Chamblee54

Has anyone seen a painting of Jesus holding a saw? The idea the Jesus was a carpenter is seldom questioned. People are taught this, and accept it in sheep-like fashion. Even though the gospels were written many years after the cucifixion, they are accepted as “inerrant” historic documents. Here is what US Catholic says: “Was Joseph of Nazareth really a carpenter? … Only twice is the word carpenter used in the Christian scriptures: when Jesus is identified as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55) and “the carpenter” (Mark 6:3.)…”
The passages that say “carpenter” are not complimentary to Jesus. This man appears out of nowhere, and starts to teach at the synagogue. Who is he? Why is a mere carpenter telling educated men how to live? Who does he think he is?
The two texts are similar. Here is Mark 6:2-4
2 And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
4 But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
Matthew 13: 54-57 54 And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
“In the Hebrew scriptures, the word carpenters appears 11 times, mostly in tandem with the words masons or stonecutters. The Hebrew word used means “carver,” so when building projects were underway, both carvers of wood and of stone were needed. … In the references from the Christian scriptures to Jesus as a carpenter or the son of one, the Greek word used both times is more correctly translated as “craftsman” or “artisan.” Such a person might carve stone or wood as the job required. … What’s evident to scholars of biblical lands is that trees were always in short supply around Nazareth, whereas stone quarries were plentiful. Most structures dating back to the time of Jesus around Galilee are composed of stone—those that survive, anyway. Chances are both Joseph and Jesus did more masonry than carpentry, that is, if they didn’t work exclusively in stone.”
Mark 6:4 is a favorite Jesusism for many people. It is more true today than ever. You do not want to be correct before everyone else. In the McCarthy era, the term “premature anti-fascist” … a person that was opposed to Nazi Germany before 1941 … meant you were a communist. The little boy who criticized the emperor’s fashion statement was severely punished.
“Was Jesus really a carpenter” is an example of asking too many questions. The way “carpenter” is used in Mark and Matthew seems like a generic insult for a common working man. Who is this peasant, who has the audacity to “teach” exalted church elders? We don’t know why the Council of Nicea chose these texts to tell the Jesus story, and why these words were translated as “carpenter.” There is also the attitude of just-shut-up-and-believe-your-elders.
US Catholic says: “Did Jesus have a real job? This is the question behind the question, which sounds a bit dismissive: as if teaching, preaching, and healing—not to mention redeeming the world—weren’t occupation enough!” In either scenario, it boils down to faith and belief … in an ancient text of uncertain origin, which has been translated many times. “God says it, I believe it, and that settles it.”
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Marjory Collins took the social media picture in August 1942. “New York, New York. Italian-Americans on [Thompson] Street relaxing on Sunday” ©Luther Mckinnon 2025 · selah

This content was published September 15, 2009. … Those fun lovers at Listverse recently published a feature about “10 extremely weird religions”. This goes along with Hunter S. Thompson’s observation that “when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro”. Back when Chamblee54 was on blogspot, that was the motto. One day, there was a comment that weird was not spelled wierd. What do you expect from someone quoting Hunter S. Thompson? … Back to the “matter” at hand, people have some strange ways of talking to/about/with God. The miracle is that things are not worse.
Number Ten is Scientology. If you want a link to them, you can find it yourself, and might also want to look for professional help. Scientology is only included because commenters would be offended. As it is, the comments that I saw asked about rastafarianism, the flying spaghetti monster, Islam, atheism, and Jesus Worship. The title clearly said that this was a top ten list, and not an encyclopedia. If you want an encyclopedia of religions, try Hinduism.
Nine through Five is pretty boring, as nine to five usually is. There is white supremacy, black supremacy, ufo admirers, burned out hippies, and people who take “Stranger in a Strange Land” too seriously. I thought that “My Favorite Martian” was the best commentary on SIASL. Number four is the Church of the Subgenius. While I have never officially participated in COTS, I admires the consecration of slack. If I can ever get motivated to attend a devival, the world will be a better place.
Number Three is the Prince Philip movement. It seems like the residents of an island somewhere think the Queen’s hubby is a pretty cool dude. It is safe to assume the Princess Diana was not a believer. Number Two…in more ways than one… is the Church of Euthanasia. COE is popular with young people in Korea, aka youth in Asia. Given the popularity of war and capital punishment in the Jesus worship community, the COE may become very popular. They are based in Boston, MA. According to the COE website, the one commandment is “Thou shalt not procreate”. The COE further asserts four principal pillars: suicide, abortion, cannibalism (”strictly limited to consumption of the already dead”), and sodomy (”any sexual act not intended for procreation”).
The number one spot on this list is sometimes called Nuwaubianism. The travelers on this path do not use that term, preferring “factology”, and numerous other terms. The founder is Dwight York, who is currently in prison. The Nuwaubs had a facility in Putnam County, Georgia at one time. The afrocentric beliefs of this group are difficult for outsiders to appreciate. The original post listed eight beliefs, among the man teachings of Mr. York. These three caught my eye.
2. Furthermore, some aborted fetuses survive their abortion to live in the sewers, where they are being gathered and organized to take over the world 5. Women existed for many generations before they invented men through genetic manipulation 8. The Illuminati have nurtured a child, Satan’s son, who was born on 6 June 1966 at the Dakota House on 72nd Street in New York to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis of the Rothschild/Kennedy families. The Pope was present at the birth and performed necromantic ceremonies. The child was raised by former U.S. president Richard Nixon and now lives in Belgium, where it is hooked up bodily to a computer called “The Beast 3M” or “3666.” … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. John Vachon took the social media picture in July 1942. “Hoffman Island, merchant marine training center off Staten Island, New York. Trainees aboard the training ship New York working in the boiler room.” ©Luther Mckinnon 2025 · selah

“Jeremiah Johnston: Shroud of Turin, Dead Sea Scrolls, & Attempts to Hide Historical Proof of Jesus” was featured on the The Tucker Carlson Show recently. I have long been interested in SOT. It is a mystery with no obvious solution. Is SOT the literal burial garment of Jesus, or is it a medieval creation? SOT is fascinating either way.
Unfortunately, this show turned out to be heavy on the polemics. Much of the problem is the guest. Google says this: Google says this: “Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston (PhD, MA, MDiv, BA) is a New Testament scholar, pastor, author, nationally syndicated radio host, Bible teacher, and apologist, and he ministers internationally as president of Christian Thinkers Society.” JJJ is a television preacher with blow dry hair. His agenda driven presentation made the show impossible to listen to.
I read an article in Rolling Stone once about SOT, which made many of the same points as JJJ. “The Shroud of Turin: Who is this man and why does he have no navel?” by Michael Thomas in the December 28, 1978, issue of Rolling Stone may be the best piece … ever published in the mainstream media.” I seem to remember seeing an online version of this article years ago, but cannot find it today. One way to see the actual article is to subscribe to RS, and go through their archive.
The RS article goes through the documented facts about SOT. It was displayed in France in 1354. SOT was in a fire, which would have destroyed any pigments that could have been used to create the image. RS came to the conclusion that SOT was likely the literal burial garment of Jesus.
The next question: how did the image on SOT get there? The image is a holographic, negative image of an anotomically correct man, who had recently been executed in a gruesome manner. We cannot create an image like this today. The RS article hypothesized that there was a burst of energy, coming out of the body. The supernatural implications of this were mentioned.
JJJ subscribes to this hypothesis. Here is another view: “The Vertically Collimated Radiation Burst (VCRB) hypothesis exemplifies retroductive reasoning—working backward from effects to posit causes. Researchers identified 27 distinct pieces of evidence related to the Shroud’s image formation and followed this evidence to a hypothesis: that radiation emanating from a body created high-frequency alternating current in the linen fibers, causing the distinctive discoloration pattern.”
The RS article was published in 1978, and mentioned the need for C-14 carbon dating. On April 21, 1988, samples were removed from SOT. The conclusion: “The results of radiocarbon measurements at Arizona, Oxford and Zurich yield a calibrated calendar age range with at least 95% confidence for the linen of the Shroud of Turin of AD 1260-1390 … These results therefore provide conclusive evidence that the linen of the Shroud of Turin is mediaeval.” JJJ loudly disputes this finding.
The RS article was skeptical, and came to the conclusion that SOT might be real, with amazing supernatural implications. JJJ performatively BELIEVES that SOT is real. As for those who disagree: “They’re liars and they hate truth and they hate God.”
I listened to as much of the Tucker Carlson interview as I could. Finally, JJJ said … “the liberal scientists want us to believe and the liberal Bible scholars” … Anyone who uses “liberal” as an insult loses my confidence. JJJ is an insufferable jerk. … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Russell Lee took the social media picture in April 1942. “Los Angeles, California. The evacuation of Japanese-Americans from West coast areas under United States Army war emergency order. Leaving for Owens Valley”.· ©Luther Mckinnon 2025 · selah