Does Christianity do too much to make suffering seem good?

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Ever since I was a kid in church, I had trouble accepting the crucifixion of Jesus is a good thing yet Christians tell everyone it is and have since the Bible was written. Why wouldn't they say it is evil when it's so obvious?
I know Jesus was resurrected and would not have been if he had never died but ouch. It just seems like one of the most horrible things humans ever inflicted other humans with. Why can't Christians acknowledge this instead of making it seem noble and holy?

The bible was written by different men at different times and provides different explanations for suffering.

As for Jesus himself. I think Christians do get into the torture porn aspect of Jesus' suffering at times. They want you to feel how much Jesus suffered to guilt you into a giving a sh*t about an ancient Roman political execution. In some forms of early Christianity Jesus was not really a man and he didn't suffer at all. He was faking it or it was an illusion, or another man takes his place, or Jesus suffers and Christ does not. There is a version where Christ is off to the side laughing because they think that's him.

That's interesting, I hadn't read this before. I can understand since Jesus is thought of as mystical and son of God. he would be able to dislocate his spirit from his physical body.
People don't really talk about that so much.
It's endurance.
You have to wonder, what it does to the minds of men. since Jesus is the one who suffers and he's a man, too. Do they look at this as a form of feminist doctrine in disguise? Subliminally.

The Bible says very little of the crucifiction, nor does it glorify the torture Jesus went through. Passion plays became popular in the dark ages to turn the people against the jews (this speaks words of Mel Gibson).

Because somewhere in the first few hundred years of Christianity it was deemed heresy by the faction in charge. Not hearing about it was the idea.

On what grounds? Mockery?

Well…why is it problematic if it IS evil? I mean, just the torture and crucifixion? Let's say I came out and said that it WAS an evil thing that happened. Exactly what would that change? I mean, keep in mind that evil people carried out those actions, there's nothing wrong about calling it an evil act.

The "good" thing about it is the good that resulted from it. Christians believe that the death and resurrection at once atones for the sins of all who put their faith in this atoning act and secures the promise of eternal life. I suppose perhaps the reasons why contemporary Christians aren't so preoccupied with it is that the good that resulted from evil actions vastly outshines and overwhelms the evil that preceded it.

Contemporary Christians also don't spend a lot of time talking about hell, despite the reality that those who do not place their faith in Jesus for forgiveness and salvation will be eternally separated from God. At one time it was commonplace to "scare the hell out of" unbelievers and win converts that way, and there is a certain amount of validity to that. By that I mean that if you care about the state of the souls of others and we truly love others, then it is right and good to make them aware of eternal consequences and persuade them to repentance and acceptance. But the shift in culture has called the effectiveness of that approach into question--as it rightfully should. The culture has shifted to favor a more cerebral, intellectual approach in opposition to former scare tactics. So fear of hell fails as a persuasive topic. Instead, some Christians have fallen back on reaching intellectuals where they are, whereas for MOST people what is most persuasive about Christianity is a message of love and compassion. That doesn't mean that love and compassion didn't exist in the church when "fire and brimstone" preaching was so prevalent, nor does it mean that Gehenna ceased to exist because we started preaching love and compassion. It just means that times change and the way people think changes, and what attracts people to one thing or another changes.

The evil that erected the cross has been there from the beginning. Just because someone doesn't talk about it doesn't erase the fact that it's there. All it means is that over various periods of time there have been differing attitudes as to exactly how relevant it is.

Evil built the cross and defeated itself in so doing. There's nothing theologically challenging about that.

On the grounds that it was against the theological arguments put forward by the strongest faction. Jesus didn't leave any writings, let alone a theological summary, so they had to improvise and fill in the blanks. The view that came to be the orthodox view was eventually pretty serious about people accepting their way or the highway. An attitude that Protestants have some familiarity with.

That's one of my biggest complaints against the religion. I like this Jesus but the rest of them. I can leave them.

That is correct. Passion Plays are Theaters of Anti-Semitism.

The worst of the lot is the Passion Play at Oberramagau.

I suppose is Jesus lived in another era, His death would have been less gruesome, but for perfect atonement to happen, someone without sin had to be killed. The Romans were very effective executioners.

There is no problem with Christians acknowledging how horrific a crucifixion is (never mind the scourging Jesus got BEFORE he was made to bear His cross to His crucifixion).

What makes the persecution and crucifixion of Christ "noble and holy" is that you have the only begotten son of God offered as a perfect sacrifice to wash clean the sin of ALL humanity (past, present and future). For the Christian, understanding how horrible the suffering was to purchase that salvation should be a reminder of how valuable salvation/forgiveness is as a gift.

God didn't owe man anything. God didn't have to do anything. That God made this possible, and at great cost, is what makes it so valuable.

Crucifixion originated with the Persians.

Some Christians seem to define themselves / their religion by how much they can make themselves or other people suffer. Just look at those silly Phillipinoes who whip themselves into a bloody pulp every Easter. Better themselves than others though. Other Christians just like to guilt trip everyone else for anything they can, especially if it is something enjoyable like sex. The Catholic church are masters at guilt tripping their believers. Forgive me father for I have sinned; the neighbour's wife had such a cute arse and I couldn't resist.

My biggest theologicaol conundrum is this: if the Creator was advanced enough to create the whole universe as well as all its inhabitants (supposing there is life elsewhere than on Earth alone) how could he also be primitive enough to demand blood sacrifice for alleged sins?

Would not an advanced and unimaginably wise Creator have far better ways of handling things?

Just a thought...

Well look at all the animals He created, if he does exist! Animals are a bloody lot, for the most part, and HE created them which makes you wonder what he is really like. Face it, if he were an old hippy, every living creature would eat plants or exist on air alone, perhaps? That's more humane than being carnivorous. Obviously God has no problem with this idea one animal must die so another may live.

Naturally speaking, it was a horrible thing, and the Romans were experts at making people suffer. The main cause of death from crucifixion was asphyxiation, because the hanging position on a cross kept victims from contracting their diaphragm muscle to breathe properly. That's why Pilate had the thieves' legs broken on either side of Jesus to speed their deaths.

Spiritually speaking, it was absolutely necessary for Jesus to die in our place. He was the only one capable of going through with it, because unlike us, He wasn't bound by the Eden curse. We can't pay our own penalties to God, because sinning against an eternal being requires paying the related penalty forever. As the Son of God, Jesus was able to take the whole punishment for all sin - past and future - in a finite amount of time...but it wasn't easy.