No human behavior is more hidden or misunderstood than offering sacrifice, both animal and human. Were blood sacrifice in vogue today, we certainly would be guilty of any number of animal rights violations, not to mention that modern psychology identifies the killing of animals to be an early marker for sociopathy.


“The superficial truth is sometimes a blatant lie. While, the errors of history can never be accidental: the writer only knew what was known at the time…?” –BroKaan

They can be politically deceptive: confessions of guilt extracted by torture. Finally, history can be bent to suit the ideology of the times: Nixon was a crook, now he gets a stamp. It's worthwhile to look at history with an eye for possible lapses and to keep the historian's biases in mind. This is especially true when considering the issue of sacrifice. Researching this essay has shown me that no human behavior is more hidden or misunderstood than offering sacrifice, both animal and human. Here, I'll demonstrate that blood sacrifice is part of a heritage of almost all religious shares.

animal-sacrifice-to-god-inochoe-ancient-greece
Animal sacrifice in Ancient Greece. Attic red-figure
inochoe, ca. 430–425 BC (Louvre).

korban-islam-animal-sacrifice
Horrible Islamic cruelty to appease Allah

There has always been cultures throughout history of mankind that have made sacrifices to their God, Deities or idols – all in order for pleasing these holy Gods hoping to gain their favors. There are many religious ceremonies that have included sacrifice, the act of giving up something of value and offering it to a deity. Worshipers may make a sacrifice to win the favor of the deity, to give thanks, or to maintain a good relationship with their God. Myths from around the world contain many examples of sacrifices in which animals, humans, and even Gods shed blood or die. Sometimes the sacrifice is linked to creation or with the continuation of life on earth. A Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals to a higher purpose as an act of propitiation or worship. While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering (Latin oblatio) can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts. For offerings of liquids (beverages) by pouring, the term libation is used. A sacrifice is defined as the ‘offering up of something precious for a cause or a reason. Making atonement is like satisfying someone or something for an offence committed.

An animal sacrifice is the ritual killing of an animal as part of a religious belief. It is practiced by adherents of many religions as a means of appeasing their gods or changing the course of nature. It also serves a social or economic function in cultures, where the edible portions of the animal were distributed among those attending the sacrifice for consumption. Animal sacrifice has turned up in almost all cultures, from the Hebrews to the Greeks and Romans (particularly the purifying ceremony Lustratio), Ancient Egyptians (for example in the cult of Apis) and from the Aztecs to the Yoruba. Animal sacrifice is still practiced today by the followers of Santería and other lineages of Orisa in India as a means of curing the sick and giving thanks to the Orisa (gods). However in Santeria, such animal offerings constitute an extremely small portion of what are termed ebos—ritual activities that include offerings, prayer and deeds. Christians from some villages in Greece also sacrifice animals to Orthodox saints in a practice known as kourbània. The practice, while publicly condemned, is often tolerated.

There were many times throughout the Bible that sacrificial offerings were made to God. In most cases a virgin lamb was used. You will note that in most animal sacrifices, the animal has to be virgin. This is because it is supposed to be pure! You will also note that God has only found blood sacrifice pleasing. We have the story of Cain and Abel where Abel used blood sacrifice and found the favor of God and Cain used vegetables and did not find favor with God so Cain got jealous and killed Abel. And we have Prophet Abraham in the Bible who was asked to sacrifice his firstborn son to God. Replacing animal life for human life, but then God stopped him, for he was supposedly only testing him…?

No human behavior is more hidden or misunderstood than offering sacrifice, both animal and human. Were blood sacrifice in vogue today, we certainly would be guilty of any number of animal rights violations, not to mention that modern psychology identifies the killing of animals to be an early marker for sociopathy.

If the Israelites abolished all blood sacrifices, replacing it with the revolutionary idea of personal responsibility, then why does Islam (the other Abrahamic religion) still continue to follows this old ways and offer live animal blood sacrifices to Allah? All beliefs are in a state of flux…?

Today, Islam is the only religion that practises blood sacrifice as a ritualistic norm on huge scale, which increase by the year! An animal sacrifice in Arabic is called ḏabiḥa (ذَبِيْحَة) or Qurbani (قُرْبَان). The term may have roots from the Jewish term Korban; in some places such as in Pakistan, qurbani is always used for Islamic animal sacrifice. In the Islamic context, an animal sacrifice referred to as ḏabiḥa (ذَبِيْحَة) meaning "sacrifice as a ritual" is offered only in Eid ul-Adha. The sacrificial animal may be a lamb, a sheep, a goat, a camel, or a cow. The animal must be healthy and conscious. "Therefore to the Lord turn in Prayer and Sacrifice." (Surah Al-Kawthar) Quran, 108.2 Qurbani is an Islamic prescription for the affluent to share their good fortunes with the needy in the community. On the occasion of Eid ul Adha (Festival of Sacrifice), affluent Muslims all over the world perform the Sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) by sacrificing a cow, camel, goat or sheep. The meat is then divided into three equal parts. One part is retained by the person, who offers the holy sacrifice to Allah. The second is given to his relatives. The third part is distributed amongst the poor. The Qur'an states that the sacrifice has nothing to do with the blood and gore (Qur'an 22:37: "It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah. It is your piety that reaches Him..."). Rather, it is done to help the poor and in remembrance of Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael at God's command.

Let's face it. Religious scriptures are full of Blood Sacrifices and killings, all in the name of God or Deity. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

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