> > > Think about it !!!
> > >
> > > What is crucifixion?
> > >
> > > A medical doctor provides a physical description:
> > >
> > > The cross is placed on the ground and the
exhausted man is quickly
> > > thrown
> > > backwards with his shoulders against the wood. The
Legionnaire feels
> > > for the
> > >
> > > depression at the front of the wrist. He then
drives a heavy, square
> > > wrought iron nail through the wrist deep into the
wood. Quickly he
> > > moves to
> > >
> > > the other side and repeats the action, being
careful not to pull the
> > > arms
> > > too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement.
> > >
> > > The cross is then lifted up into place. The left
foot is pressed
> > > backward
> > > against the right foot, and with both feet
extended toes down, a nail
> > > is
> > > driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees
flexed. The victim
> > > is now
> > >
> > > crucified.
> > >
> > > As he slowly sags down with more weight on the
nails in the wrists,
> > > excruciating fiery pain shoots along the fingers
and up the arms to
> > > explode
> > > in the brain. The nails in the wrists are putting
pressure on the
> > > median
> > > nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid this
stretching torment,
> > > he
> > > places the full weight on the nail through his
feet.
> > >
> > > Again he feels the searing agony of the nail
tearing through the
nerves
> > >
> > > between the bones of his feet. As the arms
fatigue, cramps sweep
> > > through
> > > his muscles, knotting them deep relentless,
throbbing pain. With
these
> > >
> > > cramps comes the inability to push himself upward
to breathe.
> > >
> > > Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled.
He fights to raise
> > > himself
> > >
> > > in order to get even one small breath.
> > >
> > > Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and
in the blood
stream,
> > > and
> > > the cramps partially subsided.
> > >
> > > Spasmodically, he is able to push himself upward
to exhale and bring
in
> > >
> > > life-giving oxygen. However, hours of limitless
pain, cycles of
> > > twisting,
> > > joint wrenching cramps, intermittent partial
asphyxiation, searing
pain
> > > as
> > > tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves
up and down against
> > > rough
> > >
> > > timber.
> > >
> > > Then another agony begins a deep, crushing pain
deep in the chest as
> > > the
> > > pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to
compress the heart.
> > >
> > > It is now almost over - the loss of tissue fluids
has reached a
> > > critical
> > > level - the compressed heart is struggling to pump
heavy, thick,
> > > sluggish
> > > blood into the tissues-the tortured lungs are
making frantic effort to
> > > gasp
> > > in small gulps of air. He can feel the chill of
death creeping
through
> > > his
> > > tissues...Finally, he allows his body to die...
> > >
> > > All of this in the Bible recorded with four simple
words, "and they
> > > crucified Him" (Mark 15 24).
> > >
Birdman comment:
There is no good evidence that Jesus was a real person, tho there
have been many different religions with Jesus-like characters --
sixteen or so (See Kersey Graves, The
World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors, (1875,
reprinted recently); and TW Doane, Bible
Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions (1882,
also reprinted recently), which gives the non-Biblical origin of
many of the familiar Bible stories.) If, however, you insist on
believing on Jesus' reality, you ought to read The
Passover Plot, in which it is credibly
argued that Jesus was a man bent on suicidal fulfillment of the
Old Testament prophecies -- one of the first in a long line of
people believing they are God. On the other hand, crucifixion was
a common method of capital punishment in the Bad Old Days -- for
example, as I recall, all of the thousands of participants in the
Spartacus rebellion against Rome were crucified, with the crosses
lining for miles one of those famous roads that lead to Rome.
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