tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989890166047940960.post4039333490200175336..comments2024-01-13T10:13:06.558+00:00Comments on PaddyAnglican: O Lord protect me from your 'followers'!Stephen Neillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15130425037498473898noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989890166047940960.post-56789245653843718522007-04-13T15:48:00.000+01:002007-04-13T15:48:00.000+01:00Allen - Thanks for the comment - I particularly li...Allen - Thanks for the comment - I particularly like your conclusion re the "hissy fit" - You really put your finger on it there - We so often characterise God as a petulant child who needs to be constantly mollified and appeased - not very attractive - at least not to me anyway. I have checked out your blog too - love the labrador pic - I have a one just like that - loveable and extremly messy sometimes - perhaps a bit like God ;-)<BR/>StephenStephen Neillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15130425037498473898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-989890166047940960.post-48491201704055537502007-04-13T15:29:00.000+01:002007-04-13T15:29:00.000+01:00Hi there..I just stumbled across your blog!My own ...Hi there..<BR/><BR/>I just stumbled across your blog!<BR/><BR/>My own views on the crucifiction are as follows...<BR/><BR/>In Jewish culture 2000 years ago sacrifices of lambs and other animals were carried out for the atonement of sins. I don't believe God needed these sacrifices but the people needed them to feel "clean".<BR/><BR/>God is a shrewd being and knew what the people of the day thought about sacrifice. He wanted to get the message across that He has already forgiven our sins and there was no need for sacrificing so he sacrificed Himself in the form of Jesus to show US that we are forgiven. The crucifixion was for US not for God. It was a powerful symbol of God's love for us so powerful we are still taking about it 2000 years later! <BR/><BR/>In this light John 3:16 makes more sense. "For God so loved the world, he gave his Son.." Not because He needed to kill his own Son for Him to be able to forgive us but to show us that we are already forgiven and he loves so much that he would take the punishment WE feel we deserve. <BR/><BR/>Looking at the crucifixion in this way turns a barbaric act of torture into an act of ultimate love of God for human kind.<BR/><BR/>I think it was an act of ultimate love for us NOT that God had thrown a "hissy fit" and needed calming down...<BR/><BR/>I will be subscribing to your blog .. :)<BR/><BR/>AllenAllenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16019649752567779440noreply@blogger.com