But if there were comparative-religion classes everywhere, then people couldn't get away with idiotic urban legend nonsense like claiming that cattle-mutliations were done by Zoroastrians!

Won't you think of the X-Files plots??

(Not that a religions course would even get to Zoroastrians, because they'd spend their whole time being defensive and argumentative about the Big Three, and spend maybe a half-hour on peyote, and everything else would be a handout on the last day of class.)

Cashmere, that picture is hilarious!

Not that a religions course would even get to Zoroastrians, because they'd spend their whole time being defensive and argumentative about the Big Three

I didn't mean a crap comparative religion class. I meant a decent one. Not that we did more than glance past Zoroastrians (spent more time on Jainism, all told), but there was nothing either defensive or argumentative about the coverage.

For Jesus did then enter into the land of the Ephesians, and He did then go unto the Office of Customs, and the Officer of Customs did ask the Lord if He had anything to declare, and lo, the Lord Jesus Christ did speak unto him, saying, "Only my brilliance."

Hello. I love us. From the dinosaur comics to the leprechaun to the commandment jokes, it's been a great morning.

Indeed.

I think it's hard enough to convince a lot of kids that reading is a pleasant activity without throwing the Bible in there.

as if Jesus had been wearing a ruff collar and hose

I can't be the only one who will be walking around with this image for a couple days, can I?

I think it's hard enough to convince a lot of kids that reading is a pleasant activity without throwing the Bible in there

Shakespeare's good and stuff, but the Bible's easier to parse, and at least as important. Then again, I'm kinda brute force about the whole thing. They don't have to think it's pleasant. They just have to do it, dammit.

Which may be why I only teach hitting people.

Pilate: My congratulations, Jesus. You latest sermon is a great success. The whole of Israel is talking about you.
Jesus: There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that it not being talked about.
(There follows fifteen seconds of restrained and sycophantic laughter)
Pilate: Very very witty... very very witty.
Judas: There's only one thing in the world worse than being witty and that is not being witty.
(Fifteen seconds more of the same)
Jesus: I wish I had said that.
Judas: You will, Jesus, you will.

Even knowing where it was going, Theo owes me a new monitor.