Did Mary receive child support?

[Cartoonist]

Or was God a deadbeat? We already know he was too cheap to reserve a room at the inn when his own son was about to be born.

[Warpy]

1. None of the three "wise" men thought to bring

diapers or a crib, either, although the gold probably came in handy.

Maybe that was the idea for child support, something to buy diapers with (gold), something to kill the stink when they got used (fiankincense), and something to use when the kid died (myrrh).

[Ken Burch]

2. Somebody just alerted on this thread for bigotry

It was a ridiculous alert and I voted against hiding it.

[Cartoonist]

3. Thank you

I anticipated some oversensitive religious type might try to flex their religious privilege. Thanks for sweeping it under the rug.

[trotsky]

7. Bigotry?

Nice to see the DU Religious Thought Police still on patrol.

[Iggo]

4. Did Frodo have PTSD?

Equally important.

[Ken Burch]

5. You'd have a point, if the Hobbits were major figures in the New Testament.

I suppose they could be in the Apocrypha somewhere, but still...

[Iggo]

6. I have a point because they're both fictional.

[Ken Burch]

8. This is the Religion group

Most people in this group don't believe Mary was fictional.

[Iggo]

9. This is not a protected group for believers.

There are other groups, protected groups, for religious people to discuss their religion and their religiousness amongst each other without unwanted input from non-religious people. I've got no problem with that. This ain't that.

This is the Religion Group.
Statement Of Purpose: Discuss religious and theological issues. All relevant topics are permitted. Believers, non-believers, and everyone in-between are welcome.

If you're saying the OP (and the ensuing discussion of it) is not a relevant topic, that's one thing. However, the fact that we are in the Religion Group in no way means that I'm not allowed to share my view that Mary is fictional.

[Ken Burch]

20. OK...but there is some obligation to treat the subject of the group and the people in it

with some degree of respect.

I seriously doubt that you can ONLY maintain your agnostic or atheist sensibilities by never missing an obligation to treat those with religious convictions with dismissal and contempt.

Not only that, the OP asked a serious question and you weren't even respecting the OP.

[Iggo]

22. There is no obligation. There is only privilege, which I can choose to grant or not.

And I almost always choose not to grant it. Those days are over.

Also: Do you really think that was a serious question?

[Ken Burch]

23. I think it was a joke, but I think it read as disrespect not only to people in the group.

But to the OP itself.

I'm not saying you should defer to the religious-industrial complex. Of course you shouldn't. But why treat the OP itself(an OP that was making a skeptical and perhaps satirical point)as though the point and the thread author are just silly?

To what degree is that ever a good way to communicate with people?

[Iggo]

25. I answered an obvious skeptical and satirical joke with an obvious skeptical and satirical joke.

That's a great way to communicate.

How did I disrespect him/her?

[Cartoonist]

27. Clarifying

Of course the OP was a joke. I love making fun of religion. Tough shit if anyone can't take it. The OP was a response to a recent thread that asked if Mary and Joseph had sex after Jesus was born. That some people here considered it as a serious question is why religion makes such a great target for ridicule.

[trotsky]

24. What makes religious beliefs deserve special treatment?

Why are they different than opinions on any other topic?

[edhopper]

17. But the nativity

surely is. And in this group, i would bet a poll would support that.

[Bretton Garcia]

10. Tolkien was adamantly Catholic

And referred to his Lord of the Rings as "fundamentally Catholic."

http://decentfilms.com/articles/faithandfantasy

I've always seen the Church as feudalistic. And hobbits and Frodo and Joseph and Mary, as serflike.

[hrmjustin]

11. Money doesn't magically appear in the Nativity narrative so my answer would be no.

But you never know.

[Cartoonist]

12. Post nativity

Any assistance would have been welcome.

[hrmjustin]

13. Well since the Bible is silent on most of his childhood you will have to

draw your own conclusion.

[Cartoonist]

14. You keep referring to the Bible

Why don't you just make things up like religion does?

Play along, Godly.

[rug]

15. "Play along, Godly"? What's wrong with you?

[hrmjustin]

16. I keep referring to the Bible because it is a biblical story.

I said draw your own conclusion so be creative if you like. Maybe God put a coin under the water jar for Mary every day. Use your imagination!

And calling me Godly is not helpful. Thanks.

[Cartoonist]

18. Did you guys miss my recent post?

It was titled "Godly play"

Pretend you're God and make stuff up.

[hrmjustin]

19. I must have. Thanks for clarifying.

[Ilsa]

26. Joseph stepped up.

He didn't have to. His betrothed was pregnant, and not by him.
Did God have something to do with that? Yeah, maybe. Maybe God appealed to Joseph's compassion. He didn't want this young woman to be stoned.