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"From the time I was capable of conceiving an idea, and acting upon it by reflection, I either doubted the truth of the christian system, or thought it to be a strange affair; I scarcely knew which it was: but I well remember, when about seven or eight years of age, hearing a sermon read by a relation of mine, who was a great devotee of the church, upon the subject of what is called Redemption by the death of the Son of God. After the sermon was ended, I went into the garden, and as I was going down the garden steps (for I perfectly recollect the spot) I revolted at the recollection of what I had heard, and thought to myself that it was making God Almighty act like a passionate man, that killed his son, when he could not revenge himself any other way; and as I was sure a man would be hanged that did such a thing, I could not see for what purpose they preached such sermons. This was not one of those kind of thoughts that had any thing in it of childish levity; it was to me a serious reflection, arising from the idea I had that God was too good to do such an action, and also too almighty to be under any necessity of doing it. I believe in the same manner to this moment; and I moreover believe, that any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be a true system.

It seems as if parents of the christian profession were ashamed to tell their children any thing about the principles of their religion. They sometimes instruct them in morals, and talk to them of the goodness of what they call Providence; for the Christian mythology has five deities: there is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, the God Providence, and the Goddess Nature. But the christian story of God the Father putting his son to death, or employing people to do it, (for that is the plain language of the story,) cannot be told by a parent to a child; and to tell him that it was done to make mankind happier and better, is making the story still worse; as if mankind could be improved by the example of murder; and to tell him that all this is a mystery, is only making an excuse for the incredibility of it."

- Thomas Paine

None of us can redeem himself, for we are all sinners; children of the fallen Adam who bore his seed after his kind, and that kind was a spiritualy dead man, estranged from God and under penalty of death. To demonstrate his profound love, mercy and compassion, God allowed his Son to be born without a physical human father, allowing him to be both sinless and human. He would taste death for everyman by being a substitute, justifying the holiness of God, wiping away the penalty for our sins in his own body. This means that a holy God is righteous to forgive you for your sins, another having taken your place, releasing you from your debt.

It would be far more cruel of God to leave us in the fallen state that we are in. This is especially true if you understand that we are spiritual beings, eternally created for everlasting fellowship with God. How could he NOT redeem us?

This is why I don't read Tomas Paine. Many will not understand this movie and I pray many will ask questions to try to understand this event.

Real love sacrifices. A mother will sacrifice herself that the child might live. A father will go to war to defend his family and his country. Christ sacrificed himself (knowingly) that we might live.

This is true heroism and those who spit on this, spit on Christ himself. But Christ says these words from the Cross "Father, Forgive them, for they know not what they do"