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[[Image:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Acim_small.jpg|right|frame]] A further point must be perfectly [[clear]] before any residual [[fear]] still associated with [[miracles]] can disappear. [[The crucifixion]] did not establish the [[Atonement]]; [[the resurrection]] did. Many [[sincere]] Christians have misunderstood this. No one who is free of the [[belief]] in [[scarcity]] could possibly make this mistake. If the [[crucifixion]] is seen from an upside-down point of view, it does appear as if [[God]] permitted and even encouraged one of His Sons to [[suffer]] because he was [[good]]. This particularly unfortunate [[interpretation]], which arose out of [[projection]], has led many people to be bitterly [[afraid]] of God. Such anti-religious concepts enter into many religions. Yet the real [[Christian]] should pause and ask, "How could this be?" Is it likely that God Himself would be capable of the kind of [[thinking]] which His Own words have clearly stated is unworthy of His Son? The best [[defense]], as always, is not to attack another's [[position]], but rather to protect the [[truth]]. It is unwise to [[accept]] any concept if you have to invert a whole [[frame of reference]] in order to justify it. This procedure is [[painful]] in its minor applications and genuinely [[tragic]] on a wider scale. [[Persecution]] frequently results in an attempt to "justify" the terrible misperception that God Himself persecuted His Own Son on behalf of [[salvation]]. The very words are meaningless. It has been particularly difficult to overcome this because, although the [[error]] itself is no harder to [[correct]] than any other, many have been unwilling to give it up in view of its prominent [[value]] as a defense. In milder forms a [[parent]] says, "This hurts me more than it hurts you," and feels exonerated in beating a child. Can you believe [[our Father]] really thinks this way? It is so essential that all such thinking be dispelled that we must be sure that nothing of this kind remains in your [[mind]]. I was not "punished" because you were bad. The wholly benign lesson the [[Atonement]] teaches is lost if it is tainted with this kind of [[distortion]] in any form. The statement "[[Vengeance]] is mine, sayeth the Lord" is a misperception by which one assigns his own "[[evil]]" past to God. The "evil" past has nothing to do with God. He did not create it and He does not maintain it. [[God]] does not [[believe]] in [[retribution]]. His Mind does not create that way. He does not hold your "evil" deeds against you. Is it likely that He would hold them against me? Be very sure that you recognize how utterly impossible this [[assumption]] is, and how entirely it arises from [[projection]]. This kind of error is responsible for a host of related errors, including the [[belief]] that God [[rejected]] [[Adam]] and forced him out of the [[Garden of Eden]]. It is also why you may believe from time to time that I am misdirecting you. I have made every [[effort]] to use words that are almost impossible to distort, but it is always possible to twist [[symbols]] around if you wish. [[Sacrifice]] is a notion totally [[unknown]] to [[God]]. It arises solely from [[fear]], and frightened people can be vicious. Sacrificing in any way is a violation of my injunction that you should be [[merciful]] even as y[[our Father]] in Heaven is merciful. It has been hard for many [[Christians]] to realize that this applies to themselves. Good [[teachers]] never [[terrorize]] their [[students]]. To terrorize is to [[attack]], and this results in [[rejection]] of what the teacher offers. The result is learning [[failure]]. I have been correctly referred to as "the lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world," [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Gospel_of_john#Chapter_1] but those who represent the lamb as blood-stained do not understand the [[meaning]] of the [[symbol]]. Correctly understood, it is a very simple symbol that speaks of my [[innocence]]. The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Hicks lion and the lamb] lying down together symbolize that [[strength]] and [[innocence]] are not in [[conflict]], but naturally live in [[peace]]. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Gospel_of_Matthew#Chapter_5 ] is another way of saying the same thing. A [[pure mind]] knows the [[truth]] and this is its strength. It does not [[confuse]] destruction with innocence because it associates innocence with strength, not with [[weakness]]. [[Innocence]] is incapable of sacrificing anything, because the innocent [[mind]] has [[everything]] and strives only to protect its [[wholeness]]. It cannot [[project]]. It can only [[honor]] other minds, because honor is the natural greeting of the truly loved to others who are like them. The lamb "taketh away the sins of the world" in the sense that the state of [[innocence]], or [[grace]], is one in which the [[meaning]] of the [[Atonement]] is perfectly apparent. The Atonement is entirely unambiguous. It is perfectly clear because it exists in [[light]]. Only the attempts to shroud it in [[darkness]] have made it inaccessible to those who do not [[choose]] to see. The [[Atonement]] itself radiates nothing but [[truth]]. It therefore epitomizes harmlessness and sheds only [[blessing]]. It could not do this if it arose from anything but [[perfect]] [[innocence]]. Innocence is [[wisdom]] because it is unaware of [[evil]], and evil does not exist. It is, however, perfectly aware of [[everything]] that is true. [[The resurrection]] demonstrated that nothing can destroy [[truth]]. [[Good]] can withstand any form of [[evil]], as [[light]] abolishes forms of [[darkness]]. The Atonement is therefore the perfect lesson. It is the final [[demonstration]] that all the other lessons I taught are true. If you can [[accept]] this one generalization now, there will be no need to learn from many smaller lessons. You are released from all [[errors]] if you [[believe]] this. The [[innocence]] of God is the true [[state]] of the [[mind]] of His Son. In this state your mind knows [[God]], for God is not [[symbolic]]; He is [[Fact]]. Knowing His Son as he is, you realize that the [[Atonement]], not [[sacrifice]], is the only appropriate gift for God's [[altar]], where nothing except [[perfection]] belongs. The [[understanding]] of the innocent is truth. That is why their altars are truly [[radiant]]. [[Category: Chapter 3 - The Innocent Perception]] [[Category: Atonement]] [[Category: Sacrifice]]

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