That Joseph and Mary had their child in the cave or barn or goat shed doesn't matter. What DOES matter is they did this deliberately, to keep it off the record, to stay under the Government radar and prevent documentation. You see, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus, was a sovereign citizen. He probably wasn't the first since there were many who resisted the oppressive taxation of the Roman Empire. And yes, that was Taxation Without Representation, because you can bet the Jews didn't get a seat in the Roman Senate. And Caesar could bypass the Senate impose edicts in the time of Empire because the Executive power had surpassed the Legislative by that time. Sound familiar? People have been born "off the grid" for thousands of years, and for most of human history there was no grid. It wasn't until human societies were able to produce surplus food to be stored that we saw cities come into being. But of course, once you have Surplus, someone who probably didn't help grow it decides he needs to "manage" it and who will get to eat it. And he'll probably pay himself from that surplus, and so was born the Civil Servant.

But getting back to my earlier point, Jesus wasn't the first to be born off the grid, but it was no accident that he was. You remember the old saying from Sunday School? "The New is in the Old Concealed, the Old is in the New Revealed." Like so many of the Bible's lessons to us, Jesus was kept off the grid to show God's disapproval of a government that would tax its population (note I didn't say "citizens") because He found it an offense. Holy God gives to us freely and asks for nothing in return while our Goverments take and take, then only begrudgingly give back to those who never gave anything. Can you imagine God's church praying to Him, only to have Him save all those sinners who reject Him and His Son? No, the Gospels show us it doesn't work that way. Only those who come to Him can get to The Father. So if you're on the tax rolls and serving the False gods of Welfare and Mammon and Homosexuality and "Political" Correctness, then you cannot be saved so that's why Jesus CHOSE to be born in the manger.

Have you heard one of us broads when we're giving birth?
The screaming & hollering would cause animals to stampede to the nearest exit - or bust a hole in the wall to make one!
That Pope guy knows his sh*t.

Diogenes: Ennuipoet: Sybarite: I read a pretty good analysis a while back that a lot of the Nativity mythology is derived from a series of mistranslations and misunderstandings.

I was told the Bible was the inerrant word, now you are telling me different. Well. I'm sorry, but I am going to have to set you on fire now.

I love this one. Inerrant word in which language?

"It is a subtlety that God learned Greek when he wanted to become a writer, and also that he did not learn it well."

- Nietzsche

Suggesting God doesn't know all languages? Double burnin'.

Quoting Nietzsche? Triple burnin'.

Ennuipoet: Sybarite: I read a pretty good analysis a while back that a lot of the Nativity mythology is derived from a series of mistranslations and misunderstandings.

I was told the Bible was the inerrant word, now you are telling me different. Well. I'm sorry, but I am going to have to set you on fire now.

I love this one. Inerrant word in which language?

"It is a subtlety that God learned Greek when he wanted to become a writer, and also that he did not learn it well."

- Nietzsche

Born in a cave, buried in a cave.

The Holy Land is full of caves and tunnels, many of which are very ancient. In Turkey they have whole underground cities, at Petra (in Jordan, IIRC) there is a whole Greco-Roman city carved into cliffs.

If people bomb your house, you lose a house. If they bomb your cave, you get a bigger cave sometimes. In the desert you have two building materials--mud and rock. Take your pick.

In Iceland they have to divert roads because the place is littered with elves, in Israel, because every square inch of ground is an ancient monument, a sacred site, or a gravesite.

And he's right you know.

Besides, if the Pope wants to ban Christmas, he has the power to ban Christmas. That's his prerogative. He's the Pope and always right about matters of the Faith (since Pope Dingus in the XIXth century said so).

Besides, I am totally OK with this. Not a Roman Catholic, but it would save me a fortune if somebody banned Christmas. I'm surprised that those spoil-sports and wet blankets in the "War on Christmas" crowd haven't tried it on again themselves, like their/my Puritan Ancestors did.

I am descended from both the accused and the accusors at the Salem Witch Trials. All in all, I like the accused better than the greedy, bulling, hypocritical SOBs who did the hanging.

Santa adds "the pope" under "Reasons Christmas can be Cancelled" on the Christmas Special Plot List.

Idealized, historically inaccurate Jesus is Best Jesus.