Question:

How do I explain this to an 11 year old?

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My Daughter has asked me a question that I dont know how to answer.

Why is Good Friday called Good Friday, if that is when Jesus was killed? Shouldnt it be BAD Friday?

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okay its good friday cause jesus died for our sinsso we coulds go to heaven
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good friday because it was the day we were freed from our sins by jesus. he paid the ultimate price for us to be happy, so though we are sad because he died, we now have salvation
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you tell her that is good we celibrate his life and everything he did for us, he gave his life up for us and that is why its good. rather be happy then sad.
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tell her, like any other fairy story, such as Cinderella, they don't always make sense. Just as it is silly that a pumpkin turned into a coach, it is as improbable that Jesus died and rose from the dead (and the rest of the bible is just a collection of stories too)
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Hi Chris,

What a classic poser of a question...kids really know how to put us on the spot.

Wikipedia has an entire page devoted to related ideas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Friday...

Which points out that the term Good Friday is peculiar to the English and Dutch traditions.

Also, check out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

As to the etymology of the term, there are a multitude of possibilities.

For example: Good may be a misreading of the word Guode or GÃƒÂƒÃ‚Â¼t the german for good, which may in turn have a misreading of the word Gott, the German for God. A good few of our English words are derived from Germanic elements; from our Anglo-Saxon forebears.

Or:

Good Friday. etymology:From good, pious, holy.

So, an old term with meanings that have changed for a contemporary audience.

Now, how to make sense for a smart, savvy 11 year old who won't accept any old fluff?

How's this:

Some Christians believe it is good as it is part of the key to their salvation. However, the term's derivation is not dependant upon one's point of view. The good in Good Friday comes from God, just as does the good in good-bye,  a shortened version of the expression "God-be-with-you."   In the late 13th century it was spelled guode Friday, and by the early part of the 16th century it was good Friday.

So essentially it comes from a gradual change in the spelling and significance of words; due to the mixed cultural origins of the English language and the passage of time.

Good Luck,       :D
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Originally it was called God Friday in remembrance of Jesus giving his life for mankind, so it is celebrating his life and what He did. Its a day to be thankful for.
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its because its the beginning of the ressurection

it is called Good friday becuase this is the day when Jesus died for all of our sins

it should be remembered as a GOOD thing

my 7 year old sisters asked me the same thing =P
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good friday because thats when he rose from the dead.
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There are two possible origins for the name "Good Friday".

1) The name comes from the language spoken in 13th century Gaul (modern-day France and Germany). They called it "Gute Freitag" which translates as "holy" Friday.

2) The second possibility is a variation on the name "God's Friday," where the word "good" was used to replace the word "God," which was often viewed as too holy for commoners to speak.
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The word "good" here is thought to be of old English origin with the meaning of "holy". However for Christians it has all sorts of meanings. The Good died for sinners, the Resurrection Of Jesus was good for our salvation
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Good Friday is good. Jesus died for our sins. that is an awesome day
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Just tell her this;

sweetie, instead of calling it BAD FRIDAY Jesus forgave the people who killed him and wanted it to be called GOOD FRIDAY.
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If you do not know, don't be affraid to tell her, then you can both go to your local church and ask the preacher/reverand/minister and be able learn why it is called that together.
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my 6 year old came here on thur and called it bad friday
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No. Becasue, that when Jesus paid for our sins. He rose from the dead on Sunday.
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I have a ten yr. old and I told her that the people that killed him called it good because they wanted him dead.
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It's called Good Friday because Jesus died for our sins, and that's a cause for a kind of celebration. It was only bad for Jesus, but his whole life was dedicated to others, so it was even good for him in some ways.
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Well, explain that he died for our sins, so that is a good thing.
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All our sins were clensed dumdass!
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maybe because he was finally dead after all that torture ...
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Say to her that although that would normally be true, it is known as 'Good' Friday because ... as Christians, he died for the sins of our predecessors. He died to save the future generations.
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If you not a catholic...who cares, Kris. If she was a catholic she would all ready know.

You gotta learn to dodge the bullet, try:

Some thing more to the truth......

"That is when all the good stuff is on sale for Easter!"
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Its called good friday because even though Jesus died on that day.Jesus died for us.
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Tell her it's a religious thing, and religious things never make sense.

I'm not even joking, i believe that by law all children - ie those not mature enough to make up their own minds - should be prevented from being exposed to religion.

we hide (supposedly) dangerous things like s*x from the young - well i think that religion can be dangerous, and reserved for those able (by law) to make up their own minds.
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Heres how I explain it. Jesus death was not the good part. The fact that he died for our sins knowing that was the only way to save us was. He died because he loved us and his self sacrifice was the good part. In my opinion it should be called Great Friday.
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he did it for us. he is good. GOOD FRIDAY!
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Jesus died on the cross for us
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Good Friday is the day that Christians remember the price that Jesus paid for their sins

when our sins were paid for it opened the way up between mankind and God - which is a GOOD thing - and Jesus made that possible - hence GOOD Friday

also that story had a happy ending - Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the Sunday
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