A Jewish Screenwriter's Candid Response to The Passion

Catholic Exchange | Oct. 9, 2003 | Alan Sereboff

[AmericaUnited]

I really don't want to be sarcastic if you are really asking your questions in good faith, but I'd be awfully skeptical if you are older than 12 and still asking.

Try this simple case....

The penalty for stealing is 1 year in jail. Justice demands that the time must be served for the crime. You steal. You get caught. You get sentenced to the one year. You are married with 10 kids. Your best friend, who is single, offers to the judge to serve your time, to meet the justice requirement, instead of seeing you and your family get ruined. Justice is served... someone paid the penalty for the crime.

[Rudder]

I don't think your analogy fits. It's too simplistic to say that Christ was simply a stand-in (a whipping boy) for all the rest of humanity. If, however, your argument is really is all there is to Christ's ordeal then I have been seriously overestimating the "meaning" of Christ.

[AmericaUnited]

It's too simplistic to say that Christ was simply a stand-in (a whipping boy) for all the rest of humanity.

Why should it have to be complicated? Just because?

But of course if you believe that you either never sinned, or did and thats there's no punishment for it, then none of this would make sense.

[Rudder]

Let's accept that sin deserves punishment.

I think that if I have sinned then another cannot obliterate my sins by accepting punishment properly intended for me.

But, according to you, if Christ, instead of me, was punished for my sins, I am off the hook. If not, then what Christ endured was not effective, was it? Did Christ's act of standing in on my behalf alleviate either my sin or the fact that as a sinner I deserve punishment?

If the answer to the last question is no, then Christ's act as a stand-in was a futile gesture.

[AmericaUnited]

Ok, as you wish. The Son of God was a fool and didn't realize his purpose was futile and a giant waste of time. Since He says He was doing the will of His all-knowing Heavenly Father, you'd have to wonder how smart God really is. Right?

[Rudder]

you'd have to wonder how smart God really is. Right?

Well, I have always thought there was much more to Christ's ordeal (i.e., that he was more than a stand-in) than what you have told me, but I wasn't sure of my interpretation. I thank you for responding to my question, but, although I'm not at all sure, still I think there's more to Christ than his being a mere whipping boy for humanity.

[AmericaUnited]

Yes, here's the short answer. I'll let Jesus speak for himself.

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. "

It's also best if you read the what,why,when yourself directly also.

[Michael2001]

BTTT

[a history buff]

If you read Genesis, you'll soon read of man's first sin and the fruit of that forbidden tree, that is of original sin, which sundered humankind from its creator, and - so Christian theology - closed heaven off, until Christ came, and by dying, ransomed humankind and redeemed our sinfulness, allowing us to make peace with our creator.

[Psalm118]

We'll be busy here in Capri then leave for SE Asia in mid-November. Such is the plan anyway, if The Lord is willing.

Wrt to article author, didn't the Bard write:

"...the [man] protesteth too much, methinks..."

$ 0.25 advice:

Test the spirits, at all times.

[Ditto]

Let's see how many Catholics are willing to laud the Luther film.

I haven't seen the film, but I give Luther great credit for advancing Western civilization. He surely had flaws, (a deep hatred of Jews being among them) but he was also a great man.