Why Sacrifice?
By Carl S ~
What is the big deal with “sacrifice?” Why do humans believe sacrificing one's life means the sacrifice was worth more than life itself, when so many have died for what are obviously now recognized as evil systems, tyrannies, and failed isms? When did killing become sacred? What group of sadists originally came up with sacrifice as the solution for human problems?
We can understand ignorant, fearful superstitious humanoids willingly sacrificing some of their hard-won fruits and meat to appease the gods. They would be taking a gamble, and over time, if no major misfortunes happened, they'd say, “well, it worked.” When it didn't “work,” their god's reps might have thought about upping the ante: “How about if we take the very first fruits of your harvest, before you put the food into your mouths, and give them to the gods? Okay?” O.K. “Let's add more. We'll incinerate some of your veggies and herds, 'cause the gods like the aroma of burning vegetation and animal flesh.” And then somebody came up with another bright idea: “This time you're going to have to let us kill your babies.” NOW we're talking sacrifice. But the gods never did care. Because spirits don't eat. What a waste! And yet, over centuries and even today, thousands of animals are slaughtered and burnt up for sacrificial offerings. Why all the suffering, blood and guts in rituals? (We're not talking luaus here.)
Oh sure, most of us get teed off from time to time with certain people who do us and others no harm. And sometimes, we feel like we’d prefer to have them out of our lives forever. Some make it happen; but for the vast majority, murder is not an option, no matter what the consequences may be personally. And let's face it: even if you could eradicate practically everybody, it wouldn't change a thing. Some claim this has already been tried. Remember “Noah and the Flood?”
Religions tapped into and magnified normal human hate, envy, resentment, and other natural negative feelings to justify sacrificing the lives of innocent humans, using labels such as “blasphemers, heretics, witches, unbelievers,” or just plain “different.” If it ain't the pagans, it's the Catholics or Protestants, Blacks, Jews, intellectuals, gays, whoever, and so on. It's always somebody “other.” It figures. After all, the god- people are the ones who came up with the “ultimate solution” of killng “them.” No discussion of, or reasonable handling of, the “problems” those individuals caused. They were merely sacrificial offerings for “sacred” purposes. A huge pile of bodies, there. As General George Patton said about German soldiers his men killed, “What a waste.”
Of all the STUPID things the gods and their representatives have invented, human sacrifice has to be at the number one position.Of all the STUPID things the gods and their representatives have invented, human sacrifice has to be at the number one position. Why? It’s because so many lives were and are wasted. We can look back and conclude all the sacrifices to all the gods have not made any positive change to our environment, or betterment for our relationships in getting along together. All the slaughtering, all that suffering aimed at pleasing, wishfully expecting blessings from, and appeasing a god or gods and their anointed priests, could have been avoided.
The immorality of human sacrifice is praised as the ultimate symbol of love and devotion! Why? Because, “they” claimed, it was what the god or gods wanted. One religion did a 180 degree: Its god sacrificed his son for humans, not the other way around. Or so “they” say. (If you call a state of suspended animation for less than forty-eight hours a “sacrificial death,” that is). If you accept this perversity as “love,” then you're gullible enough to accept what “they” say follows it: everybody owes his/her conscience to this deity, offered in the spirit of grateful self-sacrifice. This isn't only stupid and insulting to our humanity. . . it's way beyond bizarre.
Big horrible, tormented, sadistic, friggin' deal. I won't waste another second of my life in “sacrifice” to anyone's adoration of wishful thinking for invisible hopes. I'm headed out to my house of hedonism worship, where I'll sacrifice a few ice cream cones for my friends and me. No one gets hurt.
We can understand ignorant, fearful superstitious humanoids willingly sacrificing some of their hard-won fruits and meat to appease the gods. They would be taking a gamble, and over time, if no major misfortunes happened, they'd say, “well, it worked.” When it didn't “work,” their god's reps might have thought about upping the ante: “How about if we take the very first fruits of your harvest, before you put the food into your mouths, and give them to the gods? Okay?” O.K. “Let's add more. We'll incinerate some of your veggies and herds, 'cause the gods like the aroma of burning vegetation and animal flesh.” And then somebody came up with another bright idea: “This time you're going to have to let us kill your babies.” NOW we're talking sacrifice. But the gods never did care. Because spirits don't eat. What a waste! And yet, over centuries and even today, thousands of animals are slaughtered and burnt up for sacrificial offerings. Why all the suffering, blood and guts in rituals? (We're not talking luaus here.)
Oh sure, most of us get teed off from time to time with certain people who do us and others no harm. And sometimes, we feel like we’d prefer to have them out of our lives forever. Some make it happen; but for the vast majority, murder is not an option, no matter what the consequences may be personally. And let's face it: even if you could eradicate practically everybody, it wouldn't change a thing. Some claim this has already been tried. Remember “Noah and the Flood?”
Religions tapped into and magnified normal human hate, envy, resentment, and other natural negative feelings to justify sacrificing the lives of innocent humans, using labels such as “blasphemers, heretics, witches, unbelievers,” or just plain “different.” If it ain't the pagans, it's the Catholics or Protestants, Blacks, Jews, intellectuals, gays, whoever, and so on. It's always somebody “other.” It figures. After all, the god- people are the ones who came up with the “ultimate solution” of killng “them.” No discussion of, or reasonable handling of, the “problems” those individuals caused. They were merely sacrificial offerings for “sacred” purposes. A huge pile of bodies, there. As General George Patton said about German soldiers his men killed, “What a waste.”
Of all the STUPID things the gods and their representatives have invented, human sacrifice has to be at the number one position.Of all the STUPID things the gods and their representatives have invented, human sacrifice has to be at the number one position. Why? It’s because so many lives were and are wasted. We can look back and conclude all the sacrifices to all the gods have not made any positive change to our environment, or betterment for our relationships in getting along together. All the slaughtering, all that suffering aimed at pleasing, wishfully expecting blessings from, and appeasing a god or gods and their anointed priests, could have been avoided.
The immorality of human sacrifice is praised as the ultimate symbol of love and devotion! Why? Because, “they” claimed, it was what the god or gods wanted. One religion did a 180 degree: Its god sacrificed his son for humans, not the other way around. Or so “they” say. (If you call a state of suspended animation for less than forty-eight hours a “sacrificial death,” that is). If you accept this perversity as “love,” then you're gullible enough to accept what “they” say follows it: everybody owes his/her conscience to this deity, offered in the spirit of grateful self-sacrifice. This isn't only stupid and insulting to our humanity. . . it's way beyond bizarre.
Big horrible, tormented, sadistic, friggin' deal. I won't waste another second of my life in “sacrifice” to anyone's adoration of wishful thinking for invisible hopes. I'm headed out to my house of hedonism worship, where I'll sacrifice a few ice cream cones for my friends and me. No one gets hurt.