Q3. Animal Sacrifice

[jr4624]

Q3. Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people? How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life?

They like to think of themselves as having evolved beyond such primitive and barbaric practices. Killing is messy, nasty business and people don't want to think of it being done in order for them to live.

It has something to do with an urban rather than rural lifestyle, perhaps. I've told a cousin of mine that his outrage and snide jokes about us as hunters and barbarians had more to do with himself than with us. I told him the real difference between him and me was that I didn't try to kid myself that meat comes from a grocery store in a styrofoam package. I am willing to admit that animals have to die for me to live, and I am willing to do the killing and butchering myself. When he really looked at it, I believe he agreed, because the comments ceased.

I believe, however, that most of the reaction to the idea of sacrifice comes from the increasingly "rational" and humanistic world view that so many today have. They don't acknowledge God. They don't believe God. They don't listen to God. They don't understand His holiness. They think of themselves as basically good people even though God's Word tells us that there are no good people. They refuse to believe that they have ever done anything that requires death and blood as payment.

[JanMary]

Q3. Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people?

Modern people are offended and sickened by blood. Many churches no longer sing about the Blood of Jesus, because "it offends" modern tastes.

How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life?

I think it has everything to with the way we live. Young children have no concept between the sterile packaging of the hamburger in the store or restaurant, and the animals in books or in the fields. We just don't "see" blood today (Except on T.V., but that is portrayed as "fiction", so it doesn't seem real)

[Jubilee]

Q3. Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people? How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life?

Animal sacrifice is repulsive to modern people because of how animals are butchered and the cruelty involved.

It has much to do with a city verses a farming way of life. City ways of killing animals is modern equipped with modern technology

as opposed to a farm way of killing animals.

[haar]

Animal sacrifice is repulsive to the modern man because it involves taking a life or shedding of the blood of the animal.

This attitude or reaction to animal sacrifice is more in the city compared the village where animals are killed more frequently for food.

[Greta]

I don't know!

Some people are able to kill animals - or we would have no meat to eat, but I know that I could not do it.

The Israelites sacrificed animals to remove their guilt, but I would feel extremely guilty if I had to kill any animals.

[Foofee's Nana]

Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people? How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life?

I think animal scarifice is repulsive to modern people because we are above all of that.....we think we have eveolved so that no sacrifice is necessary. Perhaps it is because most people are city people now....but on the farm animals had to die for others to eat. There is a price to pay for the covering of sin....it was once done with the shedding of animals blood.....a cost to the person who had sinned. But what a price was paid by the Lamb of God...His blood shed on the cross for the covering of our sin.

[hanks]

Q3.

Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people?

Modern people see animal sacrifice as a blood-thirsty act practised by ancient and primitive religions. They view it as no longer applicable in our so called

[Jeffb]

Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people?

It is repulsive because of all the blood, cutting up of animals and burning etc., which we have not seen much of and with animal right societies and things brings on more apprehension.

How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life?

I believe a lot of difference in city life and faming life, from farming life you may possibly go to slaughter houses more often, in the city meat is packaged and in the store we don't have to see the process before packaging.

[2B4EverHis]

We are not use to seeing anything being slaughtered or cut as a normal day to day lifestyle. Even the smell of blood is repulsive to us. In the city you see no blood on anything. In a farm the land and the animals are use to feed from so it is something you will get use to if you grow up in it.

[jrbalibay]

Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people? How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life?

"Modern" people have not been immersed in the farming way of life, wherein the slaughter of animals and all the other necessary processes take place to produce the by-products that can be purchased at the local market/grocery. Frozen meat don't just come as they are, stacked on display shelves...

[t-c]

Q3. Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people?

I think because we are far removed from animal sacrifice. In John 19:30, Jesus said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. He became the full payment for all sin, past, present and future. For Christ followers animal sacrifice was no longer practiced. Jews practiced it I believe until the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Now it would generally be considered a pagan practice by most modern cultures. Cruel, messy, grotesque and wierd.

How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life?

I live in Wyoming where farming, ranching and hunting are a way of live for many residents. Killing and harvesting the meat and skins of animals are everyday occurances. But this is done for the meat they provide and other by-products of the butchering process. Any type of sacrifice of one of these animal for religious purposes would consided outside the norm and pagan or occult. People who live in rural communities of hunting and farming are use to seeing animals butchered, in the city, not so much, it's all done in meat processing and packing plants.

[Nic]

Q3. Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people?

Modern people have largely been divorced from the idea of animal sacrifice. In addition, there are now what may be referred to as animal rights which people protest against any real or perceived cruelty to animals.

How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life?

I believe that the idea of animal sacrifice is equally as repulsive to those who live in the city and those who farm. This is because the farmers are not necessarily butchers. In addition, there is a big difference between killing an animal to eat and killing an animal for the purpose of sacrifice.

[tgandy]

The animal sacrifice is repulsive to us today because we are not used to it.  Also we think everything has feelings as we do.  We tend to make pets of animals.  I know I did with some cows my husband bought to raise for our freezer.  I named them and played with them.  I had trouble with their slaughter.  I am sure a lot of these feelings have something to do with city/farm life.  The farmers accept this because they are used to it.  We close our eyes in the cities and "pretend" we do not know where the meat comes from.

[JoanG]

Modern people are far to use to having many luxuries in life. They do not thing about anything. They take a lot of things for granted. They really do not think about anything. They take a lot of things for granted. They really do not understand how food gets to the grocery stores. In their minds it is just there.

 

But when things get put right before them, they get all upset about it. They find that it bothers their way of thinking.

 

People only know what they want to know. I feel many people have become very soft in their ways of dealing with the world. Many people have blinders on because all they know is what is on TV. They do not realize that animals are still sacrificed today for their meals.

[lighthouse2014]

Q3. Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people? How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life?

In these modern days we are considered repulsive if we were to use animals for sacrificial purposes by animal rights activist who proclaim rights for orphaned, stray or domestic animals. If people had to witness the slaughtering of animals that they eat, they probably would become vegetarians.

People in city life have no idea how meat is processed before they buy it in the store. Farmers are used to killing animals to survive. They raise the animals, cows, pigs, chickens etc. to eat during the year. Processing an animal would not have such a repulsive thought as those as a city dweller would have.              

[hinckster]

Much of the Bible elaborates on the theme of sacrifices. Reading the particulars of this bloody enterprise, moderns turn their heads away in distaste. It seems primitive at best, savage at worst. Why does the Bible ordain that God would be worshiped with a  the blood of slaughtered animals? Those wishing to point to the essential irrationality and even cruelty of religious practice often cite animal sacrifice. Along with other such reflexive prejudices, this misses the profundity of ancient sacrifice.

Animal sacrifice was ordained to replace human sacrifice. One needed to keep the sense of giving something important, but without the evil of killing a human being. This was God's way of weaning the Israelites from the earlier, heinous practice. Nonetheless, the central dilemma remains. Is this simply a (somewhat less) repulsive practice planted at the heart of Judaism?

 

Sacrifice actually enshrines an important idea, one which is just beginning to be revived today. Most sacrifices were eaten. What then is the difference between a sacrifice at the Temple and what happens in a modern slaughterhouse?

 

The ancient Israelite knew what he was offering; he had raised that animal, fed it and was now participating in a fully conscious decision to bring it to its death at the altar.

 

When we buy at the supermarket, we check the USDA inspection sticker.

[Jen]

Q3. Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people? How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life?

We should not feel indifferent that something had to die so that we might live and live well I might put.  However we do find meat or chicken neatly packaged and I for one grew up with chicken or meat wrapped in cellophane and gave it no thought.  Just the yummy dinner we were going to have.  How very ignorant we are as to what happens outside of our little sphere and who or what suffers while we are living with ease and comfort (compared to so many).  I believe we are becoming more aware on some fronts as to how inhumanely some animals are treated and it is offensive to our consciences (or should be).

God Bless!

Jen

Romans 15:13

[Pam B]

My family hunts deer and raises chickens.  Even with these endeavors, we are still far removed from the violence associated with the slaughter of sacrificial animals.  To raise sheep, knowing which one is the most perfect and thus will be the sacrificial animal, caring for them daily and learning their quirks and personalities, and then having to lead that one into the area knowing what the dad of the family is going to have to do...my mind balks at going there.  It's a horror movie of the worst kind.  And yet, that knowledge should make sin much more reprehensible. 

[Annelle]

 Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people? How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life?          

 

Animal sacrifice or even the slaughter of animals is repulsive to modern people because our lives are packaged. Everything is neat and we do not like to get our hands dirty.

 

My grandparents lived on a farm and my grandfather had to do the slaughter of the animals for eating. It was a way of life and there was nothing wrong with that, in fact if you did not do it yourself you were frowned upon.

[Sandy in NZ]

Animal sacrifice is not part of life in the modern western world. Those who live or have lived in a farming area will be familiar with the killing of animals as part of the lifestyle, either for food or because the animal is old, diseased and suffering. Some will have grown up in societies where animals are still sacrificed as part of pagan religions.

 

However, most of our population in the developed world now lives in an urban environment so animals are increasingly seen as pets, cute baby animals in petting zoos or amazing creatures of the wild to be photographed and admired. Many have become vegetarian, partly in pity for the restrained life of many farm animals, partly in horror at the killing of animals to give us meat and partly for reasons of health.

 

Since the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, Jewish people have thought they must alter their thinking about how to approach God. Since they could no longer practise animal sacrifices, they have rationalised their faith to say that prayer and living a good life are sufficient. Now most Israelis see animal sacrifice as not only unfamiliar but also unnecessary, although a few would like (and are actually planning) to re-build the temple and once again offer sacrifices.

[DawnMc13]

Many people today were born and raised in a city environment where exposure to the killing of animals for food has never happened.  They may be aware of it intellectually, but until you actual witness this for yourselves you are removed from the reality of it.

At farms, animal slaughter is part of the package of farming.  If you grew up on a farm, you have been exposed to animal slaughter from little on and you understand it and accept it more clearly.

[Michael S]

in ancient time every family used to keep livestock because of their dependency in many ways, also they use to kill the animals for many reasons,  but in present world many of us  never get chance touch a goat so it’s almost impossible for City people to think about sacrificing animals.

[steveamooti]

I am not sure why because one person may kill a goat to atone for sin, another may kill, or may accept the killing of the same goat to eat meat. Basically the goat is killed. So, is the repulsiveness sincere for the meat eater?

[crissy464]

We need some animals for our daily meals. But to just go out and kill and animal, drain the blood iss avagely cruel

[KarenG]

For me as a pet owner I find harming animals abhorrent however I know those who work with animals like farmers have no issue as they think about them differently