as the date until 440.