Guilt ecstasy

"He did that... For me." That was the purpose of the two-hour long rates R debacle known as "The Passion of the Christ." The entire premise, besides a anti-semitism, was to imagine the pain that Jesus went through. For us.

It's appropriately called "torture porn" because the focus is on the sound and feel of the beating and mocking. Seeing blood and ripped off flesh is purposeful. It should have been me. It should have been you. 

Why exactly did we deserve it? 

Well, as a historically reasonable, educated adult it's clear that the origins lie in a talking snake in a utopian garden with the first created couple skipping some millions of years of physical and cognitive development. And in this configuration, the all-knowing creator made a tree that would cause all people to spiritually die if they ate it. And when it happened (despite being all knowing) he was taken aback by this and cursed everyone involved. 

Thats why child birth hurts, thorns exist and this previously legged-snake now slithers? 

Well, at least that's the spin that in a final form some time around Ezra's lifespan and after a differentiated afterlife and a dualist perspective was established from Zoroastrianism! (post-exile)

My eye twitches as I hear theologians attempt to claim that the gospels are independent contemporary accounts that somehow corroborate each other... Despite the fact 2 are mimicking Mark. And one was written 60 years after the events. I can't really decide what burden of proof they have for "historical fact." It's a bit puzzling. I'm debating which movie was more accurate, Passion or Mel Gibson's terrible, irksome movie The Patriot... Sadly it might be the Patriot... At least there's a vague guess that he got something correct. 

Oh boy... History. Why do people treat you like this. Truly, there may have been better first hand accounts in Troy! And that movie has some badass sword fighting! 

What did history ever do to you, Mel Gibson? 

This is why we can't have nice things... Good historically brilliant movies like Master and Commander and Gettysburg. Because they don't have a scene that makes you hate yourself telling a 2nd hand, 2nd or 3rd generation allegorical story. Ironically, we watch deep documentaries and spot-on movies about civil rights, LGBTQ and women's rights and somehow none of that has the effect that this junk shock based movie has on believers! 

Watch Rosewood and a documentary about Emmit Till or On the basis of Sex or Philadelphia and see if any of that pricks the conscience like this torture porn CGI caricature. 

It should have been me. 

He took my place. 

Where is that same Guilt and fire for experiences that are historical fact, documented and clear? Why do we feel nothing for those? 

Do we see that pain in the eyes of children in Yemen, the faces of refugees at our border begging for asylum? The homeless? The sexual assault victims, orphaned children, etc etc 

Instead, we cry because of CGI blood in a story that is probably predominantly allegorical and/or based on a real man, one of dozens of the "messiah" characters of the first century. 

Hearing the nails strike the hands, the scream and the "father forgive them." 

A proported cover up and epic trial and movement that No one seemed to notice in contemporary writing. No zombies, no earthquake or witnesses to raising the dead or healing the sick... 

History is being used as a fool.