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Salvation: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Salvation
Salvation begins as a response to a universal human condition: the fear of death and the weight of moral failure. Across cultures and millennia, the concept of salvation has emerged as the answer to the terrifying reality that human existence is fragile and often self-destructive. In the ancient world, the boundary between life and death was not merely biological but spiritual, a threshold where the soul could be lost forever to chaos or divine judgment. This fear drove the creation of complex theological systems designed to offer a way out of the inevitable decay of the body and the corruption of the spirit. The word itself, derived from the Latin salvatio, meaning safe or saved, reveals the core intent of these beliefs: deliverance from harm, whether that harm is physical, social, or eternal. The academic study of these deliverance systems, known as soteriology, seeks to map the diverse paths humanity has forged to escape the consequences of its own nature. From the earliest recorded prayers to the most sophisticated philosophical treatises, the quest for salvation remains the defining struggle of religious history, a desperate attempt to secure a future beyond the grave.
The Covenant of Israel
In the ancient Near East, the Jewish understanding of salvation diverged sharply from the individualistic hopes of other cultures by focusing on the collective destiny of a people. Judaism does not subscribe to the doctrine of original sin, which posits that every human is born guilty; instead, it places a high value on individual morality as defined by the Torah, the law given to Moses on biblical Mount Sinai. Salvation in this tradition is closely tied to the idea of redemption, a saving from the states or circumstances that destroy the value of human existence, such as the various exiles suffered by the people of Israel. The first reference to resurrection in Jewish scripture appears in the collective vision of Ezekiel's dry bones, where all the Israelites in exile are resurrected, rather than in individual stories of the afterlife. This belief in the afterlife, in which the dead would be resurrected and undergo divine judgment, is not recorded until after the exile, marking a significant shift in theological thought. The salvation of the individual Jew was inextricably connected to the salvation of the entire people, stemming directly from the teachings of the Torah that expected the community to function together spiritually and be accountable to one another. God, as the universal spirit and Creator of the World, is the source of all salvation for humanity, provided that an individual honors God by observing His precepts, emphasizing that salvation cannot be obtained through anyone else or by just invoking a deity or believing in any outside power or influence.
The word salvation is derived from the Latin salvatio, meaning safe or saved. This etymology reveals the core intent of these beliefs as deliverance from harm, whether that harm is physical, social, or eternal.
How does Judaism define salvation compared to other cultures?
Judaism focuses on the collective destiny of a people rather than individualistic hopes and does not subscribe to the doctrine of original sin. Salvation in this tradition is closely tied to the idea of redemption and is inextricably connected to the salvation of the entire people through the teachings of the Torah.
What is the central belief of Christianity regarding salvation?
Christianity centers the entire divine plan on the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ, which formed the climax of a strategy conceived by God before the creation of the world. For Christians, salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross was the once-for-all sacrifice that atoned for the sin of humanity.
How do Indian religions define the state of salvation?
In the Indian subcontinent, salvation takes a form that is entirely self-attained, focusing on liberation from the sañsāra, the cycle of rebirth perpetuated by passions and delusions. The word moksha, meaning liberation, or mukti, meaning release, describes a state and the conditions considered necessary for its realization.
What are the five pillars of Islam required for salvation?
The religion is built on five principles that are mandatory acts of worship, including testifying that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Messenger, offering compulsory prayers, paying Zakat to the poor and needy, performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, and observing fast during the month of Ramadhan.
How does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints view salvation for the dead?
The Church presents a unique plan of salvation that extends the opportunity for redemption to all humankind, whether they choose to accept the grace of Jesus Christ in this life or in the world of spirits of the dead. Members perform vicarious work for the dead in sacred temples to allow them to receive salvation on the same terms as the living.
Christianity introduced a radical shift in the history of salvation by centering the entire divine plan on the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ, which formed the climax of a strategy conceived by God before the creation of the world. For Christians, salvation is only possible through Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross was the once-for-all sacrifice that atoned for the sin of humanity, a concept known as the atonement. The Apostle Paul declared everyone to be under sin, Jew and Gentile alike, creating a universal predicament from which only the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus could deliver them. This belief system assumes that human existence on Earth is given to sin, and salvation has connotations that deal with the liberation of human beings from sin and the sufferings associated with the punishment of sin, often summarized by the phrase that the wages of sin are death. The Christian religion has given the idea of redemption a special definiteness and a dominant position, assuming an important position only when the ills in question form part of a great system against which human power is helpless. While some differences are as widespread as Christianity itself, the overwhelming majority agree that salvation is made possible by the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dying on the cross, creating fault lines that divide denominations such as Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism over issues of depravity, predestination, and justification.
The Cycle of Rebirth
In the Indian subcontinent, the concept of salvation took a form that was entirely self-attained, focusing on liberation from the sañsāra, the cycle of rebirth perpetuated by passions and delusions and its resulting karma. Unlike the Abrahamic faiths, which often emphasize a relationship with a creator God, Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism view salvation as a state of being free from suffering, achieved through disciplines like yoga and dhyana, or meditation. In Theravada Buddhism, the emphasis is on one's own liberation from samsara, while the Mahayana traditions emphasize the bodhisattva path, in which each Buddha and Bodhisattva is a redeemer, assisting the Buddhist in seeking to achieve the redemptive state. The word moksha, meaning liberation, or mukti, meaning release, describes a state and the conditions considered necessary for its realization, described in early texts such as the Upanishads and the Pāli Canon. Nirvana, the profound peace of mind acquired with moksha, is the state of being free from suffering, and in the Buddhist context, refers to the blowing out of the fires of desire, aversion, and delusion, and the imperturbable stillness of mind acquired thereafter. In Jainism, salvation, moksha, and nirvana are one and the same, requiring the annihilation of all karmas, good and bad, because if karma is left, it must bear fruit, allowing the soul to become a siddha, one who has accomplished his ultimate objective.
The Five Pillars of Submission
Islam defines salvation as the eventual entrance to Paradise, a state reserved for those who die believing in the one God, known as the Tawhid, and who have submitted to His will through specific acts of worship. The Islamic tradition teaches that no one can gain salvation simply by virtue of their belief or deeds but by the mercy of God, though repentance must not be used to sin any further. Islam describes a true believer to have Love of God and Fear of God, and teaches that every person is responsible for their own sins, with the Quran stating that a child is born sinless regardless of the belief of their parents. The religion is built on five principles, acts of worship that are mandatory, and not performing them may deprive Muslims of the chance of salvation. These pillars include testifying that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Messenger, offering compulsory prayers dutifully and perfectly, paying Zakat to the poor and needy, performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, and observing fast during the month of Ramadhan. The concept of Tawhid consists of two parts: believing in the attributes of God and attributing them to no other but God, and directing worship, prayer, or deed to God and God only, ensuring that no intercessor is required to communicate with or worship God.
The Plan of Exaltation
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presents a unique plan of salvation that extends the opportunity for redemption to all humankind, whether they choose to accept the grace of Jesus Christ in this life or in the world of spirits of the dead. Since most people die without doing the necessary works, the Church preaches that if they accept Christ, sincerely repent of their sins, and accept ordinances done on their behalf, they can receive salvation on the same terms as the living. Members of the Church perform vicarious work for the dead in sacred temples, drawing from various sources including the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. This doctrine emphasizes that salvation is not merely a passive state but an active process that begins when a person first becomes a Christian, continues through that person's life, and is completed when they stand before Christ in judgment. The plan of salvation is God's plan to save, redeem, and exalt all humankind who chose, either in this life, or in the world of spirits of the dead, to accept the grace of Jesus Christ by faith in him, repenting of their sins, and by making and keeping sacred covenants, including baptism.
The Taoist Immortal
While early Taoism had no understanding of the concept of salvation, later in Taoist history, salvation became a major part of beliefs about it, focusing on the transformation of the self into an immortal being. Things one could do to be saved was to pray, offer sacrifices, and/or become a xian, an immortal who transcends the limitations of ordinary human existence. This evolution in Taoist thought reflects a broader trend in religious history where the concept of salvation expands to include not just spiritual deliverance but physical and metaphysical transformation. The Taoist approach to salvation differs from the Abrahamic and Indian traditions by emphasizing the cultivation of the self and the alignment with the natural order of the universe, rather than a relationship with a creator God or the breaking of a cycle of rebirth. The goal is to achieve a state of harmony and longevity that mirrors the eternal nature of the Tao, the fundamental principle that is the source of all existence. This path requires a deep understanding of the natural world and the ability to navigate the complexities of human life with wisdom and detachment, ultimately leading to a state of being that is free from the constraints of mortality.