This weekend, millions of animals will die in the name of God. Or Allah. Or whatever you call him, or her, or it.
Why is God so bloodthirsty this weekend, you ask? Muslims and Jews are both celebrating major holidays that include ritual sacrifice of animals.
On October 4th, Muslims will begin the celebration of Eid Al-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, a three-day celebration at the end of Hajj. During Eid Al-adha, those who can afford to do so will slaughter an animal. The family will eat one-third of the meat, one-third will be given to friends or neighbors, and one-third goes to the poor.
According to the Turkish Union of Agricultural Chambers, or TZOB, over 3 million animals will be slaughtered during the holiday.
And while Muslims celebrate the end of the Hajj, Jews will celebrate Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur begins today, and ends tomorrow evening. During this day of atonement, the faithful will swing live chickens over the heads of other faithful, transferring sins from the person to the chicken. Then they’ll slaughter the chickens and give them to the poor.
And it’s not just the fact that the celebrations themselves are so bloody and gruesome, but just last year, 2000 chickens died while confined to cages in the heat before Yom Kippur began.
Now before you Christians get all high and mighty and proclaim that YOUR religion doesn’t engage in such atrocities, remember that you’ll be responsible for the deaths of millions of turkeys to celebrate the birth of your savior. In the UK alone, almost 7 million turkeys are slaughtered for Christmas feasts, and another 22 million will be killed in the US. Just because you don’t kill the animal yourself doesn’t mean you’re not complicit in its’ death.
.
I know its dangerous territory to talk against a religious ritual. But honestly, who wants to eat a chicken full of somebody else’s sins? And mass slaughter of animals cannot be sanitary. Does God forgive you if, along with your gift of meat, you give the poor salmonella, E. coli, or listeria?
Listen, if you really want to help the poor, how about giving them something that could actually help them? A live animal would go much further to raise a person out of poverty. And money is always nice. Despite what vitriolic politicians in the US would like for you to believe, most poor people are not lazy and sucking government resources dry.
But I guess you’ll keep on doing what you’ve already done, because somebody said that’s what God wants.
Just one more reason why me and God don’t get along.
Dogpaddling Through Life 
It’s amazing that intelligent humans came up with the notion that swinging a live chicken over your head will take away your sins. This same species and mentality decided a good way to find a witch was to tie up suspects and throw them in the water. If they drowned, they were innocent.
Yep, the things people do in the name of their God is frightening.
Great post, Jen.
Thanks David!
I’ll second that Jen&Rumpy.Some rituals and customs really need a change…
Would YOU want to eat that?
definitely not, I eat no meat :o) so much people think it’s “just” meat, not an animal when they buy it in the store, but sadly that’s a weird kind of absolution :o(
I agree.
I remember getting so angry at a previous supervisor over a Greek orthodox holiday that included the killing of a lamb. I just could not believe he was looking forward to it. The worst part about it,was he just couldn’t understand why I found this so upsetting. REALLY???
People will excuse even the most heinous behavior in the name of religion.
MEN ARE NOT SAVED BECAUSE OF WORKS BY STEVE FINNELL
1. Meritorious works cannot save you.
2. Works of the Law of Moses cannot save you.
3. Works of righteousness (good deeds) cannot save you.
Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, (NKJV)
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, (NASB)
Titus 3:5 then he saved us—not because we were good enough to be saved, but because of his kindness and pity— by washing away our sins and giving us the new joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit(The Living Bible —Paraphrased)
Ephesians 2:8-9….you have been saved…9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. (NKJV)
Ephesians 2:8-9 …have been saved…9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (NASB)
Ephesians 2:8-9 …you have been saved…9 Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take credit for it.(The Living Bible—Paraphrased)
Galatians 2:16 “knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law….. (NKJV)
Galatians 2:16 and yet we Jewish Christian know very well thatwe cannot become right with God by obeying our Jewish law,…(The Living Bible–Paraphrased)
WATER BAPTISM IS NOT A WORK.
1.It is not a work of righteousness.
2. It is not a good deed.
3. Men are not baptized because they are good enough.
4. Water baptism is not administered as a reward for good deeds.
5. Baptism is not a work of the Law of Moses.
Water baptism is so men can be saved. (Marl 16:16)
Water baptism is so men can have their sins forgiven. (Acts 2:38)
FAITH, REPENTANCE, AND CONFESSION ARE NOT WORKS.
1. They are not works of righteousness.
2. They are not good deeds.
3. Men do not believe, repentant, and confess because they are good enough.
4. Faith, repentance, and confession are not works of the Law of Moses.
Faith, repentance, and confession are so men can have their sins forgiven and be saved. (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Romans 10:9-10)
SALVATION IS A FREE GIFT FROM GOD. But men have to accept that gift through faith, repentance, confession and water baptism.THERE IS NO WORK REQUIRED.
Men can be saved in the time it takes to believe, repent, confess, and be immersed in water.
(Note: Repentance in Acts 2:38 means to change from unbelief and to make the commitment to turn from sin and to turn toward God)
YOU ARE INVITED TO FOLLOW MY BLOG. http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com
What a load of crap!
The list of things people do in the name of ‘God’ continues and you have to wonder why some parts of religion haven’t evolved as humans have?!
Beats me!
I don’t get it either. People maintain traditions without thinking, because “that’s the way it was always done.”
Yep, tradition is very difficult to change.
You probably gave God a chuckle.
Love the 3rd to last paragraph….I also feel that way about all the pink. Better use of money to skip the pink trinkets and hand money directly to the researchers.
I doubt God reads my blog. LOL
He read hearts? Rumpy gave him a solid 5 star recommendation for you? (giggles) Finally cooler and sunny here – hope you have mild weather and lots of fun for the weekend
That is why I don’t believe in religion ,I believe in god but not religion as all the faiths christian,jewish muslim and their holy books were invented by men and written by men
A lot of atrocious things are done in the name of God, but have nothing to do with him at all – these things are all thought up by man who use God as an excuse. We do despicable things to both animals and other humans and some times I feel ashamed to be a part of the human race.
Shaking my head. What more can I say?
I have never heard of the chicken swinging before. It really surprises me as a Jewish person that this done.
Google it.
I don’t have any problem condemning religion for the torture of infants, children and animals. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are three of the most vicious religious ideologies humanity has ever developed. More people have been maimed or murdered because of those three religions than most anything else. I suppose they all try to atone for the butchery by pointing out they eat the animals afterwards or give the meat to the proverbial poor. But, that doesn’t make it any better.
Well….to be honest I needed to lots of courage to read this post and had postopone to do it because I didn’t want to look at those two pictures that made me very scared…..I know it happens in real but I can’t face the pictures that leaves me a kind of trauma…….but you’re right, humans kill many animals because of celebrations….the name of sacrifices…..if we think of it again, how sad it is….
Religion is supposed to provide comfort and guidance to people. With rituals like this, religion instead provides sensationalism and a sort of hysteria (look at the picture of the Jewish man swinging the chicken around). I see no comfort nor guidance in these actions done in the name of God. What it does for me is makes me more and more reluctant to eat meat, not for moral reasons, although that’s probably subconsciously at the base of it, but because meat is starting to make me nauseous. So much for comfort and guidance. Good post, Jen/Rumpy.
I think it is great that animals don’t have to killed anymore because Jesus was the perfect lamb and died for my sins 🙂
Maybe they don’t have to be, but doesn’t mean that doesn’t happen. Often.
I know and that is sad. And sadly we can’t control what people do.
Thanks for your great blog. Cuatro (the kitty here) enjoys it.