Why would a loving and forgiving God require his son to die in order to forgive us?

None of this is in the Bible, and none of this was believed by the ancient Church, or the indigenous Churches of Russia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Mesopotamia, India, or North Africa. The idea of original sin is based on a 4th century mistranslation of Romans 5:12 in the Vulgate, and the idea of substitutionary atonement was based on the 11th century 'satisfaction' theory of Anselm of Canterbury.

If you really want to know what Christianity is all about, you need to stop relying on modern hearsay and take a look at ALL the source material. The western European Church was just a drop in the bucket until a few centuries ago. In the 11th century, the Church in Persia alone contained more Christians than the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches combined.

But you are on the right track - keep asking yourself these questions and read the New Testament with an open mind. Start studying Greek and get an interlinear Bible. Think about this: if Jesus took our place on the cross, then why was that even necessary? As soon as anyone dies they have already paid the death penalty for their sins, and they will be free of guilt on the day of resurrection. The New Testament teaches that Gentiles are not even under the Mosaic Law - no sin is imputed to them anyway. And Paul says that we were justified by the Incarnation and Resurrection of Christ, not his Crucifixion. Ezekiel Chapter 18 teaches that a repentant sinner is judged righteous, and this before the death of Christ on the Cross. Noah and Joseph were both righteous before the time of Christ, and Cornelius was righteous before converting to either Judaism or Christianity. According to Paul, the pagans worship the same God as the Jews, and are capable of knowing God, comprehending his divinity, and keeping his commandments.

All of this makes perfect sense if you read the New Testament and study the writings of the great theologians of the past. Here is a short list: Irenaeus, Ignatius, Athanasius, Eusebius, Zosimus, Socrates, John Damascene, Peter Damascene, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory Naziazen, Gregory Palamas, Maximos the Confessor, John Cassien.

I'm going to ignore your last paragraph. I don't care how many times you've read the Bible, I can still use it as my source.

Man was originally created perfectly. We had the choice to sin. It was God who let Satan tempt Eve. Eve didn't HAVE to eat the fruit; she HAD the choice!! She chose unwisely, and that's why we are still sinful beings today. So Eve is completely responsible for her choice. If God hadn't let the snake into the garden, He would've taken away our free will, and he loves us too much to do that. Otherwise, He would've created robots.

It says in the Bible in Romans 6:23 the the wages for sin is death. That means that whenever we sin, we deserve to be killed. But see, God gave us another way. He sent his son, Jesus, to die in our place. He worked as a substitute for all of us because he was 100% Man, and 100% God.

If you believe that Jesus sent His son to die for our sins, your sins our forgiven and you have a one-way ticket to Heaven!!

Hope the above has been immensely helpful to you. God bless you!

The biblical god was a sadistic being. When Cain's sacrifice of food he harvested was rejected by God, who favored the blood sacrifice that Able provided, Cain killed his brother (another blood sacrifice).

You miss one point with the Adam and Eve story...God lied, and the serpent told the truth.

Sin is a human concept. The reason for many things being considered "sinfully" is that they eroded the concept of civilized society (murder, theft, etc.) The story is only in place to maintain the moral code, and give the masses who believe in it hope for a better "after-life".

Why would a loving and forgiving God require his son to die in order to forgive us?????

To show that faith requires sacrifice just as Jesus did. Only we don't have to be crucified.To show that He loves us so much that he is willing to sacrifice his son for us.

When you read a book. Try to read between the lines too. And try to read with an open mind and open heart. It seems you did read the bible front to back (cover only) and not the contents.

If you have read it from front to back like you say then you know that Jesus is God in human form. He came to earth himself to fix the problem. Blood had to be shed from the beginning as a sacrifice for sins and there was no greater sacrifice than God himself.

It doesn't make any sense. Where's the justice in punishing us for Adam's sins?

The Bible itself says that children will not be punished for the parents' sins (Deuteronomy 24:16). Furthermore, if God really created Adam not knowing either good or evil (Genesis 3:22), how could such a harsh and enduring punishment as death for Adam and all his descendants (Romans 5:12) possibly be just? Our secular courts are more just than God when they show mercy on people who cannot distinguish between right and wrong, such as children and the mentally handicapped.

If I would have been the SON OF GOD, Jebus, NO ONE would have touched me 2000 Years ago!

I would have taken an FAMILY SIZED Lightning Bolt and Zapped Pontius Pilate and those who screamed for my BLOOD in the NUTS! BIG TIME!

...and no, I wouldn't have healed their wounds afterwards!

Think about it!

What kind of Psycho Dad would watch his ONLY Son getting the living bejesus kicked out of him!

Then on top of that having Junior getting nailed to a Cross and being stabbed in the Chest with a Spear!

Just imagine being RESPONSIBLE for letting THAT happen!

...and NOT LIFTING A FINGER TO HELP!????!

That type of God can kiss my Hiney!

If I should see that Guy they call GOD, I WILL KICK HIM IN THE NUTS SOOOO HARD THAT HE'LL HAVE ATHLETS FOOT IN HIS THROAT!

OMG! They killed JEBUS! YOU BASTARRRDS!

Our loving and forgiving God did not "require" for His son to die in this way, he (Lord Jesus) did it on his own accord for our own benefit. Pain and suffering is experienced when we (the living entities) are in the bodily concept of life. Lord Jesus certainly was not in the bodily concept of life so therefore he did not suffer although It looks to us that he did. His entire life including his passing is meant for us to learn a big lesson to re awake our eternal relationship with the Supreme. Actually this is the only purpose for the advent of Lord Jesus.

God sent his own son to die on the cross for our sins to show just how much he does love us. Would you give your sons life in order for millions of people to live? He also sent his son as a living prophet tell the people that did not believe what to expect as the the people that did believe what to expect. He also told all the people that he witnessed to what type of death he was going to and great detail as it was to be carried out before his death so that when his death did come the people that were still non believers would know that he was Christ in thier heart rather they admitted it openly or not.

The Bible addresses it all the time, but if you prefer, I won't refer to it.

The character of God requires justice. If it were you or me, we would probably be willing to let things slide because we are compassionate. So is God. But He is also just. He will not break His own laws.

Instead of wondering why God requires sacrifice for sin, I'm just overjoyed that He allows SOMETHING to make up for it. He wouldn't have to. He is God.