[Originally published on Easter Sunday, 2023]
Did you hear about the crazy Christian who volunteered to be crucified like Jesus? If you are waiting for a punch-line, well, this is no joke:
As I check email on so-called “Good Friday” before Easter 2023, a Google alert arrives to my inbox with news about how eight Filipino Christians had themselves voluntarily nailed to crosses on Good Friday (yesterday, Philippines time) to reenact Christ’s crucifixion.
Sounds like a really BAD Friday if you ask me!
Except for a three-year pause during the pandemic, this gory tradition is carried out every Easter season in a farming village outside of Manila.
This macabre ritual has become a huge tourist draw for the faithful all over the world. British tour operator, Johnson Gareth said tourists were "genuinely inspired and I think they left with a newfound respect for people's beliefs."
Sick.
Hey Christians! Gather up grandma and the kids and check it out on YouTube for some wholesome family entertainment.
(I think I will stick to Easter Egg hunts. They are much less painful. And clean-up is much easier with soap and water versus Betadine and bleach!)