Atonement

{{short description|Concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing}}
{{other uses|Atonement (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Expiation}}
'''Atonement''', '''atoning''', or '''making amends''' is the concept of a person taking [[Action (philosophy)|action]] to correct previous [[wrongdoing]] on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other expression of feelings of [[remorse]]. Atonement "is closely associated to [[forgiveness]], [[Conflict resolution|reconciliation]], [[Sorrow (emotion)|sorrow]], [[remorse]], [[repentance]], [[Acts of reparation|reparation]], and [[Guilt (emotion)|guilt]]".<ref name="Williams">Ruth Williams, "Atonement", in David A. Leeming, Kathryn Madden, Stanton Marlan, ''Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion: L-Z'' (2009), p. 83.</ref> It can be seen as a necessary step on a path to [[Redemption (theology)|redemption]].<ref name="Radzik">Linda Radzik, ''Making Amends: Atonement in Morality, Law, and Politics'' (2009).</ref> '''Expiation''' is the related concept of removing guilt, particularly the undoing of sin or other transgressions in religious contexts. 

{{anchor|Etymology}}
==Names==
Atonement and atoning both derive from the verb ''atone'', from the [[Middle English]] ''attone'' or ''atoon'' (meaning "agreed" or "at one").<ref>Niels-erik A. Andreasen, 'Atonement/Expiation in the Old Testament' in W. E. Mills (ed.), ''Mercer dictionary of the Bible'' (Mercer University Press, 1990)</ref> Expiation is likewise related to the verb ''expiate'', from [[Latin language|Latin]] ''expio'' meaning "to atone" or "to purge by sacrifice", from ''ex-'' ("out") and ''pio'' ("to purify", "to make pious").

==In law and society==
In the [[legal systems]], the concept of atonement plays an important role with respect to [[criminal justice]], where it is considered one of the primary goals of criminal rehabilitation.<ref>Theodore Millon, Melvin J. Lerner, Irving B. Weiner, ''Handbook of Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology'' (2003), p. 552.</ref>

==In religion and behavior ==
In religion, atonement is "a spiritual concept which has been studied since time immemorial in Biblical and [[Kabbalistic approaches to the sciences and humanities|Kabbalistic]] texts",<ref name="Williams"/> while "[s]tories of atonement are ubiquitous in religious discourse and the language of atonement fundamentally reveals a redemptive turn".<ref>Paul Wink, Jonathan M. Adler, and Michelle Dillon, "Developmental and narrative perspectives on religious and spiritual identity for clinicians", in Jamie Aten, Kari O'Grady, Everett Worthington, Jr., eds., ''The Psychology of Religion and Spirituality for Clinicians'' (2013), Ch. 3, p. 51.</ref>

Concepts in religion include:
* [[Atonement in Judaism]] - the process of causing a transgression to be forgiven or pardoned. In [[Rabbinic Judaism]], people achieve atonement through [[Repentance in Judaism|repentance]], sometimes followed by some combination of [[Confession in Judaism|confession]], restitution, tribulations (unpleasant life experiences), the experience of dying, or other factors.
** Another aspect of atonement is the occurrence of [[Yom Kippur]] (the day itself, as distinct from the Temple service performed on it), also known as "the Day of Atonement", which is a biblical/Jewish observance.
* [[Atonement in Christianity]], in western [[Christian theology]], describes beliefs that human beings can be reconciled to [[God in Christianity|God]] through [[Christ]]'s sacrificial suffering and [[Crucifixion of Jesus|death]].<ref>"Atonement." Cross, F. L., ed. ''The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church''. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005.</ref> Atonement refers to the forgiving or pardoning of [[Christian views of sin|sin]] in general and [[original sin]] in particular through the suffering, death and [[resurrection of Jesus]],<ref name="CED">[http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/atonement atonement]. CollinsDictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition. Retrieved October 03, 2012: '2. (often capital) ''Christian theol''
 	a. the reconciliation of man with God through the life, sufferings, and sacrificial death of Christ
 	b. the sufferings and death of Christ'.</ref><ref>Matthew George Easton, 'Atonement' in ''Illustrated Bible Dictionary'' (T. Nelson & Sons, 1897).</ref> Throughout the centuries, Christians have used different metaphors and given differing explanations of atonement to express how atonement might work. [[Christian Church|Churches]] and [[Christian denominations|denominations]] may vary in which metaphor or explanation they consider most accurately fits into their theological perspective; however all Christians emphasize that [[Jesus]] is the Saviour of the world and through his death the sins of humanity have been forgiven,<ref>Ward, K. (2007) Christianity – a guide for the perplexed. SPCK, London, p. 48- 51.</ref> enabling the reconciliation between God and [[Genesis creation narrative|his creation]]. Within Christianity there are, historically, three<ref name=Aulen>Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of Atonement, [[Gustaf Aulen]], 1931.</ref> or four<ref>[[Vincent Taylor (theologian)|Vincent Taylor]], ''The Cross of Christ'' (London: Macmillan & Co, 1956), p. 71-2.</ref> main theories for how such atonement might work:
** [[Atonement (ransom view)|Ransom theory]]/[[Atonement (Christus Victor view)|Christus Victor]] (which are different, but generally considered together as Patristic or "classical", to use [[Gustaf Aulén]]'s nomenclature, theories, it being argued that these were the traditional understandings of the early [[Church Fathers]]);
** [[Atonement (satisfaction view)|Satisfaction theory]] developed by [[Anselm of Canterbury]] (called by Aulén the "scholastic" view);
** [[Atonement (moral influence view)|Moral influence theory]], a concept that had been developed by the time of [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], which Aulén called the "subjective" or "humanistic" view and considered to have been anticipated—as a critique of the satisfaction view—by [[Peter Abelard]].
** Other theories include [[Recapitulation theory of atonement|recapitulation theory]], the "shared atonement" theory<ref>In which the atonement is spoken of as shared by all. To wit, God sustains the [[Universe]]. Therefore if [[Incarnation of Christ|Jesus was God in human form]], when he died, we all died with him, and when he rose from the dead, we all rose with him. See Jeremiah, David. 2009. ''Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World,'' pp. 96 & 124. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.; Massengale, Jamey. 2013.''Renegade Gospel, The Jesus Manifold''. Amazon, Kindle.</ref> and [[scapegoat]] theory.
** Additional views include the [[Atonement (governmental view)|governmental view]], [[Atonement (penal substitution view)|penal substitution view]], and [[substitutionary atonement]]
* The [[Nation of Islam]] celebrates a [[Day of Atonement (Nation of Islam)|Day of Atonement]] which the Nation established during the [[Million Man March]] in [[Washington, DC]] on October 16, 1995. It is described{{by whom|date=January 2020}} as a day on which [[United States|American]] [[African American|black men]] would refrain from [[crime]], [[drug addiction]], and family [[abuse]].

Concepts of atonement also exist in other religious views. For example, in [[Indigenous people of the Americas|Native American]] and [[Mestizo]] cultures of the Americas, "[s]ince sin and guilt are among the principal causes of illness and maladjustment... confession, atonement, and absolution are frequent rituals used in treatment. In some cases, atonement is accomplished through prayer or penance; in others, it may involve cleansing the body, accomplished by brushing the body with branches of rosemary or by sprinkling it with holy water".<ref>
Manuel Ramirez III, ''Multicultural/Multiracial Psychology: Mestizo Perspectives in Personality and Mental Health'' (1998), p. 174.
</ref>

Concepts of [[Universality (philosophy)|universal]] atonement can transcend all religions, as in [[unlimited atonement]], the doctrine that the atonement is unlimited in extent, and [[universal reconciliation]], the doctrine that all will eventually come to [[salvation]].

[[Twelve-step program]]s include an atonement or "making amends" phase (steps 8 and 9).

==See also==
* [[Absolution]]
* [[Propitiation]], sometimes conflated with atonement and expiation

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://dspace.sewanee.edu/bitstream/handle/11005/3675/ShippenCritiqueofPenalSOT2016.pdf?sequence=1 A Critique of Penal Substitution Atonement Theory and Its Influence on the American Death Penalty ]

[[Category:Atonement| ]]
[[Category:Religious practices]]