Reflections on John 3:16

[Unknown Soldier]

In John 3:16 we are told:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

I don't feel loved by this statement at all. Among many other problems, John 3:16 includes a thinly veiled threat: Those of us who don't believe in Jesus must perish as a consequence. The last kind of love any of us need is a father's demand that his son die a cruel death to partially appease that father's vengeful wrath against us. On the contrary, I think anybody would prefer the following kind of love:

For God so loved the world that he...

• ...cured cancer,
• ...ended the Covid pandemic,
• ...restored the limbs on amputees,
• ...put and end to war,
• ...fed the hungry,
• ...granted love to the lonely,
• ...housed the homeless,
• ...and much more!

You should have the idea. It's not hard at all to come up with love we would rather have than what John 3:16 promises us. The New Testament was created by Jews living in a primitive and barbaric culture enduring the humiliation of a powerful pagan empire having conquered them and occupying their homeland. For the Jews of that time love meant the freedom to escape their wretched condition no matter the cost. Such love has little to do with love as most of us know it today.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Human bloodletting was common in many societies. Christian bloodletting isn't anything special. Human bloodletting was a way to placate and gain the favor of their gods particularly in difficult times. It's about as low as one can go on the cruelty and ignorance scale.

Diehard catholics ritually pretend to eat the flesh and drink the blood of their sacrificial victim. I doubt they think enough on what they are actually pretending to do because if they did they wouldn't be catholic for long. It's definitely some primitive, sick stuff.

 

[Hermit]

In John 3:16 we are told:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

My reflection on this verse: Humankind has sinned. In order to be forgiven by God it has to pay a price. The price is a human life. So God sends his own son to earth in order to serve as the human sacrifice. The absurdity underlying this verse is massive. Too absurd for the Monte Python team to think of it and incorporate the scenario in in any one of their skits or movies.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Human bloodletting was common in many societies. Christian bloodletting isn't anything special. Human bloodletting was a way to placate and gain the favor of their gods particularly in difficult times.

Yes. The Christian obsession with blood is very primal. Some form of the word blood appears eighty-five times in the New Testament alone and well over four hundred times in the entire Bible. Some parts of the Bible like Revelation 7:14 describe people bathing in blood. So you are correct in that shedding blood was seen is a way to placate a violent God. There is some scientific evidence that an animal appearing vulnerable due to injury or grief will make a dominant male less likely to attack it. Christians may be acting on such an instinct!

It's about as low as one can go on the cruelty and ignorance scale.

It sure can be. Episodes of cruelty seem to be part of our nature although we are generally kind toward each other.

Diehard catholics ritually pretend to eat the flesh and drink the blood of their sacrificial victim. I doubt they think enough on what they are actually pretending to do because if they did they wouldn't be catholic for long. It's definitely some primitive, sick stuff.

The Holy Eucharist is ritual vampirism and cannibalism, although as a Catholic boy I didn't normally think of it that way. To me it was a cracker soaked in wine.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

In John 3:16 we are told:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

My reflection on this verse: Humankind has sinned. In order to be forgiven by God it has to pay a price. The price is a human life.

Actually, most Christians believe they cannot pay the price of forgiveness to God, so God had to pay his own price.

So God sends his own son to earth in order to serve as the human sacrifice. The absurdity underlying this verse is massive. Too absurd for the Monte Python team to think of it and incorporate the scenario in in any one of their skits or movies.

We should send an email to Pythons to suggest it!

 

[Hermit]

In John 3:16 we are told:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

My reflection on this verse: Humankind has sinned. In order to be forgiven by God it has to pay a price. The price is a human life.

Actually, most Christians believe they cannot pay the price of forgiveness to God, so God had to pay his own price.

I was reflecting on what Matthew wrote. What most Christians allegedly believe is irrelevant and unsubstantiated.

Further, don't you see the absurdity of God feeling compelled to pay the price he himself had set? He could not have made it a day of prayer, or nothing at all?

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Actually, most Christians believe they cannot pay the price of forgiveness to God, so God had to pay his own price.

I was reflecting on what Matthew wrote.

What did Matthew write? Please specify the chapter and verse. I don't see how Christians could pay the cost of their own salvation if the price is Jesus. Christians never had Jesus to pay.

What most Christians allegedly believe is irrelevant and unsubstantiated.

Herm, with all due respect I'd recommend you give this comment some thought. When we discuss Christianity, what Christians believe is of course very relevant to Christianity.

Further, don't you see the absurdity of God feeling compelled to pay the price he himself had set?

Yes, I see that absurdity. Religion is often absurd. Absurdity never prevents everybody from believing that absurdity.

He could not have made it a day of prayer, or nothing at all?

Sure; God could have made the price of salvation a day of prayer. According to the first Christians, he didn't do it that way. You'll need to ask them why their God does crazy things. I'm just listening to them.

 

[Gnostic Christian Bishop]

For God hated his creation so much, he unjustly condemned it for being exactly what he created them to be.

Instead of chastising himself for his incompetence, he punished the innocent Jesus, instead of stepping up to his guilt.

The whole moral of the story is that people have to eventually forgive all things, as that is the healthy thing to do.

Just because people who believe in the supernatural have as problem of evil, humanity and nature do not.

Jesus, to Christians who do not read their bible, also asks them to sin to be saved, by using him as a scapegoat.

Regards
DL