๐๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐
As I was reading the second chapter of Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage, I came across a section discussing how humans were inevitably designed to choose between right and wrong, and how God knew we would often choose the wrong at some points. Talmage explains that this made the sacrifice of Godโs perfect Son essential, since humankind needed a Redeemer.
This has been the core lesson I was taught about Christโs crucifixion, first as a child in the Catholic Church, and later through my conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But something struck me differently this time: I realized that the idea of sacrifice is not unique to Judeo-Christian tradition. In fact, it appears universally across major religions throughout history:
Mesopotamian โ Grain, wine, animals
Egyptian โ Food, drink, incense, symbolic objects
Greek & Roman โ Animals, wine/oil, libations, valuables
Aztec & Maya โ Food, goods, human and animal sacrifice
Vedic Hinduism โ Fire offerings of ghee, grains, animals
Judaism โ Animals, grains, incense, first fruits
Christianity โ Jesusโ crucifixion
Islam โ Animal sacrifice (qurbani), wealth, fasting
Get The Everyday Discipleโs stories inย yourย inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates fromย thisย writer.
Shinto โ Food, sake, valuables
Native American โ Tobacco, food, animals, sometimes humans
African Traditional Religions โ Animals, food, libations
Polynesian โ Food, valuables, sometimes humans
Itโs fascinating that across cultures and millennia, humans have felt a deep, almost universal drive to offer sacrifice in order to connect with the divine.
And yet, through Jesus Christ, physical sacrifices were brought to an end. Today, we are asked only to offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Christโs atoning sacrifice was the final offering, sufficient for all.
And even as religious leaders of other faiths prayed for direction from God on how to lead their religion they too received the answer that animal sacrifice should be stopped. For some time animal sacrifice has all but stopped for the majority of religious practitioners.
Even in the Jewish faith, one that is more or less opposed to the concept of Christ as the messiah, the millennia long tradition of animal sacrifice came to an end after the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem in about 70 CE!
Was this a coincidence that God gave the command for the ending of sacrifice and it was followed not only by christians but all religions alike. Food for thought huh.
This strengthens my testimony of Jesus Christ as redeemer, not only because the idea of sacrifice is so universal among those who honestly seek God, but also because of how unique Christianity is in what it declares: that God Himself offered His only Son, rather than requiring endless offerings from His children.
Then on top of that other religions incrementally also followed Godโs will on this practice. There might be other reasonable explanations on this but I think it reasonable to at least include in the realm of possibilities that the Christian tradition that Godโs will for man to stop animal sacrifice was not only his will for Christianโs but also for all human kind. And that end of sacrifice was because of Jesus Christ
That uniqueness, the grandeur, the finality, fills me with awe. Humanity seems to carry a deep, innate need to sacrifice, but Christโs offering fulfills it in the most profound way. And it applies to everyone, not just Christian adherents.
What are your thoughts on the tradition of sacrifice that so many major religions share?
