Every year I ask this. Not being a Christian (I'm a "doesn't-matter-ist") I've never understood why Christians celebrate the day Christ was killed as "good".

Can someone please explain? I know anyone living their lives on a moral code based on belief instead of reality is strange but this is surely hard to justify.

Does it matter, JK? The important thing is to have a moral compass. If you get it from religion it's just as valid as anywhere else. I'm an atheist myself. But I can see why someone might need guidance from an external source. Did me the world of good, although it wasn't religion-based. Now I make my own decisions and take responsibility for them. On the whole religion is a good thing, I think. Except when it's used as an excuse for something fundamentaly wrong, as it has been, regretably, too many times. But the message is still good, even if the messenger is a politician or some other goon with an agenda that is far from kindly.

It is GOOD because Jesus took the sin of the World on his shoulders to attone for us. Therefore he did the greatest/goodest thing anyone could ever have done for the human race.

We are forgiven because of this selfless act like the two thieves either side of him.

Now that is what I call a good news story. Very sad but the ultimate sacrifice.

So we should approve of someone else carrying the can for us? That explains the mess the human race is in today.

Jesus was the Son of God. So it is not quite the same as an ordinary person carrying the can.

God created the universe and with it Man - we are here - Jesus was the embodiment of his Son. An attempt to try and bring the human race back to its senses.

It is not to be looked at in isolation but in context of the teachings of Jesus before he was crucified.

Followers of Jesus aspire with God's help to follow. No where did Jesus say following him would be an easy ticket to paradise or an easy road. This is the "cheat" of Religion which expects its followers to do deeds ( Confession - etc ) in order to know God or attain oneness with God ( eternal life )

As humans we have corrupted the main message but it is still there - Jesus was showing us how much our creator actually cared about his creation.

None of us is perfect. All of us are capable of having a dark side because we have free will. Jesus came to restore some balance. I am sure humankind only has a future if we follow Jesus teachings. They make sense. Love ( not soppy love or liberal love ) as demonstrated by Jesus is the answer to the question of how and why. Everything else follows if you believe that - everything else makes total sense. Creation - bad things - it all adds up. I see no tension between Science and God. Because God created science and all we are doing is exploring God's creation.

We have incredible free will and we should use it wisely for the good of others and to look after ourselves because we are told our body is a temple.

Believing this is faith and yet is grounded in what we see around us. You cant win an argument about faith because it is not science. I have no time to argue about God because I already believe so why bother !!! I would just say that religion often makes me feel ashamed to be called a Christian - I am already fully aware of my own deficiencies !!!

Happy Easter to all on King of Hits and especially you JK for hosting such an open and interesting discussion group. It is much appreciated that all of us can happily discuss issues and beliefs knowing that you maintain free speech regardless of your own personal starting point. Perhaps Speaker of the House of Commons is a job you should have considered if you had not made it in music.

One preacher, when asked what Good Friday was about, told a story about two brothers. One brother came home with his shirt covered in blood and the police in close pursuit. The other brother hid him, took the bloody shirt and put it on himself so that when the police arrived they arrested him. He sacrificed himself to save his brother, because of the love he had for him. He said, that's what Jesus did for mankind, and that is why it is called Good Friday.

To those who don't believe, it doesn't matter.
To those who do believe, it matters a great deal.

Cheer up JK...you know what they say... cue Life Of Brian.

Loved that bit when the three wise men turn up for the wrong baby ...

What are you doing creeping around the cowsheds at 2 o'clock in the morning? Doesn't sound very wise to me!"

...and when Brian confronts his disciples

"Now fuck off!"

"How do we fuck off oh Lord?"


Gawd I love that film! Python's swansong.

And these days Emma, as we saw with the mother of the boy who killed the Liverpool kid, doing such a thing is punished by prison.

Like the Good Samaritan, it's a different world.

IRC the Eastern Orthodox faction of Christianity call it "Great Friday"

Not convinced with the good because Jesus died explanation, sounds a bit post hoc to me. Certainly the Catholic Church don't treat it as a joyful day and I assume they have first dibs on the name etc.

Quite often with these oddities it's the common meaning of a word has shifted, I've heard it suggested Good is a corruption of God - it being God's Friday (Not convinced by that one either )

(just realised that "great" can mean momentous or... very good! Although I don't think being nailed to a bit of wood would be fairly described as a "Great day out!")

...something I don't get is the Christian god came to earth in human form and got himself killed so he could then forgive humans for doing stuff he said they shouldn't do. Couldn't he have come to a better arrangement with himself?

Bit of a drama queen to say the least!

i remember as a child being confused about this being called good as opposed to bad
nobody could give me a satisfactory answer then or now

I think the best allegory for the Easter Story is "The Lion, the Witch and the Wradrobe" by C S Lewis. Aslan sacrifices himself to save Edward, in order to employ the 'deeper magic'. It is the turning point of the whole story.

Is there a deeper magic in reality? If there is, then should we be surprised if, like Susan and Lucy, we don't understand it?