Yes, they do eat the meat afterwards in West African religions.
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Ritual Religious Animal Sacrifice
- Thread starter Skwim
- Start date
The Kilted Heathen
Crow FreyjasmaðR
To quote myself from another forum, and from a Heathen perspective:
"In today's society, the act of sacrifice is looked upon with confusion, ire, or misconception and pacification. With the later, we see things being called a "sacrifice", when it's something trivial and non-committal as "I'm giving up drinking soda for a whole week."
Sacrifice, in the purest of terms, is the act of giving something up for good. For this reason, animal sacrifice (or even blood sacrifice) is among the greatest acts of sacrifice to an ása. They are sacrifices in that once the life is given, it cannot be reclaimed. It is not a loan or casual discard; it is a serious and impacting loss of assets, life, or even time and effort.
Hunting can also be seen as a form of animal sacrifice, though it follows a different theme. Rather than you giving up one of your animals, the hunter acknowledges their claiming of both an individual life, and a life under guardianship of an ása or vættir. Rather than giving a full sacrifice, we honor and recognize a sacrifice that we have taken, and a portion of that claim is given back in thanks to the Æsir or vættir. This same form of sacrifice is utilized for things such as crop harvest and lumbering.
Sacrifices are also given on the small scale. When we make a meal, especially at large gatherings, a portion of the good is given to either a particular ása, our to the land vættir in general. Alcohol - typically mead - is often given as a sacrificial offering to the Æsir or vættir on blóts or simbuls."
Butchering an animal - as with the example here in this thread - would mostly follow the themes of Hunting. Thanks would be given to the animal for its sacrifice, and it would be the primary focus of said ritual.
"In today's society, the act of sacrifice is looked upon with confusion, ire, or misconception and pacification. With the later, we see things being called a "sacrifice", when it's something trivial and non-committal as "I'm giving up drinking soda for a whole week."
Sacrifice, in the purest of terms, is the act of giving something up for good. For this reason, animal sacrifice (or even blood sacrifice) is among the greatest acts of sacrifice to an ása. They are sacrifices in that once the life is given, it cannot be reclaimed. It is not a loan or casual discard; it is a serious and impacting loss of assets, life, or even time and effort.
Hunting can also be seen as a form of animal sacrifice, though it follows a different theme. Rather than you giving up one of your animals, the hunter acknowledges their claiming of both an individual life, and a life under guardianship of an ása or vættir. Rather than giving a full sacrifice, we honor and recognize a sacrifice that we have taken, and a portion of that claim is given back in thanks to the Æsir or vættir. This same form of sacrifice is utilized for things such as crop harvest and lumbering.
Sacrifices are also given on the small scale. When we make a meal, especially at large gatherings, a portion of the good is given to either a particular ása, our to the land vættir in general. Alcohol - typically mead - is often given as a sacrificial offering to the Æsir or vættir on blóts or simbuls."
Butchering an animal - as with the example here in this thread - would mostly follow the themes of Hunting. Thanks would be given to the animal for its sacrifice, and it would be the primary focus of said ritual.
Buddha Dharma
Dharma Practitioner
It is a terrible thing to have such darkened views about one's divinities that termination of life on their behalf seems necessary.
In ancient times, some high-minded people knew these views about the gods should be rejected. Empedocles said: wretched is the man, whose beliefs about the gods are 'dark'.
Marcus Aurelius asked questions about what should we say is befitting a god in their actions? To be less just than humans are capable? Not so...
In ancient times, some high-minded people knew these views about the gods should be rejected. Empedocles said: wretched is the man, whose beliefs about the gods are 'dark'.
Marcus Aurelius asked questions about what should we say is befitting a god in their actions? To be less just than humans are capable? Not so...
lostwanderingsoul
Well-Known Member
What is wrong with eating the body and drinking the blood of an animal? Millions of people think they are eating the body and drinking the blood of Christ.
I don't see what's so "dark" about it. If you're going to eat them anyway, you might as well give their death a sacred meaning. It's more respectful than a lot of other forms of slaughter where the animal is just viewed as an object that means nothing.
Buddha Dharma
Dharma Practitioner
Not especially, if you're doing it because you think the gods want it. Is that what this is about, or slaughter?
You have to keep in mind that these religions are usually practiced by rural people where slaughtering your own food is a daily activity. So this is not anything shocking or weird to people who raise their own food. Urban people tend to be pretty stupid about these things. They slaughter the animal and then eat it as a part of a sacred meal shared between those taking part in the rite and the Lwa (or Orishas, depending on the religion at hand). They are dedicating the animal's energy to the rite and offering something of importance to the spirits (the Lwa or Orishas are not deities in the sense that a Neopagan would think of).
http://vodoureligion.com/2011/04/haitian-vodou-and-animal-sacrifice/
Buddha Dharma
Dharma Practitioner
I see what you're saying about the community aspect, but that doesn't necessarily justify it in my view. This goes deeper than just sacrifice for me, but this thread isn't about that.
Yeah, I know you're a vegetarian who believes in ahimsa. Of course you won't agree with it.
Subduction Zone
Veteran Member
As Lvcifer Invictvs said, they do eat it, and this article supports that claim:
What is Voodoo? Making Sense of Animal Sacrifice, the Undead and Possession | HuffPost
Stanyon
WWMRD?
I was talking about animal sacrifice overall in any religion according to me, just an observation. As far as voodoo goes there are about as many different types and denominations with varying customs as many other religions have.
This is a violation of their constitutional rights. I read the article they literally were just butchering meat to eat. But of course bigotry is the reason since it just so happened they had a spiritual aspect to it and it wasn't Christian.
Of course this is in Texas they give no crap about American values.
This article sickens me, because of the way the authorities responded. They are seriously telling us that goats and chickens are "non livestock animals"? Is this a ****ing joke?
Last I checked they are not only live stock animals but regularly butchered and eaten in mass in much worse conditions than this and we find it alright.
Bunch of hypocrites are faced with the reality of preparing meat and freak. I hope that these people are acquitted of all charges swiftly and easily and can practice their ways in peace. They have a constitutional right to what they were doing and they were not harming anyone else's rights. Nothing even indicated that they were being cruel so how can there be animal cruelty charges?
If they are voodoo like people say it is there is a chance they will be acquitted, as there is a lot of precedent for that in the past in cases like this at least in places like Florida.
Of course this is in Texas they give no crap about American values.
This article sickens me, because of the way the authorities responded. They are seriously telling us that goats and chickens are "non livestock animals"? Is this a ****ing joke?
Last I checked they are not only live stock animals but regularly butchered and eaten in mass in much worse conditions than this and we find it alright.
Bunch of hypocrites are faced with the reality of preparing meat and freak. I hope that these people are acquitted of all charges swiftly and easily and can practice their ways in peace. They have a constitutional right to what they were doing and they were not harming anyone else's rights. Nothing even indicated that they were being cruel so how can there be animal cruelty charges?
If they are voodoo like people say it is there is a chance they will be acquitted, as there is a lot of precedent for that in the past in cases like this at least in places like Florida.
Stanyon
WWMRD?
And in certain Native American religions one can consume peyote legally.
LAGoff
Member
I believe you ('Mindmaster' in post #5) are right about Dualism being the root of animal sacrifice. Then all else (i.e. blood sacrifice) follows because God is holy and demands that we be good, and we can't, so the destruction of an animal (the bloodier the better) represents our destruction before a holy and good God (who DEMANDS that we be good).
I'm Jewish, so Exodus 34 (the covenant of the 13 attributes of mercy) obviates the whole Jesus/Christian thing (i.e. recognizing and participating in God's sacrificing of His severe aspect to His merciful aspect-- again, something Moses essentially bargained (Jewed God down) God into in Exodus 34 without God having to be split into a Trinity or Bi-unity).
The first thing I had to do to remain Jewish is find a way to at least act as if Dualism is real, even though in my heart of hearts I 'know' that God cannot create something other than Himself. I can't tell you how I get around this other than the 'fact that Monism (non-Dualism / I am God) has let me down in that I realized that God cannot hide from Himself the fact that He is God. This creates a 'Mexican Standoff' (between the Dualism of the 'West' and the non-Dualism of the 'East') which provides just enough wiggle room for me to escape through the center between the two raging behemoths.
I'm Jewish, so Exodus 34 (the covenant of the 13 attributes of mercy) obviates the whole Jesus/Christian thing (i.e. recognizing and participating in God's sacrificing of His severe aspect to His merciful aspect-- again, something Moses essentially bargained (Jewed God down) God into in Exodus 34 without God having to be split into a Trinity or Bi-unity).
The first thing I had to do to remain Jewish is find a way to at least act as if Dualism is real, even though in my heart of hearts I 'know' that God cannot create something other than Himself. I can't tell you how I get around this other than the 'fact that Monism (non-Dualism / I am God) has let me down in that I realized that God cannot hide from Himself the fact that He is God. This creates a 'Mexican Standoff' (between the Dualism of the 'West' and the non-Dualism of the 'East') which provides just enough wiggle room for me to escape through the center between the two raging behemoths.
The Kilted Heathen
Crow FreyjasmaðR
See, that doesn't help it to me. "The bloodier the better!" shows a love for blood and violence, not a utilization of power.
The Emperor of Mankind
Currently the galaxy's spookiest paraplegic
The fact I'm not a vegan in no way diminishes the fact that killing when it's not necessary is an inherently inhumane act. It would be hypocrisy if I was pretending myself better than these people even though I eat meat which I'm not.
I'm merely pointing out that 'killing humanely' is something of an oxymoron; even more so when done in such a way that the animal suffers throughout the process.
That's your opinion. I don't agree that killing something and then eating it is inherently inhumane. You must feel very guilty when you eat, so I wonder why you're not a vegan. The "inhumane" part is to do with the treatment of the animal. They can be killed in slow and torturous ways or in relatively quick and painless ways.