Compared With Christian Idea of Atonement
While Christianity developed its concept of atonement out of the same roots in the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament), the different theology of Christianity led it to develop that concept in ways distinctly different from Judaism. In Christianity atonement refers to the forgiving or pardoning of sin through the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion. To some, this death is viewed as human sacrifice, and since the Hebrew Bible states that human sacrifice is an abomination in the sight of God (Lev. 18:21, 20:2-5, Deu. 12:31, Jer. 32:34-35), is a problematic view of atonement for many Jewish people. However, Christians believe that Jesus is God and therefore, no "human" sacrifice exists and Jewish law does not apply. Also, all the passages cited refer to paganism, most of which are specified as offering to Molech and Baal. The error was offering sacrificing to false gods, in the name of false gods, and therefore straying from Hebrew/Jewish worship of Yahweh. According to Jewish law, the blood of the atoning sacrifice was to be offered on the altar of the temple (Ex. 30:10, Lev. 16) and Jesus was crucified outside the temple. Moreover, the prophet Ezekiel speaks out against the idea of vicarious atonement, where one person can suffer punishment for another person's sin: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him" (Eze. 18:20). Thus although the Mosaic law prescribes animal sacrifices for ritual worship, this is by no means viewed as supporting the idea of vicarious atonement.
Read more about this topic: Atonement In Judaism
Famous quotes containing the words compared with, compared, christian, idea and/or atonement:
“The cigar-box which the European calls a “lift” needs but to be compared with our elevators to be appreciated. The lift stops to reflect between floors. That is all right in a hearse, but not in elevators. The American elevator acts like the man’s patent purge—it works”
—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)
“Letter-writing too often degenerates into a communicating of facts, and not of truths; of other men’s deeds and not our thoughts. What are the convulsions of a planet, compared with the emotions of the soul? or the rising of a thousand suns, if that is not enlightened by a ray?”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)
“You know what the Englishman’s idea of compromise is? He says, Some people say there is a God. Some people say there is no God. The truth probably lies somewhere between these two statements.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“What atonement is there for blood spilt upon the earth?”
—Aeschylus (525–456 B.C.)