“Want to invent a religion?
I would avoid:
• a god becoming a vulnerable baby
• an unmarried woman whose story will be doubted
• being born in abject poverty to nobodies
• announcing the birth to fringe members of society
• sending that god into hiding as a refugee
Imagine fabricating a story and the best you can come up with is a god dependent on someone to feed, clothe, and wipe him.
The contrast could not be more stark compared to the Greco-Roman gods of the time, who are filled with pride and glory and lust and violence.
Such a lie is the least convincing lie. Surely you could come up with something more convincing?
For me, this is one of the strongest arguments for believing the Christmas story. There is no reason to invent this story. No reason to preserve it. No reason to pass it along.
And certainly no reason to be martyred for it.
The story of a God who rejects pomp in favor of poverty, choosing to become the most vulnerable thing imaginable - a baby - would be the least convincing lie in religious history.
Unless, of course, they were telling the truth.
Merry Christmas ”
