The Ultimate Sacrifice
Long accustomed to making sacrifices to their gods, the
pagans easily grasped Paul’s notion that Jesus was the “ultimate sacrifice”
whose blood washed away sin. A common ceremony during this time in various
Middle Eastern cults, such as those of Attis and Mithras, was that of the
“taurobolium”: a person descended into a pit covered over with grillwork upon
which a bull (or ram), said to represent the pagan deity himself, was then
ceremoniously slain. By covering himself with the blood, the person in the pit
below was said to have been “born again” with his sins washed away.
It is worth noting that the Jews had given up sacrifice
back in 590 BCE following the destruction of their Temple. Paul’s notions,
therefore, were in direct contradiction to both Old Testament teaching (Hosea
6:6) and even to the teaching of Jesus himself (Mat. 9:13) which stressed how
God desired good virtues, not sacrifice.
While Paul stressed that God’s “love” was behind the sacrifice
of Jesus (Rom. 5:8), the Doctrine of Atonement instead shows a harsh Deity
satisfied only by the murder of his own innocent son. Paul was way off base
here, for the Old Testament is full of references to the love and mercy of God
to man (Ps. 36:5-10; Ps. 103:8-17) revealed through His forgiveness (Ex.
34:6,7; Ps. 86:5-7), of which even Jesus spoke (Mat. 6:12).
Pagan influence in Christianity even extends to its
sacred symbol. Although Paul calls the cross of Jesus “the power of God” (1
Cor. 1:18), reference works, such as the Encyclopedia Britannica, Dictionary of
Symbols, The Cross in Ritual, Architecture and Art point out that the cross was
used as a religious symbol centuries before the birth of Jesus. Bacchus of
Greece, Tammuz of Tyre, Bel of Chaldea, and Odin of Norway are just a few
examples of ancient pagan gods whose sacred symbol was that of a cross.
Original Sin
Central to the Doctrine of Atonement is Paul’s notion
that mankind is a race of wrong-doers, having inherited from Adam his sin in
eating of the forbidden fruit. As a result of this Original Sin, man cannot
serve as his own redeemer; good works are to no avail, says Paul, for even
these cannot satisfy the justice of God (Gal. 2:16).
As a result of Adam’s sin, man is doomed to die. By his
death, however, Jesus took on the punishment due man; through his resurrection,
Jesus conquered death, and righteousness was restored. To earn salvation, a
Christian need only have faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus (Rom.
6:23).
Despite its prominent place in Christianity, the notion
of an “original sin” is not found among the teachings of any prophet, Jesus
included. In the Old Testament, God says: “... the son shall not bear the
iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son”
(Ez.18:20-22). Personal responsibility is also stressed in the Quran where
God says: “... no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another... man
can have nothing but what he strives for” (Quran 53:38,39).
The doctrine of original sin gave Paul the means to
justify pagan influence in his scheme of salvation. Irresponsibility became
the hallmark of Christianity through this doctrine, however, for by
“transferring” sins onto Jesus, followers assume no responsibility for their
actions.
Salvation in Islam
By the seventh century, the doctrines conceived by Paul
had been embellished to the point where Christianity was not almost entirely a
man-made religion. At this time, God chose to send Muhammad as His Final
Messenger in order to set things straight once and for all for mankind.
Since God is Almighty, He doesn’t need the charade
concocted by Christians in order to forgive man. In the Quran, God says we are
all created in a state of goodness (30:30); He has not burdened man with any
“original sin”, having forgiven Adam and Eve (2:36-38; 7:23,24) as He forgives
us (11:90; 39:53-56).
As we are all personally responsible for our actions
(2:286; 6:164) there is no need for a humanly concocted savior in Islam;
salvation comes from God alone (28:67).
Thus did Islam seek to restore the true meaning to
monotheism, for in the Quran God asks:
“Who can be better in religion than one who submits his whole
self to God, does good, and follows the way of Abraham the true in faith?” (Quran
4:125; 41:33)
The Religion of Man
The evidence is overwhelming that the concept of
salvation in Christianity – its Doctrine of Vicarious Atonement – came not from
God but from man via pagan rituals and beliefs.
Paul effectively shifted the center of worship away from
God by saying that Jesus was the divine agent of their salvation (Gal. 2:20).
In so doing, however, Paul set aside all teachings of God’s prophets, and even
the concept of monotheism itself, since God in Christianity needs Jesus for His
divine “helper”.
Take a Closer Look
With one’s very salvation at stake here, Christians
should take a closer look at what they believe in and why. God says in the
Quran:
“O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion,
nor say of God aught but the truth. Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, was no more
than a Messenger of God... for God is One God; glory be to Him: far exalted is
He above having a son. To him belong all things in the heavens and on earth.
And enough is God as a Disposer of Affairs.” (Quran 4:171)
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