Religion: Why Did Jesus Die?

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Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ has certainly done its bit to combat Christianity lite. The film's stance on atonement could best be described as substitutionary (that initial Isaiah quote sets the theme) with a strong dose of Catholic Passion piety (the very gory details), a pinch of exemplarism (the flashbacks to Jesus' teachings) and those sulfurous whiffs of the ancient good-vs.-evil model. In other words, an understanding almost as eclectic as the average American's. Will it convince anyone of any particular philosophy? Perhaps not, but it is a reminder that the question of why Jesus died requires some sort of response from anyone who reasons out his or her faith--and that the question will not evaporate come Easter Sunday. --With reporting by Jeff Chu/London, Broward Liston/Orlando, Marguerite Michaels and David Thigpen/Chicago, Cathy Booth Thomas/Dallas and Paige Bowers/Atlanta