The cross is important because Christ’s death was a Sacrifice…in a similar way to offering a live animal on an altar, or offering incense to a god. Its this sacrifice (his crucifixion) that saves us.
As an atheist I appreciate that Jesus was willing to die for what he believed in. He saw injustice in the world and took action even at the cost of himself. That’s what I see in the cross.
But that’s not why he died. He didn’t take a bullet for his friend, he freely offered himself as a sacrifice for our sin. This is what saves us from unending death. That’s why the cross is important. His death was more similar to an Animal that is sacrificed by the local shaman then a soldier who gets killed fighting against terrorists.
As an old guy, I still do not understand how Jesus being tortured to death somehow absolves all our “sins” (whatever that means), and keeps us from “unending death” (whatever that means). Nothing about religion, ANY religion, makes sense.
I am open-minded enough to acknowledge that we know almost nothing about the Universe, and there may be some entity beyond our puny human comprehension, but ALL religion is simply a clumsy human construct attempting to make the unexplainable understandable for humans that require protection from the scary mysteries of the Universe.
Shouldn’t you rephrase that? If what you say is correct, isn’t Jesus an animal who willingly offered itself up as sacrifice to the local shaman, rather than simply bring sacrificed?
He offered himself To the Jewish Priests and Religious leaders who condemned him. Why do you think he’s called the Lamb of God? Lambs got sacrificed in his day!
He KNEW he was going to be betrayed. That’s in Scripture. Yet he allowed himself to be handed over to fulfill what was written and to be a Sacrifice for our sins.
Exactly. And the sacrifice refers not to Jesus’s suffering and persecution, but what humanity gave up in that sacrifice - God’s active, personal presence on Earth.
If you’re not religious, it all means nothing,of course.
The cross is important because Christ’s death was a Sacrifice…in a similar way to offering a live animal on an altar, or offering incense to a god. Its this sacrifice (his crucifixion) that saves us.
As an atheist I appreciate that Jesus was willing to die for what he believed in. He saw injustice in the world and took action even at the cost of himself. That’s what I see in the cross.
But that’s not why he died. He didn’t take a bullet for his friend, he freely offered himself as a sacrifice for our sin. This is what saves us from unending death. That’s why the cross is important. His death was more similar to an Animal that is sacrificed by the local shaman then a soldier who gets killed fighting against terrorists.
He died because he was put to death for criticizing the religious elites. There is no divinity that creates purpose in people’s lives and deaths.
from the unending death that he himself (holy trinity and all that) would have inflicted upon you.
As an old guy, I still do not understand how Jesus being tortured to death somehow absolves all our “sins” (whatever that means), and keeps us from “unending death” (whatever that means). Nothing about religion, ANY religion, makes sense.
I am open-minded enough to acknowledge that we know almost nothing about the Universe, and there may be some entity beyond our puny human comprehension, but ALL religion is simply a clumsy human construct attempting to make the unexplainable understandable for humans that require protection from the scary mysteries of the Universe.
Shouldn’t you rephrase that? If what you say is correct, isn’t Jesus an animal who willingly offered itself up as sacrifice to the local shaman, rather than simply bring sacrificed?
He offered himself To the Jewish Priests and Religious leaders who condemned him. Why do you think he’s called the Lamb of God? Lambs got sacrificed in his day!
Did he really, or did he get betrayed and then captured?
He KNEW he was going to be betrayed. That’s in Scripture. Yet he allowed himself to be handed over to fulfill what was written and to be a Sacrifice for our sins.
Why though? Why not just give yourself up, and prevent your friends from getting guiltridden in the process?
Sounds like a bad friend to me.
Exactly. And the sacrifice refers not to Jesus’s suffering and persecution, but what humanity gave up in that sacrifice - God’s active, personal presence on Earth.
If you’re not religious, it all means nothing,of course.
Fairy tales
I think that is actually a terrible deal. He could probably have just waved any sin away or something.
Oh well, don’t believe in it anyway.
Keeping God away from Earth is a good idea. The God that is described in the Bible is a monster.
Jesus though was basically a socialist with some caveats