But the Bible makes no mention of animals adoring the Christ Child. Unreliable narrative Luke says Mary put the baby Jesus in a manger but the place where she gave birth was not necessarily a stable .

The Bible does say that Jesus was laid in a manger, and in reality, in poorer places like Bethlehem, animals were brought into the lower level of homes at night to keep them safe from bandits.

All of our stable and manger imagery actually comes from just one Gospel – Luke’s. In Matthew’s Gospel, Mary and Joseph seem to already live in Bethlehem, and Jesus is born in a house .

The only historical account we have of Francis’ nativity scene comes from The Life of St. Francis of Assisi by St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan monk who was born five years before Francis’ death.

Church nativity scene depicts holy family as caged refugees 01:33. A Methodist church in California has unveiled a nativity scene depicting Jesus, Mary and Joseph as refugees in cages.

In the Hebrew Bible’s legal code, a rapist can be forced to purchase the goods he has damaged and to then keep her as a wife. A woman’s reproductive capacity is also valuable booty of war.

More than 1,000 participants gather at Rock Canyon Park in Provo, Utah, in an attempt to set a world record for the largest recreation of a live Nativity scene, Dec. 1, 2014.

The Vatican’s Nativity scene this year has prompted much criticism — and some head-scratching. By Jason Horowitz VATICAN CITY — A couple stood in front of the Vatican’s new Christmas ...