Paternal Inheritance

The following narrative is based on true events which helps it to be more relatable. Pretend as if you are the main character in this story and think how you would resolve the issue.

Gus is the envy of his suburb. He’s super smart, very rich, good looking, and the kindest man anyone has ever met. Well, at least that’s the rumor. Everyone talks about Gus as being the number one dad for miles around. He has a big family of 7 kids and because Gus loves them all so much he has prepared a sizable inheritance for each of his children; a million dollars each! However, Gus has made this reward conditional upon good behavior. There’s a long list of high moral standards of which they all must adhere to perfectly. To further complicate the children's quest for the prize, this loving father has published ambiguous, interpretive, allegorical, and even some misleading and contradictory rules. The children would like the inheritance and try their best to be obedient. If any of them ask father for clarification of the one true rules, he just gives them a warm embrace and smiles, but ultimately doesn’t provide a clear answer.

Unfortunately the children’s best efforts were not enough. All but his first born son failed to follow the rules perfectly. The other 6 were generally good kids, but still broke a few rules thus disqualifying them for inheritance. According to the contract, they get nothing. A truly sad story, however, Gus is a very loving father and has formulated a back up plan. He has decided that he can make an exception and forgive the other children only if his innocent and perfect son is tortured, ridiculed, whipped, stabbed, and beaten so badly that he dies. And yet, this is still not a guarantee for the other children, they must also ask for forgiveness and accept their brother’s sacrificial death as a selfish act of love.

At this point I’m sure you have understood the religious analogy I’ve tried to explain. Gus is God and his children is the whole world population. The inheritance is heaven and the perfect son is Jesus with his sacrificial atonement. God is often referred to as our Heavenly Father, so I feel it’s not too much of a stretch to make a comparison to an Earthly Father. I feel this perspective helps make God’s plan more relatable and understandable. Many claim that God is omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omnipresent, with infinite mercy, justice, and truth. He is so incredibly enlightened to the point of being able to create the whole Universe. Considering all his supernatural qualifications and wisdom he decided on a barbaric sacrificial scapegoat as the best plan. Really?! There was no other possible way?

In comparison to God I’m incredibly stupid, but I’d like to propose what my plan would be. First, I would not make my commandments ambiguous and complicated, but rather clear and understandable. If any of my kids had a question, I would thoroughly explain the answer in detail. This would eliminate the need for faith, but as I’ve explained in another article - superstition is not a virtue and neither is faith. Trust can be a valuable attribute, however trust is built on reliability which is not the case with one-time anecdotal spiritual experiences. As a father, I would value skepticism and ensure that all my teachings could be scientifically verified. If for some reason anyone wasn’t informed of a particular rule, I wouldn’t hold them accountable for not knowing. In the end, if anyone knowingly messed up I would still hug my child with all my love and forgive them. As an omniscient being I would know all their deeds and the true intent of their heart. I’d say, “I love you unconditionally. You did so well. I don’t care that you messed up a bit. Welcome to heaven, the greatest place of infinite joy. You will never experience pain and sorrow ever again.” And I certainly would never murder my perfect son as a scapegoat.

The atonement of Jesus Christ is a disgusting, immoral, sadistic, shameful embarrassment. Perhaps, during an ancient and uncivilized time 2,000 years ago, it sounded like a brave and heroic narrative; that’s because the story was imagined long ago before the more advanced intelligence of our current world. Fortunately, it’s just that - a fictional narrative. If the atonement was real I would personally be obligated to reject God’s offering in order to protect my moral integrity. I hope you also understand the terrible flaws of God’s plan and publicly denounce the divine immortality.