The Moral-Example Theory (Moral-Influence Theory)

by | Sep 21, 2021 | Theory

Select one of the following theories of atonement that most closely resembles your experience of what
happens through the death and resurrection of Jesus that “saves” us. If you are not a believer, find someone
who is a believer, listen to their story, and then decide which theory of atonement best describes their
experience. If you are using another person’s story, you will write the part about personal experience from their
perspective.
Note: The theories of atonement listed below may differ slightly from the corresponding theories in the
textbook; however, please select from one of the theories on this list. You may use material from the textbook
where the theories correspond to each other. There are also theories listed here that are NOT in the textbook.
Where possible, links have been included for further research.
Once you have selected the theory of atonement on which you will write, provide the following information:

  1. Define or describe your chosen theory of atonement in your own words. Be specific about what “happens” to
    the believer that brings about salvation. In other words, what is the catalyst that takes place that results in a
    believer being saved? Another way to think about this question is determining what Jesus accomplishes on our
    behalf. (10 points)
  2. Describe any historic background (Names, Dates, Councils, or Church Traditions, if any) or scriptures that
    point to this theory. In other words, put it in context and let me know from where this theory came. (5 points)
  3. Using your personal testimony (or the testimony of someone you know), describe how you experienced the
    gift of salvation through this particular view of the atonement. (5 points)
  4. What difference does salvation through this in this manner have on how the believer lives? (5 points)
    Note: Be sure to provide responses to each of the four items above!
    Selected Theory:
    • The Moral-Example Theory (or Moral-Influence Theory): Christ died to influence mankind toward moral
    improvement. This theory denies that Christ died to satisfy any principle of divine justice, but teaches instead
    that His death was designed to greatly impress mankind with a sense of God’s love, resulting in softening their
    hearts and leading them to repentance. Thus, the Atonement is not directed towards God with the purpose of
    maintaining His justice, but towards man with the purpose of persuading him to right action. Formulated by
    Peter Abelard (1079-1142) partially in reaction against Anselm’s Satisfaction theory, this view was held by the
    16th century Socinians. Versions of it can be found later in F. D. E. Schleiermacher (1768-1834) and Horace
    Bushnell (1802-1876).
    Course Textbook:
    Jones, Beth Felker. Practicing Christian Doctrine: An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically. Grand
    Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014. ISBN: 978-0-8010-4933-0

Sample Solution

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

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