[ears_to_hear]

I keep looking for arguments and finding nothing but speculations built on tenuous conjectures. The Protestant Episcopal Church had a "Churching of Women" which morphed in 1979 into a Thanksgiving after child birth. One of the things involved there is that Mary was "churched" (mutatis mutandis), and if it's good enough for the Mother of the Lord, hey, who are we to argue?

Mary gave birth to Jesus under THE LAW . That was a Jewish levitical law.

[Mad Dawg]

Oh, No, REALLY? They had laws then?

I know that. But the fact that they did something under the law is no reason to stop doing something similar under the new covenant. We did "Churching" when the 'orrible brat child was born, and the boss-lady (behind whom I stand) loved it. I either smiled of wept, or both. (We'd wanted a child for a long time and almost given up hope. In that nasty Old Covenant it says He makes the barren woman a joyful mother of children, and it came to pass.

There was a very fine article in the New Yorker a gazillion years ago wherein a scarcely practicing Jew did the Mikvah - and she LOVED it. Sweeter then honey in the comb.

I bathe daily. When I had sheep, sometimes more than daily. I don't think the body, albeit fallen, is wicked.

I guess it would be good to look at the actual rite and ceremonies of churching women. That might give a better sense of whether it was all about how unclean it was to give birth.

Anybody got any leads?