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As the Bible is open to so many interpretations, people can apply any scenario to it, however daft. For instance, I was wondering if it was possible Jesus could have had Asperger's syndrome? I have some knowledge of the condition as our eldest grandson (14) definitely has it, and it is more than likely my husband has it too. The gospel stories could possibly point to some signs in Jesus, which one could attribute to a person with Asperger's. Now I am NOT stating as a fact Jesus had it, just an interesting speculation on my part. But as the Bible was written so long ago, it is highly unlikely we will ever know for sure what the characters featured therein were really like.
hmmmm.... I never even thought of it form the perspective of that inquiry, but the character traits and actions would fit, I suppose.
I suppose the parables thing would cast a bit of doubt on any Asperger's hypothesis. But the parables could of course be fake additions into the storyline/myth being as people when they wrote the story and tried to pass it around knew that parables might be more interesting and make the book/myth more marketable.
But if Christians back then believed that the Isaiah "prophecy" about a Messiah "afflicted [sick]" then it would make more since. But I doubt any of them would have seen anything in the milder parts of autism spectrum as a sickness.
No we don't suspect Jesus or anyone you mentioned had Asperger's. You are coming off as a member of a group that is trying to claim others as members of your group.
That's a fair comment. But who are 'we'?
It might be helpful in this discussion to hear your arguments against the idea that any of these people I mentioned did not have Asperger syndrome, including Jesus (especially Jesus).
Jesus is an interesting case because he couldn't have been normal and go around claiming to be God all the time, yet he couldn't have been too far gone and make the logical arguments that he did.
I've read some about schizophrenia lately, and a lot of the OT prophets HAD to have it. Here's some good descriptions from people who say they have it. What-is-it-like-to-have-schizophrenia
How else would you have the voice of god in your head all day long??? Especially ones like Ezekiel, he sounds so close to descriptions from modern day people with schizophrenia. So many of them talk about either believing they were god, god (or some other divine being) was speaking to them, they could contact ET life, they were the anitchrist... I used to think the OT was drug induced, but after learning more, it's much more likely (and matches the description better) that they had a mental disorder than they found ways to go get high.
Your experience sounds far from limited. I'm very, very sorry to hear about your son.
I have a question for you. Don't people with Aspergers find it uncomfortable to be amongst large crowds of people? I thought that was a fairly common trait? If so I'm not sure why the link with Jesus or any other public speaker?
Thank you, Cruithne.
Well, there was a time in my life when crowds or crowded places did indeed stress me out. I was very inhibited at times yet at other times I could really go for it. I was always quietly hanging in the back ground, mixing only with the quite ones. My brother on the other hand, was head boy at his school! My son had so much difficulty as a child with his inability to mix with other kids. But as a young adult he learned social skills and became quite the socialite. His good looks, high intelligence and personable character probably helped. I've been known to address a hall full of people and bring one or two to tears.
One characteristic of Asperger's is a tendency to have intense focus on subjects of interest (do you have any idea how fascinating a spinning bicycle wheel is? ) I was quite tenacious at times, refusing to give up until I had succeeded.
But we are all different. Asperger's is not a personality characteristic, it is a social development disorder and lies on the autism spectrum (my mother was autistic - she lived in a world of her own but otherwise was quite 'normal'). So a person with an outgoing personality with drive might also happen to have Asperger's. Another characteristic is a child who engages with adults in an adult conversation. My great nephew is like that.
So regarding Jesus, did he not engage in conversation with the pharisees as a boy? Discussing religious teaching?
I seriously doubt it, but whoever wrote the laws in Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus and Deuteronomy had OCD, and X-moses was schizophrenic.
I have a degree of OCD. Well, not so much anymore.
Tell us more about X-moses being schizophrenic. Just to clarify who X-moses was - is that Moses? Egyptian name (which would make sense)?
It has always been regarded as high-functioning autism, "on the spectrum", etc. Actually it's now been rolled into the autism spectrum and is no longer an official separate diagnosis.
In America yes but no so much in Europe. I think the definition of Asperger's became clouded when autism was being called Asperger's. As I've said, my mother was high functioning autistic but not Asperger's.
I only began to realize I had Asperger's quite recently while thinking about my son and his Aspergers. I then began to realize my whole damn family had Asperger's. More recently I realized my mother was autistic and that would have been where the family Asperger's came from.
Funny thing though, there are other's on my father's side of the family who have Asperger's too. One is a retired professor - a cousin. I have a few other professor cousins on my father's side but those do not have Asperger's as far as I know. I suspect that my aunt, the mother of the Asperger's cousin had Asperger's too. She was a crazy fun person, full of energy and drive, always laughing and enjoying life. Quite a character. One of her sons had schizophrenia.
Is it possible to analyze the personality traits/dysfunctions of a person/character who lived over 2k years ago?
I don't think so.
It might be possible if we had an accurate account of this persons life. But it's an interesting thought. I personally do not think Jesus had Asperger's.
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) I was quite tenacious at times, refusing to give up until I had succeeded. 
Well, not so much anymore.
