Sacrifices?

I know of Wiccans who sacrifice animals for the worship of a god or goddess. I am against this and it goes against the Wiccan Rede. Why do some Wiccans perform this type of ritual?

Blessed Be,
nyctophilia.

They really shouldn't sacrifice animals, it goes against many animal laws and is very uncommon in modern practice as most people view it as archaic.

I suppose they believe that is is a suitable sacrifice and offering to the god and goddess but it certainly is not recommended and depending on your interpretation of the Wiccan Rede I suppose it would go against it.

I would not hurt an animal even if it wasn't against the law and against the Wiccan Rede. :(

It's simple really. If they are sacrificing animals then they are not Wiccan, no matter what they call themselves. As it says in the Charge of the Goddess, "I demand naught of sacrifice." The ritual sacrifice of animals has no part in the Wiccan belief system.

I understand what you mean, Lark. Thank you.

No one sacrifices animals. I don't even think animals were sacrificed to begin with? The only people I knew to sacrifice were the Aztec people.

Foxy, animal sacrifice was common amongst many ancient religions. It is even mentioned in the Bible as well as in Greek and Roman myths.

Some religions today also practice animal sacrifice, particularly some of the African diasporic religions such as Santeria.

But animal sacrifice is not a part of Wicca.

Ah, okay. Thanks Lark!

It was a practice in English magic for some time, and was most certainly practiced up until the 1600s. It was even practiced in some circles in the 1900s. It is also still a part of certain Hindu sects today.

The thing is with Wiccans, most people claiming to be Wiccan are not really Wiccans, just witches (and even then, sometimes that term is generous!) who happen to read bad material written from a twisted Wiccan perspective.

Sacrifice has an inherent part in many forms of ritual, as with most things, it can be substituted for something else.

I find it interesting that people are so upset by the idea of animal sacrifice yet they are more than happy to cook chicken for their dinner. Sacrificing an animal for ritual or your dinner is inhumane. You can't claim to love animals and then eat them, its hypocritical. Its also much better for your health, the animals and the planet to be vegan.