Just watch "Jesus In India," on the Sundance Channel tonight at 9 and then discuss it with the family.
The documentary explores the controversial theory that Jesus Christ's "lost years" -- from about the ages of 12 and 30 -- may have been spent in India.
At the center of the film is author Edward T. Martin, a man who grew up attending a Fundamentalist Christian church in small town Texas. At bible school one day, he asks his teacher about what happened to Jesus during those years, since only a single passage in Luke (2:52) makes reference to those hidden years.
The teacher's answer doesn't satisfy, beginning Martin's intense curiosity. Then, as a Peace Corps volunteer in Afghanistan, Martin hears about the East Asian accounts of Christ; that he traveled in a caravan down the Silk Road, lived with Hindus and Buddhists, and then returned to the Holy Land to begin his ministry.
Here's exactly why this is so controversial: 1) The theory suggests that Jesus studied in India, and therefore the teachings of Hinduism may have contributed to the formation of Christianity; 2) It also suggests that Christ actually survived the crucifixion, spent his last days in India, and may be buried there. Mary, too, in northern Pakistan.
Martin's an interesting character. It seems he was always a bit of a misfit in his hometown of Lampasas. This exploration has cost him friends and made him more of an outsider at home. Although the documentary isn't definitive in its answers (scholars, writers and holy people of several faiths support and debunk the theory), Martin did write a book titled "King of Travelers: Jesus' Lost Years in India."
There are many questions raised in "Jesus in India": Why aren't those years discussed in the Bible? Is it because they weren't important? Or did some ancient leader have the information destroyed? Are there lost Gospels hidden, waiting for some archeological dig? If this is true, does it fundamentally change Christianity or simply broaden it?
Yet the biggest question that Martin explores is this: Is it heresy for a person of faith to even ask these questions?
Watch it with your family and maybe you'll find out. And whether there's yelling or civil discussion, think of it this way: at least you'll be having a discussion about faith and Christ, instead of shopping and gifts, on the day we celebrate Christ's birth.
Assistant Features Editor Adrienne Johnson Martin would like to have her life turned into an animated cartoon. 
