Continuing Animal Sacrifice in Christianity

[stephan happy huller]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... ristianity

[Peter Kirby]

"It is surely hypocritical of the churches to encourage millions of tourists and pilgrims to visit Jerusalem to see where Jesus Christ was crucified, but not halt this ritualised sacrifice."

No explanation given?

I am at a loss to find a New Testament statement going so far as to say that animal sacrifice is prohibited. There are some statements in Paul regarding whether or not one should eat animals sacrificed to other deities. The shared cultural assumption is that animals are slaughtered and "sacrificed" with, apparently, no real concern for the animal's pain as a matter of course.

In the second century, the quartodeciman controversy concerned the date of Easter. The quartodecimans held it to coincide with passover (Nisan 14 = quartodeciman). Passover involves some animal sacrifice, as I recall. Because, you know, Judaism does, and a shibboleth of scholarship holds that Christianity grew out of Judaism. The controversy over the date of Easter was simultaneously a controversy over celebrating passover.

But just leave it to a myopic modern to look out from his or her own little twig of an offshoot of faith, deriving from some branch that itself separated from the rest in the last 500 years, to peer over the rest of the tree and cast judgment.

[stephan happy huller]

There is also animal sacrifice in Ethiopian Christianity if I am not mistaken (and circumcision and Sabbath veneration).

[Blood]

Although slaughter for sacrifice contradicts a basic belief of Christianity, it is practiced by local Catholics, Greek Orthodox and other Christians at the ruined Byzantine church of Saint George in the village of Taybeh, 20 miles from Jerusalem. "Around 70 to 80 lambs are sacrificed here each year," said the Roman Catholic priest, Father Raed. Similar sacrifices are also made in the towns of Lodd, Jaffa, al-Khadar and elsewhere in the Holy Land.

My Christianity is the only correct Christianity. All others are false. Why? Because they violate my version of Christianity.

[Eric]

Although slaughter for sacrifice contradicts a basic belief of Christianity, it is practiced by local Catholics, Greek Orthodox and other Christians at the ruined Byzantine church of Saint George in the village of Taybeh, 20 miles from Jerusalem. "Around 70 to 80 lambs are sacrificed here each year," said the Roman Catholic priest, Father Raed. Similar sacrifices are also made in the towns of Lodd, Jaffa, al-Khadar and elsewhere in the Holy Land.

My Christianity is the only correct Christianity. All others are false. Why? Because they violate my version of Christianity.

With very much respect intended Blood, Christianity is a religion. Christ did not come to start a religion. So with regards to "My Christianity" is the only correct Christianity falls short to what Christ taught. An article for review that explains where I am coming from is shared in Shane Hipps: Why Christ Doesn't Need Christianity. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shane-hip ... 58246.html

Would like to get your thoughts on it.

[Blood]

Although slaughter for sacrifice contradicts a basic belief of Christianity, it is practiced by local Catholics, Greek Orthodox and other Christians at the ruined Byzantine church of Saint George in the village of Taybeh, 20 miles from Jerusalem. "Around 70 to 80 lambs are sacrificed here each year," said the Roman Catholic priest, Father Raed. Similar sacrifices are also made in the towns of Lodd, Jaffa, al-Khadar and elsewhere in the Holy Land.

My Christianity is the only correct Christianity. All others are false. Why? Because they violate my version of Christianity.

With very much respect intended Blood, Christianity is a religion. Christ did not come to start a religion. So with regards to "My Christianity" is the only correct Christianity falls short to what Christ taught. An article for review that explains where I am coming from is shared in Shane Hipps: Why Christ Doesn't Need Christianity. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shane-hip ... 58246.html

Would like to get your thoughts on it.

The article just seems like more of the trendy "I hate religion, but love Jesus" meme that the youth pastors have latched onto. I guess punk-rock bands performing at church will be the next big thing.

[Eric]

My Christianity is the only correct Christianity. All others are false. Why? Because they violate my version of Christianity.[/quote]

With very much respect intended Blood, Christianity is a religion. Christ did not come to start a religion. So with regards to "My Christianity" is the only correct Christianity falls short to what Christ taught. An article for review that explains where I am coming from is shared in Shane Hipps: Why Christ Doesn't Need Christianity. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shane-hip ... 58246.html

Would like to get your thoughts on it.[/quote]

The article just seems like more of the trendy "I hate religion, but love Jesus" meme that the youth pastors have latched onto. I guess punk-rock bands performing at church will be the next big thing.[/quote]

Lol...well,... you gave me your thoughts. For myself, I hold fast that Christ came not to create a religion but with a purpose to show us God's love for us and to help us understand it.

[Blood]

Lol...well,... you gave me your thoughts. For myself, I hold fast that Christ came not to create a religion but with a purpose to show us God's love for us and to help us understand it.

But how would that message be promulgated or preserved if not through an organized religious body?

[Eric]

Lol...well,... you gave me your thoughts. For myself, I hold fast that Christ came not to create a religion but with a purpose to show us God's love for us and to help us understand it.

But how would that message be promulgated or preserved if not through an organized religious body?

Good question. One in which I can't answer without some thought. Thanks for the question.

[rakovsky]

I thought that " There is no role for animal sacrifice in Christianity" by Jill Hamilton was an ignorant, Orientalist article.
The Christians who use animal sacrifice do not consider it to be a replacement for Jesus' atonement. The Bible had different kinds of ritual sacrifices. In Acts, Paul I think makes a sacrifice in the temple when he takes Timothy there.

She asks: "Or do they quietly acknowledge how difficult it is to eradicate paganism?" in her article. But in reality this is not a holdover from paganism but from Judaism from which Palestinian Christians converted. Even in Orthodox Judaism today there is animal sacrifice by some adherents.