What I dont get
about Christianity: Seriously. WHY does Jesus dying on the cross wash away my/our sins. I dont get the mechanic. Is it a "human" sacrific thing? I keep meaning to ask a vicar this, but the oppurtunity never arises.
(kitescreech still here, Sat 21 Mar 2009, 15:27, 3 replies)

Sadly I know the answer to this one
...well, the reformed, evangelical answer anyway, guessing the Catholic church has other ideas. I'd just like to point out I no longer believe any of this!

Everyone sins, which is to say everyone rejects God's rightful authority over our lives. And the just and rightful punishment for sin is death, nothing else is sufficient. And when I say death, I mean in the "forever cast from God's presence" type, not just the stopping breathing type. But there's a problem there, because that means that nobody will be found innocent. So what happens, we have Jesus coming and taking that punishment in our place so that we don't have to. Kind of a trading places thing, where he takes the punishment and God sees us as perfect and sinless.

That's the basic gist of it anyway, there's a whole load more detail but that's the rough idea.
(Liberal, Mon 23 Mar 2009, 0:52, closed)

Not so much "washing away"
as "taking the flak for."

Where we should be spanked (ie, cut off forever from the grace of God) for being naughty, Jesus came along and said "Don't worry, I'll take the punishment; you just think about what you did, and don't do it again."

There's stuff about repentance and apology on which everyone's opinion differs slightly, too... actually, everyone's opinion differs slightly on everything!

But, imagine that you broke your Nan's favourite vase, and she was angry, and swung her walking stick at you; but then your big brother stepped up and took the hit on his own bum so you didn't get hurt. It's a bit like that. You still did the act, and apologise for it, but it him that took the punishment.

IMO, washing away sins is a bit of a poetic phrase used because of the liquid nature of blood. It's also to do with baptism, in that the water used to baptise someone is the manifestation of an idea. Other opinions may vary, as they are fully entitled to.


At least, that's my interpretation. Feel free to think what you like, just as long as we're all nice to each other.
(Elegant Lady Vee is not my real name., Mon 23 Mar 2009, 11:56, closed)

Complex nonsense?
Perhaps it's all so complicated and impenetrable in order to force you to spend ages thinking and talking about it. It strikes me that the major religions each have their own big, complicated book that's virtually impossible to understand and that perhaps this is the key to their survival.
( Ennui loves you, Mon 23 Mar 2009, 18:19, closed)