Can you honestly tell me you think its perfectly rational to think that god used to demand animal sacrifices?

Question

it's one thing to tell yourself that this is acceptable or understandble because
1) it was symbolic of jesus's future sacrifice
2) the animals were property thus it was a reasonable tithe

but how can you lack the ability to put yourself in someone else shoes and admit that this might be a justified contention for an unbeliever?

Is that the road you want to go down? Telling your self that this contention is a moot point and that these skeptics are insolently biased against god to have even brought up the argument. Tell me this is not so.

Answer 1

the animal sacrifices were commanded by God so that the individual could experience forgiveness of his sins. the animal served as a substitute--that is, the animal died in place of the sinner. animal sacrifices foreshadowed Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. the only basis on which an animal sacrifice could provide forgiveness of sins is the fact that Christ would sacrifice himself for our sins, providing the forgiveness that animal sacrifices could only illustrate and foreshadow.

Answer 2

Read sometime about how the sacrifices were conducted. The animal (for our example we will use a cattle) was brought to the temple. It neck was cut and the animal quickly and painlessly bleed to death. Same process still used today to slaughter cattle.

The animal was then butchered, with parts not eaten by humans (the excess fat, kidney, bladder, etc) burned as an offering. The priest were allowed a portion of the meat which was there "wages" for their acting as priest rather then farming, etc for income.

The remaining meat was served by the person as a meal to his family and friends. As any poor, disabled, etc in the are were invited to eat as well as an act of charity.

Other then the Jews doing the killing right before the meal is cooked, how does this different from a Thanksgiving dinner in which an animal is cooked, and served to family and friends as part of an act of "thankfullness" to God? Remember that they did not have a grocery store on the corner where they could buy a frozen "whatever" to prepare. So they had to slaughter it themselves.

Answer 3

Actually, according to modern scholars like Richard Friedman, a "sacrifice" was the process of butchering an animal. That was the whole religious controversy that hit Judea during the reign of Josiah - you couldn't butcher your own animals, but had to take them to the priest in Jerusalem. In other words, sacrifices were not profound and special religious duties performed to a bloodthirsty deity, but simply a ritualized daily act.

Answer 4

Since you gotta kill them and cut them up to eat them yourself then sharing some with god to bring good fortune (blessings) upon yourself has a kind of internal logic. One that sacrificing Jesus or ritually eating his body and blood does not have.
A friend used to pour a little bit on the ground every time he cracked open a bottle of Mad Dog, for "the brothers who aren't here" Now that waste was horrifying!

Answer 5

There are some things about beliefs sound irrationals. They stemmed from ancient practices for taming tremendous fears of something uncontrollable perceived as holy.

Anyway, peoples get the points in such irrationals corresponding to the irrational sides in the nature of man
needing salvation.

There is no problem being irrational in the matter of beliefs.

Answer 6

Since the animal "sacrifices" were mostly eaten, my impression is that this was a way to enforce sanitary standards and support the priesthood. The law was that you had to bring your livestock to the priest for slaughtering, and he got a share of the meat. Considering that it was the priests who were putting out these laws, it seems like a fair racket to me.

Answer 7

Well in the bible it says that the animals are ours to do with as we wish. I dont know if this is true but they are supposed to be pawns for our use. Does this mean they have souls or does it mean anything at all and in fact will all animals also go to hell for killing other living things to eat.....hmmm the only thing in heaven will be a handful of vegans and herbivores if i am wrong.

Answer 8

The animals were sacrificed because man had no other way of atoning for their sins until Jesus the Messiah came. And yes this is reasonable.

Answer 9

That was then this is now. The Lord does not have to justify anything.

best wishes

Star

Answer 10

Nobody really knows anything about God. Really, we're making all this stuff up as we go along.