Easter. The invitations to church and brunch, the closed stores, the media reports on the activities of the pope and of "local pilgrims" such as the gravely ill for whom the Easter story has "special meaning"--together, they make one rehearse why one remains on the outside.
The story makes no sense.
We are sinners. Yes, there is evidence of that, though I think there are superior, non-theological ways to understand the diverse phenomena grouped beneath the "sin" heading. Nevertheless let us stipulate that we are sinners. In order that we be redeemed from our sorry state, God becomes a man, lives among us for some thirty years, preaches and teaches, is crucified, dies, and is buried. Only he doesn’t stay dead. He rises again and walks the earth for another month or so before ascending to heaven in the seam of a cloud. At this point, we are still sinners, but for reasons never set out with any clarity it’s now okay--or, at least, it’s okay if we believe this story. If we don’t, there is literally hell to pay. It would be terrible if it were true but there is no good reason to think that it is.
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