Russian Orthodoxy, Madonna, and Jesus

Madonna has pissed off the Christian Church in Russia with her planned musical performance which includes her singing a song while strapped to a cross:

"I think a deeply believing person would never go to the concert," the Rev. Vsevolod Chaplin, a spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church, told Associated Press Television News.

"This lady ... plays with religious symbols, and I think it's not only a matter of financial advancement of her production but it's also a kind of attempt to justify and sanctify her message and her sins, using something holy."

Don't get your hopes up, Rev. Vsevolod. I seriously doubt that Madonna is sanctifying her message through a little cross-play. It is more likely that she is trying to degrade Christianity rather than sanctify her own message. I don't think that Madonna considers Christianity to be something that can "sanctify" anything; I don't think she holds it on a pedastal (at least not anymore).

I saw Madonna perform at Coachella earlier this year. She was amazing. Her show did much more to uplift my spirit than reading the book of Matthew ever did. Reading the about the flood, or the crucifixion, or the massacre of some random tribe, doesn't make one want to dance in a celebration of life the way that watching Madonna perform does.

But let's look more closely at the whole Madonna/Jesus/cross thing. Christian churches around the world get really pissy if anyone other than Jesus, or His likeness, is impaled on said torture device. They really don't want Madonna or Marilyn Manson or any other person to ever be displayed on a cross, under any circumstances it seems to me.

Why is that? Is it because of some worshipping/idol factor? Here are a few questions that I have come up with to ask Christians who object to the Madonna/cross thing. I invite both Christians and atheists (and everyone in between) to think about the questions below and what the Christian response to each of them would likely be:

1. Is there any instance where a person other than Jesus could be depicted on a cross which you would approve of?

2. What if Madonna instead took a cross on to the stage and smashed it to pieces? How would you interpret this act?

And perhaps the most important question of all:

3. If you went back in time to when Jesus was alive, and you had the opportunity to prevent his execution on the cross, would you prevent it or not?