Why is it that the notion of Sacrifice is so important in religion?
Nearly every religion has some form of it.
Nearly every religion has some form of it.
What is a Sacrifice?
- Thread starter Captain Kremmen
- Start date
Nearly every endeavor in life requires sacrifice. Religion merely confines the act to the pursuit of long term benefit.
That way the leaders of those religions can get rid of those who oppose them or put fear into others to follow what they are told or they might get sacrificed as well. It never made sense to me for I always thought that religions were supposed to be kind and good.
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M*W: Why does sacrifice exist in nearly every religion? For the guilt trip, of course!
M*W: Why does sacrifice exist in nearly every religion? For the guilt trip, of course!
A sacrifice is something you give up of or for yourself in the fulfilment of your duty, its important in religion because duty is a very significant aspect of religion
For one thing, much of the benefit of religion (talking anthropology etc) derives from its ability to arrange sacrifice of immediate or individual gain for long term or community good. The entire structure of major religions, with all the trouble and hassle imposed, might pay off just in its ability to get a pack of agricultural humans out of the Tragedy of the Commons trap.
That capability has to be obtained in advance of the need - so practice or rehearsal or pedagogical sacrifice, ritual, has an obvious role.
And given that setup, sacrifice has the same attraction to political power that initiation has. Once you have donated your best calf, cut off the end of your dick, flogged yourself in the street, burned your neighbor alive in the public square, you're psychologically committed. You're in. Power can count on you.
That capability has to be obtained in advance of the need - so practice or rehearsal or pedagogical sacrifice, ritual, has an obvious role.
And given that setup, sacrifice has the same attraction to political power that initiation has. Once you have donated your best calf, cut off the end of your dick, flogged yourself in the street, burned your neighbor alive in the public square, you're psychologically committed. You're in. Power can count on you.
I'm thinking more along the lines of animal and human sacrifice.
Even Hindus do it, and they are supposed to be vegetarians, aren't they?
Hindus in Nepal leading 250,000 Buffaloes to be sacrificed in Bariyapur
This happens every five years, and the last mass sacrifice was in November last year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/24/hindu-sacrifice-gadhimai-festival-nepal
Even Hindus do it, and they are supposed to be vegetarians, aren't they?
Hindus in Nepal leading 250,000 Buffaloes to be sacrificed in Bariyapur
This happens every five years, and the last mass sacrifice was in November last year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/24/hindu-sacrifice-gadhimai-festival-nepal
animal sacrifice in the vedas was historically performed to test the efficacy of mantras (the other half of the animal sacrifice being the performance of another sacrifice which would restore vitality to the said animals or alternatively promote the animal to the human form of life). Since that other half of the ritual is long forgotten, animal sacrifice is one of the four things prohibited in the current age. This lead to animal sacrifice taking a secondary role ... namely facilitating the palate of persons resolved to eating meat ... (a ritual that finds authority within those puranas situated in the mode of tamas - or ignorance - to be precise). Part of it involves the recitation of the mantra that translates as "You have the right to kill this man who is sacrificing you." ... with the hope it might warrant a bit of introspection on the part of the performer.I'm thinking more along the lines of animal and human sacrifice.
Even Hindus do it, and they are supposed to be vegetarians, aren't they?
Hindus in Nepal leading 250,000 Buffaloes to be sacrificed in Bariyapur
This happens every five years, and the last mass sacrifice was in November last year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/24/hindu-sacrifice-gadhimai-festival-nepal
Such puranas have a long historical tradition within nepal (I don't think they ever had a really dominate vegetarian culture like other parts of greater india that permitted a more sattvic mode of life) although it may still be one of the regions that officially prohibits cow slaughter (which distinguishes it from many states in india)
All this is largely a non-issue since practically all of greater india has been falling over themselves to adopt western habits for quite a few decades. Even now in nepal, you can see that western influence has wedged a huge split between the generations. IOW despite whatever permitability there might be for leading a sattvic (goodness) life, its all about tamas and rajas (ignorance and passion)
:shrug:
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M*W: When it comes to family, for example, no sacrifice is too great.
@lightgiagantic.
250,000 Beasts. For one ceremony.
That sounds like it has an economic purpose rather than a religious one.
As you were indicating I think.
250,000 Beasts. For one ceremony.
That sounds like it has an economic purpose rather than a religious one.
As you were indicating I think.
well sure, someone is getting paid, and its not exclusively reserved to a bunch of rotund brahmanas who only get physical exercise by chasing people around the temple to make sure they give a suitable donation .....
I think that it is odd that this thread has got so few replies so far.
Maybe modern people accept blood sacrifice within whatever belief they hold, without truly understanding it.
Possibly even seeing it as a metaphor.
Maybe modern people accept blood sacrifice within whatever belief they hold, without truly understanding it.
Possibly even seeing it as a metaphor.
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M*W: I see circumcision as a sacrifice, one that is imposed on infants without their consent. However, I do understand the medical reasons for it. I prefer to go by the standards, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," and "First, do no harm."
M*W: I see circumcision as a sacrifice, one that is imposed on infants without their consent. However, I do understand the medical reasons for it. I prefer to go by the standards, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," and "First, do no harm."
Sacrifice is performed to appease, win the favor of, or otherwise prove one's self to the god(s), spirits, what-have-you.
Generally it is an attempt to influence events, particularly those over which we have little actual control (the coming harvest, the next hunting expedition, the progression of an illness).
The interesting thing is that the tendency is innate. Who, having imbibed far to much the previous evening, has not made a plea the next morning forswearing alcohol if only their hangover would end.
Our desire to control our environment is a fundamental aspect human psychology.
~Raithere