Where’s Jesus? (A Holiday Game)

I picked this game up from Boing Boing, and discovered that it’s a perfect way to waste a cold winter afternoon, particularly during the holiday season.

Go to Wikipedia. Click on “random article” (on the left side, under the globe). Of the various links on that random page, click on the one most likely to lead you to the article on Jesus. Then continue following the links until you actually find Jesus.

My best attempt so far is 3, and with an unpromising start. My random article was Maurice Doyle, an English footballer. If Mr. Doyle has a religion, it was not mentioned in the article. But I was able to click from Doyle to England, from England to Anglican Communion, and from thence to Jesus. Three clicks, damn good. Well below par, particularly if you start with a soccer player.

One of the surprising discoveries I made in this game is how many articles on Christian churches, offices, personnel, and history do not mention Jesus in any way. Take for example one attempt, which began with the article List of States in the Holy Roman Empire (beginning with the letter R). Which, as the link attests, actually exists.

I knew that the HRE included prince-bishoprics headed by a bishop, so I clicked on one of these, the Bishopric of Regensburg. No mention of Jesus. I clicked on “bishopric,” which unfortunately did not lead to an article on bishops but an article on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Regensburg. Again, no mention of J.C. I kept hoping that “bishop” would lead me to Jesus, somehow, so I clicked on the current bishop, Gerhard Ludwig Muller. While there are mentions of Jesus in the article, none of them are linked, but I was able to click to “bishop” from there.

Apparently it is possible to write a lengthy article on Christian bishops without actually mentioning Jesus, so from there I had to go to Apostle (Christian), which does in fact have a link to Jesus.

Holy Roman Empire => Bishopric of Regensburg => Gerhard Ludwig Muller => Bishop => Apostle (Christian) => Jesus = 6. Rather a poor score.

I didn’t fare any better with the Orthodox church. My random page was the McLeod Residence, an art cooperative in Seattle. My search went McLeod Residence => Seattle => St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church (Seattle) => Greek Orthodox Diocese of America => Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople => Greek Orthodox Church => New Testament => Jesus. My score was 7, which is perfectly dreadful.

So can you find Jesus? Try it. It’s fun.

Still, if you’re looking for Him, my experience suggests that you avoid looking anywhere in the established Church.