RipVanWinkle Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Winter Light is a 1962 Swedish movie about a pastor in a crises of faith. I won't tell the story of the movie but of a meeting depicted between the pastor and the rector who had served many years. He recalled to the pastor that he had recommended for insomnia that the rector read the Gospels before he went to bed. The rector found this to be a effective remedy indeed for insomnia. but when he read the passion story he became disturbed about the suffering described. It was not that Jesus suffered too much, but too little! The rector apologized for sounding sacrilegious. but from reading scripture, he felt that he himself had suffered at least as much as Jesus during his own lifetime. The rector figured that Jesus had suffered about 4 hours, which in the scheme of things was not so much as many others had suffered. Then the rector said something that really got my attention. He said that the worst suffering came just before Jesus died when he said: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Jesus, himself, was his sole companion Silence. Total silence. Jesus must have felt the most intense mental anguish that can be suffered, believing that his father, his God had abandoned him at the very last moment of his life mission. His whole source of power and his reason for living had fled from him. The mission for which he was giving his life was a total failure. This brought to mind the agony that we exchristions experience during the months or years leading up to our deconversion. Margee wrote an incredible letter to god about when she joined here concerning this very problem, A letter from her heart, if there ever was one. The response from god was silence. With our whole heart and soul we poured out our agony to a silent god. No amount of honesty, sincerity, pathos, pleading, suffering and prayer could break the silence. But we refused to give up. We thought that god will surely not abandon me. He knows how genuine is my desire to serve him, My prayers for forgiveness were as complete and honest as I could make them. I intended no subterfuge, nor did I want to. What folly that would be with god. What must I do to get on your team, god? I have accepted Jesus as my savior, been baptized, tithed, spread the Word, served the poor, What do you want from this poor insignificant creature? What, did I hear your voice Lord? No, it was merely a jet flying over. God's silence with Jesus on the cross. What an overlooked message which, had Xtians understood it the way I do now throughout the ages, might have made a huge difference. bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deidre Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 That's powerful! I wouldn't have thought of it quite like that, either. But, then you have the resurrection story, and that is the 'happily ever after,' that Christians tout. Jesus was abandoned and alone, but alas! God had a GREATER plan awaiting. Thanks for posting this, william. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 That's right, Bill, I agree with you. It is great and miserable suffering when a person has committed their life to the God of the Bible, his Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and in that person's greatest time of need, realizes the horrible reality that their God is not really there. To quote Joseph Conrad in his great novel, "Heart of Darkness", "The horror, the horror." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 An interesting thing that I found in the ''comments" provided with the DVD was that the rector, the one who brought up the silence of god while Jesus was pleading for support, was thought by the commentator to be the only Christian among the characters. The commentator saw the film with his world view and I saw it with mine. In my view I was thinking that the rector was bordering upon discovering the truth, That he was thinking how Jesus' suffering with no comfort was the mirror image of all the Xtians in the world who had or were struggling, trying to get close to god, but getting only silence. The commentator saw it as the rector recognizing what was the genuine suffering of Jesus from god's temporary abandonment of him. But Jesus' mirror image of suffering Xtians was what I saw; a foreshadowing of what was to come to those of us who to be fooled by this myth. What a metaphor Jesus' suffering is for our suffering as Xtians! Human, you took it one step further by reflecting on the idea that Jesus was in fact betrayed by god. While the later rising of Jesus after 3 days and the ascension are inconsistent with God's betrayal of Jesus, in real history that may be precisely what Jesus thought had happened. bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Deidre, yes, it turned out right for the Xtian story, but it also acts as almost a prophesy of the future of struggling christians wanting but failing to be close to god. Hell, if apologists can forecast a virgin birth of Jesus from an OT scripture about a young woman and a pending war, we can play that game, too and be lot closer to the truth. bill Thanks for your comments. Overcame Faith. bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fweethawt Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 For some reason, I'm having a hard time following everybody's comments on the opening post. My post conversion interpretation of the supposed sacrifice of Jesus made me realize how completely bogus the whole concept of taking the place of the sinner is. If Jesus really did pay the penalty for even one person's sins, then according to the bible, he would be in hell for eternity. Also, if his sacrifice was for ALL sinners, then he would be the only person in hell for all of eternity. Since he ended up back in heaven (according to the story), somebody fucking cheated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 My gawd,Human, you are as thorough as can be. And your insight is good, too. I've never been good at understanding abstract art or literature. so your point about jesus being the victim of Yahweh is not clear to me. It appears you do not assume that the passion story is true for the purposes of your posts. on this thread. Otherwise you would have to think jesus was the ultimate victor because he was resurrected and went to heaven according to the myth. Or maybe your over my head in this thread. But if you counted the myth as true for the purposes of your posts how do you decide what you accept as true and what not true? bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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