Oswald in the doorway: the blog of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, by Ralph Cinque

Mother of God is not an insult to Judaism, Backes. Jews don't preach that Mary was the mother of God. They say she was the mother of Jesus, a man, and that she was also the mother of a rather large brood, which is certainly in the Bible, although rarely acknowledged by Christianity, and never by Catholicism, where the "Cult of Mary" has been recognized by supporters and detractors alike.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veneration_of_Mary_in_Roman_Catholicism  

Note that there are no historical references to Mary- or Joseph, for that matter. And there aren't even any reliable references to Jesus in the historical record- ones that are beyond suspicion of fraud. 

The essence of Mary is:

 "As it turns out, the Virgin Mary is, like Jesus Christ, a mythical character, founded upon older goddesses. Following on the heels of goddesses such as Aphrodite, Astarte, Cybele, Demeter, Hathor, Inanna, Ishtar and Isis, Mary is "both virgin and mother, and, like many of them, she gives birth to a half-human, half-divine child, who dies and is reborn."

So, Mary's tale is actually a pagan story that just got reworked. You want me to treat it with respect, when people are killing each other over it?  Forget it. 

At least, Jewish people don't force their religion down your throat. They don't try to convert you. I attended a Passover dinner once with a Jewish family in Montreal, and I was very moved by their loving feelings for each other, and their warmth and kindness to me. 

So, I really meant it when I said that if I was going to join a religion, I would join Judaism before I joined Christianity. 

And by the way, my favorite musical is Fiddler on the Roof. It has brilliant, magnificent music written by two Jewish men. But then again, the other great musicals, such as South Pacific and The Sound of Music, were also written by Jewish men.