Stephen Kaufman, M.D., Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)
Does God Want Sacrifices? Part 4: Substitutionary Atonement Theory
Last week, I discussed theological difficulties associated with
substitutionary atonement theory – the theory that Jesus death was a
sacrifice needed to atone for humanity’s sinfulness. Some of the theory’s
social implications are problematic.
Substitutionary atonement theory treats sin as a legal problem – humanity’s
offense against God – rather than as a social problem. The theory does not
regard sinfulness in terms of society’s institutions or events of human
history (other than original sin). Consequently, the theory does not
challenge unjust human institutions, making it easier for Christians to
countenance injustice. This, I think, is one reason that Christianity has,
at various times in history, accommodated slavery, subjugation of women,
cruelty to animals, and other unjust arrangements.
Substitutionary atonement theory sees Jesus’ death as satisfying the penalty
for sin. Now that human sin is no longer a barrier to justification before
God, one may focus on one’s own individual salvation and pay little
attention to social justice. Although Christian doctrine generally holds
that “saved” Christians naturally reflect God’s love, in practice many
Christians, confident of their justification before God and therefore
convinced that God is guiding their moral decisions, can believe that
selfish and other patently unjust behavior represents God’s will.
Another difficulty with substitutionary atonement theory is that it portrays
Jesus as innocent yet voluntarily submitting to suffering. This has often
been an obstacle to people who suffer as a consequence of unjust social
structures, because church authorities have often told victims of abuse, “in
imitation of Christ,” to submit to domestic or other abuse in the same way
that Jesus accepted his tragic destiny.
Finally, substitutionary atonement theory adopts the logic of Caiaphas who,
in trying to convince the chief priests and Pharisees to call for Jesus’
execution, said, “It is expedient for you that one man should die for the
people, and that the whole nation should not perish" (John 11:50).
Substitutionary atonement theory posits that it is indeed better for one
innocent man to die to save everyone else, which has been the logic of
scapegoating violence throughout human history. Indeed, one might wonder
whether substitutionary atonement theory presents Christianity as a new
revelation, or whether it presents Christianity as a variation on the
perennial religious theme that gods demand sacrificial violence.
Next essay, I will discuss theories regarding the sacrificial killing of animals in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Go on to: Does God Want
Sacrifices? part 5: Sacrifices in the Hebrew Scriptures
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Reflection on the Lectionary, Table of Contents