Blood Atonement
Leviticus 17:10 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, that eateth any manner of blood, I will set My face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the life. 12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel: No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood.
Rather than demanding blood for the forgiveness of sin, this verse is simply prohibiting the consumption of blood and giving the reason why. It is similar to:
Leviticus 3:16 And the priest shall make them smoke upon the altar; it is the food of the offering made by fire, for a sweet savour; all the fat is the L-rd's. 17 It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye shall eat neither fat nor blood.
Simply stated, "Blood is reserved for atonement1", yet atonement is not reserved (or limited to) blood.
Consider it thusly: Gasoline is used in engines, yet not all engines use gasoline.
Is atonement likewise in the fat? The "NT" doesn't mention Jesus having his kidneys removed during the "sacrificial" process and the fat surrounding them offered on the altar. Not to be morbid, but, bleeding is a minor complication of crucifixion, not the manner of death (which is in fact suffocation). I read once that the typical blood loss during this terrible type execution is 70cc. The human body contains over 100 times that (12 to 16 pints at 476cc/pint). The sacrificial animal, on the other hand, was bled completely and its blood dashed upon the altar.
Jesus was not a kosher sacrifice. Jesus actually lost little blood during his execution and not a drop of it was poured upon the altar as required by the Torah. Many of the sacrifices did not require any blood at all: the half shekel "To make atonement for your souls" (Exodus 30:15), the DAY of atonement where the day itself brings forgiveness (Leviticus 23:28), and the scapegoat's release live into the wilderness "To make atonement" (Leviticus 16:10) are but a few examples. Forgiveness of sin does not require blood, it requires repentance (Jeremiah 26:13, Ezekiel 14:6-7 and 18:30, Joel 2:13, Hosea 6:6), restitution when possible and acts of kindness.
Finally, there simply are no sacrifices which atone for intentional sin. None. All of the sacrifices atoned only for unintentional sin and, in reality, cleansed the Holy Place from the effect of man's sin (separation from G-d). One need only review Leviticus 16, Deuteronomy 21 and Deuteronomy 23:14 to realize it is the Holy Place that is cleansed by the sacrifices, not man.
Only repentance and restitution causes G-d's forgiveness for intentional sin. So even if Jesus' death could be considered the ultimate sacrifice, it would still leave his followers with their intentional sins and their unrepented sins unforgiven. See salvation tab for more information:
While I have no doubt Jesus (like Buddha and Joesph Smith) has saved many a man and women from themselves, he cannot save anyone from their sins. G-d alone is our savior, there is none other.
1 Contra Brown, p37