< oh boy, this will suck >

   In Twisted 3: Planet of the Twisted, Jessica Zafra wrote about "The Nativity Cross" which was once sold by Ricardo Montalban.  Forget "Spy Kids:" Ricardo Montalban was the iconic planet-destroying Khan in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the previous generation's equivalent to Antonio Banderas.  It kind of makes me think how many Trekkies (for you who think that Star Trek is not different from Star Wars or Starstruck, it's "Trekkie," not "Trekker," and I stand by that no matter what Wikipedia says) have actually bought the Nativity Cross: maybe Leonard Nimoy would have made a better endorser.

   Back in the days of the Catholic Reformation, this would have had Martin Luther himself add a 96th thesis in the door of the church: you won't find any irrefutable proof in Christianity that Jesus was born in a cave.  I don't take my cues from the Bible, but if you make a Nativity scene where the manger Christ was born was in a horse stable.  You don't need an agnostic like me arguing over the technicalities of Biblical representation: was Jesus crucified on a cross, or nailed on a stake?  Who cares about that, when you have an entire premise for debate on Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code?

   Surely the bulk of Biblical interpretation revolves around metaphor, but there are some people out there who will argue otherwise.  Did Lot's Wife really turn into salt?  When Daniel was thrown into the pit of lions, was he effectively the first Mythbuster in the apparent myth of how to avoid getting eaten by lions?  Is "40 days and 40 nights" literal or allegorical?

   Take the Walls of Jericho: did the city collapse because of the noise of a thousand trumpets?  If it did, why did Rahab's house stay up?  Busted, plausible, or confirmed: will slinging a red cord over your house window protect you from an earthquake?