The
powerful meme behind the incredible
success of
Christianity is this:
Christ died for your sins.
Simple, easy. Nothing to fear, simply believe in Christ, accept him as your personal Savior, and your sins will be forgiven. For some, it may simply be an easy way out, for (most) others, reassuring security. But no one can deny the amazing power behind this simple concept. That's why the symbol of Christianity is the cross, why the death of the religion's God is so celebrated.
It's interesting that in most forms of modern Christianity, Judas is so vilified. Yes, he did betray Jesus to the Romans, but he was serving an important function, probably sent by God (the Father) Himself, to allow Christ to die for our sins.
A bit of a note here: I am not Christian. I do not believe in
sin, or
god, or
salvation. The above is my
interpretation of the
Bible stories within the context of the modern Christian
faith. My
historical interpretation is that
Judas was indeed a
creep who turned in
Jesus to the
Romans, who
excecuted him because he was a
dangerous political
radical.
Jesus challenged the
foundations of
society (look at the story of Jesus and the
Moneychangers, for a start:
John 2:13-22).