Does esoteric Christianity offer a different interpretation of the blood sacrifice at the heart of Christian tradition?
SMOLEY: I certainly agree that the doctrine of vicarious atonement is ridiculous as it is often presented. It asks us to believe that God got very mad at the human race because Adam and Eve ate a piece of fruit in Armenia six thousand years ago. He got so mad, in fact, that the only way he could make it up to himself was to send down a part of himself and have it tortured to death. This is just crazy. And yet there is a profound truth in the story of the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Christ. It would not have spoken so powerfully to so many people if there weren t. The Son of God comes down to earth. He is born, grows, and makes his way in the world, but the world knew him not. He suffers ignominy and pain and death. And yet, in the end, he is not destroyed, but transmuted into a higher form. This is the story of Christ. It s our story, as well. We, too, come down to earth, suffer all the indignities of life, and die in the end. And yet it doesn t matter; we will rise again in a
