Opening

Charles Benedict de Bono was born since last recording.

Main Topic

Alternate title: "Sherlock the Great and Terrible"

Ben has been listening to Sherlock Holmes on audio book.

A primary reading is a straightforward, how the author intended. A secondary or alternate reading is another interpretation that the author didn't intend.

Ben's alternate reading: Sherlock Holmes as a religious text

Parallels with religion

Sherlock as a miracle worker

• He is often referred to as a magician.
• He appears to die at the hand of his greatest enemy, then comes back to life.

Dr. Watson as the prophet

• Jesus didn't write the gospels.
• Sherlock claimed Watson embellished his stories, so how reliable is the narrative?
• It doesn't matter if the details are 100% factual, the point is to present the person of Sherlock.

The police as the pharisees

Should be the biggest supporters, but are the biggest doubters.

Moriarty as the Devil

Moriarty only appears in one story. The devil similarly doesn't appear much in the Bible.

Liturgy

The formula of the stories

Worship

When the characters provide the missing details of the case that are not deducible

Development of doctrine

John Henry Neumann wrote about how doctrine develops without allowing chaotic change.

Deerstalker, calabash pipe, "Elementary, my dear Watson": all elements added in adaptations

Peter crucified upside down, Mary Magdalene a former prostitute: not in the Bible or official Catholic Church doctrine.

Why the reading is worth considering

• Arthur Conan Doyle was a great creator but just an average writer. This makes it a good candidate for adaptation.
• Fandom is similar to religion

Steven Moffatt hasn't followed the liturgy of Doctor Who.

How the reading informs fandom

Fandom operates differently than classical storytelling

The motto "it doesn't matter what you read, just read" is incorrect.

Matt's new computer made the last thirteen minutes of the original recording unusable, so the middle of the episode was re-recorded a week later.

Matt decides to join Audible and pick up the Sherlock Holmes stories.

1:07:30 Sci-Fi Christian Story Time: Matt Made a Crib