My Theology in Progress

Christ was able to say "forgive them for they know not what they do" I think because he had some other greater, superior knowledge to enable him to say this. I cannot accept Christ's gruesome and violently blood thirsty death to have been "necessary" for God's forgiveness and reconciliation. Maybe this is due to my lack of greater, superior, outsider knowledge that Christ possessed? Or I am thinking of this in a comparative way, in which I equate Jesus' violent, horrific death to any War, that in principle it should never be "necessary" and always, absolutely the last resort to conflict, power-struggle, oppression, etc...? I am also not sure I would have these thoughts and such a difficulty of acceptance I had so easily in the past. But after taking a biblical topics class on divine violence, I have asked the question why Jesus' death had to be necessary and the only plan God had in mind to enable a second chance for humanity? Can there be violence in Love? Is love able to exist alone in absence of the rest of the hurt, pain, evil, perverted, violence to counterbalance it and define it even more? Because I can definitely see the argument for love not able to exist in its most extreme and powerful form without an extreme opposite to help, but still when it comes to the divine and celestial beings and the spiritual world, why can't violence be left alone?