Animal Sacrifices and the stupid humans who still practice it.

[mcdwg]

I came across these pictures

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Nepal-begins-controversial-animal-sacrifice-festival/ss/events/wl/112409gadhimaifest#photoViewer=/091124/481/35f17ea626994ce5af934b608d117680

I see how the human race goes to the extreme in both ends. In different parts of the world animals are slaughtered for gods, thousands of them. On other parts of the world some animals are treated even better than humans. Will there ever be a balance where animals are treated like living beings rather than just things with no feelings or on the other extreme stop treating them like they have human feelings, I guess not anytime soon.

The human race is so messed up so unbalanced everywhere you look. Will 2012 have an effect on this?

[kurtykurt42]

Maybe in 2012 the animals will ascend and people won't be able to sacrifice them anymore!

I never really understood why people think the gods like it when they kill animals...

[CFTraveler]

Because some humans see deities as 'just like them'- as in needing food, water, etc.  And sacrificing an animal is a symbolic 'feeding' of the deity.

[zareste]

Probably an old habit left from the days when predatory beings would come down and demand sacrifices as a show of submission. I'll bet a lot of these sacrifices are still being made to actual self-deified predators

[Athymari]

Maybe in 2012 the animals will ascend and people won't be able to sacrifice them anymore!

I never really understood why people think the gods like it when they kill animals...

I never really understood why people think the gods like it when we bow and scrape and do things 'in gods' name. :0

[caterpillarwoman]

I never really understood why people think the gods like it when we bow and scrape and do things 'in gods' name. :0

To quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "It's like those miserable psalms, they're SO depressing. Now, knock it off!"

Sacrifice of animals has a number of symbolic meanings, depending on the culture/religion. First, if it's YOUR animal (i.e., you're a farmer or a shepherd or a herdsman of some sort), you're actually giving up something that was making you materially wealthier. So it's a real sacrifice in that sense, especially if it's expected to be a complete burning, leaving nothing or very little behind, and/or the culture/religion forbade eating the food after it had been offered to the god/s.

Another notion is that humans have long had this peculiar idea that while gods can't eat or drink, they CAN smell things, hence incense and the smell of burning food or flowers or other nice-smelling things in temples in honour of the god/s.

Also, in some cultures, after the animal was roasted nicely as an offering to the god or gods, the people ate it, so it became a means of feeding people, at least during a holy festival, where everyone could come and partake of the food (once the gods were through smelling it, of course  ). Not all cultures did this, of course, but plenty did, and do.

Animal sacrifice is also, in a great many cultures, something which evolved to take the place of human sacrifice. There are all kinds of justifications for how/why it became acceptable and even preferable to sacrifice animals instead of people, depending on the religion/culture.

Just a few thoughts on the topic. Take it for what it's worth. 

[Xanth]

I came across these pictures

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Nepal-begins-controversial-animal-sacrifice-festival/ss/events/wl/112409gadhimaifest#photoViewer=/091124/481/35f17ea626994ce5af934b608d117680

I see how the human race goes to the extreme in both ends. In different parts of the world animals are slaughtered for gods, thousands of them. On other parts of the world some animals are treated even better than humans. Will there ever be a balance where animals are treated like living beings rather than just things with no feelings or on the other extreme stop treating them like they have human feelings, I guess not anytime soon.

The human race is so messed up so unbalanced everywhere you look. Will 2012 have an effect on this?

Yeah, in my house, my animals are treated like living being.  I treat them with respect and love. 
They deserve no less.