A comparative study of Christian doctrine in the interpretation of AL-Minar and AL-Mizan regarding the Atonement teaching

Atonement teaching is one of the most important and fundamental doctrines of the Christians which has a vital connection with the "original sin" (Romans 5, 12-20) and has been admitted by the main three sects of Christianity. This teaching expresses how to save mankind from the original sin, and is of such importance that without belief in the teaching, other Christianity teachings lose their importance. There are several interpretations of this teaching among which the Anselm's theory is the most famous one. According to this theory, all humans became sinful due to the Adam's sin. From the one hand, God's justice demands the punishment of man for the sin, and on the other hand His absolute mercy requires Him to save man with salvation. Hence, Jesus Christ as a man of God, in order to atone for Adam's sin and salvation, came onto the earth and was crucified. Sacrificing basic components are as follows: 1. The original sin of Adam (AS) 2-belief in Adam's original sin. 3. Man's original sin 4. The outcome of any sin: eternal death 5. Conflict between God’s mercy and justice outcome of any sin 6. Being human and God at the same (incarnation) 7. Sociability of anthropomorphic God with men 8. crucified and accursed God 8. 9-Jesus as an atonement to sins of believers even the whole world. This theory has been met with criticism Muslim and Christian scholars. Rashid Reza and Allameh Tabatabai review on the components of this theory. AL-Mizan draws all components of atonement in to criticism, but the most criticism of AL-menar is about the conflict of mercy and justice of God. This survey has examined the contiguity of AL-Menar and AL-Mizan about atonement theory. Based on the findings of this article, Rashid Reza has confined to rational criticism; while Allameh on the base of verse by verse interpretation of the Quran, with a rational approach, has been challenged “atonement”. Clarifying of AL-Manar and AL-Mizan from atonement concept are the same and adapted with Anselm's Compensation theory. Alalameh in denying that Adam sinned by eating forbidden fruit, brings two Quranic reasons: guidance of prohibition and being innocent of Adam. From the point of AL-Mizan view, the Quranic reason to pass the original sin of Adam is his repentance and the acceptance of it by God.(AL-Baqarah37). In the respestion of Quran, it is not correct to punish all humans due to a person’s sin.(Al-Najm:38-39) All sins are not equal, and every sin does not lead to eternal perdition because there are different views toward sins in the Quran, some are deadly sins and some are minor.(Al-Nesa/31) Some have mercy and forgiveness, but some cannot be forgiven like the polytheism which has not been forgiven without repentance.(Ibid/41) Adam’s disagreement with the forbidden fruit is not like infidelity and polytheism which has perpetual suffering and destruction. God's justice does not contradict his amnesty, but forgiveness is the greatest virtue. As God is free to punish the guilty, he can forgive him. Rashid Reza about the component of conflict between mercy and justice of God believes that sacrifice/atonement teaching requires the acceptance of ignorance of God. This means that when he created Adam(AS) he did not know Adam could commit a sin, and when Adam commit the sin, God did not know the requirements of justice and mercy. Until thousands of years after the creation of Adam with the incarnation of Jesus came to the conclusion how justice and mercy gather. Not only is God powerless to collect his mercy and justice, but with Christ's crucifixion these two attributes of God have been deprived. AL- Mizan in criticism embodiment says the incarnation of God is impossible. Due to this idea, creator of this world has to deliver by a woman! And has to change to a human; so all traits of a man, happen to him. Then his enemies captivate him angrily and robbers take him to cling on. God is innocent of these things. It is impossible God has children (Al-Baqarah, 117). Jesus is not the Son of God, he is a man like other men. (Al-maeedeh, 75). He was worshiping God (Al-Nissa, 172) and calling people to worship God (Al-Maeedeh, 72). Allameh in criticism of the components that Jesus is the sins of believers portrays that the necessity of being sacrifice, is futility of laws and canons and unreal divine punishment. If the only way to salvation is to sacrifice of Jesus Christ canonization laws before, during and after Christ will be in vain and there will not be legislation aimed correctly. Also, based on the guidelines of the Quran, one by following or not following the laws instructions, provides esoteric truths of the attributes of a virtuous or vicious evil in his soul, and these facts underline the blessing or penalty of hereafter, showed in the heaven and hell. And the reality of heaven and hell is proximity and distance from God. So good deeds and sins rely on true affairs that have real system not credit one. Rashid Reza considers intercession as a sacrifice and denies it; but, Allameh, meanwhile explaining the essential difference between sacrifice and intercession, calls Jesus as an intercessor not sacrifice through the Quran.