Seriously?? I find it hard to believe so many of you are so self-centered...and so many of "faith" at that...

Question

I just read the responses to the post that asked "Would anyone here sacrifice themselves like Jesus did?"

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AufsWxwTNFrQi6eLpxQMVNvd7BR.;_ylv=3?qid=20071019094718AAmL1TO

Seriously? That many of you would not give up your own life for mankind?

Assuming that the biblical story is true, and that this act saves mankind, you would not do the same?

Why would you not do it? A number of christians posted they would do it to save their family members, but not really for the rest of mankind. There were a number of posts in that vein and I am just completely surprised.

I'm an atheist, but I don't deem my life more important than anyone elses-so if giving my life would save others I would gladly give it up.

One person said no other human could go through what Jesus did...that is obviously untrue as what happened to him was not atypical at the time. Many people suffer far more horrible deaths.

Hope-I'm a teacher. I've always worked in a field where I help people. I've worked with children with autism and adults with multiple disorders before I became a teacher. I volunteer at charities, I donate food and clothing as often as I can. That is the best I can do and I'm not ashamed of trying to have a quality life while I do it.
Judge away my dear.

Thanks for the additional attack Hope. I'm sorry you read this as an attack on you somehow, although I notice you did not remotely even attempt to answer the question. I asked this in hope of reassuring myself that most people are good at heart and kind and loving. I was obviously mistaken about a number of people who post on this board. I will continue to believe that most people value each other more than themselves and are truly kind people at heart. I'm not sure why you were so offended by this question and felt that I had some guilt or intent other than wanting to know why people wouldn't give up their lives for their fellow humans.

Answer 1

many have giving their lives for a lot less---this one would be a no brainer for most i would think--or maybe i have to much faith in people but i still believe that many would----smile and enjoy the day

Answer 2

Plenty of people could, and have, gone through what Jesus did. The question, though many of your Christian readers appear to have missed this, is not whether anyone has by his death successfully saved a bunch of people's souls. It is whether anyone would make the sacrifice in the first place -- success in giving salvation is not the issue.

Countless individuals have died to save other people -- comrades and strangers alike. This is true in war but also in other circumstances. Anyone who helped others into the last lifeboat; anyone who has run into a burning building to save a life; anyone who continued to teach torah knowing that the Romans or the Inquisition were around the corner, looking for Jews to torture to death -- any of these have made that sacrifice.

Christians may scoff at whether those sacrifices were worth anything, but to deny that those are real sacrifices is sickening.

The only non-sacrifice here is Jesus's. If you believe the story, then you believe he knew he would get back up in 3 days. So his sacrifice was basically, in human terms, going into a short coma with full recovery.

Answer 3

Well, Christians are just like every other person in this world. They are human, and they don't always make the right choice or say the right thing. As for me, I would give up my life for the rest of mankind for my religion in a heartbeat. By the way, I am a proud Believer! ;]

Answer 4

I'm sorry i missed the question the first time around.

Can You honestly say that You would keep Your innocent mouth shut, get beaten half to death and then march up that hill with the torture device on Your back? You would volunteer to do this? Get stripped naked and have Your hands and feet hammered with square nails, hang there suffocating so You had to push and pull on those square nails just to get a breath? That's what Jesus did, and it took more courage than i feel capable of. It's more than a question of dying.

Lethal injection? And then everyone has a better life because of my death? Most definitely! Where do i sign up?

edit:
Frank, if You so despise "hypos," then please explain to me why You post answers! Are You incapable of ignoring it?

Answer 5

Ha ha that is a humorous query due to the fact that my husband contantly claims I draw in bizarre humans or loser peers. I draw in women who wish to take competencies of me, then act like a entire b**** after awhile, and I draw in men who're creepy and act like characters who stalk women. It's the most eldritch factor and I recognize I have whole and entire low vainness. Maybe that has whatever to do with it? I do not know, however humans turns out to experience that I'm "effortless prey" due to the fact that I'm so rattling "blameless" while I'm relatively now not...simply in a few approaches I am....however I thoroughly trust you on that one...

Answer 6

Unless I were the incarnate daughter of God then my sacrifice on a cross would be useless. You are right however in one aspect, though Christ is 100% God he was also 100% man on the cross and if he endured those sufferings in his human body then we are also capable of enduring the same. But here's the catch because the only person to have ever walked perfect and without sin on the earth was Jesus his sacrifice was able to atone for the sin of man. Any others who would attempt to give their lives for the sin of man would just wind up dead and mankind would still not be redeemed of their sin. So what purpose would their death have?

Answer 7

I like how you Dominated hope in the face with your good deeds, that was hilarious.

The "believers" just can't handle the fact that atheists perform acts out of true kindness from within themselves, not some load that God forced them too, or in Fear of a punishment in the form of eternal hell. WE, unlike the people with "faith" actually have a kind heart and perform acts out of our own personal kindness.

Answer 8

Sorry
but in my humble opinion your question is flawed

The master known as Jesus did Not sacrifice himself to "Save" humanity
The simple logical truth proof of that is that Humanity is NOT 'saved'

Jeshua benJoseph, The master now known as Jesus came to LIVE
With his life Jeshua proved Blatently that death has no power over the Living Life that is within each one of us.
Whoever is driven to can torture us, mutilate us, put us through whatever - yet the Living Life within us is ongoing.

AND an even more valuable Truth that Jeshua revealed
(and this could be a salvation that humanity might still evolve into)
---- IF one grows in Knowledge and wisdom and lives a life impeccable to that growing knowledge and wisdom, greatness of Spirit AND flesh can evolve
IN A SINGLE LIFETIME
and the Living Life within can completely restore the body into something that can live even further in this plane than we who are still so incapable of even living in our own provincial kingdoms of limitations.

Yes I consider your question flawed
for even those who dont believe base that disbelief
on religions views
in my opinion religions scriptures are not so much the problem as the problem people who say what these words of scripture say
even the Christian Bible has incorporated annotations into the texts themselves such that it is impossible to know what was added into whatever original writers were inspired to write
just as my own understandings are what inspire me to write what you are now reading, just about every reader that reads these words would automatically raise up their own annotations to what I wrote if they ever quoted these words

the truth is out there
misinformation is everywhere

so back to your question:
Just as a rich man could do more benefit to humanity than a poor man
I do believe a living man could do far more for mankind than one that just dies
sacrificing a life just to die accomplishes nothing
even sacrificing life in our modern wars achieves questionable merit to mankind in the greater view that wars now are pretty much just "made up" things

we need people that will LIVE for mankind
and recreate existence into something better for ourselves and future inhabitants to LIVE in

all this death worship and focus is what I have against religion

Answer 9

I think these people were just being honest. It is of course very easy to say Yes, I would do this for mankind but knowing that if we (as humans mind you) were faced with giving your life.....the answers are different because we are full of self preservation.

It's natural

Answer 10

SO what? Most people are not truly selfless, whether they are religious or not.


I'd do it, but if someone else would not, that is nit my concern, nor should it be yours.

Live and let live.

It does not mean that anyone is a bad person because they would not give up their life for others.

Answer 11

It was not a death, is what you don't get.
Jesus was unlike any other-there are and will NEVER be one like HIM.
It is a question that you ask and say why wouldn't believers give up there lives because Jesus did, the answer is simple, we are just human, just like you, you say you would but some say they wouldn't, they are not telling you a lie and you think bad, well truth sets you free....
I don't have enough love in ME to put one of my kids to death for you or this world, God did, and ONLY Jesus could break open the gates and let US come in because of what HE did.