Blog #172--Jesus Christ!

I was raised in a Protestant Christian family and attended church and Sunday school weekly through high school. I was confirmed and baptized at the age of 12, participated in youth activities, sang in the choir, and played on the church basketball team. I was once asked to serve as assistant minister to give the Old Testament lesson.

My grandmother read her Bible daily and always provided quotes and messages in all her letters and phone calls to me. She talked constantly about going to the “Golden City” when she passed. She and my mom helped teach me the Golden Rule, the Lord’s Prayer and the 23rd psalm, among other things. I found these especially beneficial because they made sense to me. I even enjoyed segments of sermons that hit home on various points of philosophical discussion. So I can state with accuracy that I was indoctrinated well into the Christian belief system.

But like I mention in my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life,” some things people believe don’t make sense to me. This is especially true regarding some of the more unique aspects taught about Jesus, such as the virgin birth, the nativity, the resurrection and some of the so-called miracles performed. Whether these are true precisely as described or not makes little difference to me because I feel the messages Jesus is quoted as saying are far more important for our spiritual growth.

I know this last paragraph will irritate many readers since they gain strength from stories that help them believe their religion is superior to all others, that only true believers can ever reach heaven upon death. Whether they are correct or not, we must all follow our own path, and mine differs from some of them. They are entitled to their own beliefs, so I hope they will give me the same courtesy.

With that out of the way, I’d like to share a couple thoughts. First of all, I remember having an intense personal evaluation of the commandment to not take the Lord’s name in vain when I was around 10 years old. It made sense to me that we would be incorrect to blame our creator for making us what we are and what others are. Casting aspersions on any truly supreme being seems illogical and unfair since all the facts are not at our disposal.

However, as children we learn our language by copying what others say. If we hear people say “Jesus Christ!” or “God damn it!” when angry often enough, we will eventually repeat it. Most of us are exposed to phrases like this from infancy onward, long before we understand the concept of taking the Lord’s name in vain. How can we possibly be blamed for these phrases just because they are part of the common vernacular?

Certainly, if we are blaming our creator for our problems, then perhaps we are being self-defeating. What’s important is the meaning behind the words, not the words themselves. I find myself saying these things sometimes, but I am not blaming a higher power for anything. I do believe there’s a difference. In many cases, stating these phrases demonstrably helps us let off steam so we can return to balance, and balance helps us recognize our oneness with all that is more readily.

On a related topic, I have found myself drawn to a number of books written by theological researchers over the years. Sources for this information include the earliest versions of the Bible still in existence. There are some aspects of the common version of the story of Jesus that nag at me, and I’d like to learn the truth.

There are whole books written on the possibility that Jesus was actually one of twins. I know this sentence will cause some people to call me blasphemous, but there is plenty of evidence for the possibility. Artists were held in high regard during the Renaissance because many of the common folk were predominantly right-brained and found more meaning in religious paintings and sculptures than in the written word. Artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael were often hired by leaders in the Catholic Church to create what are now considered masterpieces.

Michelangelo’s first sculpture “Virgin of the Stairs” shows two boys, one partially cloaked by his mother’s clothing. It was forbidden to speak of Jesus being a twin for many centuries, so artists often hid the second child on purpose. Two other of his works, “Madonna Pitti” and “Madonna Taddei,” also depicted twin boys. He even painted twins on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, not once but 48 times.

In the oldest versions of da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” before multiple restorations confused the issue, the person seated fifth to the right of Jesus bears a definite resemblance to him. And his clothing is similar as well, in both design and detail. In his painting “Madonna and Child and St. Anne,” twins are depicted as well. Raphael’s “Madonna of the Chair” and “Madonna and Child with Saints” are two of several paintings showing twins. Some of the artwork of the time was later changed by painters hired by the Church to make one of the boys appear to be John the Baptist, suggesting an attempt to hide the twin boy theory.

Even the Bible has a reference to a twin. Didymus Thomas was called “the twin.” However, boys were not named Thomas (or Tomas) at that time. In fact, both the name “Didymus” and the name “Thomas” mean “twin.” This might be an attempt to disguise the true situation. It might also be significant that Thomas was the one who doubted Jesus’s resurrection. Perhaps he knew something others didn’t, but that would make for another interesting and lengthy discussion all by itself. Jesus is said by some to have died in Kashmir after many years of serving the spiritual needs of the populous there. The building housing his burial still stands. This would make much more sense if there were two males instead of one.

Some researchers with outstanding credibility and reputations for thoroughness are now suggesting the story of Jesus is an amalgamation of the two boys’ lives, and the name “Jesus Christ” is one such blending. Certain things seem to fall into place better for me upon reading some of these books, and I suggest those who have similar curiosity will put aside their fears and check them out. I include some of them in the suggested reading section at the back of my book.

Again, this kind of detail is far less important than the spiritual teachings imparted, whether by one or two people. If we learn to practice what we preach, the background information will be only of secondary importance in the grand theme of things.

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