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Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (Galatians 6:7) |
On a certain day, we were watching a Brazilian movie called O Auto da Compadecida, when we heard the following dialogue of a bishop with a robber, who was about to shoot him, along with a priest:
Robber: - Before I shoot I want your absolution.
Bishop: - But to be forgiven you must repent first and give up killing us.
Robber (with sarcasm): - I’ll repent later!
This dialogue suggests us some reflections: Why was the robber so sure that, after killing people, he would be forgiven without responding for his acts? What made him so sure that he could postpone his repentance to after the assassinations? The answer is found in a theology preached by the Christian churches for centuries, known as Salvation by Grace.
Generally, it says that the sinner, once repented, that confessed his sins and accepted Jesus Christ, would be forgiven for all sins without having to respond for their crimes or repair the damages caused to others. That God, merciful, would not obligate the former sinner to the humiliation of having to pay for his sins and repair any injury caused to other.
But the practical result is that this doctrine, in principle well intentioned, instead of containing the evil, is used as an indirect justification for any kind of sin committed by its followers. A robber, if a Christian believer, can always postpone his repentance for one day, and one more and more ... and in the meantime to give unlimited flow to all his bad passions.
This situation is more serious than it appears at first sight. If we look at the past, we’ll probably find in the doctrine of Salvation by Grace the basic justification for the worst atrocities committed by Christians in all times.
Some other doctrines, such as Spiritism, argue strongly that the doctrine of Salvation by Grace is a child illusion; that all repentant, even repented, will have to expiate and repair all the sins that they practiced until "the last penny", as Jesus said; and who practiced more evil, more will have to repair. Because of these teachings and others, Spiritism is declared as a work of Devil. Let’s check, then, from the point of view of Goodness, Justice and Divine Mercy, if Salvation by Grace supports a logic examination.
We know that God is Good, Just and Merciful (with capital letters). Would it be injustice from the part of God if He charged each one what is owed? Would it be unfair that a thief caught in theft were obliged to repay their victims what was stolen? Would it be unfair that criminals suffered a penalty, proportionally to the offense practiced? The creditor might refrain from levying the debt, but he wouldn’t be unfair if he did it. Moreover, he would be unfair if he didn’t levy some people while levying others.
Some people say that the fact of God charging every person for their sins after repented, even not being an injustice, it would be a lack of goodness and mercy. But at the same time they propose that all those who, even being good and fair, don’t accept the particular Christians’ "god", in other words - Jesus Christ - be condemned to an eternity of torments and distance from God. These people have strange notions of Goodness, Justice and Divine Mercy. The "God" of such Christians doesn’t seem to be so fair on distributing rewards and punishments.
Let’s still analyze the consequences of this doctrine for the righteous and the sinners here, in this life. What does the Salvation by Grace mean to that person of a few sins, to the one that make efforts to live according the precepts of Christ? It means nothing! The righteous doesn’t need the free pardon because he doesn’t sin. But then it will be said: "There is no righteous! We are all sinners!" We agree. But there are those whose sins will result in an insignificant punishment/repairing, being the Salvation by Grace useless and meaningless to them.
On the other hand, for a person full of sins and tended to sin, like the robber of the movie, the Salvation by Grace is an incentive for bad acts. Imagine being able to do whatever we want and then being forgiven for free in a confessional, in exchange for some "Lord’s Prayer" and some "Hail Mary"? The Protestant churches, then, don’t even require it. Then we realize that the Salvation by Grace provides justification for the sinners, while is inutile for the righteous. To accept it would be to say that God encourages sins. It works as a Father who spoils their children, always passing hand on their heads when they make mistakes rather than educates them, while He is not able to reward the good children.
It’s for these reasons that we believe that this doctrine is a leprosy that corrodes our societies and, if it depended on our opinion, it would be definitively eradicated from the theology of every religion, Christian or not.
Rafael Gasparini Moreira
Paulínia/São Paulo - Brazil
e-mail: rafael.gasparini@gmail.com
May/2007
(revised in Dec/2007)
Note: This is a non-professional translation made by Rafael Gasparini Moreira, with the help of Google Language Tools (Portuguese to English). We tried to do our best and we think this translation is faithful to the original, although some people could think it could be in a better English. English speakers are welcome to send suggestions to improve this translation. Contact us by the e-mail: opiniao@opiniaoespirita.org.