My Two Favorite Stories From The Bible And My Favorite Non-Believer
My grandmother was a master storyteller. She had a third grade education, but I never really knew that fact until I was in high school. She used the bible as one of her main sources. She had me from the first biblical story she related. I loved the story of Joseph. It is one of the best stories of human forgiveness in the bible. I remember being frightened by Joseph's interpretations of the butler and the baker. I remember being inspired to forgive my cousins when they acted like brainless jerks just like Joseph forgave his brothers.
My absolute favorite story was the tale of Samson and Delilah. I learned from that story that you must always keep your agreements with God and not to take for granted the gifts he has given you. I also vowed to NEVER cut my hair. I did it once when I was in college and it was nothing but disaster until my hair grew back. I also loved when Samson kicked some serious butt with the jawbone of an ass.
My favorite biblical non-believer comes from the 1956 film version of The Ten Commandments. It is Yul Brynner as the Pharaoh Rameses. His place in this biblical-based movie is completely misplaced, sometimes completely wrong, but I don't care. The first time I saw this film with my ten-year-old eyes, I had no idea this was an "old film." I thought The Ten Commandments was a brand new movie. I knew enough of the bible by then to know that Moses was the hero of the story, but I could not help but love the Pharaoh. He had my favorite line - "So let it be written, so let it be done." It also didn't hurt that Yul Brynner was not hard on the eyes as Rameses.
Also, if never fails to crack me up when in the film the History of the World, Part I, in which legendary comedic actor Mel Brooks, playing Moses, comes down from the famous mountaintop with three tablets and shouts "I have here these fifteen commandments", when he suddenly drops and breaks the third tablet and he hastily adds, "Fifteen, er, ten commandments!" Kills me every time.
