The Scapegoat Theory

The scapegoat theory is that the gospels help us understand our own nature and our own scapegoating tendencies. And so, in a way, it's close to the moral influence theory, in we're sort of being saved from ourselves as human beings. We need to follow jesus but not because god needs to be appeased or anything like that. But we need to recognize the violence at the heart of our societies, and then we can move forward and stop and stop the sin. There are lots of people who are exploring more non-violent atonement theories.