Ben McManus tells his Mother where her name comes from

Ben McManus tells his Mother where her name comes from.... and she takes it badly

Having a conversation about the Bible is no problem for me. Getting into an argument poses a greater challenge. My opinions are unsound, and constantly changing, so it’s hard for me to take a side on any mater Bible related. I was preparing to take to the streets as a pretend literalist, just for the Hell of it, when I accidentally stumbled upon an actual argument. It was with my Mother, and it took place over the phone. Her name is Deborah. I thought she’d be excited to hear where that name comes from. I told her all about Deborah the judge, and her bravery, and her knowledge, and yes, her brutality. In fact, I spared no detail in describing Jael’s brief encounter with Sisera, and Sisera’s brief encounter with a metal spike. It’s a great little scene. To my surprises, my Mother was appalled by the whole story. “Is that a good thing?” She asked me. Apparently, she felt disdain for having a name associated with such violence. This really caught me off guard. I honestly think Deborah is great. I tried to explain it to her again, choosing my words more carefully this time. I focused more on Deborah’s knowledge and bravery. She took this a lot better, but I could tell she was still dissatisfied. I told her, “She’s like Buffy or Xena....” Not helpful. I began to realize that she understood this to be one of the most violent instances in the Bible. She’s never actually read it. Accepting this, I went on to assure her that a lot of the Bible, if not most of it, is like the story of Deborah. She seems to feel a little better knowing that most names can be somehow traced to a violent story in the Bible.