So, why did Jesus have to die?

[Hagoth]

For me, I have to start with Paul....

It seems to me that Paul took something that he recognized as having a lot more potential than was being realized and commandeered/reinvented it with an eye to franchising.

[dogbite]

He certainly is not preacing in harmony with the gospels nor what Christianity became.

But of course, he predates those ideas.

[Gatorbait]

The idea of Jesus being sent from God the Father to be sacrificed has never really set well with me or made any sense. How this concept ever got woven into Mormonism is beyond me.

I think it hitched a ride on the Protestantism that Mormonism grew out of.

St. Augustine kind of solidified the narrative in the 4th century that because Adam ate the fruit all men live in a fallen state until we do special magic that allows Jesus to redeemed us with his blood. That became central to Protestantism and took precedent over papal authority, and was part of the package that Mormonism accepted as fundamental.

Then, like everything else, Joseph and friends took it up a notch with the idea multiple probationary states, that is only spoken of in whispers. Now, if you sufficiently prove yourself worthy, you get to be an Adam in another universe, then a Jesus, and then you get to be an Elohim in the universe that you build and send your own kid to die. One eternal freakin' round.

Spot on Haggoth. Best explanation I've heard. Many thanks. Especially loved the last paragraph.

[2bizE]

I also believe this is a manufactured event. Over time, people started making stuff up…Christ’s death was upgraded to also a resurrection…then time goes on and the atonement was added….this process continued as Joseph Smith invented some special Mormon theology using the rock and a hat trick…RMN and his fantastic spiraling airplane of death….it seems to be a trait of humans.