Oh, those funny lambs
Posted by Amy on August 4, 2006
Am thoroughly enjoying Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal.
Since starting the book, I’ve found myself eavesdropping on strangers talking about god in public spaces. The first time it happened I really tried to avoid listening because guys in suits with name tags freak me out, but the conversation had a bizarre guerilla theatre feel to it and I’m still not sure whether it was staged. There’s just something odd about two guys, both in suits … one a Jehovah’s Witness and the other a scientologist, literally rapping back-and-forth about their faith and its strength on a streetcar. What I took away from it was that the scientologist dude doesn’t think L. Ron Hubbard’s “knew god” but apparently he was a really “awesome researcher.” Whatever that means…
Last night I met friends at a pub for dinner and we couldn’t figure out what was going on at the table next to us. At first, we thought it was some sort of awkward singles event, but attendee ages ranged from 20 to 65 years and no one looked like they’d dressed for a date. About half way through our meal, a gentleman in a rugby shirt stood up and started talking about John the Baptist … and then everyone stood up, said a little prayer, hugged each other, and left.
The John the Baptist portrayed in Lamb is wholly different from the one buddy talked about in the bar … he seemed less concerned about ridding Jerusalem of “sluts” and more focused on spreading a traditional gospel.
I am glad that Biff and Joshua (aka Jesus) are finally starting the ministry. Both spend years searching for the three wise men who attended Josh’s birth. It’s interesting as
Moore points out how similar the teachings are to eastern philosophy, but really … it slows the momentum of the book and the humour starts to drag.
Not sure what’s next on the agenda … been busy and haven’t been reading as much … may spend some time over the long weekend checking out my local bookstore.
Have a lovely weekend …
