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Series: 2022 Strength of Youth Health Check [Part III of VII]

In this episode Val and Nathan focus on the section in the pamphlet that outlines the LDS church’s teachings on the atonement of Jesus Christ and riff about some positives in this section as well as what they feel might be a generalized misunderstanding about the nature of Christ’s truly infinite power to heal us through love.

They start with Val breaking down 3 atonement theories:

1. Ransom Theory
2. Satisfaction Theory
3. Penal Substitution Theory

and talk about which of these theories seem to be most generally accepted in LDS thought… and why this is problematic.

They then address several questions, including:

• Must we do something to activate the healing power of the atonement? 
• Does God really demand justice of their children and does Jesus Christ really intervene to protect us from our own justice-demanding parents [and why would we worship that kind of God?] Is this stance possibly a product of centuries of patriarchy? 
• Why would “sin/repentance” language be better replaced with “wounded/healing” language to connect us with Christ? 
• Who truly demands justice and struggles the most receiving Christ’s mercy [hint: look in the mirror]? 
• What keeps people from sinning their lives away if they aren’t motivated by fear, punishment, or disappointment from God and Christ? 

The essence of this episode is that the atonement is founded in love, was performed through love and heals us through love even before we have a chance to mess up. Buckle up and maybe catch this episode twice because it’s likely atonement ideas you never heard in church. 

Brilliant books referenced: 

• The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe, by Richard Rohr
• All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between, by Terryl and Fiona Givens
• Dialogues With Myself Personal Essays on Mormon Experience, by Eugene England

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