The Cross III Besides justification, I also have another interpretation about the symbolism of the crucifixion. Namely, that it was symbolic of the importance of the soul and meaninglessness of the body. Why did Jesus so readily give up his body to the tortures of the damned? Because of the great rewards his soul would receive in the life to come. How does this relate to how the average Christian should choose to live regarding suffering? Ever heard of the Franciscans? They were a group of mystical Christians. Mysticalists, they were termed, because they preferred actually living religiously, as opposed to superficially memorizing obscure biblical quotations. They believed that by only by following Jesus in act and word could one have a true relationship with God. Consequently, they basically scrapped every book of the bible except the ones that dealt directly with the life and death of Jesus (Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John of the New Testament). The consequences of such a perception were very radical. The most controversial of Franciscan views regarded property. Since Jesus Christ gave up all his property in order to preach, all Christians must do the same; because only by mimicking the acts of Jesus as precisely as possible, may one have a true relationship with the Son of God. All Christians must live propertyless in a state of communalism just as the original Christians had. To a body of church elders wealthy from tithes and indulgences, such a practice was blasphemy. Consequently, many a Franciscan was branded as a heretic and driven out of the city. The reason I bring up the Franciscans is because I think they had a great idea. More concerned with spirituality than earthly wealth and materialism, Franciscans could only have gotten a more meaningful response to their religious questings. Not only were they Christians on Sunday, not only did they pray during the weekdays, they lived every second according to Christ and structured their entire society around his teachings both preaches and acts. However, they stopped short of complete imitation. I think it would be quite interesting if neo-Franciscanism sprang up and decided to take their religion to the obvious last step, suffering. If one truly wants to have a Christly relationship, they cannot stop at giving up material possessions. They must suffer in the way that made Christ the worship-worthy figure he is. Many obviously devoted followers have taken this extra step in the past. The two most typical acts are fasting and the stigmata. While fasting emulates the lack of food Jesus had during his last days, the stigmata emulates the actual bodily piercings Jesus was given nails through ankles and wrists, a spear through the side, and a crown of thorns. By imitating Jesus to such an excruciating extend, the follower convinces himself of his superior spirituality and his disdain for non-soul objects such as the body. For a person to live their entire life according to the teachings of Jesus, and then to actually live as Jesus did, is something profound. This act states, "I love Jesus so much that I am willing to put myself through pain for no other reason other than the love of Jesus. I realize that nothing will result from this act, it is merely symbolic. Yet still I will perform it. Jesus suffered for me, now I will suffer for him, although I know he would never ask or expect me too. Through our mutual sufferings, I shall understand and empathize, and we will become one." Also note, that for you heathens, this act does not necessarily have to be a religous one. It could simply be a statement about the unimportance of the body. As Sherlock Holmes said,"I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix." The intricacies of differences in emulating Jesus religiously and secularly will have to ascertained at a later date. As of now, it suffices to say that the experience will be a moving and memorable one no matter what the motives. Think of the placebo effect in medicine. People can cure or weaken the most deadly of diseases simply by the hope and belief that they can do so. There is a complex interaction between body and mind. Neo-Franciscanism seeks to fully explore this interplay. The fact that we do not know what exact mechanisms are at play allows for the experience to be seen as religious. This does not weaken the significance of the experience, religion has always been an emotional, subjective experience. But as a Franciscan would say, you cannot know any of this until you try it for yourself.