The Crucifixion Proves the Unjust Nature of the Christian God
Image by ruSSeLL hiGGs via FlickrBy Astreja
Putting to one side for the moment the whole problem of "sin" -- That is, the ludicrous notion that an omnipotent deity can be offended or injured by the very thoughts of its supposed creation -- I think that I have identified a fatal flaw in Christianity.
When questioned by skeptics and nonbelievers, a follower of the Dead-Rabbi-On-A-Stick cult will sometimes use the following line of unreasoning:
If we can do nothing to expiate our own alleged "sins", then we have been targeted for very cruel and very, very unusual punishment by a being committing an egregious and obscene abuse of power.
If Biblegod==Jesus, then what we're dealing with is a rather bizarre cosmic kink, complete with thorns, whips, bonds, and verbal abuse... Paid to and from the same entity. Kind of like paying a debt by moving a dollar from your left pocket to your right pocket.
If Biblegod and Jesus are distinct beings, and we accept this sacrifice of a third party for our alleged misdeeds... We become accessories after the fact to an act of torture and (at least attempted) murder.
News flash to Christians everywhere: Contrary to what you keep telling us and yourselves, being "washed in the blood of the Lamb" does not cleanse you. It is a stain on your precious, non-sinful humanity. It is wilful complicity in a supernatural shell game. It is abrogation of reason.
It is wrong.
Stop it. Now.
Putting to one side for the moment the whole problem of "sin" -- That is, the ludicrous notion that an omnipotent deity can be offended or injured by the very thoughts of its supposed creation -- I think that I have identified a fatal flaw in Christianity.
When questioned by skeptics and nonbelievers, a follower of the Dead-Rabbi-On-A-Stick cult will sometimes use the following line of unreasoning:
- God is 'perfect', whatever that actually means. And apparently we are not. Duh. We're humans.
- Thanks to our terrifying imperfection, we've succeeded in doing something that has annoyed the Big Guy. That's a capital offense; therefore, we have to die.
- Unfortunately, that isn't good enough. This god (whom we somehow offended) requires a perfect sacrifice, and we ain't it. Therefore, something perfect has to die. And the only perfect thing in the whole universe is... You guessed it! ...the very same god who wants this perfect sacrifice.
- So he incarnates as a human (by raping a young woman and cuckolding her fiancé), then acts up until the local authorities get mad enough to nail him to a Roman torture-and-execution device.
(Ooh, kinky... Apparently it isn't enough for Mr. Perfect to simply die; this sadomasochistic deity also requires suffering. Suffice it to say that such a sacrificial methodology does not conform to orthodox Judaic law, even if we scratch out "human" and write in "lamb" in crayon.) - And then all is well... But only if you agree that this whole cockeyed scenario was a wonderful divine plan. Otherwise, you have to be tortured for eternity. And somehow, the eternal torture of sentient beings is not a sin.
If we can do nothing to expiate our own alleged "sins", then we have been targeted for very cruel and very, very unusual punishment by a being committing an egregious and obscene abuse of power.
If Biblegod==Jesus, then what we're dealing with is a rather bizarre cosmic kink, complete with thorns, whips, bonds, and verbal abuse... Paid to and from the same entity. Kind of like paying a debt by moving a dollar from your left pocket to your right pocket.
If Biblegod and Jesus are distinct beings, and we accept this sacrifice of a third party for our alleged misdeeds... We become accessories after the fact to an act of torture and (at least attempted) murder.
News flash to Christians everywhere: Contrary to what you keep telling us and yourselves, being "washed in the blood of the Lamb" does not cleanse you. It is a stain on your precious, non-sinful humanity. It is wilful complicity in a supernatural shell game. It is abrogation of reason.
It is wrong.
Stop it. Now.
Comments
Consider Judas (and, by the way, "Judas" is NOT a name -- it's a description: "the Jew"). If Jesus really WAS sent to Earth as a substititionary sacrifice, wasn't Judas doing God's will? Besides, the authorities surely knew who Jesus was -- why did he have to be "betrayed" in the first place? A more recent example of this logical fallacy was Jerry Fallwell's statement after 9/11 that "God had lifted the veil of protection over the US" -- the logical conclusion, then was that the hijackers were doing God's will -- Fallwell was making their point for them!
Or Barabas -- literal translation: "Son of the Father" -- no point beng driven home there, right?
If the Pharisees were so important to the Crucifixion, why are none of them named? Pilate is the only authority figure mentioned by name in that part of the story.
"In hoc signo vinces" indeed!
~~ ScienceMikey
I think our world has moved beyond that, and now this story is seen by some for what it is. Silly. If God wanted to atone for sin, he should have thought about that before creating it.
"The meaning of existence: Whatever I assign to it."
Now THAT is free will!!
Love it!
daytripper
My conclusion is that this "God" is weired because he kills people who are true to themselves. I was a believer, myself and I was hearing all of these stories, believe me they are absurd. If you read the bible, you are going to go crazy. I agree with Astreja that the nature of this "God" is strange. That's one of the reasons I no longer believe in religion
peace
Balthazar
Nothing makes me smile more than reflecting on how the Christian crucie-fiction played out among those who practiced honest-to-goodness human sacrifices (not the Dead- Rabbi-On-a-Stick ploy) within their own mythopoeic scripts. The Dead-Rabbi-On-A-Stick was a dangerous/confusing evangelization tool when preaching that sacrificing humans is an abhorrent use of one's time, talents and treasures. Roman Catholic priests substituted the Rabbi-on-a-Stick for a skull and bones with a cross (no little fellow on the cross) when trying to "win" converts accustomed to real lifeblood in order to keep the sun god content. Funny...while preaching against human sacrifice, those who refused conversion to the Christian faith were sadistically tortured.
The skull and bones, the cross, minus the sneaky Rabbi:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/3164831226_62e1c456f7_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1072/3164718222_624cccb077_b.jpg
In response to myself, I'm a bit of a blog tourist. I understand the purpose of this board. Thanks for the discussion. Be well.
Yeah, but did anything, we say, sink in?
--S.
Also, the trivialization of something most of us barely understand is humorous. It's as funny as watching Bill Maher berate people for believing in God. All he can do is mock. He can't prove that he is correct.
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