Reputation for sacrifices

[Yvonne Belisle]

I was talking to a friend who wanted to know how Pagans and Witches got a false rep for sacrificing people that has carried through to today. We think we have figured it out but would like your input on this. I felt that if someone hears all their lives that a witch does this and that to gain power then a person will believe that. This would lead to someone doing those things (if they had no teacher to tell them differently) if they wanted to rebel and get power. A person who did that would call themselves a witch and most likely believe that they were one. Such an occurrence would lend credibility to the lie that, that is what we do and perpetuate the propaganda. What's your opinion?

[gunner]

i'd suspect this comes down in large part from medieval propaganda helped along by lurid fiction from then to now. even before i came to this way i knew this to be nonsense, myth and legend. there have been religions that practised human sacrifice but those did not last beyond the earliest dawn of civilization except in isolated cultures (though christian rituals still use the symbolism of a "blood sacrifice" but that sacrifice is said to have been the last sacrifice making others unnecessary) another part of these legends might come from early european cultures that are rumored to have had such sacrifices as part of their rituals but i've seen no definitive proof of this, in any case a cult demanding "human sacrifice" would last real quick in this age. blessed be.
"gunner"

[Yvonne Belisle]

I was beginning to think I was on the wrong board. With all of the strong minded intelligent people we have here no one had an opinion. I was confused by that. I think you may be right. Naillosotarrain and I were talking about my post this morning. We were talking about how there were groups who had people that volunteered to be sacrifices and prisoners that were used as sacrifices in the past. Personally I think it's no worse than the government testing things out on death row prisoners and willing prisoners. That and we do use human trials for drugs. No matter how well it may work on a monkey we still aren't the same and there will always be experiments that go bad. Is a person that sacrifices themselves in the name of their religion for the betterment of others any worse than those who volunteer for the human drug trials or experimental surgery of today? As I recall when I gave birth to my eldest son I was in the Navy and there was only one way I was aloud to have my baby. If you think about it any deaths incurred in a Holy War or in the name of religion would be a type of sacrifice. They are sacrificing the body for "the eternal salvation of the soul". So if you think about it that way there are sacrifices being offered all over the world.

[gunner]

there would be a big question in my mind as to how "voluntary" many of those ancient human sacrifices might have been since by the stories, particularly among the south/central american cultures found by the spanish invaders, the rites were quite bloody and painful (no, i won't go into detail) given that people then cared as much for their loved ones as we do now i'd think it hard to convince a father that his beloved daughter was butchered on an altar for any good purpose and if it were my daughter the priests of such a religion would be well advised not to go out after dark. as vets you and i do understand that in a war you may buy the farm but there's as good a chance of making it through and we are given weapons to help better that chance. like you i am not comfortable with the idea of "experimental volunteers" from prisons though i have no problem with shortening the likes of "ted bundy" those i do not consider "sacrifices". "what he gave he received", selah. blessed be.

[Yvonne Belisle]

Very true. Of course I'm also one of those rare women that believe that yes women belong in the military but only if they can pass the same physical tests the men can for the jobs they are working. Have you heard what they have done to the women's pt test for the Navy???? I'm very overweight with bad knees, hips and a bad lower back and I can pass the test as it is!!! That does not reassure me that those women all belong guarding my homeland.

[gunner]

i've no problem with women in service either, under the conditions you state. i do admit to reservations about them in a line rifle company but they certainly should have weapons training, same level as men, and be issued weapons to defend themselves no matter where they work since in todays wars there is no real "rear area"

[Maggie]

Originally posted by Yvonne Thomas
I was beginning to think I was on the wrong board. With all of the strong minded intelligent people we have here no one had an opinion. I was confused by that. I think you may be right. Naillosotarrain and I were talking about my post this morning. We were talking about how there were groups who had people that volunteered to be sacrifices and prisoners that were used as sacrifices in the

Sorry, I missed this subject earlier :D

Human sacrifice seems to have occured around the world at different times, it's not uncommon at all. For the Celts read up on the bog bodies--the Lindow man is one famous one. He seems to have been an aristocrat, and was killed three ways. And then of course there are the aztecs.......the point for just about all of them was that the tribe was offering up the most precious thing of all, a life, in return for help in extreme times.

The idea of human sacrifice perhaps stuck to pagan/witches originally because of Caesar's writings about the 'wicker man' burnings, although today I don't know off hand what the current historical thinking on this is. Also, one very big reason is that when any group is shunned by society, all sorts of things are attributed to them. In medieval times, for instance, Jews were said to drink the blood of babies. Very common method of rejecting others perceived to be Not Like Us.

Regards,

Maggie

[Red Dragon]

Oh.... You mean we don't do human sacrifices??? ;)

[rantnraven]

We make human sacrifices everyday. Everyday! It doesn't mean "Death" persay but, people do it all the time. Some volunteer, some don't. But it does happen.

Thoughts?

Thoma