Pope demands: Get your ass out of that manger!

Posted: 11/21/12 at 2:37pm

With just under 34 days until Christmas, the Pope has put a dampener on the festive period by rubbishing the idea that donkeys or any other animal have a place in the traditional nativity scene.



No more christmas carols, either

[Kad]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 2:41pm

For those keeping track:

Presence of animals in manger: Not true.
Virgin birth: Totally true.

Posted: 11/21/12 at 2:45pm

And there were angels, but they didn't sing.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 2:48pm

Because that would be preposterous.

[artscallion]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 2:52pm

So it's just crazy Mary writhing around in the hay claiming it was God, not Joseph.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 2:54pm

Oh and the Three Wisemen? Maybe true, maybe not.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 3:07pm

"Pope Declares War on Christmas!"

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 3:09pm

It's all about the kneeling boy with the lamb in his arms.

[artscallion]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 3:21pm

Sheep had weird asses back then.

Posted: 11/21/12 at 3:28pm

Why would a sheep need a donkey? I always figured the ass belonged to Mary & Joe who rode it to the manger.

[artscallion]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 3:36pm

You're correct. It's Joe that has the weird ass.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 4:07pm

Look, someone brought a tastefull fruit basket!

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 4:28pm

Why is it raining only on the mother and child?

[SNAFU]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 4:33pm

That's a heavanly follow spot! God loves Drama!

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 4:47pm

I love that he is taking the time to finally address such an incredibly important issue! And people say the Catholic church is not relevant anymore, here's proof that they really care about what matters. This clearly needed to be addressed on an international level *eye roll*

This is so absurd. Anyone who comes from a Latin background or knows Latin people could tell you that if you go to a Latin home during Christmas season you will see an entire zoo in the nativity scene. I remember growing up in South America my aunt had a beautiful nativity scene with lions, zebras, elephants, and any animal you can imagine, it was like a LIONG KING Christmas. It's crazy and ridiculous, but it's part of the culture, and as some have pointed out, a random animal in the nativity scene is hardly the most ridiculous part of said scene.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 4:50pm

Jesus is still white, though, right?

Posted: 11/21/12 at 4:53pm

Another fun fact: The Three Kings of orient are...not kings, probably not of the orient and not three in number. Magi visited Jesus "from the east" and brought "gold, frankincense and Myrrh" which led people to say there were three of them- three gifts, three magi.

And "magi" probably meant they were astrologers (makes sense if they saw the star) but if they followed the star in the East...well that means they were from the west, right? Some countries celebrate TWELVE Magi coming to see the baby Jesus, twelve being a number that comes up a lot on the roulette wheel that is JC's life.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 5:23pm

Yeah I bet the three who brought the gifts were mighty pissed off twhen the other nine tried to sign the card!

Posted: 11/21/12 at 6:16pm

Years ago I sent an Xmas card that pictured the baby Jesus in the manger and Mary whispering to Joseph "I was sure one of these "wise men" would get us a crib!"

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 8:58pm

"Even St Peter's Square has a giant Nativity scene at Christmas (pictured), complete with animals, but the Pope says this idea of Christ surrounded by donkeys, oxen and sheep is a seventh century invention"

But the Pope says nothing about other Bible stories that came from other sources centuries before...

Nice.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 9:02pm

Like the Jesus story stealing a lot of aspects and plot points from the cult of Mithras?

[little_sally]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 9:12pm

Animals in the manger? Preposterous! Everything else in the Bible...totally true.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 11/21/12 at 9:25pm

Exactly, Snafu!

[OperaBwayLover]

Posted: 11/22/12 at 1:53am

While we're adding fun facts, when I took a New Testament Survey class in college, my teacher, a retired minister, stated that there was no way Christmas occurred when we have it traditionally set. More than likely, Jesus was born in the spring. The detail that sticks out the most in my mind is my teacher saying, "No shepherd in his right mind would have his sheep out in the cold winter air, risking sickness and death!"

To be fair, most translations of the Bible never say the angels were singing; they have them 'praising God and saying...' At the same time, though, this whole thing is quite silly on the Pope's part. So what if there were or weren't animals there? How does he know, or not? Why come along now and speak against such?

[SNAFU]

Posted: 11/22/12 at 2:44am

Opera, Mithras was supposed to have been born around the winter solstice, he was also born of a virgin, was killed and resurrected. The cult of Mithras was a strong movement during the formation of Christianity and the early Christians adopted some of his legend to gain members.