Happy Good Friday?

Good Friday today. Not that it has any particular spiritual meaning to me anymore. Yet I find myself reflecting upon it. Jesus was more than likely a slightly deranged character who ran afoul of the religious and political authorities of his day. Apparently the majority of his friends and followers abandoned him in the hour of his greatest need (many of us can relate). He was tortured, mocked and publicly executed in one of the most horrific ways humanity has ever imagined. It is a terrible and sad story. It is also something that humanity has repeated millions of times over hence. As a matter of fact, the Church in particular had developed such torture and execution to a bit of a fine, albeit evil art during the centuries of the Inquisition. And of course the Jews, or Christ killers, were selected as a special group for society's derision. So it is of little surprise that Catholics are almost obsessed by this day where at least subconsciously they express their collective guilt.

Of course, we simply wait three days for the good news that Jesus actually didn't die on the cross and is alive. Pretty impressive. Now later on theologically speaking, it is determined that Jesus actually went on a little foray and descended to the depths of Sheol to offer forgiveness and redemption to all the souls of the departed before he popped back up to Palestine to eat some fish and socialize with his friends before being "beamed up" into Heaven where he currently sits upon a throne next to his Papa Yahweh to judge Heaven and Earth at the end of all Time. Now that's just beyond incredible! (and also why the study of Theology eventually led me to atheism).

Nonetheless, it is worthy of reflection that humanity is capable of doing horrible things to one another. The Jesus movement of his day could have posed a threat to the authorities — and that's just something you don't do unless you have a tinge of a Messianic complex! Jesus was really a rather harmless fellow who taught some pretty crazy ideas — many of which are certainly worthy of debate — such as selling off all one's possessions and leaving one's family! Yet many of Jesus' words were kind and wise advice. Yet one wonders if he were to come back today if we wouldn't kill him again? Indeed, metaphorically speaking, we have in the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr. and so many others. We don't like the message of peace and brotherhood, so we simply shoot the messenger. Maybe in the future some religious sect will wear little golden handguns around their necks?