Would it be wrong if Jesus was an Aspergian? If it seems like a slur, then you would understand why Aspergians have it so hard. Jesus was a very odd man to say the least. He behaved in a way that led him to become an outcast in his own community. Even if Jesus was not an Aspergian, all Aspergians can probably identify with the trials that Jesus went through.
Jesus also liked to spend a great deal of time on his own. His disciples tend to cast these moments as miracle opportunities when Jesus would commune with God or do battle with the Devil. As they were not with Jesus during his solitary musings, it is hard to understand how the apostles ever found out what happened. If we stick to the facts that the Apostles would know, all we get is a portrait of a man who was almost antisocial and who seemed to suffer in society just by being.
He had difficult family relations and the myth of the virgin birth and the almost total lack of any mention of his father, Joseph, would mirror the difficulties that practically all Aspergians have in relating to their own families.
There is no way to conclude either way what Jesus was, but if we accept the facts as presented in the Gospels, there are some striking similarities between Jesus and Aspergians. And it does not diminish Jesus in anyway to be autistic. His vision was immensely powerful and unique, for even today, we are still all living in his shadow.
25 Feb 2007, 9:54 pm
