[Originally posted July 12, 2006 on MySpace]
Driving home last night, I saw an SUV that scared the crap out of me. Its rear window was plastered with stickers, forming an impressively symmetrical arrangement -- of pain.
Jesus' pain, to be specific. The entire center of the window depicted Jesus with a massive crown of thorns. "Fear God" was arched above it. Stickers proclaiming "Jesus for Life" appeared on either side, as did stickers showing a wrist with a nail pounded in it with "Body Piercing Saved My Life" underneath.
The license plate? JUDGMNT.
I actually found that car scarier than, say, a hearse with a bumper sticker saying "I eat babies, yum yum!" It seemed to be taking what I would think was a glorious event for Christians and focusing on the absolutely wrong part of it. It seems to me (as a dormant Episcopalian and semi-Buddhist) that the important part of Christ's crucifixion was the redemption it brought for all believers, not the pain that he went through. If anything, focusing on the pain makes me feel bad for the other political prisoners or non-criminals who were crucified during that era and didn't have anything to show for it.
Anyway, it creeped me out. As if the driver wanted to remind me of how much suffering Jesus went through and feel as bad as possible about it.
On the other hand, I made damn sure not to tailgate him or cut him off.
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