The Sunday Mail
THIS column is an open invitation to the candid examination of long held assumptions. The hope is to stimulate rational and informed conversations. Socrates advised us that an unexamined life is not worth living.
Examining anything means we do not allow the continued furtherance of ignorance, superstitions, theological immaturity and inaccuracies.
This week’s invitation through this column is for a conversation to find out if it is true that we as mortals ever benefited from the sacrificial death of one “Jesus” (Yahoshua the Nazarene). Such a sacrificial death is called “substitutionary or vicarious atonement,” that is an innocent substitute died for the guilty party.
What is “atonement”? Literally, this is “to make amends or reparation.” In Hebrew, the word is “kuppar,” meaning, “the setting at one or reconciliation of two estranged parties.”
Ordinarily, one who atones is committed to reconcile with the wronged party by 1) acknowledging wrongful conduct, 2) accepting responsibility for the consequences and 3) mending the broken bridge.
‘Vicarious atonement. . .is the doctrine that an individual. . .atones through the sufferings visited upon his person for the sins of all. . .” – M. Kadushin, “The Theology of Seder Eliahu” (1932).
According to Pauline, literalist or mainstream Christianity, Yahoshua is alleged to have offered his own life accepting liability for people’s moral debt owed to the angry humanoid Divine. Such a vengeful and sadistic Divine needed to be appeased by or receive a ransom of human blood as the currency contrary to Ezekiel 18:19-32. Pauline Christianity presents a distorted narrative that Yahoshua painfully died to placate the anger of a humanoid Divine against a degenerate humanity.
This is the core doctrine of Pauline Christianity. Central to it is the perspective that humanity is inherently debased and thus requiring redemption by way of absolute submission and unquestioning compliance to the wrathful but benevolent humanoid Divine in return for a favour. Consequently this is a direct attack on human agency and disregard for the impact of one’s causative energy.
So the humanoid Divine now views humanity pleasantly after the substitutionary atonement by Yahoshua? It then means that humanity can no longer be held accountable for its own wrongful actions and would not suffer death.
What do the scriptures say? “But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge” — Jeremiah 31:30.
“To do justice and judgment [is] more acceptable to the (Divine) than sacrifice.” — Proverbs 21:3.
Yahoshua was not born and brought up to die for anyone as shown in these texts: Mark 1:38, Luke 4:43, Matthew 18:11, Luke 19:10, Matthew 5:17-18. He was also unwilling to die as shown here: John 7:1; 8:59; 11:54; Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42.
“But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”- Matthew 9:13.
“(Yahoshua) was teaching his disciples in the outer court of the Temple and one of them said unto him: Master, it is said by the priests that without shedding of blood there is no remission. Can then the blood offering of the law take away sin? And (Yahoshua) answered: No blood offering, of beast or bird, or man, can take away sin, for how can the conscience be purged from sin by the shedding of innocent blood? Nay, it will increase the condemnation.” (Gospel of the Nazarenes, Lection 33, verses 1-2), www.ccel.org/print/alexander_a/canon/iv.xviii.v
Why would anyone be concerned by the consequences of his or her thoughts, words and actions, if someone else offered to be held responsible over them?
When one has sacrificed for you, you are not held responsible and accountable over the effects of your own thoughts, words and actions. This is contrary to the Hebrew Scriptures that say each person is culpable for the consequences of own guilt verdict (Deuteronomy 24:16, Jeremiah 31:30, Ezekiel 18:20).
Hebraically, atonement of a transgression against a second party is through seeking forgiveness and full restitution to the wronged party. The Day of Atonement (“Yom Kippur”) is the symbolism for transgressions between humanity and the Divine – Deuteronomy 24:16.
“This (vicarious atonement) doctrine is a blasphemy against the justice of (the Divine). It is highly unjust, inhuman and (undivinely), to sacrifice the life of an innocent man, for washing off the sins of sinners. (The Divine) is never unjust even in least degree, how this injustice and unkindness can ever be attributed to Him. (The Divine) is absolute and merciful enough to forgive the sins, even without sacrifices.” – Dr. Roshan Enam, “Follow Jesus or Follow Paul?” p. 52. To say that the Divine is satisfied by sacrificial death is to malign the source of life as blood thirsty (Lev 17:11, Hebrews 9:22).
A person with a well-developed human agency would not accept that anyone would offer his life as a sacrifice. The fatalistic thinking that the sacrificial death of “B” helps wrongful “C” without the request of “C” over his or her culpability is rather weird and preposterous.
In the absence of an agreement between “B” and “C,” wrongful C’s responsibility will be undermined over what he or she has broken. “A” will only accept the payment by “B” on behalf of wrongful “C” if “C” had informed “A” prior to the payment that his debt will be paid on his behalf by “B.”
Consciousness about our own human agency is centred upon the recognition that all humans are bearers and vehicular expressions of what is theologically called divinity (Genesis 1:27, 2:7, Psalm 82:6 and John 5:42; 10:34-35). This advances human renewal and transformation.
Next week, we go deeper with the chiseling!
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