[This is from Uther's mailing list. Check out ] [/pub/religion/pagan/Net/uthers_mailinglist for info on how to] [subscribe. ] From: IN%"dougf@dgr.jpl.nasa.gov" 30-NOV-1993 15:55:03.54 Subj: RE: Animal Sacrifice Hailsa Darius! There is currently a discussion of animal sacrafice as part of Asatru going on on the Asatru mailing list. Asatru sacrifice in modern form is a "sacred barbeque". (Ancient form was usually stewing not roasting, for those who are heavy-duty about historical accuracy.) Issues: Spiritually linking people with their food vs the current commercial system that strips out all spiritual linkage in food. Humanely raising and/or killing the animal vs cruel factory-like raising and killing for sanatized plastic wrap at the grocery store. Doing your own raising or hunting for the chance to thank the animal in person, at least in some spiritual way. All three above are personal involvement issues. Wasting animal food that is sacraficed is a piece of misinformation spread by religions that are hostile to Pagan religions. Maybe some ancient religions in the middle east failed to eat the animals that they sacraficed and pissed off the ancient Hebrews about it, but all moderns eat the food. Praying just before eating, Christian style, is not really any different from praying just before cooking, Asatru style, or praying just before killing, Jewish Kosher style. _Any_ prayer associated with eating animal product food can properly be called "sacrafice". Some of it is about sacrafices being done to appease angry gods, which totally wrong for any Pagan sacrafice practice I'd ever heard about in the modern world: Asatruar share the food with the gods, Santeros use sacrafices as a form of purchase price for a request, etc. Doug Freyburger Senior Unix SysAdmin and itinerate mystic May Gungnir, Odin's Spear of Knowledge, point you down a path of long and healthy life.