{"id":1016,"date":"2016-11-07T13:25:45","date_gmt":"2016-11-07T03:25:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/hearthwitchdownunder\/?p=1016"},"modified":"2018-01-24T13:32:07","modified_gmt":"2018-01-24T03:32:07","slug":"objections-to-animal-sacrifice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/hearthwitchdownunder\/2016\/11\/objections-to-animal-sacrifice.html","title":{"rendered":"Objections to Animal Sacrifice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Perhaps one of the most contentious issues within the Pagan community is that of animal sacrifice and it is rife with misconceptions and bad ideas.<\/p>\n

I came across a post by the Rational Heathen over on Huginns Heathen Hof called \u201cBlood Sacrifices and Other Moronic Things<\/a>\u201c, a fun title that one \u2013 it is basically saying that anyone who participates in ritual sacrifice is a moron.\u00a0 That\u2019s nice.\u00a0 But what was written in the post just reminded me of what so many Pagans and similar seem to think about animal sacrifice, it\u2019s almost always the same objections, over and over.\u00a0 And much of the time, the objections are based on assumptions and those assumptions are often wrong.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t speak of Heathenry at all, but what Heathens write is also read by Pagans of all traditions and taken on board and then applied to all Pagan traditions.\u00a0 So, I feel the need to speak about animal sacrifice and address some of the numerous misconceptions and objections that people raise.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be mostly coming from a Hellenic perspective, as usual.<\/p>\n

\"Animal
Sacrifice of a young boar, with kalos inscription from an Attic red-figure cup, ca. 510 BC\u2013500 BC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Gods Don\u2019t Want Your Sacrifice<\/h2>\n

The idea here is that the Gods don\u2019t need or want our sacrifices, because They don\u2019t need or want our food.\u00a0 After all, They are the Gods, why would They need our petty human foods?\u00a0 I do agree that They have no need of our food, but want is a different matter.\u00a0 The idea is based on the assumption that the Gods want the food part of the food, rather than something else entirely.<\/p>\n

What the Gods really seem to want though is not the sustenance nor even the taste of our food, but the willingness of us to give and to make sacrifices for Them.\u00a0 For the most part this a matter of Kharis \u2013 reciprocity, give and take.\u00a0 We want something from Them, then we have to be willing to give to Them.\u00a0 It is a matter of building the relationship.\u00a0 It\u2019s also a matter of proving our devotion.<\/p>\n

There is another side to it though, it\u2019s not all nice and it\u2019s not all about being friends.\u00a0 Sometimes the Gods just want what we have because They don\u2019t want us to have it.\u00a0 Zeus is the example here<\/a>, He demands we give the best portion of our foods, our sacrifices and Prometheus asks Him to decide what the best portion is.\u00a0 Zeus knows that Prometheus is up to some kind of trickery, that\u2019s what Prometheus does.\u00a0 But Zeus thinks the trick will be on us, on humans.\u00a0 He wants us to get the short end of the stick.\u00a0 So, sometimes, our offerings and sacrifices are simply for Their pleasure.<\/p>\n

In the end it doesn\u2019t even matter why, it simply matters that They have asked and demanded sacrifices be made.\u00a0 If They didn\u2019t want animal sacrifice, why did They ask for it?\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s best to not speak for the Gods when They have already spoken for Themselves.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Inhumane<\/h2>\n

This is probably the biggest concern when it comes to animal sacrifice, that it is somehow inhumane and a horrible, terrifying, torturous experience for the animal.\u00a0 I have to ask though, compared to what?\u00a0 Compared to the slaughter houses and factory farms we rely on for our usual animal products?<\/p>\n

In ancient Hellenism, the act of animal sacrifice was very specific.\u00a0 The animal must be unblemished, not mistreated at all, not scared.\u00a0 It is enticed to the altar with food so it actually goes there on its own.\u00a0 It is treated gently.\u00a0 If it bucks away, if it fights, if it runs, if it shows any signs of unwillingness \u2013 it is not sacrificed because it is the wrong animal! If it shows no unwillingness, then we must assume the animal is not scared in any way \u2013 if it were, it would show it and it would not be sacrificed.<\/p>\n

The animal is killed quickly, a swift slice to the throat, it bleeds out.\u00a0 Surely, the death is not entirely painless, it is not fun for the animal. No one would say that.\u00a0 But it\u2019s also nothing compared to what is done to our food stock.\u00a0 This is true for a lot of religions that practice animal sacrifice \u2013 it is, usually, done in a way that is more humane than what is done to our food.<\/p>\n

And the animals that should be used, should be raised for the purpose or at least raised in a way that is deemed fit by the religion.\u00a0 In Hellenism, ideally, we should either raise the animals ourselves or know how the animals are raised.\u00a0 If they are treated badly in their life, they aren\u2019t actually fit for ritual purposes.\u00a0 This is why many of us suggest not using bought, pre-cut meat in ritual offerings \u2013 because like as not, the animal that provided that meat was not in any way suitable for sacrifice and so is not suitable for offerings.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Waste<\/h2>\n

This one drives a few of us insane, the idea that what we offer \u2013 in animal sacrifice and in non-animal offerings<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 is a waste of food! And, of course, a waste of money and effort and time and\u2026. Whatever.<\/p>\n

Well, if you think it\u2019s a waste to give to your Gods, then I have to wonder why you\u2019re part of whatever religion you are part of.\u00a0 What exactly do you do for your religion? Just, believe in things and take no action?\u00a0 If so, fine, keep it up.\u00a0 And if you don\u2019t believe in or worship the Gods, that\u2019s fine too.\u00a0\u00a0 But don\u2019t presume to have a say in how the rest of us do<\/i> things.<\/p>\n

For those of us who make food offerings, whether animal or not, it isn\u2019t a waste.\u00a0 Even if the food is burnt to ashes or buried in the ground<\/a>, it is not a waste from our perspective, because giving to the Gods is not waste \u2013 it\u2019s worthwhile.\u00a0 If it\u2019s worthwhile, it\u2019s not a waste.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, for the Ouranic deities, we are supposed to eat the majority of what we sacrifice anyway.\u00a0 When an animal sacrifice is made, we offer a portion to the Gods \u2013 that portion Prometheus tricked Zeus into agreeing to \u2013 and we humans eat the rest or use the rest as we deem fit.\u00a0 It\u2019s kind of like having dinner with the Gods.\u00a0 While we cannot partake of the portion we actually give to Them, we are not usually just killing an animal and burning it to nothingness.\u00a0 We are, usually, getting something from it as well.<\/p>\n

Chthonic sacrifices are different, we don\u2019t eat from those at all.\u00a0 And so I too can see the hesitance here, both financially and on the part of the animal.\u00a0 I can understand why people feel like killing an animal and doing nothing of a physical nature to use that animal, other than burning or burying it, does seem like a waste on the surface.\u00a0 But, this is religion, the surface isn\u2019t all there is.\u00a0 Financially, if you can afford it, then it shouldn\u2019t matter \u2013 if you can\u2019t afford it, you aren\u2019t expected to do it anyway!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Not Really a Sacrifice<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s a bit funny, on the one hand people say it\u2019s a waste of money to buy or raise an animal just to slaughter it for\u2026 food and offerings.\u00a0 But on the other hand, they say that the sacrifice of an animal isn\u2019t really a sacrifice because we haven\u2019t really invested anything into it except money.\u00a0 Uh, pick just one maybe.<\/p>\n

If you raise the animal yourself, you will have invested money, time, energy and perhaps even some of your sanity (stress is hard) into raising the animal.\u00a0 If you have bought the animal, you will be investing money into it \u2013 and for most of us, we aren\u2019t rich, at all!\u00a0 Really, sometimes, buying an extra clove of garlic specifically for rituals is kind of costly for some of us and a hard choice to make.\u00a0 Because, maybe I could be buying an apple for the kids instead.\u00a0 And to get money, most people have to work, hard, to earn that money.\u00a0 So there is again time, energy and more invested into that animal.<\/p>\n

It should also be pointed out, that if you aren\u2019t a heartless monster or a psycho who enjoys killing animals then the very act of the sacrifice itself is going to be a sacrifice for you too.\u00a0 Taking a life isn\u2019t easy, emotionally and mentally speaking.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard, even when it\u2019s for food and survival \u2013 it is still hard.\u00a0 You don\u2019t really want to do the killing.\u00a0 Forcing yourself to do it is a sacrifice you are making.\u00a0 It might be a sacrifice of your morals, your emotional health, your mental health \u2013 even if all only temporarily.\u00a0 And it\u2019s something you probably won\u2019t ever forget.<\/p>\n

People might like to talk about how the small mental and emotional sacrifice you make as the human is hardly comparable to the animal sacrificing its life \u2013 and that is true.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not the point here, because it isn\u2019t about comparison, who has it harder, it\u2019s just about what is.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 2016!<\/h2>\n

This response to a plethora of things is getting a bit old.\u00a0 The year we live in has little to do with anything.\u00a0 Yes, we have advanced in some areas compared to the various societies thousands of years ago \u2013 science and medicine for the most part, also in certain moralistic issues and human rights issues.\u00a0 But we\u2019re not that bloody special either.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 2016 and the way we raise and slaughter animals for food would have the ancient peoples thinking we are the worst creatures to exist.\u00a0 Ever.\u00a0 We are the bad guys in this, we have devolved, we are deplorable, we are the barbarians.\u00a0 Don\u2019t go thinking otherwise, we have no moral high ground here.<\/p>\n

The way the ancient peoples (always depending on where you are looking) treated animals compared to how we treat them, if I were an animal and had a choice \u2013 I would choose ancient ritual sacrifice instead of modern enlightened factory farming.\u00a0 Thank you very much.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 2016.\u00a0 How nice for us.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure the animal kingdom is grateful for the year we are in.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Just Wrong!<\/h2>\n

If you eat meat, you really can\u2019t say this.\u00a0 Because all you\u2019re really saying is, \u201cI am a hypocrite\u201d.\u00a0 It\u2019s like those people who get so outraged that some countries eat dogs.\u00a0 Uh, how is that so different to that beef steak on your plate?\u00a0 Just because it\u2019s an animal that you and your society generally associates with love and play, as a pet, that doesn\u2019t mean anything in the grand scheme of things.\u00a0 Cows are sacred in some places, we\u2019re pretty outrageous ourselves for eating them, aren\u2019t we?<\/p>\n

Of course if you are a vegetarian or Vegan for moral reasons then this is quite a different story.\u00a0 You will be against the practice of killing animals for any reasons, so of course sacrifice is also wrong in your eyes.\u00a0 I\u2019m not writing this post for you though.<\/p>\n

To Be a True Polytheist, You Must Sacrifice<\/h2>\n

This point is a turnabout from the others, in that it is in defence of not doing sacrifice at all.\u00a0 Some of those who are advocates of, or supporters of animal sacrifice for religion, are also of the opinion that in order for our religions to be true and real, we must<\/em> practice animal sacrifice.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not really true is it?<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t go too deep into this, but suffice to say, some of the ancient writers we use to source our reconstruction or revival of Hellenism were in point of fact rabidly anti-sacrifice.\u00a0 The Hellenic tradition of Orphism is an anti-sacrifice tradition \u2013 because Orpheus and his disciples were anti-sacrifice.\u00a0 They instead use tokens, fake animals, to sacrifice.<\/p>\n

The Gods may ask us to sacrifice animals to Them, but They also do not ask it of everyone.\u00a0 Not only is it not required in certain traditions, but the ancient Hellenes would have someone who knew how to sacrifice an animal actually perform the sacrifice, it shouldn\u2019t be done by any random person.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t know how to do it, if you are incapable of doing it \u2013 physically, financially or otherwise \u2013 then you are not expected to do it.<\/p>\n

The Gods ask for our best, but They don\u2019t ask for what we don\u2019t have.\u00a0 And if They do, there isn\u2019t much we can do about it anyway.\u00a0 Only the Gods can say what They want from you, as an individual and as a member of a specific religion or tradition.\u00a0 It\u2019s not up to me what you must do, it is not up to any other Pagan, Polytheist, Heathen or whatever.\u00a0 It is up to the Gods and you, and that is all.<\/p>\n

And that goes both ways.\u00a0 I can\u2019t tell you what to do in your religion.\u00a0 But you can\u2019t tell me what to do in mine either.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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