Howie-

Key element of christian religious mentality: Free gifts are not free. One of the biggies that turns up over and over again in the `Hell' debates when unbelievers ask `why does God need to go through the Jesus thing in order to forgive?' The stated reason is that Jesus is accepting our `just' punishment - in essence, God *must* punish somebody for sin, be it us mere mortals or Jesus. Simple (true) forgiveness is pretty much an alien concept here - one that many christians find utterly baffling.