Art
Regarding my ‘fuckyoucifix’, or ‘crucifinger’, if you prefer – it’s art. It is art. It may be other things to you, me, God and others, but it’s art, too. I have my interpretations of my art, and you will have yours, and your own opinions, perspective and so on – and of me, and you and your life and relationship with our one creator. Just so that’s established.
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is physical torture and public humiliation that may be used as a method of execution. Victims are hung by the wrists or arms with rope or nails, and, if left suspended, may last in agony for days before expiring due to exhaustion or asphyxiation. It’s an ugly and horrible thing for any human being to endure, unless you’re into suffering and dying that way, or if it’s part of some larger worthy purpose, and then it becomes a beautiful thing, too.
According to the numerous New Testament witnesses, early Jewish religious authorities and Roman and Jewish historians, as well as contemporary scholarly consensus based on the body of available evidence, around the beginning of the 4th decade CE, the man known as Jesus Christ was bapized by John the Baptist, and then crucified a year or so later at the order of the Roman Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate.
More than a billion humans among the 7 billion + on this planet profess belief that Jesus is the uncreated, sacrificed, resurrected and ascended unique Son of God, his suffering servant Messiah who will return as a conquering King of kings and Lord of lords. For more info, see this article: Who is Jesus?
The crucifixion of God the Son of God is a brutal and beautiful thing. The physical execution beautifully brutal, and the love, grace and mercy shown in the act so beautiful is brutal to the conscience and social mores (murdering one’s own child in order to forgive others; encouraging human beings to off-load personal responsibility for sin onto an innocent man; forgiving people who didn’t wrong you regardless of how those wronged may feel; etc.) It’s shocking and disturbing, mind-opening and soul-liberating, to contemplate the sacrifce of God.
The Finger
The ‘Fuck you’ symbol known as ‘The Finger‘, formed by a human hand turning up an extended middle finger with the other fingers folded in, was in use in ancient Greece and Rome. It’s taken to mean, ‘Go fuck yourself’, or in a more positive-sounding way, ‘Up yours’, so if you want to call it an ‘Upyoucifix’, I’m fine with that.
The Finger is a globally-recognized and popular insulting and/or bonding gesture. Using it with a stranger could start a fight or a killing, but if you’re close enough with friends, family or colleagues to give or take a finger or ‘Fuck you!’ in good feeling and fun, then you’re close. The finger is used around the world today, in a number of cultures, but especially in Westernized, Americanized societies. It’s an element in the global exchange of ideas, goods and services.
The finger given in my Fuckyoucifix creation is not being given to anyone or thing in particular. It’s art, and stands on its own merit. However, as art, the following ‘fuck you’s are presented for consideration in the context of this art.
The Fuck You’s
The ‘fuck you’ i and any human gives to God when we consciously fall short of perfect love.
The ‘fuck you’ given to people by Christians whose behavior calls to mind Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and who strike people as the wicked servant-in-charge who beat the other servants, or the foolish virgins, lazy and wicked servants and goats in Matthew 24-25.
The ‘fuck you’ given to Christians by the people of the world. In Acts 11:25 it says: “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” 1 Peter 4:15-17 reflects the term’s origin in insult – Jesus’ followers were mockingly referred to by critics as trying to act like ‘little Christs’, so to speak. Today, Christians are still some of the most persecuted peoples of the world, in certain countries in which they are a minority. See here for a google image search for ‘ISIS + crucifixion‘ as one extreme example in recent years.
The ‘fuck you’ given to Jesus, according to the Gospels, by the Sadducees and Pharisees who convicted him in a rigged midnight trial and plotted to have him killed for presenting a threat to their station and power in occupied Judea; by Herod and his soldiers who ridiculed and mocked him; by the crowds who called for his crucifixion; by Pilate who washed his hands; by the Roman soldiers who mocked, taunted, beat, flogged and nailed him to a cross; and by his followers and family, who disappointed and deserted him.
The ‘fuck you’ given by God to Jesus when He abandoned His Son on the cross to the world’s burden of sin. Actually, this isn’t a real fuck you; they both went into this act knowing Jesus would return to life. On the cross, Jesus quoted the opening lines of Psalm 22: “My god, my god, why have you forsaken me?” Actors may give convincing impressions, but they are acting out a role. This is not to minimize the real suffering that Jesus experienced – beyond that of any man, the world’s sin plus being shut out from God’s presence.
The ‘fuck you’ given to God by everyone who sins, who falls short of perfect life-long love and does not accept the grace of God and forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. Especially those of us who recognize and respect that in all of this, in the accounts given in the Old Testament, during the world’s whole history of humans behaving badly, God had withheld giving the ultimate ‘fuck you’ to the human race; annihilation. He did destroy individuals and peoples, but never the entire human species. But if God decides to flip the bird to any individuals or the human race, it’s over. Experts say the Earth will be burned up by the Sun in five billion years or so, barring some man-made or natural catastophe before then.
And in the case of the murder of his Son for awful reasons, instead of eye-for-an-eye justice he reportedly has used the sacrifice of Jesus to deliver at least some humans from a deserved fate of banishment from existence or eternal punishment, though others may escape damnation simply based on God’s perfect love, truth, justice and mercy alone.
The ‘fuck you’ that will perceived by unbelievers as given by God from Heaven when Christ returns to his Kingdom as a conquering King, on the clouds of heaven. This is a hypothetical fuck you as it hasn’t happened. I find it interesting to consider that fuck you as a theoretical possibility, but, personally, I suspect that God is and will be far more loving and merciful than we can fathom. One Christian’s response, when I asked if he thought God had a sense of humor: “Of course he does; look at this place!”
The ‘fuck you’ given to all and one’s self when attempting or choosing to cease to exist.
The Point
If this reality/Universe is a simulation, then life on Earth as an organism may be concious participation in an educational game, and heinous acts here, including giving a finger to the world on a website as a thought-provoking joke and publicity stunt, have no more ultimate meaning and consequence than actions in a video game.
Regardless of the truth, a bigger interesting question, imho, is: What are we doing here with our lives? What will we do with eternity and real power, should we receive it? What we choose to believe and do in this world reveals our character, tastes and interests. If we love God, giving and spreading love, good will and good goods and services, we receive reward in this world, and we may be given great kingdoms of love to take charge of in the infinite.
God the uncreated creator can do as it pleases with its creations. If we serve no other purpose and simply hate God and goodness, loving evil, exploiting and oppressing people and causing suffering, we could be deleted. Or given a video game to play with, so to speak. In other words, maybe we’ll be sent or choose to come back here, in humbler circumstances in this simulation, for the character-building suffering, lessons and experience, so that we may have a chance to enjoy and share in all the heavenly goodness.
What do you think?
6 Sucks Sex 