Atonement
The blood atonement is a controversial doctrine of Brigham Young , the second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints was promulgated. It says that sin against the Holy Spirit can be atoned for by the shedding of the sinner's blood. The sinner's blood should drip onto the ground and seep away.
concept
According to Mormon doctrine, the blood of Jesus Christ atones for the sins of all who are ready to repent, but for those who “ blaspheme against the Holy Spirit ” that alone is not enough; Murder and adultery are considered to be such blasphemies against the Holy Spirit. Those who have sinned against the Holy Spirit are therefore regarded by the Mormons as "sons of perdition" who are excluded from the kingdoms of glory after death and are cast into "utter darkness". Brigham Young developed this idea further on September 21, 1856 by having it spread:
“There are sins committed by people that cannot be forgiven in this world or the world to come. And if they had opened their eyes to see their true condition, they would be perfectly ready to shed their blood on the ground so that its smoke might rise to heaven as a sacrifice for their sins, for if not so Should this be the case, these will remain with them in the spirit world. "
“There are sins that can be atoned for by sacrificing on an altar, as in the old days, and there are sins for which the blood of a lamb, a calf or a wild pigeon cannot bring about forgiveness, for these must go with the blood of a person to be atoned for. "
Since Brigham Young's view of the blood atonement is not today confirmed as official doctrine by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it has been forgotten and largely unknown to today's members. Also, after Brigham Young, there have been no official publications from Church headquarters or clear statements from church authorities that have confirmed this doctrine to be true. Critics, however, refer to isolated statements by earlier church leaders, which apologists believe are not entirely clear in this regard.
Likewise, it is sometimes speculative that Brigham Young's statements had an impact on Utah's federal penitentiary system , since until 2004 that state “offered” shooting alongside lethal injection as a method of execution of the death penalty from which the convict could choose . However, it can be countered by the fact that in the past there were several states in the USA that allowed shooting as a method of execution, and that today there are two other states that have not yet renounced shooting.
Likewise, some critics of Young believe that this teaching was responsible for some of the murders of apostate Churches at the time. However, there is no definitive evidence for this.
In 1978 Bruce R. McConkie , a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles , wrote an open letter under the direction of Church President Spencer W. Kimball , in which he stated that Young's statements did not relate to the present or then, but to the Time of Moses and Biblical Israel.
Individual evidence
- ^ Brigham Young sermon, Journal of Discourses, Volume 4, pp. 53–53. Also in Deseret News, October 1, 1856, p. 235
- ↑ Bruce R. McConkie to Thomas B. McAffee, October 18, 1978. , shields-research.org.