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POPSPalestinians: Israeli Attack on Jesus, Mary "Racist," Anti-Semitic I don't buy into the "Jews killed Jesus" claptrap, but man, some people are just plain stupid. "So what did we learn here? A Jewish-Israeli attack on the holy figures of Christianity provoked outrage among Muslims as well as Christians, and was denounced by Palestinian-Israelis (20% of the population) as racist and as anti-Semitic. One background for this Palestinian-Israeli response is that the crucified Christ is often taken by Palestinian Christians as a symbol of their displacement and expropriation at the hands of Israelis. So the attack on that symbol ('died young of being obese') by a representative of the Jewish majority was doubly painful, since it repeated on a symbolic level the Israeli denial of the 1948 Catastrophe and even of the existence of the Palestinians. "
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POPSWhy Was Jesus Born in a Stable? "Christ found no room in the Holy of Holies that shone with gold, precious stones, pure silk and silver. He is not born in the midst of gold and riches, but in the midst of dung, in a stable where our sins were filthier than the dung. He is born on a dunghill in order to lift up those who come from it: 'From the dunghill he lifts up the poor' (Ps 113:7)" (Jerome, On the Nativity of the Lord, ACCSNT 3:39).
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POPSDec 23, Festival of the Radishes (Mexico) Known as 'Fiesta de los Rabanos' in Mexican, this unusual event in Oaxaca celebrates the wonderful world of radish sculptures. The humble vegetable is nipped, tucked, shaved and carved into all manner of things ranging from flowers and animals to saints and full-blown nativity scenes. Prizes for the most original piece ensure that standards are high with all works going on display in the Zocalo. And if the sculpted radishes are not enough for you, there is also live music and traditional dancing displays. And there are plenty of food stalls selling authentic Mexican dishes including bunuelos deliciously sweet syrup-coated doughnuts. http://gomexico.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/ig/Radish-Festival-Photos/
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POPSAs American Civilization Goes Away - Stealing Jesus So far in 2008, Baby Jesus has appeared in several police reports. At First United Methodist Church in Kittanning, Pa., a baby Jesus was stolen and replaced with a pumpkin. In Eureka Springs, Ark., someone who absconded with a plastic baby Jesus from a public display last week also took the concrete block and chain that was supposed to act as a deterrent. Previously, stolen Jesus figurines have also been defaced with profanity or Satanic symbols.