T-3.I Atonement Without Sacrifice
1. A further point must be perfectly clear before any residual fear still associated with miracles can disappear. ²The crucifixion did not establish the Atonement; the resurrection did. ³Many sincere Christians have misunderstood this. ⁴No one who is free of the belief in scarcity could possibly make this mistake. ⁵If the crucifixion is seen from an upside-down point of view, it does appear as if God permitted and even encouraged one of His Sons to suffer because he was good. ⁶This particularly unfortunate interpretation, which arose out of projection, has led many people to be bitterly afraid of God. ⁷Such anti-religious concepts enter into many religions. ⁸Yet the real Christian should pause and ask, “How could this be?”. ⁹Is it likely that God Himself would be capable of the kind of thinking which His Own words have clearly stated is unworthy of His Son?
2. The best defense, as always, is not to attack another’s position, but rather to protect the truth. ²It is unwise to accept any concept if you have to invert a whole frame of reference in order to justify it. ³This procedure is painful in its minor applications and genuinely tragic on a wider scale. ⁴Persecution frequently results in an attempt to “justify” the terrible misperception that God Himself persecuted His Own Son on behalf of salvation. ⁵The very words are meaningless. ⁶It has been particularly difficult to overcome this because, although the error itself is no harder to correct than any other, many have been unwilling to give it up in view of its prominent value as a defense. ⁷In milder forms a parent says, “This hurts me more than it hurts you”, and feels exonerated in beating a child. ⁸Can you believe our Father really thinks this way? ⁹It is so essential that all such thinking be dispelled that we must be sure that nothing of this kind remains in your mind. ¹⁰I was not “punished” because you were bad. ¹¹The wholly benign lesson the Atonement teaches is lost if it is tainted with this kind of distortion in any form.
3. The statement “‘Vengeance is mine’, says the Lord” is a misperception by which one assigns his own “evil” past to God. ²The “evil” past has nothing to do with God. ³He did not create it and He does not maintain it. ⁴God does not believe in retribution. ⁵His Mind does not create that way. ⁶He does not hold your “evil” deeds against you. ⁷Is it likely that He would hold them against me? ⁸Be very sure that you recognize how utterly impossible this assumption is, and how entirely it arises from projection. ⁹This kind of error is responsible for a host of related errors, including the belief that God rejected Adam and forced him out of the Garden of Eden. ¹⁰It is also why you may believe from time to time that I am misdirecting you. ¹¹I have made every effort to use words that are almost impossible to distort, but it is always possible to twist symbols around if you wish.
4. Sacrifice is a notion totally unknown to God. ²It arises solely from fear, and frightened people can be vicious. ³Sacrificing in any way is a violation of my injunction that you should be merciful even as your Father in Heaven is merciful. ⁴It has been hard for many Christians to realize that this applies to themselves. ⁵Good teachers never terrorise their students. ⁶To terrorise is to attack, and this results in rejection of what the teacher offers. ⁷The result is learning failure.
5. I have been correctly referred to as “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”, but those who represent the lamb as blood-stained do not understand the meaning of the symbol. ²Correctly understood, it is a very simple symbol that speaks of my innocence. ³The lion and the lamb lying down together symbolise that strength and innocence are not in conflict, but naturally live in peace. ⁴“Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” is another way of saying the same thing. ⁵A pure mind knows the truth and this is its strength. ⁶It does not confuse destruction with innocence because it associates innocence with strength, not with weakness.
6. Innocence is incapable of sacrificing anything, because the innocent mind has everything and strives only to protect its wholeness. ²It cannot project. ³It can only honor other minds, because honor is the natural greeting of the truly loved to others who are like them. ⁴The lamb “takes away the sins of the world” in the sense that the state of innocence, or grace, is one in which the meaning of the Atonement is perfectly apparent. ⁵The Atonement is entirely unambiguous. ⁶It is perfectly clear because it exists in light. ⁷Only the attempts to shroud it in darkness have made it inaccessible to those who do not choose to see.
7. The Atonement itself radiates nothing but truth. ²It therefore epitomises harmlessness and sheds only blessing. ³It could not do this if it arose from anything but perfect innocence. ⁴Innocence is wisdom because it is unaware of evil, and evil does not exist. ⁵It is, however, perfectly aware of everything that is true. ⁶The resurrection demonstrated that nothing can destroy truth. ⁷Good can withstand any form of evil, as light abolishes forms of darkness. ⁸The Atonement is therefore the perfect lesson. ⁹It is the final demonstration that all the other lessons I taught are true. ¹⁰If you can accept this one generalisation now, there will be no need to learn from many smaller lessons. ¹¹You are released from all errors if you believe this.
8. The innocence of God is the true state of the mind of His Son. ²In this state your mind knows God, for God is not symbolic; He is Fact. ³Knowing His Son as he is, you realize that the Atonement, not sacrifice, is the only appropriate gift for God’s altar, where nothing except perfection belongs. ⁴The understanding of the innocent is truth. ⁵That is why their altars are truly radiant.