Permanent, severe and irreparable harm and injury

That's what will befall all viewing this photo. At least that's what the ACLU and Freedom from Religion Foundation want you to believe. Seriously? Just by looking at it?

 

 

When waiting in a lobby or office I make it a point to observe the pictures on the walls, the magazines on the tables and other items indicating what values the daily inhabitants of the location might hold dear. I cannot remember any of the pictures in any of the buildings I have been in over the last 50 years.

There are other portraits on the school district's Hall of Honor wall, presumably of successful individuals who no doubt made considerable contributions and/or brought about positive change to their community, town, city, state, country and maybe even the world. I don't know that, because the other portraits are not mentioned in the article and are barely visible in the accompanying portrait.

It is not possible that any of the other individuals in the Hall of Honor were more influential in the world-wide history of humanity than Jesus. Of course there are many individuals who have made amazing contributions to humanity and I know people whose personal beliefs place someone other than Jesus at the top of their list of most influential person in history. Regardless of your religious beliefs or lack thereof, when it comes to historical influence, no person in history has had a greater impact on our world today than Jesus. Nearly 2000 years after his brutal execution by Roman soldiers, more than 2.2 billion people including 77% of the US population attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God.

And brutal it was - if you have not studied history or never seen the movie, this clip from The Passion of Christ will open your eyes to the unconscionable extent of Roman punishment. The scene begins with Pontius Pilate giving Caiaphas and the disciples of the Jewish Temple the choice of which prisoner he will release, Jesus or the terrorist and murderer Barabbas. The high priests and religious elders choose Barabbas to ensure that Jesus is executed. And ensure the riches they receive through the Temple are not interrupted. To them, a man who speaks the truth is more dangerous than a mass murderer. The clip concludes with Mary, Jesus's mother, watching in agony the horrible beating of her son. This is history, not propaganda. As a parent I cannot imagine...

For those condemned to death the verberatio, or scourging, is what you see at the end of the clip above. It is accomplished by beating the convicted with a wooden handled flagrum, a type of whip, containing bits of metal and sheep bone in it's leather tendrils. This instrument allowed legionaries of the Roman death squads to inflict maximum pain and damage by quickly ripping away flesh and muscle, often exposing internal body parts, bones and organs.

Jesus's lash marks extended from his head down to the back of his calves.

To be fair, Christians have also initiated many wars in the name of God and inflicted inhumane treatment on their adversaries for the same reason and still today some 'proclaimed' Christians espouse hate and intolerance. It is important to remember that was not in the teachings of Jesus. His messages focused on love, hope and truth.

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
Jesus Christ

Actually, now that I think of it, I do remember one picture on a wall and it turns out it too was in a government building. It struck me as unusual so I took a picture of it with my phone. It didn't fit with the picture of President Obama in one of the other rooms and since it was from President Lincoln, I was surprised that I had never seen or heard of it before. I have included it below for your enjoyment. At the risk of having the ACLU remove this too, I am not disclosing it's location.

When the activities of the ACLU include censoring whose values American citizens might revere or emulate, they have effectively outlived their usefulness.

For what it's worth, Abraham Lincoln believed Jesus was God.