Common Question Seeking Better Answer

[Laure]

I'm new here, and I didn't want to jump right into this section until I got to know everybody better. However, I figure this is a pretty safe question, and from the vibe of intelligence I get from this forum, I'm hoping to get a good answer.

I'm definitely not being petulant with this question. I ask very honestly in order to understand things better myself.

My question:

While watching The Passion of the Christ recently, I kept asking myself over and over, "Why?" Why is it that Christ had to suffer and die a horrible death? Most of the time when I ask a Christian this, they tell me it's because a sacrifice must be made for our sins, and Christ was that sacrifice. However, I don't understand why a sacrifice had to be made in the first place. If God is all powerful and all knowing and all everything else, why couldn't he have just done the same thing (as far as forgiving our sins) without a sacrifice? What is the reason there HAD to be one?

Like I said, it's an honest question. I just want to know if there's a more logical reason than, "Because that's the way it had to be."

Thanks.

 

[Peter Parka]

opcorn2:*Waits for a believer who cant answer the question to come in and warble off something about faith or not taking the bible literally.* opcorn2:

 

[Laure]

opcorn2:*Waits for a believer who cant answer the question to come in and warble off something about faith or not taking the bible literally.* opcorn2:

I've asked the question at least a hundred times, and nobody will answer it. I was hoping somebody here could give some insight.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I'm new here, and I didn't want to jump right into this section until I got to know everybody better. However, I figure this is a pretty safe question, and from the vibe of intelligence I get from this forum, I'm hoping to get a good answer.

I'm definitely not being petulant with this question. I ask very honestly in order to understand things better myself.

My question:

While watching The Passion of the Christ recently, I kept asking myself over and over, "Why?" Why is it that Christ had to suffer and die a horrible death? Most of the time when I ask a Christian this, they tell me it's because a sacrifice must be made for our sins, and Christ was that sacrifice. However, I don't understand why a sacrifice had to be made in the first place. If God is all powerful and all knowing and all everything else, why couldn't he have just done the same thing (as far as forgiving our sins) without a sacrifice? What is the reason there HAD to be one?

Like I said, it's an honest question. I just want to know if there's a more logical reason than, "Because that's the way it had to be."

Thanks.

Well someone else said somewhere that Jesus was like god, and by killing Jesus, god was really sacrificing himself... which he needed to do to get our sins fixed or something.

I dunno, I don't understand religion :willy_nilly::willy_nilly::willy_nilly: exact reason why I don't believe in it

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Anyways, I think (from non-religious oustiders point of veiw) perhaps god saw sacrificing Jesus, who could perform miracles and bring enlightenment, was a sacrifice we as a human race needed to feel; so we wouldn't see his death as a waste and not take advantage of it and continue to sin?

 

[Tangerine]

Trying to find anything that even remotely resembles logic in questions about religion or faith is an excercise in futility.

 

[Laure]

Trying to find anything that even remotely resembles logic in questions about religion or faith is an excercise in futility.

I was expecting at least an attempt at an answer. The thing is that I really do want to understand. I made it my goal for the year to honestly try to see things from another perspective, but that's so difficult to do when you can't get one simple answer.

 

[Azazel]

Trying to find anything that even remotely resembles logic in questions about religion or faith is an excercise in futility.

​

 

[Tangerine]

I was expecting at least an attempt at an answer. The thing is that I really do want to understand. I made it my goal for the year to honestly try to see things from another perspective, but that's so difficult to do when you can't get one simple answer.

I suspect you will never find this answer. I've searched for some of those "simple answers" for a long time and in a lot of churches, and only came away with more questions.

What's your "current" persepctive that has you looking for another?

 

[darkcgi]

An easy truthful answer is that God needed us to really feel with all our hearts the sadness of it and come to realize
how im portant his message is.
How else can you make someone have more emotion and a powerful impact in your mind but to see someone
innocent die a horrible death but yet at the same time take himself right to it on purpose without fear because he wanted us to know that we to can live without fear for anything as long as we believe in him and his love for us.
The sadest thing that could ever happen to us is to see or know of our own flesh and blood children die a horrible death and that he would do this to his own son to show us that he a loveing god and that we are all his children

 

[Laure]

I suspect you will never find this answer. I've searched for some of those "simple answers" for a long time and in a lot of churches, and only came away with more questions.

What's your "current" persepctive that has you looking for another?

I'm not looking for a new perspective, per se. I just want to try to understand why other people can so easily believe something that has no basis in logic or fact at all. I feel like there must be something there keeping them bound so tightly to their beliefs, and I'd like to be able to at least understand what that something is.

As for my personal perspective, I don't know. I'd call myself Agnostic, but I don't think that's quite accurate. I'm a logical person. I'm also spiritual in many ways. I don't believe it's impossible for something to exist just because I can't see it. However, I like to know there's at least some basis of fact. Does that make sense?

 

[justmee]

to top it off it was his own son he took for sacrifice

anything they cant answer or explain they just say "yhou have to have faith and believe"


i`ll just stick with the evolution theory. just makes more since and it can be explained with proof

 

[Azazel]

i`ll just stick with the evolution theory. just makes more since and it can be explained with proof

 

[Laure]

An easy truthful answer is that God needed us to really feel with all our hearts the sadness of it and come to realize
how im portant his message is.
How else can you make someone have more emotion and a powerful impact in your mind but to see someone
innocent die a horrible death but yet at the same time take himself right to it on purpose without fear because he wanted us to know that we to can live without fear for anything as long as we believe in him and his love for us.
The sadest thing that could ever happen to us is to see or know of our own flesh and blood children die a horrible death and that he would do this to his own son to show us that he a loveing god and that we are all his children

Thank you very much for your answer. I truly appreciate it.

 

[Tangerine]

As for my personal perspective, I don't know. I'd call myself Agnostic, but I don't think that's quite accurate. I'm a logical person. I'm also spiritual in many ways. I don't believe it's impossible for something to exist just because I can't see it. However, I like to know there's at least some basis of fact. Does that make sense?

Very much so... it's almost exactlt the same as mine.

I'm not looking for a new perspective, per se. I just want to try to understand why other people can so easily believe something that has no basis in logic or fact at all. I feel like there must be something there keeping them bound so tightly to their beliefs, and I'd like to be able to at least understand what that something is.

Just my opinion: Fear. Most people are hooribly afraid of what may (or may not) await them after this life is over. I think most simply grasp at ANYTHING that gives them hope and allays the fear that grips them. Just as some people think ANY relationship is better than being alone, I think many think ANY explanation is worth clinging to... even if it's highly illogical.

 

[justmee]

An easy truthful answer is that God needed us to really feel with all our hearts the sadness of it and come to realize
how im portant his message is.
How else can you make someone have more emotion and a powerful impact in your mind but to see someone
innocent die a horrible death but yet at the same time take himself right to it on purpose without fear because he wanted us to know that we to can live without fear for anything as long as we believe in him and his love for us.
The sadest thing that could ever happen to us is to see or know of our own flesh and blood children die a horrible death and that he would do this to his own son to show us that he a loveing god and that we are all his children

i love my child with all my heart but i wouldnt through her into hell to burn for enternity just because she didnt believe in me

 

[Exact]

People are overall just stubborn. They couldn't come to realize that 'hey, maybe all the things we are doing are bad', so instead God decided to sacrifice Jesus to prove that even one act of humanity and pure innocence towards life can help many people. I may be a Unitarian( if you don't what that is just look it up; that is if you even care) but the concept is pretty clear to me. And if you don't even believe in Jesus or a religion what is honestly the point of posting? You don't even believe in any of the stuff your commenting on.

 

[Laure]

People are overall just stubborn. They couldn't come to realize that 'hey, maybe all the things we are doing are bad', so instead God decided to sacrifice Jesus to prove that even one act of humanity and pure innocence towards life can help many people. I may be a Unitarian( if you don't what that is just look it up; that is if you even care) but the concept is pretty clear to me. And if you don't even believe in Jesus or a religion what is honestly the point of posting? You don't even believe in any of the stuff your commenting on.

I have, in fact, been to a Unitarian church and have a few friends who follow that particular denomination. They're wonderfully open minded people who I respect a great deal.

I never said I don't believe in Jesus. I never said I don't believe in God. In fact, earlier in this thread I said very clearly that I wasn't sure what I believed in. I also made the point of my post quite plain. I want to understand why some people believe.

Regardless of whether I believe or not, however, is it not (in your opinion) okay for somebody who doesn't share your views to ask a question about them? Must a person's beliefs be in sync with yours before they're allowed to learn more about them?

Again, I'm not being petulant in any way. I'm genuinely curious. I'm just a curious person. If that is truly the way you feel, if you don't feel I have the right to ask the question because I'm not sure that I believe it's true, then I'd honestly like to know.

 

[darkcgi]

I have one other thing to think of
Science
what made the stars ok some theory of science
and then what made the galaxys ok some theory of science
and what made whats outside that and so on and so on and so
are we to believe that space is forever infinite with no end but have a scientific reason for existing
it doesnt even make any sence at all but what we do have is our belief and what better to believe in but
something greater than that we know
and hope that it is something good
would it be better to die feeling empty that your existence will be forever gone once your dead
how scary of a death would that be
or how very easy would it be with your and your loved ones to know you are peacefully passing to a better and happier place than the one they are in now and that they might be there again with them one day
whats better than that

 

[Exact]

I have, in fact, been to a Unitarian church and have a few friends who follow that particular denomination. They're wonderfully open minded people who I respect a great deal.

I never said I don't believe in Jesus. I never said I don't believe in God. In fact, earlier in this thread I said very clearly that I wasn't sure what I believed in. I also made the point of my post quite plain. I want to understand why some people believe.

Regardless of whether I believe or not, however, is it not (in your opinion) okay for somebody who doesn't share your views to ask a question about them? Must a person's beliefs be in sync with yours before they're allowed to learn more about them?

Again, I'm not being petulant in any way. I'm genuinely curious. I'm just a curious person. If that is truly the way you feel, if you don't feel I have the right to ask the question because I'm not sure that I believe it's true, then I'd honestly like to know.

Actually i wasn't referring to you. I was referring to some of the people leaving comments. As you know (since you said you've been to my kind of church before) we are all open and curious people about religion, and we love asking questions and receiving answers. It's just that your question lies in the borderline. Most people don't know how to answer it because there is really only one way to answer it, and that is just someone stating their opinion. Just like i did.