[MineralMan]

"Devotees pierce the skin on their backs and chests with scores of hooks, or drive skewers through their cheeks and tongues before climbing to the temple.

Anyone else see a contradiction here?"

Not really. Christian monks and pilgrims used to whip themselves to "mortify the flesh." And that was just a few hundred years ago. No contradiction.

[MeanWestTexan]

"Not really. Christian monks and pilgrims used to whip themselves to "mortify the flesh." And that was just a few hundred years ago. No contradiction."

Yes and no. This "christian" practice was extra-Biblical, and, in fact, similiar early practices were criticised as unnecessary and distracting by St. Paul. (Although he did say to tolerate them, to a limited degree.)

[WorkingClassFilth]

"Christian monks and pilgrims used to whip themselves to "mortify the flesh." And that was just a few hundred years ago. No contradiction."

Technically, you could smear Christian theology with such loose and egregious examples, but I think you're probably made of better stuff than all of those fellow atheists that slaughtered 150 million people over the last few decades.

[killjoy]

Not really. Christian monks and pilgrims used to whip themselves to "mortify the flesh." And that was just a few hundred years ago. No contradiction.

They still do in places like the Philippines.