Talk:Flight into Egypt

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[edit] Children's misunderstandings

This section is, naturally, uncited, and I thought I would avoid the hassle of asking for citations and simply delete it, but I guess I can't do that...so what shall we discuss? Can anyone provide any drawings of flying Jesus? Is Jesus Pontius' co-Pilate? Adam Bishop 22:54, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

That section is really just the butt of a joke I have heard:

Some children were asked by their Sunday school teacher to draw pictures of the Christ child and his parents' flight into Egypt. As the teacher was walking around the classroom viewing the works in progress, she noticed that little Johnny's drawing was of an airplane. Immediately assuming that Johnny was just playing around, she asked him, "What that's supposed to be?" He responded, "Why, that's Jesus and May and Joseph on the flight into Egypt waving out the window." Sure enough, there were three figures waving from the airliner's windows. The teacher, just to be clever, then asked, "Who's that?" pointing towards the man in the cockpit window. Not missing a beat, the child said, "That's Pontius Pilot."

For this reason, I can hardly think that the section need be taken seriously. Srnec 05:09, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

• It may be described humorously in a jokebook, but it is also a common real notable nuisance in school religion classes. For example, a school teacher at the village school at Buxworth near Whaley Bridge in England told me that they got an average of two aeroplanes a year when the time came for the children to make a drawing of the Flight to Egypt. Ask a few school religion teachers. Anthony Appleyard 05:14, 13 September 2007 (UTC)
• Well, there are lots of possibilities here. Are the teachers pulling your leg? Why would kids be asked to draw that? Why would anyone be asked to draw that? Are the teachers trying to amuse themselves by seeing how many pictures of airplanes they can get? And if kids really are being asked to draw this, which I find bizarre, perhaps some of them are trying to be funny? Do you have anything better than "friend of a friend" evidence? Adam Bishop 06:53, 13 September 2007 (UTC)
• NO! The teacher asks the pupils to draw the Flight to Egypt. The pupils should draw the Holy Family using some transport appropriate to the time, such as donkeys or a camel. But the inevitable quota of the pupils do not listen to the lesson properly but daydream, and some of them misunderstand the word "flight" and draw an aeroplane. Ask some primary school teachers. This genuinely happens, at least here in England. This mistake may be a childish error, but then children are childish. Anthony Appleyard 08:34, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

• And the children have never heard the story before and have never wondered what is meant by "flight", they are just asked to draw a picture of a random event that may or may not involve airplanes? Why? Adam Bishop 17:57, 13 September 2007 (UTC)
• The teacher does explain, but some of the children are inattentive. Ask an elementary school teacher. Anthony Appleyard 18:10, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

• Well, the average elementary school teacher here in Ontario teaches in a secular school, so kids just wouldn't learn about this in the first place. We do have a Catholic school system, where I suppose it is more likely, although I went to a Catholic school and never had to do anything like this. I do remember being confused about Christ standing "before" Pilate - did he get up first, and Pilate stood up afterwards? But we didn't have to draw a picture of it! Adam Bishop 18:34, 13 September 2007 (UTC)
• Here in Britain, often schoolchildren are asked in class to make drawings or paintings of major Christian religious events, including the Flight to Egypt. Usually they get the means of transport right, but from time to time not, as I describe above. Anthony Appleyard 20:04, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Nonetheless, if this is based solely on personal experience in Britain and has no reliable source besides, it is non-notable. Srnec 21:51, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

• It happens often. Let a few Wikipedia members living in England ask a few primary school teachers. Anthony Appleyard 05:25, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

Hearsay is not a reliable source. If nobody's ever thought to write it down, it's non-notable. Srnec 04:04, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

• Direct face-to-face enquiry is not hearsay. Anthony Appleyard 05:14, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

No, but you telling us about it is. Adam Bishop 07:48, 15 September 2007 (UTC)