Reluctant Sir has produced a wiener, er, winner here. (Couldn't resist the pun since his story did remind me a little of Oscar Meyers, by Lazlo Zalezac.)
https://storiesonline.net/s/20219/saint-luke
Reluctant Sir has produced a wiener, er, winner here. (Couldn't resist the pun since his story did remind me a little of Oscar Meyers, by Lazlo Zalezac.)
https://storiesonline.net/s/20219/saint-luke
Arlo Guthrie said "You can't have a light without a dark to put it in."
If there were no evil, no one would appreciate the good. As saintly as Reluctant Sirs character strove to be, once his ability became public, there could be no other plausible conclusion.
The same situation occurs in Robert Heinlens "Stranger in a Strange Land".
Your opinion may vary. ;)
The same situation occurs in Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land".
Pretty much. Thou art God, and all the Groks is God.
If you haven't read the unedited version, it's just a bit different. Same result, just with some of the sex left in.
Thanks for the recommending the story to others!
I have to admit I am surprised at the reception it has gotten. Very little hate mail, always a good thing, and a lot of folks seem to have enjoyed it so far.
I was so stunned (in a good way) that I almost forgot to add your story to my Author's Favourites list.
AJ
Thanks for the recommending the story to others!
Not a problem. Your stuff is all good, but since you didn't break it up into multiple posts, I didn't think a lot of people would see it. And this is one of those stories that is worth discussing over a cup of coffee with friends, or in a philosophy or religion class.
Sort of like the discussion I recently had with a co-worker. What would actually happen today if Jesus DID return? Would he be accepted by the churches? I'm reminded of the movie from 1999, Stigmata, where the Cardinal was trying to kill the character played by Patricia Arquette, yelling, "I'll not let you destroy MY church."
I am a firm believer that should the son of God return, he would be lucky to live five years without holy intervention.
While crime and violence world-wide may be down, despite what our instant media would have us believe, we are far too fragmented and combative still.
I am a firm believer that should the son of God return, he would be lucky to live five years without holy intervention.
Imagine if he came back as a ghetto-dwelling African-American or a homosexual. That five years would be cut to five days at best.
Yes, because the USA are such a wartorn country and homosexuality carries the death penalty there... oh, wait. And yes, I take both comments to refer to the US cause you only talk abojt "African American" in that context, at least I've never heard about the ethnicity in another cultural context.
On the other hand, if a Jesus-like figure came back in the region where the historical Jesus allegedly lived and did his thing, he would not get far.
Imagine if he came back as a ghetto-dwelling African-American or a homosexual.
Quite frankly, his message of peace would go along quite fine as a black American. You know why? Because he would be preaching of peace - not a rabble rousing racist. He'd also be the darling of the media as well, so they'd end up painting him favorably.
I'm not going to say there wouldn't be issues, particularly in some fundamentalist areas. But I live in the middle of the Bible Belt - we still have blue laws in this state. In the past we've had issues here, not denying that. But we're not a simmering pot ready to explode at any second, regardless of what people who don't understand us think.
Um, wasn't 'Jesus' anti-capitalism, taking what he needed to survive without paying?
While that might be popular in some circles, I can't see the establishment tolerating it.
AJ
I don't remember it being taught that way in Sunday school.
He went ballistic on the guys in the temple because he didn't want the church involved money lending (which was considered dirty money during that period). I always thought it was a message against the church hierarchy, not the average joe.
That being said, I could see him calling for the Pope to stop hoarding treasure and be against the giant cathedrals etc.
I don't remember it being taught that way in Sunday school.
I had the misfortune to be inflicted with mandatory Religious Education lessons in school, which at that time, meant Christianity. However the teachers weren't dogmatic, and provided you weren't disruptive you could pretty much sleep through the lessons.
I vaguely remember in one lesson there was a lively discussion about whether helping yourself from farmers' fields was stealing. I have no idea what part of the Christian Bible (it would have been the New Testament) prompted it nor whether there was any conclusion - the Christian scholars amongst us might have a better idea.
AJ
And therein lies the rub!
Any religious text that has to be 'interpreted' is invalid.
My personal belief is: If it is not as true today as it was when it was written, then it was never true.
"Love thy neighbor"? CHECK!
"If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death."? Not so much.
Don't get me wrong, I don't want cheaters stoned to death, but I do insist any theology I follow be consistent.
Don't get me wrong, I don't want cheaters stoned to death, but I do insist any theology I follow be consistent.
Mary, married to Joseph, gives birth to another man's son... Adultery.
Mary, married to Joseph, gives birth to another man's son... Adultery.
Not quite. As written, Mary gave birth to the son of God, not 'just' another man.
And as Robert Heinlein put it - "God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent – it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks, please. Cash and in small bills."
Not quite. As written, Mary gave birth to the son of God, not 'just' another man.
Yes quite. As written, she gave birth to a son not conceived by her and her husband. That is adultery, be it a boy, a god or puppies.
Not quite. As written, Mary gave birth to the son of God, not 'just' another man.
Well, depends on what you think happened at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Did the council vote on the matter of divinity, or just declare opinions to the contrary to be heresy?
Don't get me wrong, I don't want cheaters stoned to death, but I do insist any theology I follow be consistent
For consistency you can't beat heresy. Everybody is a heretic somewhere.
What would actually happen today if Jesus DID return?
"What..?? You're sending me back there..?? I'll get crucified..!! Again....
"No you won't. Besides, things have changed, no longer a simple carpenter, this time you'll be sponsored by DeWalt...
Blessed are those who embrace product placement...
What would actually happen today if Jesus DID return?
If you consider the social,political,and financial powers of all the Christian religious organizations, the only thing that could threaten their power IS the return of Jesus to claim His Church, that return being a core tenet of Christian prophesy.
That is a paradox of sorts because it is human nature that once they acquire power they are loathe to give it up.
In summation; I think it would be a mell of a hess.
;)
In summation; I think it would be a mell of a hess.
Not to mention hilarious when it becomes obvious he is black, gay and jewish...
Not to mention hilarious when it becomes obvious he is black, gay and jewish...
I firmly believe God already sent someone, probably about 1500, but his second try was even less sucessful 'cause the female was killed as a witch.
HM.
I firmly believe God already sent someone, probably about 1500, but his second try was even less sucessful 'cause the female was killed as a witch.
When I chatted to God a few months back, She claimed She'd provided no input to any human religion.
If true, that would make the Christian New Testament a multi-author Mary Sue story.
AJ
a multi-author Mary Sue story
I wouldn't call it a complete Mary Sue, though, even if it was a shared universe series.
Mary Sue would have let someone pound nails in ... then pull her hands off through the nails, like pulling an arrow through the wound, bend down, pull the one in the feet out with her bare teeth, and then use the hammer on her assailants. Or maybe I'm thinking John McClain at that point. After all, it's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls from the Nakitomi tower.
Mary Sue would have let someone pound nails in ... then pull her hands off through the nails, like pulling an arrow through the wound, bend down, pull the one in the feet out with her bare teeth, and then use the hammer on her assailants.
But then she wouldn't have been able to end the story singing 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' while nailed to the perch. :)
AJ
awnlee jawking 6/7/2019, 5:14:47 PM
@StarFleet Carl
Mary Sue would have let someone pound nails in ... then pull her hands off through the nails, like pulling an arrow through the wound, bend down, pull the one in the feet out with her bare teeth, and then use the hammer on her assailants.
But then she wouldn't have been able to end the story singing 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' while nailed to the perch. :)
AJ
Why would someone be nailed to a fresh-water game fish? I mean, I like perch, but they are a little small to be nailed to. Wouldn't it make more sense to be nailed to a swordfish or shark?
Wouldn't it make more sense to be nailed to a swordfish or shark?
Better yet, I very large steak... :)
joyR 6/8/2019, 2:41:29 AM
@karactr
Wouldn't it make more sense to be nailed to a swordfish or shark?
Better yet, I very large steak... :)
Oh, red meat. (Droll ala Homer Simpson and donuts)
Apropos of nothing, is anyone willing to share what happened with Lazlo Z? I started fearing the worst shortly after he vanished for the second time and now can't see any other explanation.
Not to mention hilarious when it becomes obvious he is black, gay and jewish...
He wasn't gay. Maybe bi, but he was definitely married to Mary Magdalene....that is, if you think he was a historical figure.
Couldn't resist the pun since his story did remind me a little of Oscar Meyers, by Lazlo Zalezac.
After you named it, I started reading it.
I think Crumbly Writer's The Catalyst series is closer, featuring a gifted protagonist who doesn't believe in any particular god.
AJ
After you named it, I started reading it.
If you haven't read the rest of the series, I also recommend those as well. I have all of them downloaded to my iPad. I do realize there are differences - Oscar Meyers KNEW his Gods were real, as he got to meet them. How different is it when you don't believe in God, but God believes in you?
The other thought would be that the healing powers could be brought about by a mutation that was hidden, only being discovered by accident and stress. The ability to 'give' the power to other being that the mutation itself changes the DNA structure of the recipient slightly, thus passing itself on to others sort of like an infection. Welcome to X-Men, with a similar result of hatred of 'mutants' by non-mutants.
I've finished reading 'Oscar Meyers'. I can see the similarity in the endings - the protagonist being murdered by recessives - but IMO the character of the two stories is significantly different.
With a couple of exceptions, I'm not a fan of Lazlo Zalezac's stories. 'Oscar Meyers' isn't bad, but I'm not going to bother searching out the rest of the series. (I've already read 'Betsy Carter'.)
AJ
I can understand that... there are elements of his stories that I didn't care for and, thankfully, they are usually easy to skip.
That said, I did enjoy most of the Druid stories and the universe he built around them.