God's Law taught that blood was necessary to make almost everything clean. We see that God does not forgive people for their sins unless there is blood from a death. -Hebrews 9:22 EASY
A major part of my deconstruction was embracing the God who does not need blood to forgive. This was a difficult idea for me. Years of indoctrination held me captive. The Bible seemed to agree with this idea that God needed something extra to forgive me.
Sadly, I never questioned the thought that God 'needed' something more than love to forgive.
The 'original sin' dogma interprets the Bible in a way that paints humanity in need of divine forgiveness. I wrote about that here concluding that humanity is in desperate need of love and not judgment. Even so, the 'original sin' atonement dogma paints a picture that ends with God requiring the blood of Jesus.
To be sure, the cross is a transformative event in history regardless of how one views it. Some see it as a revelation of God's willingness to die for all of humanity. Others, like me, see the cross as the end result of the religious and political ego that existed in ancient times and continues to today.
The 'original sin' dogma interprets the Bible in a way that paints humanity in need of divine forgiveness. I wrote about that here concluding that humanity is in desperate need of love and not judgment. Even so, the 'original sin' atonement dogma paints a picture that ends with God requiring the blood of Jesus.
To be sure, the cross is a transformative event in history regardless of how one views it. Some see it as a revelation of God's willingness to die for all of humanity. Others, like me, see the cross as the end result of the religious and political ego that existed in ancient times and continues to today.
By that, I mean that Jesus did not die for our sins but because of our sins. Specifically the sin of murder fueled by the sin of jealousy and envy. You see, the religious rulers of Jesus times had fragile egos that could not handle his fame. These who supposedly followed God committed premeditated murder. And Pilate, who seemed to be driven by a different sort of ego, seemed happy to accommodate them.
Death is the ultimate end of an unchecked ego. We see it playing out even today. Still, I think that many might object to this idea that God forgives us simply because he is loving. Frankly, the idea is a bit ludicrous to many religious folks. Humans feel that forgiveness (or really anything) is not free. Some religions require penance or repentance before forgiveness is given.
We all believe that there is no such thing as a free lunch - in church or elsewhere. Somebody has to pay for our sins. Our mistakes. Our errors in judgment. Forgiveness without repentance seems like cheap grace. Of course many say that it was anything but cheap because Jesus absolutely had to die.
I reject the idea that Jesus came to die. I think that he came to bring us life and show us how to live.
I think that the 'he came to die' dogma stems from the idea that the religious leaders lacked the ability to believe in Jesus and that instead of accepting his ministry they had to have him murdered. It is a dark way to process the gospel story. Especially when we read that Jesus said that he came to show us how to live. And his message embraced loving God and loving our neighbors.
I suspect that many will question the orthodoxy of my views. Firstly, yes this is not an Orthodox view of atonement. This is not what ancient people believed. Secondly, I am not sure that atonement was a major theme in the gospels. Jesus openly insults religious leaders by telling people that they are forgiven. He seems to see forgiveness as a free gift. And he seems to free people from their bondage when he does.
I guess that is where I'd like to end this short treatise. Forgiveness is powerful. It has the capacity to free us from the bondage of guilt and shame. It has the power to heal relationships. Forgiveness, when it is freely given, is one of the most beautiful things on planet earth. I commend you to it. I pray that you will find the grace to ask for forgiveness and to give it freely to those who have offended you.
Lastly, I commend you to his love. God loves you. And wants you to seek him and to know him
I suspect that many will question the orthodoxy of my views. Firstly, yes this is not an Orthodox view of atonement. This is not what ancient people believed. Secondly, I am not sure that atonement was a major theme in the gospels. Jesus openly insults religious leaders by telling people that they are forgiven. He seems to see forgiveness as a free gift. And he seems to free people from their bondage when he does.
I guess that is where I'd like to end this short treatise. Forgiveness is powerful. It has the capacity to free us from the bondage of guilt and shame. It has the power to heal relationships. Forgiveness, when it is freely given, is one of the most beautiful things on planet earth. I commend you to it. I pray that you will find the grace to ask for forgiveness and to give it freely to those who have offended you.
Lastly, I commend you to his love. God loves you. And wants you to seek him and to know him
