Amos

So there you go again Sabine. Your words tell that your theology is perverted and not your heart. The truth is that Jesus died to set Christ free.

Dr Rick

Hi, Veronica



It really was a horrible way to die. The way crucifixation would "work" is that the poor victim couldn't breath adequately as he hung by his nailed arms (if the nails went through the hands as portrayed on most crucifix symbols, the weight of the body would quickly tear through them), making the wretch feel as if he is slowly suffocating after a few minutes or hours. The victim couldn't avoid trying to compensate by lifting himself up upon his feet, which having been nailed to the cross would cause unbearable pain. The victim would not be able to support himself for long under such agony and eventually hang back down by his arms, only to compromise his breathing again and start the whole cycle over. Eventually, the pain, respiratory compromise and exposure would overwhelm the body and cause death. Sometimes the Romans would break the victims femurs, which would be horribly painful but accelerate death by preventing the "lifting-up" part so that the condemned would suffocate more quickly as his lungs slowly filled with fluid.

That part is a little weird, too. The Bible describes Christ dying quickly by crucifixation standards. He would have been in a weakened state after his preparetory ordeal, but many criminals were mistreated prior to crucifixation and still lingered for days as you point-out. That, and the whole trial in violation of usual Roman practice and law cast doubt on the story as an accurate portrayal.

Yes, the man as described in the Bible was a very good one, imo. For the most part, he preached kindness and tolerance towards almost everyone. This was very unusual in a time when most priests and temples excluded the poor, infirm and "bad" (such as prostitutes) from their services, and if he really existed, that's much of what doomed him as he was a threat to the religious hierarchy. It's also what seperated him from the other Messiahs of the day.

But he wasn't perfect: he 'dissed his mother, drowned some pigs that were in the wrong place as he conducted an exorcism, and killed a tree for not bearing fruit when it wasn't supposed to. His recommendation that we castrate ourselves if we can and abandon our families to serve him doesn't sit very well with me, either.

Rick

Sabine Grant

Dear Amos.. there you are again telling everyone what " the truth" is. That is not my goal here in my question to Rick. I am not concerned with theology in my approach. I am concerned about the comment he made. My curiosity has nothing to do with theology. It has to do with whether or not the teachings regarding how we are to treat one another are inspiring to better behavior and attitudes as human beings.
That it is your personal truth that Christ is freed by Jesus is irrelevant with a question that has to do with human behavior. Even as a myth who could be named anything else but Christ or Jesus or the Nazarene or Jashua, is there validity in those teachings?
Sorry but I am getting a bit blaze with the systematic intellectualization of a practical question. No offense meant though... you are always a dear Amos.

Sabine Grant

Thank you for your honest reply. Only one objection if I may... do not ever call me Veronica... grrrrr. I harbor a french name with great pride....Veronique.

Amos

But dearest Sabine. Your presence here is much more charming than all of your words. Don't you see that you are worth a lot more than a thousand sparrows that you chase around?

winstonjen

I believe that if the biblical accounts are to be believed, then Jesus commited suicide because he failed to take steps that would prevent his execution. Or perhaps Jesus was tired of all that perfection in heaven and wanted to experience pain just to see what it was like.

Sabine Grant

funny you mention the sparrow... a couple of weeks ago, a patient of mine was hallucinating. She is expected to pass away anytime. She mentionned a raven on her ceiling and asked me if " it were evil coming to get her". I told her it was only a sparrow... the one less precious than her. Her imaginary sparrow has given her some serenity. I join her in her dementia as we look at it together ( no I have not gone as far as bringing seeds with me....)

Radorth

He apparently had to die and be humiliated like a criminal. There were no "peaceful" means of capital punishment then anyway. But I suppose YOUR God could have given him a lethal injection with one of the billion hands he uses to whack people, of your choice, over the head with.

Criminy. "It's nice Jesus died for me, but I don't like the way God did that either."

Rad

Dr Rick

Why? Even if it was necessary for Jesus to die, couldn't God just have had him killed peacefully instead of having him tortured to death?

Rick

winstonjen

Because the Xian god is a sadist.

I expect that your question will just encourage Rad to repeat himself, though.