NBC Explored How Jesus Would Be a 'Radical Feminist' In Modern Times

NBC's Today has a special attraction to stories "updating" Jesus, going "On The Road" with The DaVinci Code, and just last week, promoting the idea that the bones of Jesus had been located in an ossuary in Jerusalem. On Wednesday, liberal priest, sociologist and author Andrew Greeley, a longtime NBC favorite, came on the air to promote his new book about Jesus and his relationships with women. Father Greeley  "updated" Jesus so dramatically that he practically put him in league with NARAL and Planned Parenthood:

Curry: "He, he also, according to you, had very good relationships with women. Very strong friendships with women."

Greeley: "If he were alive today and behaved the same way he would be considered to be a radical feminist."

Curry: "Really?! Well that's surprising."

Greeley: "And, and when we, when we consider the era in which he lived and the way women were treated and the male attitude towards them. It's just absolutely astonishing."

Curry: "Because he was so open with them? I mean why, why are you saying that?"

Greeley: "Well he had, for example, he has apostles following him wherever he went but also there was a group of women in three different Gospels are mentioned in the same breath with the Apostles. So these, these were women who were important in his, in his mission."

Many have seen Jesus as a kind of feminist in the times of his earthly ministry, in his condemnation of casual divorce and the prominence of women among his followers. But it's a wild stretch of the liberal imagination that he would be considered a "radical feminist" by today's radical feminists. Just start with that all-male cast of apostles. Radical feminists would aspire to drag Jesus before the EEOC.

Curry also discussed with Greeley how he speculates that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were probably very attracted to each other, but insisted that he wasn't down with Dan Brown, that there's "no evidence" that the two "climbed into bed together."