Jesus is dead, hooray! A somewhat sideways take on Easter...

[WilliamPitt]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Ptah (a host of the General Discussion forum).

OK, not to make a bad joke, but GOD DAMN IT, can someone please explain to me why the death of Jesus Christ was a bad thing?

I like to keep the TV on in the other room while I'm working, and I've heard this commercial for a show called "Killing Jesus" three or four times today - turns out it's a Bill O'Reilly thing - replete with dark and dramatic doom music, which keeps reminding me of all those "The Jews killed Jesus!" pogroms over the centuries...and I'm just like, "What the actual fuck?"

Forget about whether Jesus actually existed - and if he did, he was in all likelihood a socialist Jewish carpenter who couldn't afford shoes - and focus on the According-To-Hoyle gospel narrative.

The dude was sent to Earth by God FOR THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF BEING MARTYRED. That was the mission. That was the point of the exercise: to die in agony so as to relieve the rest of us of our sins. I've spent ten trillion hours in Catholic churches listening to, reading and reciting the incantations: he came to die for our sins. THAT'S WHY PEOPLE PRAY TO HIM.

It was, basically, a suicide mission...and yet Christians cascading through the ages, right up to this present day, treat the death of Jesus as some kind of massive tragedy, and I just don't get it. Logic dictates that his death should be celebrated, as that death devoured the sins of the world...but noooooo...these bucketheads have to become martyrs in the name of the martyr.

Good Friday to Easter is this solemn run of days when Christians lament the death of Jesus and then celebrate his resurrection (OMG ZOMBIE RUN YOU GUYS). If the death of Jesus was THE REASON HE SHOWED UP TO BEGIN WITH, Good Friday should be like the Fourth of July. HE DID IT, FUCK YEAH, WE'RE ALL SAVED! and Easter should be even better: HE GOT AWAY WITH IT HOLY SHIT HE CAN FLY TOO! It's like finding out Batman is still alive right before he saves Gotham. Epic shit.

But nope. They killed him, those bastards. The death of Jesus was, according to the story, totally God's plan and the reason for his very existence. His death was absolutely necessary, but let's all get verklempt about the fact that he died, because we don't like to brain here.

The Pope is considered infallible because God is considered infallible. My thinking? God left an awful lot of stupid lying around, along with tornadoes and shit. Seems pretty fallible to me. Creation is a Marx Brothers skit in the main.

[trumad]

1. This will be fun.

[hlthe2b]

2. quote from Epicurious

h/t to Edhopper for posting this a few days ago:



Still I do like the philosophical aspects of the New Testament teachings attributed to Jesus, which are, in many ways not all that unique, and which comprise a basic moral code for living shared by believers and nonbelievers alike (ignoring the rampant "bastardization" of said teachings by the "religious" RW). So, in that sense, the concept of Jesus is universal.

As Gandhi is said to have said: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

[KG]

3. mythology LOL.

[stone space]

4. Another atheist unalterably opposed to Capitol Punishment here.

OK, not to make a bad joke, but GOD DAMN IT, can someone please explain to me why the death of Jesus Christ was a bad thing?

Do you need another reason, or is that one enough?

[LuvNewcastle]

7. You'd be happier about it if your sins

were forgiven. Since you're an atheist, you'll have to be sad for Jesus while you're frying in Hell for eternity.

[stone space]

8. What part of "unalterably" did you not understand?

You'd be happier about it if...

[onecent]

5. Well said!!!!!!!!! Wish I had the nerve to send this to a

few of my friends and relatives....AND FACEBOOK.....but I would be banned from humanity, so I have to shut up for the sake of breathing.

[ileus]

6. Christians do celebrate the event...ever notice it's not called bad Friday???

Also if Christians hold the jews accountable in all those "jew killed jesus" programs why do Christians align themselves with the jews so closely? It would seem to me they'd join up with ISIS to help kill off the Jewish populations.

Jesus did exist...the only debate in most religions is what exactly he was. Prophet, Son of God, God, Blasphemer, or just a man.

Don't let Easter get you down...do what I'm going to do. Take the Kayak to the lake and fish, the pre-spawn should be in full swing.

[Atman]

11. Jesus did exist? Really?

You state that with such authority. How do you know? I find it awfully coincidental that his fairy tale story is virtually identical to every other religious fairy tale. I won't even start on the handsome blue eyed Caucasian from the Middle East.

[RKP5637]

31. Yep, too funny, in the church I had to go to when young he looked like a California surfer

with long blond hair, pure white face and striking blue eyes. I looked at this as a kid and thought to myself, what utter bullshit.

[bvf]

13. Heh.

"Jesus did exist...the only debate in most religions is what exactly he was. Prophet, Son of God, God, Blasphemer, or just a man."

You know this for a fact?

Cool.

[Nye Bevan]

15. "There is near unanimity among scholars that Jesus existed historically...."

Almost all scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed, [57][58][59][60] but scholars differ on the historicity of specific episodes described in the Biblical accounts of Jesus.[2]:181 The only two events subject to "almost universal assent" are that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and was crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate.[61][12][62] Elements whose historical authenticity is disputed include the two accounts of the Nativity of Jesus, the miraculous events including the resurrection, and certain details about the crucifixion.[63][64][65][66][67][68]

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Historicity_of_Jesus&mobileaction=toggle_view_desktop

[bvf]

18. They're h-e-e-re!

[Nye Bevan]

21. 73% of US adults believe not only that he existed but that he was born to a virgin

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/12/25/most-americans-believe-in-jesus-virgin-birth/

[dorkzilla]

25. That’s not proof either. nt

[Nye Bevan]

28. Proof that an overwhelming majority of Americans are incredibly stupid, gullible and naive? (nt)

[dorkzilla]

29. Yes! Just look at how many vote Republican. nt

[Nye Bevan]

32. OK, so Christians such as Obama, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, the Kennedys, and Liz Warren,

are stupid, naive and gullible. Got it.

[treestar]

33. What beef do you have with that debate?

If he existed, that is? You could say he was just a man. Why is it so emotionally necessary to you that he did not even exist historically that you can't respond except in this way? Your post here makes no case that he did nor did not exist. It only shows it upsets you than anyone would say he even existed.

[dorkzilla]

19. no, a wikipedia entry isn’t proof, sorry. nt

[Nye Bevan]

22. Of course not, but check the 109 references. And apology accepted. (nt)

[dorkzilla]

24. No apology offered...I am not checking the “references” either. Don’t be silly.

ETA - i just looked at the “references”.

[dorkzilla]

17. Correct me if I am wrong but there is no historical evidence that Jesus existed

No physical or historical evidence exists; nothing to conclusively support his existence. If you have conclusive evidence of his existence please share it!

But I like the kayak idea!

[bvf]

9. Where are all the religious "scholars"

when you need them?

"His death was absolutely necessary, but let's all get verklempt about the fact that he died, because we don't like to brain here."

Best line of the piece, IMO.

[Shadowflash]

10. How is killing an immortal being a 'Sacrifice'?

Shouldn't it REALLY be that Jesus was temporarily inconvenienced for the weekend for our sins.

People give their lives for other people all the time without the knowledge that they will be good as new in a couple of days. THAT is a sacrifice.

[bvf]

14. N-i-i-ce!

[Shrike47]

26. Pain is pain. It's bad. Evil. Not a temporary inconvenience.

You don't have to believe in Biblical Jesus to oppose torture.

[Hoppy]

12. If he was really God, instead of going through the shit on the cross, why not do a mind meld thing

and just implant a memory in everybody that Jesus died and erased our sins?

Or why not just get out the eraser and abolish the sins? He is God, ain't he?

My ass is supposed to be here in Urf to suffer so I can get into the heavenly choir --- seems God likes Giovanni Palistrina. So if he needs a choir, that means he isn't complete and perfect.

Or if he is God, why not just create a choir and be done with it? He knows how it all ends anywhy so why go through the bullshit?

O.K., maybe he likes so create us and watch us do our stuff, like I watch a train set even though I know the train is going to end up at the same place it started.... round and round.

But that still says that God wasn't perfect and needed entertainment. He was bored.


In the back of my mind is the poor sot who was Jesus. Imagine if he were alive today and saw all the stuff being done for which he gets credit.

Jesus: "What da fuck?"

[LiberalLoner]

16. K&R I always wondered about that, too!

[joshdawg]

20. Well said, William.

Kudos for saying what I and a few others were thinking.

[zeemike]

23. Well I have said this before and got ridiculed for it but.

Jesus is a friend of progressives and liberals and the enemy of right wingers.
But that all depends on who you allow to frame Jesus and liberals allow the right wingers to do the framing and stick to the idea that Jesus is a fairy tail and should be laughed at and ridiculed....point right wing.

The right says Jesus died for our sins and they are forgiven for theres not Jesus of the bible...and we accept it as truth and never challenge them on it...just ridicule them and Jesus.
Not a smart thing to do because the most liberal and progressive ideas are found in the words of Jesus, and so we help them twist it against ourselves instead insisting that they face his words and follow them if they believe he is god.

It is a strange fucking world where Christians reject the teachings of Jesus and accept The teachings of Ayn Rand and progressives who express the ideas of Jesus and reject him as even existing at all.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot...it is not necessary to believe in him as god to embrace his words.

[Nye Bevan]

27. Granted, He did rise from the dead 24 business hours after being killed,

but you are saying that we are supposed to be happy about someone being scourged, brutally tortured, and crucified? Is it OK to be sad that human beings could behave in this manner?

[CTyankee]

30. This discussion makes me think of my friend who is a deacon in her

Episcopal Church and a devout Christian believer. She is also a brilliantly creative person and a Yale Divinity School grad. I love having discussions about Christianity with her because she is so smart and such a good person. I do not share her faith but I have come to an acceptance of Christian devotion, as I have with any other religion, and while I cannot join them I can be respectful and even curious.

I do a lot of research and writing about art and I absolutely love the religious European art of the 12th thru the 16th centuries. Esp. the art of the counter-reformation designed to be so beautiful that the devout would not stray into Protestantism (which forbade such art, calling it "graven images&quot . It does nothing for me in terms of religious belief but I can appreciate it nonetheless.

[alphafemale]

34. Jesus died so I can buy candy really cheap the day after he went full zombie. nt

[Ptah]

35. Locking.

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