Digerati Buchgemeinschaft discussion

To perhaps address Suzannes concern. This is indeed satire. I was surprised that some christian congregations read it for Sunday school. I forget that Terry Fox and such are way over on the spectrum.
Really, its a long running joke based on the idea of what Jesus might have done before he started preaching. The areas where the bible is pretty mum.

I think Biff is really the protagonist. He is also Jesus/Joshua foil, things he could not have Joshua do he has Biff do. So when he can't have Joshua be too human, he has Biff act all to human.

A really fun read - satire, yes, but also a commentary on faith. From Chapter 1: "Children see magic because they look for it." From Chapter 2: Joseph's leap of faith - "Once you accept that your wife slept with God extraordinary events seem commonplace." And at the end, Maggie (Mary Magdalene) to Joshua and Biff - "Faith isn't an act of intelligence, it's an act of imagination.

Another running theme is irony vs. sarcasm. A really funny "Who's on 1st" exchange about irony vs sarcasm begins when Biff explains that sarcasm is when you don't say what you mean, but people get your point. Biff says he invented sarcasm, but! the village idiot named it!

My Presbyterian youth helped me keep the "facts" straight and to enjoy Biff's recounting what MIGHT have happened but was not reported in the Gospels. But I did have to go to Wikipedia to learn that the angel Raziel is known as the "Keeper of Secrets" and "Angel of Mysteries." So now I know why Biff had to resort to trickery to get Raziel out of the room so he could read the Bible.

Biff, as noted by Rolando, is a worthy protagonist, the lusty, loyal companion. His attempt to orchestrate events and circumvent the crucifixion cleared up an earlier objection I had to Moore's spending so many words on the pair's venture into the East. Martial arts, Sanskrit, yogini training, and even the horrific Kali sacrificial episode all came into play on Good Friday.

Moore's depiction of Buddhism is consistent with what I've learned and taught during my approximately 30 years as a Zen Buddhist. So I trust his description of Hinduism, the Tao, and Confucious' teaching.

Too many good jokes and wordplays to pick out a favorite, but I now understand fully what my friend meant when he hit his thumb with a hammer and muttered "Jesus H. Christ."

I wouldn't recommend this book to my Presbyterian brother and sister-in-law, but I have recommended it to my UU-raised son. I can well imagine some progressive Christian friends using the book with their sophisticated teenagers to stimulate some basic research about the life of Jesus of Nazareth. At the very least those teenagers might catch on to the commonalities of major religions, the ethical teaching of "love thy neighbor."

Rolando wrote: "I think Biff is really the protagonist. He is also Jesus/Joshua foil, things he could not have Joshua do he has Biff do. So when he can't have Joshua be too human, he has Biff act all to human."

I posted my comment about Lamb on this thread, since it keyed off "Satire." Just an FYI...