Christians why would God demand sacrifice surely he's more intelligent than that?

Question

This is serious. My crisis of faith continues. People say it was cause God needed justice for our sins. But wait a minute surely God is above needing justice, surely he is so powerful that we are completely laughable to Him. Why would He care what we do? Why require sacrifice and justice if you're the most powerful in the universe? Would it not be like me getting angry with a cheeky mouse? Would I not be silly to be angry with a mouse so much less than me.

Answer 1

You're right about one thing. In the Psalms it says that when you curse God, He laughs at you.

Answer 2

HE doesn't need sacrifice. WE need to learn how to put morality before ourselves.
The way that the sacrifice works varies from religion to religion, etc., and from reason to reason.
But, this is such a common theme in cultures' self-regulatory behaviors.
Jesus was the Paschal Lamb, no?
A human version of the perfect goat.
Judaism was the first known religion to honor one god only, and also the first known to expect perfection of hte sacrificial victim. It used to be that the group would sacrifice an animal that was on its way out, anyhow.
In groups in which human sacrifice was ritual, very often it was not a virgin but a virgin or other person who had serious defects that was sacrificed. In this way, not only could the gods be appeased, but people could be rid of the torment of caretaking...
oh, I'm sorry, make that,
the person could be relieved, mercofully, of a life of torture.
At any rate, The whole notion of Jesus as Paschal Lamb may be a justification, post-script, of what events actually had occurred years before the belief was born!

Answer 3

Long post, I beg your indulgence. But I take it seriously when someone says they are having a crisis of faith.

But imagine you wanted to have a relationship with that cheeky mouse. Say that you needed to bridge the gap between you and the mouse. Now why would you care what the mouse gets up to? Why not just let it be because he's laughably weak compared to you? Who knows? But for the sake of argument you really really love the mice and wish you had a relationship with them and they would be closer to you. (I hope I'm not being to pendantic with my analogy here). It would only be silly to get angry at the mouse or get depressed about their constant defience of you if you didn't care about them. If you loved them (I don't know why you would but say you did) like your own kids then you wouldn't be silly at all to get upset with them. So you want a relationship with the mice.

To do that you would need a way to communicate to the mice. To teach them about the ways of a human being. But obviously they can't understand you and you can't get down to their level as you are. So you create a human/mouse hybrid. HE can tell the other mice how to live to have the relationship with you.
Now the analogy falls apart when you get to the sacrifice of Jesus. (Actually I could probably continue but I've already stretched it pretty far). Here's the thing. God cannot have anything to do with sin. It is the antithesis of his nature. It's like fire existing in water. It just doesn't work. Sin keeps us seperate from God. Now sacrifices were never meant as punishment and they were not because God was angry at humanity for breaking the rules. The sacrifices were used as a substitute if you will. Kill the sheep and you aren't punished for your sins. There's no way you can keep from sinning so instead of God waving his big finger and saying "you all suck and I'm going to punish you" he says, "someone has to pay the price for all this. I should make you do it because you broke the rules, but I'll accept a sheep instead." Later, in the NT, Jesus came to be the final blood price. "You know what? I love you guys so much I'll take the price for what you did wrong. How's that for a deal?"

It comes down to God wanting a relationship with humanity. Don't ask me why he does, most days I don't even want anything to do with humanity and I'm part of it. He doesn't want justice, he doesn't want to condemn us, and he doesn't want to be mad with us. But love is a two way street. A relationship doesn't work if its only one person yelling "LOVE ME!" For a true relationship there needs to be communication that goes both ways. Sacrifice ( the dead sacrifices of the OT, and most especially the living sacrifices we are called to be in the NT) is a way of communicating to God. "Yeah, I love you too."

I hope that I've clarified things a bit. I apologize if I've just created more confusion. If you would like to email me I'd be happy to continue the conversation.

Answer 4

You're right...God doesn't require sacrifice. The answerer above who quoted the scripture "I desire mercy and not sacrifice", that saying is found throughout the scriptures. Remember this, that "God is Love". What that means is that the single attribute which best describes God is not "Judgment" or even "Righteousness". It is Love.

There is a place for sacrifice, even a necessity. No child survives in this world without sacrifice, for example. But don't confuse Justice with God's primary identity, Love.

Answer 5

"surely God is above needing justice"
So you think it would be better if God wasn't just?

"Why would He care what we do?"
Because He loves us, maybe?

"Why require sacrifice and justice if you're the most powerful in the universe?"
Because it's His nature to be just.

"Would it not be like me getting angry with a cheeky mouse?"
No, a better analogy would be a loving parent that gets angry with a wayward child.

Answer 6

Blood sacrifice is a primitive concept. It's really no different than the Aztecs sacrificing one of their own to appease their gods. And Jesus on the cross is really no better than the virgin willingly tossing herself into the volcano.

There is no purpose to do any of these things, but humanity at the time saw it as necessary because they had a primitive understanding of the world around them. Note that most religions no longer require blood sacrifice. Even most Jews no longer do it. How can what humanity decides supersede what a god requires? It's because we were the ones who thought of it. All religious dogma, including it's evolution into lesser forms of barbarism, is the sole decision of humanity. The god of every human religion doesn't exist. There is only us making things up as we go along.

Answer 7

The parent who does not care what you do, is not a good parent. They are not interested in your welfare. They do not want the best for you. What you have to get through your head is that there is an evil way and a good way. You insist on letting them be one and the same. Just what are you into? What are you doing that you know is wrong? You do not want to stop, and you insist that God who created the entire universe change for your benefit.

You wouldn't get angry about that mouse, because for one thing, you don't even care about that mouse. You are lacking in understanding even the Love of God, yet you call yourself a Christian. You call good and evil alike. You say you have a crisis of faith, but what are you believing in? A God who shouldn't care, who shouldn't love, who shouldn't care about good and evil. God has plans for his universe and his people, and evil is not a part of it. You just got to get that through that rebellious, silly brain of yours, and please... stop pretending. Like Britney Spears says... you're not that innocent.

Answer 8

not just getting angry with a mouse, but in biblical times, demand that it kills an ant for you.
what did the ant ever do, anyway?

look, the reason you need faith for religion is that it doesn't hold up when you really look into it. either be a good theist and follow your god blindly or discover how ridiculous religion really is. Read The God Delusion, OK?

Answer 9

Our life on earth is for learning and growing. If we werent going to have trials and sacrifices we wouldnt learn or grow. Surely it is needed to fulfill justice but there is a much higher reason. Pray to understand why God is challenging you, ask him what you can learn from it!

Answer 10

Hosea.6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Answer 11

He wants us to be pure like him, and learn how to be sorry for our sins. You have to remember, in heaven there is no discrimination or judgment, everyone is on the same level, people don't look down on other people. That's why God made Angels, they were never mortal, and have no knowledge or world life or know how to be mad, or what even anger is. But since we're human, we judge others. In heaven, we're one w/ God.