I have never understood why gods required sacrifices.

I have understood that peole may have wanted to invoke the help of gods and thus sacrificed something of value (animal/child) to prove their sincerity.

But, absent reliable information concerning the existence of gods and, therefore, official communications from the gods themselves, I have therefore wondered why gods required flesh/blood sacrifices/offerings.

Question: If YOU were a god, would YOU require flesh/blood sacrifices?

Followup: If so, why?

I think the question is better answered by looking at primitive human societies. It was common for people or tribes to pay tribute to their rulers in the form of food, valuable goods, gold etc... Consider the story of Minotaur, in which the Athenians must send twelve virgin youths to Crete every year to be sacrificed to the beast. Gifts were also used to appease and/or persaude powerful individuals or groups to treat the giver favorably. These reasons for tribute are, I believe, the same reasons that humans made/make sacrifices to gods, nature spirits etc...

The assumption is made that some things are inherently valuable, because the giver values them, the power being invoked will also value them and reward or forgive as desired.

If I were a god, I would not require sacrifice of any kind. Also, I would end hate and violence and world hunger. Lastly, I would stop all cruelty to defenseless animals.

rodahi

I rather like this little gem.

Lance

Voltaire has it right: "The first priest was the first con man who met the first sucker."

I think God's priests like gold and gems. I think God's priests had plenty of good BBQ at society's expense...

Speaking of good BBQ, slow cooked brisket on the grill today! YUM!

I'd say leave the critters alone! but you can still send those virgins!

Well, I'm with Pantera. If I were God, I'd have a hard time caring tuppence about some insects called the human race crawling on the planet's face.

But, if I did, I'd probably be more interested in something aesthetic. A song, a statue, a painting, etc. Of course, these are all common liturgical tools, so I'm not pretending this is a clever or original insight.

Where's your neck? What's your favorite TV show?

[This message has been edited by SingleDad (edited May 27, 2001).]

I don't have a problem with sacrifices. (As long as they're not human sacrifices of course)
Religion tends to be pretty much confined to the mind and will. Things like fasting, tithing and sacrifices allow people to express outwardly their religion through physical actions.
As far as sacrifices go there are normally two distinct types:
* Sacrifices for forgiveness of sins
* Sacrifices to God because the person wanted to honour their God or please them

Of course sacrificing for the forgiveness of sin is not required in Christianity. But I have no problem with people doing it before Jesus' time.
I have no problem with sacrifices to please God either. It seems a perfectly good way for followers to publically demonstrate their alliegence. As I said above, it also allows followers to physically act out their devotion to God by sacrificing an object of great value to them.

Yes, assuming I am both ignorant and psychotic.