Irisis enjoy walking along the edges of the beach after leaving Lucas alone his thoughts.
When Mark yelled at her. "Irisis! Do you know how to read the bible? Mary giving birth to Jesus was a blessing not a curse-"
She spun around, waving a hand dismissively. "Oh, don't even get me started on her. You think it's good morals to keep women ignorant about how babies are made? To let them reproduce until their bodies give out? These are the messages you want taught to children?"
Mark bristled. "The Bible isn't about bad morals. It teaches us to wait for our saviour—"
"You call Zesus a saviour? Why, he lived during a time when he had no real proof of his so called miracles such as making fish multiple from nowhere! How convenient. Tell me, why the biggest religion in the world all feature men as our saviours? From Mahi to Zesus? Books were written by Men, who kept women's voices silent."
Mark puffed up. "That's because God chose men to lead—"
"Why wasn't she chosen as a disciple? Why isn't there a gospel bearing her name in the canon? She stood by Zesus, listened to him, endured him for hours on end. Mary is proof that in modern religion, only men get to rise through the ranks, from priest to bishop to pope, while women are confined to serving as nuns. Men get furious when their religion is criticized, but they never stop to see it for what it is: a book shaped by men, promoting a system that sidelines women.Even provincially funded schools pass these doctrines on, while parents who want their children educated outside that framework have to pay out of pocket. Apparently, patriarchy comes subsidized."
Mark stiffened. "The Bible doesn't promote patriarchy—"
Irisis cut him off. "Then why is there a religion built around enforcing it? Why can't nuns hold positions of doctrinal authority? Why does having the 'girl‑side plumbing' disqualify half the population from leadership? In Ontario, Men pass laws funnelling taxpayers' money straight into the system that keeps them on top. The religion claims to be not sexists yet priests get church-funded perks like salaries and pensions. While nuns have to take a vow of poverty and surrender their personal assets. Men only make a vow of obedience; they don't have to give up ownership of property, unlike their female counterparts."
"If you don't like the religion, don't follow it—"
"Easy to say when I can't afford to send my kids to the school I actually want, all while being heavily taxed to support a system I don't believe in. You don't see the problem with women finding out they're pregnant by 'God'—not realizing the angel's intervention comes too late. When the damage is already done from drinking too much alcohol."
"Zesus didn't have fetal alcohol syndrome—"
"How would you know? With nobody around to diagnose him back then? Why isn't it Mary's fault when God chose her without telling her ahead of time? So how would she know the booze should be off limits?"
"God planned the angel's visit to come at the right time," Mark said. "He chose Mary because she was faithful and obedient—"
Irisis spun toward him, eyes flashing. "How do you know she wanted this child when it threw her fiancé Joseph into confusion? The Bible says Joseph considered ghosting her. Do you think Mary was thrilled to raise a baby with an absent father in the sky, doing all the work herself?"
"God intervene with Joseph and told him the news-"
"I think Joseph was less than impressed with God's divine intervention. Joseph missed out playing the role of co-creator. Was he supposed to be happy that God thought he needed to intervene because he wasn't man enough to play hanky panky with Mary?"
"Nowhere in the bible does Joseph shows anger at God for being Zesus father-"
"Since when does Joseph have enough power to fight God? Knowing at any given time, God could curse him with a disease if he disobeyed one of his commandments.Joseph was humiliated that he wasn't the father of Mary's child. He felt replaced. He believed his purpose was to produce children with Mary, not raise one with zero genetic connection to him. Imagine dedicating your life to that job—and then God swoops in to steal the spotlight."