"My Lawyer". A term most frequently uttered by criminals, dilitantes or bounders. Given that the tete-a-tete was no doubt accompanied by fine white wine, in a lovely Kindig Olsen designed apartment, I suspect the latter.

This might be my favorite piece of yours. Well done.

Tangentially, do you have an impression of how Stalker concludes? Was the room (and traps) real and does the son somehow have some sort of supernatural powers-by-proxy (or does the passing train push the glass off the table)? I don't believe there to be one right answer.

@1, im in film. entertainment lawyer.

Believing in God wasn't the point of the synoptic Gospels. Helping the alienated and suffering was.

@4 Correct. A careful reader will notice that Jesus never asked to be worshiped, never claimed to be God, and may not even have claimed to be the Son of God (he did not protest when others referred to him as such, but he himself preferred "Son of Man").

I'm shocked. Charles, you finally wrote something I found interesting! I didn't think you had it in you.

@5 Jesus was crucified under a sign that read "Son of God" as it was the crime the Romans chose to convict him of. He most certainly claimed to be the Son of God, and his immediate disciples preached that he IS the SOG. Believe what you wish, but the very basis of Christianity is that he is the eternal Son of God.

That was an interesting read. I grew up in a typical Christian household and didn't have any terrible experiences, I just grew out it. When I read descriptions of things in the Bible and arguments about the nuances like on this article's comments, I can't help but go back to the fact that there were many different variations of the Bible and people argue over translations over time. And some of it must be made up or a lot of it. It was written a hundred+ years later. And it's internally very inconsistent. Yet many reasonable people insist on trying to parse through it. Why?

@7 - Wrong: The acronym INRI represents the Latin inscription IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDÆORVM (Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum), which in English translates to "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews" (John 19:19).[15] John 19:20 states that this was written in three languages: Hebrew, Latin and Greek and was put on the cross of Jesus. The Greek version reads ΙΝΒΙ.[4]

Excellent thought-provoking essay, perfect for a Friday. I recently was rewatching Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth on Netflix and suddenly found myself asking my brain this question: am "I" a figure on a mandala, one of many surrounding the central figure, simply expressing one aspect of that central figure? In my case, "I", the figure on the mandala, expressing the central figure's aspect of anxiety and uncertainty? That is my entire purpose, to express the anxiety of the central figure.? Well, that sucks. But if that is so, then relax and enjoy being anxious.

Have you read Geoff Dyer’s “Zona,” Charles?

@5 The question put to Jesus by Pilate was "Are you the King of the Jews?" All three synoptic gospels state that his answer was along the lines of "so say you" (see Matt. 27:11, Mark 15:2, Luke 23:3, NRSV) meaning neither he neither affirmed nor denied it. That was his alleged "crime" for which he was crucified - allegedly claiming to be the real Jewish king in opposition to the Herodian rulers endorsed by the Roman empire. The "Son of God" thing meant nothing to them.

Oops, that response was meant for #7 (I was #5)

Nice piece for a little Friday navel gaze. I have always felt that distance between what we think we know and believe versus the reality, which we lack the power to understand with certainty. It's paralyzing if you think about it for too long.

@10 I enjoyed that comment.

Also what @7 and @12 said.

@11, I just bought it because of you.