Atonement Theology and Blood Sacrifice

Within Progressive Christianity, atonement theology is looked down upon. I remember at my church, my pastor did a presentation on the different versions of atonement theology there have been throughout the centuries. Nearly all of the retired pastors were well aware of all of them, and they disliked them all. Basically, it's the idea of Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. There's been a newer interpretation developing within Progressive Christianity. The idea of it is God responding to all of the injustices by being an example of self-giving love, and willingly sacrificing everything for others. Within other areas of Progressive Christianity, Jesus' death is seen as him dying for what he believed was right. Many say that the life and teachings are what should be emphasized.

I'll confess to having an extremely unpopular opinion, but I ask that you hear me out.

Atheist YouTube vlogger, Jaclyn Glenn, did a response to a debate between conservative fundamentalist Christian vloggers. Paul and Morgan debated Jesse Lee Peterson. In there, Paul and Morgan said that we're all sinners. Jaclyn Glenn commented that she and other Atheists wouldn't put it that way, but said that we all have flaws. The thing is, we're not perfect. We've all done things that have hurt others, whether directly or indirectly. We have to continuously work on bettering ourselves, and we sometimes need things to remind us.

In Religion For Atheists and multiple lectures and presentations that Atheist philosopher, Alain de Botton, has given, he has commented on how fascinated he is by the concept of original sin. When we're born, we aren't able to just magically know everything. We need help and guidance in being good people.

Now where does blood sacrifice come in? It's part of the human race's religious history, and there are places where it is still done. We're hopefully beyond sacrificing people, but there are religions where animal sacrifice is done. Richard Elliott Friedman, in Who Wrote The Bible? speculated that animal sacrifice was possibly a way for people to justify eating meat. That is a possibility. However, there are religions where they don't eat the animals they sacrifice.

It's a part of our history and who we are, and having a symbolic story is a way to embrace that aspect of ourselves. We also are all flawed, and we sometimes need to be reminded of that too. Whether or not you believe atonement theology is how God works or not, I think the meaning behind it is a way for us to acknowledge and embrace who we are while also ridding ourselves of the practice.

Shalom!

A Reflection on Martin Scorsese's Last Temptation and the Devil

Martin Scorsese’s Last Temptation of Christ received a lot of mixed reactions from Christians. It tells the story of Jesus having doubts and reluctancies. When he finally reaches the cross, he screams “My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me?” An angel then appears to him, reminds him of the story of God testing Abraham, and tells Jesus that he’s done well. He can now step down from the cross and move on with his life. He then gets married, has a family, and grows old. However, a few less pleasant things happen. When he’s about to die an old man, he discovers that this angel was, in fact, the devil. He then prays for God to change things, so that he is crucified. In the end, he finds himself back on the cross, crucified a young man, and he shouts in joy, “It is accomplished!” He then dies on the cross in triumph.

Typically, when people discuss the meaning of the story, it’s centered around the meaning of the cross. That may have been Nikos Kazantzakis‘ original idea with the original novel. However, a recent thought and interpretation came to my mind, focused on the depiction of the devil.

Although not an intended formula with my blogs, I’ve frequently used pop culture to reflect on religious messages. This is a similar case. In fact, it was this bit of pop culture that lead to this reflection on the story.

In 1989 and 1990, a pop duo known as Milli Vanilli had five top five hits, three of which reached number one. They won three American Music Awards and the Grammy for Best New Artist. Things turned upside down when it was revealed that they were lip syncing to other peoples’ singing. They returned their Grammy and received backlash.

The story behind it all starts with Frank Farian. He tried to make it as a singer, but he didn’t have the right look. He released songs under the name, Boney M. When some of those songs were gaining success, people wanted to see performances of Boney M. He had a dancer, under the name, Bobby Farrell, lip syncing to his singing.

Years later, he heard a song called “Girl You Know It’s True,” and he got a group of singers to record a cover of it. For marketing purposes, however, he decided to have other people be the public image of the project, posing as the singers. He found what he needed from a couple of models and dancers that were aspiring to have singing careers. They were struggling financially to make ends meet. He came in, gave them a large payment, offered them a deal, and had them sign a contract.

There have been multiple versions of the story told. However, it sounds like they were told that they would be the ones singing, and when they found out that they wouldn’t be, they tried to get out of the deal. Farian told them that that would be fine if they refunded him the upfront payment they had received. As they had already spent some of it, they were contractually trapped. Some have said that if they had a lawyer, the contract could have been voided, as they’d been outright misinformed on the deal. However, they were naive and not in the financial situation to hire a lawyer.

A couple of years later, when it was revealed that they had been lip syncing, they had a press conference to give their side of the story, show that they could sing, and they offered to give the Grammy back. They recommended that the Grammy be given to the actual singers behind the project. In that press conference, they said that they’d made a pact with the devil and were trapped. Someone angrily responded, asking what sort of message that sends. That it’s okay to make a deal with the devil?

Here is my response to that. When some people think of deals with the devil, they go back to the story of Faust. He sells his soul to the devil in exchange for many pleasurable experiences. It’s great at first, but it gets worse and worse. In some versions, Faust ends up in hell for all eternity while in other versions, he’s saved.

In the story of Faust, as well as most deal with the devil stories, he knows he’s making a deal with the devil. In reality, people aren’t aware that it’s the devil they’re making these deals with. I’m a little uncomfortable demonizing a person (even a wealthy producer who exploited multiple people for his own gain), but the aspiring artists that made the deal with Farian had no idea that they were making a deal with the devil. He knew that they were naïve and in a situation of financial desperation. He took advantage of their weaknesses.

Going back to The Last Temptation of Christ, when an angel comes and offers to rescue Jesus from crucifixion, he has no way of knowing that this angel is really the devil. He’s in a situation of pain and suffering that anyone would want to get out of. Although Scorsese’s Last Temptation of Christ is generally seen as a story about the meaning behind the crucifixion, I see it as one of the most true-to-life deal with the devil stories. When people make their deals with the devil, they don’t realize it at the time. Sometimes there are red flags, but these individuals have needs that predators are able to fulfill.

So many abuse survivors are blamed, or blame themselves, for what has happened to them. They need to be loved in a certain way, and abusers are ready to give them what they need. Shortly afterwards is when they take advantage and manipulate. I remember when I was sexually abused, I blamed myself at first, but I had needs that this person was willing to fulfill.

How many times do people accept job offers, are given promises for potential promotions or raises, but nothing happens? How many times do people apply for jobs that start out wonderful, but end up becoming toxic? How many times are people scammed or robbed by people that seem genuinely nice at first?

How many times are people offered their greatest desires only to be exploited?

The Last Temptation of Christ, to me now, is the story of how even Jesus could make a deal with the devil. I see it as the story of a deal with the devil seeming like a heavenly blessing at first. Something from an angel. However, it is only farther along the line where the devil shows their true colors. The lesson? I’m not sure if there is one, but I guess the lesson I have is don’t blame victims for being exploited. Don’t blame people for decisions they now regret. Don’t fault people for what they didn't know at first. Don't blame people for the deals they've made with the devil.