Dude, they were performing the Sacred APGAR!

Ha!

This is one of the reasons I love The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The wrong side of the tracks girl was all like "Leave Mary alone! She just had a Baby in a BARN!!!!" Plus the wise men brough baby Jesus the food from their church christmas basket!

Hee. My mother and I love that, too.

Judith was a widow, Yael was a wife. And Judith is apparently non canon for Jews or Protestants. Hrm. But Yael's all official-slayage in the Book of Judges.

I fucking love Wikipedia, for all it's faults.

Oh, and I guess they're doing the OT in cutting-edge yar yar hip. The cover is very romance novel. Can't wait to see the Song o Solomon. If there are photos of deer anywhere in THAT chapter, I will laugh myself into a religious coma.

a public reading of the Book of Esther where everyone boos and stomps their feet and makes noise with noisemakers whenever the bad guy's name is read, and adults are supposed to get drunk.

So, Jews invented Rocky Horror?

The Community Theatre group that I founded with friends always did (and maybe still does) a performance of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever every Christmas, in an actual church, and it always was so moving. I am a cheesy person, I guess, but it always reminded me of why I actually do theatre-- so many people were really touched and maybe had their thinking a bit changed, even with crappy costumes, and not so great acting and 1 billion kids doing whatever. The play and what was really happening overlapped in interesting ways.

I remember doing the squeaky hammer banging for Purim. A very small jewish community in my hometown and luckily I got to experience all the major traditions because our friends belonged. We did a night of Hannukah with them, they came over for an xmas one. When they were on sabbatical, we'd go over for a kosher (complete with different kitchens and tables and linens) dinner by their grandmother at least once a month. Matzoh ball soup!

So, Jews invented Rocky Horror?

BWAH!

Purim falls around the same time of year as Mardi Gras, and when I was at Tulane, many of the costumes would include Mardi Gras-type masks, and at our reading, we'd assign different people to read different parts, instead of just one person reading it through, and in addition to everyone making noise at Haman's name, we'd also throw beads at the person playing him. And then we'd have a party with a free open bar, sponsored by Hillel House.

From way back...I for one, welcome my new Canadian overlords!

As I remember Catholic grade school, we just were told what to believe and no questions were entertained, ever. Once we all started figuring out the whole birds and bees thing, we started to whisper in the back of classrooms and church and giggle at the whole notion of Joseph being convinced to marry a knocked-up girl by an angel. Good times.

And seriously, how many 80s film soundtracks did Kenny Loggins contribute songs to?

I think Loggins & Messina contributed that great theme song to the otherwise crappy Paramedics

Once again, the day is saved by the Power Of Dance!

(The same lesson we learn from Dirty Dancing.)

And Lambada!

The one weird and extremely vivid thing just about all of them experienced was a sudden irrational compulsion to get away from wherever they were and find someplace to be alone.

Hmm, apparently I've been in the early stages of a heart attack since age four.

Anyone else see the movie Artemisia ?

No, sarameg, but I read a book that was a fictionalized history of her.

That's where my mad Holofernes-namin' skillz came from!

Also, in a similar vein 9 Most Badass Bible Verses.

Only one chick shows up -- our gal, Judy -- but it's pretty funny.