Animal sacrifice: out of fashion

[an anarchist]

Religious animal sacrifice seems to be out of practice, at least in my part of the world.

If you read the Old Testament, numerous characters partake in copious amounts of animal scarifice, such as David and Solomon. I was also reading that animal sacrifice use to be a pagan practice as well.

So, first off, with the Jews, they simply don't sacrifice amymore because there is a mosque in place of where they think their temple for sacrificing should be, right? But, if they had their proper temple, they would resume animal sacrifice. Do I have that right?

What about Pagans? Pagan practice was interrupted for centuries so we aren't really sure the exact mechanics of old school paganism. But they use to sacrifice animals, at least according to my book. My book was saying "We DON'T sacrifice animals nowadays!" And it got me thinking... Why?

I would never want to sacrifice animals. Hell, I eventually want to be vegan or vegetarian so I can live a life where I'm not partaking in animal murder.

Perhaps society has evolved more? There are arguments for this. Slavery is a thing of the past and stuff like that. Society would no longer accept mass animal sacrifice to an imagined deity probably. I don't know for sure.

Are humans in a position to dictate what practices are acceptable? Let's say a god wants animal sacrifice, are we in a position to say no? I think so.

 

[dybmh]

Regarding Jews, some of us would absolutley reinstitute animal sacrifices, and some of us think it's barbaric and hope it never happens again.

I'm in the pro-sacrifice camp. I'm a meat eater, so, why not? For other anti-sacrifice meat eating Jews, I don't think they have any valid reason to prohibit the rest of us from doing sacrifices. But def veggies/vegans make good points and I can understand and appreciate their point of view.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Regarding Jews, some of us would absolutley reinstitute animal sacrifices, and some of us think it's barbaric and hope it never happens again.

I'm in the pro-sacrifice camp. I'm a meat eater, so, why not? For other anti-sacrifice meat eating Jews, I don't think they have any valid reason to prohibit the rest of us from doing sacrifices. But def veggies/vegans make good points and I can understand and appreciate their point of view.

Meat eating was quite a racket for the priests.

Having all the best parts of the animals for themselves.

 

[dybmh]

Meat eating was quite a racket for the priests.

Having all the best parts of the animals for themselves.

It was a ton of work. Do you know what's involved in being a temple priest?

And, of course.... Hee-hee. You have to work on all the holidays.

 

[ChristineM]

Take a look at "halal meat" and how it is ritually sacrificed

 

[Callisto]

What about Pagans? Pagan practice was interrupted for centuries so we aren't really sure the exact mechanics of old school paganism. But they use to sacrifice animals, at least according to my book. My book was saying "We DON'T sacrifice animals nowadays!" And it got me thinking... Why?

Many Pagans do make food offerings it's just done differently as the majority of modern Pagans don't know the first thing about butchery nor live in a way that would accommodate that offering style. However, some Pagans do, such as those who are hunters and/or run farms. These are people by practice and livelihood already know proper, humane ways of doing so.

You're better off balancing any modern books marketed to modern Pagans with actual primary (ancient texts) and secondary (academic) sources. I find most modern pagan books to be inadequately researched and usually put forth the person's way of going about things as "fact" which is often not very factual or is a simplistic interpretation of something factual.

Most sacrifices were done on a community level as, obviously, the entire society was polytheistic. We don't have such communities and a main aspect of ancient offerings doesn't exist for us. Specifically, sacrifices provided spiritual and practical purposes. Not only was it an offering to the gods but whereas most of the population was poor, it was the wealthy citizens who donated the animals, and what wasn't offered to the gods was then distributed to the masses. It served the additional material purpose of adding protein to people's diets. No one today needs to sacrifice multiple livestock nor has the room to burn several tons of meat. Not to mention just one cow is about 2,000 lbs and will cost you $3K. Add the fact your average person has never cut anything more than a prepackaged steak from the supermarket and lives in an apartment, it's impractical, dangerous, and wholly unnecessary. But modern Pagans also don't make other offerings in the same manner or scale as done in ancient times either, no one's offering gallons of wine, mead, oil, honey, etc., dozens of bread loaves or acres of produce.

But that doesn't mean you can't purchase meat cuts and make offerings, nonetheless. If you have the means to be particular, opt for organic meats and/or from animals not given antibiotics. Depending on where you live, there may be a farm that raises and processes its own meats.

 

[ajay0]

Animal sacrifice in India came to an end primarily through the efforts of Buddha and Mahavira, the founders of Buddhism and Jainism.

Nonviolence and vegetarianism had been emphasized and extolled in Hinduism as meritorious, and practiced during Hindu festivals and periods of austerities. But it was the Buddha and Mahavira who helped to bring a tangible change in Indian society to this end.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Religious animal sacrifice seems to be out of practice, at least in my part of the world.

If you read the Old Testament, numerous characters partake in copious amounts of animal scarifice, such as David and Solomon. I was also reading that animal sacrifice use to be a pagan practice as well.

So, first off, with the Jews, they simply don't sacrifice amymore because there is a mosque in place of where they think their temple for sacrificing should be, right? But, if they had their proper temple, they would resume animal sacrifice. Do I have that right?

What about Pagans? Pagan practice was interrupted for centuries so we aren't really sure the exact mechanics of old school paganism. But they use to sacrifice animals, at least according to my book. My book was saying "We DON'T sacrifice animals nowadays!" And it got me thinking... Why?

I would never want to sacrifice animals. Hell, I eventually want to be vegan or vegetarian so I can live a life where I'm not partaking in animal murder.

Perhaps society has evolved more? There are arguments for this. Slavery is a thing of the past and stuff like that. Society would no longer accept mass animal sacrifice to an imagined deity probably. I don't know for sure.

Are humans in a position to dictate what practices are acceptable? Let's say a god wants animal sacrifice, are we in a position to say no? I think so.

Are there no muslims where you live?
The end of Ramadan is traditionally celebrated with the ritual slaughter / sacrifice of goats or sheep.

It's actually a big social/political talking point every year over here in Belgium... because the practice lives in very shady grey area's of the law in terms of animal rights etc.

 

[1213]

Religious animal sacrifice seems to be out of practice, at least in my part of the world.

If you read the Old Testament, numerous characters partake in copious amounts of animal scarifice, such as David and Solomon. I was also reading that animal sacrifice use to be a pagan practice as well.

So, first off, with the Jews, they simply don't sacrifice amymore because there is a mosque in place of where they think their temple for sacrificing should be, right? But, if they had their proper temple, they would resume animal sacrifice. Do I have that right?
...

The Biblical practice of animal sacrificing is interesting. It was basically like a barbecue feast, people ate the best part of it and burned the rest. I don't think it is wrong, unless done with bad reasons.

 

[Callisto]

The Biblical practice of animal sacrificing is interesting. It was basically like a barbecue feast, people ate the best part of it and burned the rest. I don't think it is wrong, unless done with bad reasons.

An interesting side note: a practice identical to that of the pre-Christian Greeks, first described by Hesiod in Theogony.

 

[Twilight Hue]

The Biblical practice of animal sacrificing is interesting. It was basically like a barbecue feast, people ate the best part of it and burned the rest. I don't think it is wrong, unless done with bad reasons.

It's why I see it as a racket.

Porterhouse, Ribeye, T bone , and strip for the priests.

Flank and sirloin for the rest of the rabble.

 

[dybmh]

It's why I see it as a racket.

Porterhouse, Ribeye, T bone , and strip for the priests.

Flank and sirloin for the rest of the rabble.

So I guess you ignored what I said previously. Why is that?

 

[Quintessence]

To add to @Callisto 's excellent commentary, it's important to consider the cultural and historical context of the practice.

Until very recently, humans were subsisting off the land directly and in regular, close contact with other-than-human beings. When agriculture was developed, the vast majority of humans maintained that close contact. This creates a very different context for the relationship between humans and other-than-human beings. It is important to bear this in mind when thinking about "animal sacrifice" because our modern, highly domesticated ways of life are very detached from how our species lived for the vast majority of its existence.

That said, for the reasons @Callisto already outlined I don't recommend bringing this practice into the modern day unless you life a lifestyle more in keeping with that of our ancestors (aka, you own a farm or hunt). Plant sacrifice (rarely termed as such) is a much more reasonable and attainable goal for modern Pagans. There is something very special about tending plant beings from seed to fruit then partaking of that harvest... then offering some back to the gods in thanks. Even a domestic human living in an apartment can practice this with a windowsill box or hydroponic setup.

 

[idea]

For Muslims and Jews, isn't there specific ways rhe animal is to be butchered/ killed? Doesn't that come close to sacrifice?

People pray over food, still rituals around it all.

 

[Twilight Hue]

So I guess you ignored what I said previously. Why is that?

If history of the human condition any indicator, I'm taking the priests had their own crew of little trained minions to do all the dirty hard work.

 

[dybmh]

If history of the human condition any indicator, I'm taking the priests had their own crew of little trained minions to do all the dirty hard work.

Ok, if that's how you want to imagine it, then I guess I can't argue.

 

[danieldemol]

It was a ton of work. Do you know what's involved in being a temple priest?

And, of course.... Hee-hee. You have to work on all the holidays.

Being a farmer or a slave or any of a ton of other ancient occupations is a ton of hard work.

As for working the holidays, if they are the only days you are working then it hardly justifies taking the best portions in my opinion

 

[1213]

It's why I see it as a racket.

Porterhouse, Ribeye, T bone , and strip for the priests.

Flank and sirloin for the rest of the rabble.

All though I see it like barbecue feast, I think there can be a deeper meaning in it. For example, if person offered something, because he was sorry, it can be seen like a token of good will, which then makes it more than just a feast. The feast part only makes it not waste of food.

 

[dybmh]

Being a farmer or a slave or any of a ton of other ancient occupations is a ton of hard work.

Well sure, but the slaves were provided food. The farmers and others engaged in commerce. The temple preists didn't get paid.

As for working the holidays, if they are the only days you are working then it hardly justifies taking the best portions in my opinion

The temple was operating 24/7 **including** on sabbath and holidays. There's daily sacrifices, morning, mid-day, and evening. The lamps need to be kept clean and burning 24/7. The fire on the altar went all night. There's extra sacrifices on the sabbath and the holidays. And none of this includes the voluntary sacrifices that people brought. There's blood and gore and feces to clean up... wood to carry and prepare for the fire. Ashes get hauled away. It's not a fun job. I don't know why people would look at it enviously

 

[Jimmy]

I guess if it’s your thang. I see no real benefit. It’s kind of silly actually.