Editing Human sacrifice (section)

==Prohibition in major religions==
===Greek polytheism===
In Greek polytheism, [[Tantalus]] was said to have been condemned to [[Tartarus]] for eternity for the human sacrifice of his son [[Pelops]].{{cn|date=July 2024}}

===Abrahamic religions===
{{Main|Binding of Isaac}}
Many traditions of [[Abrahamic religions]] such as [[Judaism]], [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]] consider that God commanded [[Abraham]] to sacrifice his son to examine obedience of Abraham to His commands. To prove his obedience, Abraham intended to sacrifice his son. However, seeing Abraham's resolve, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice a ram instead of his son.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

====Judaism====
[[Judaism]] explicitly forbids human sacrifice, regarding it as murder. Jews view the ''[[Binding of Isaac#Jewish views|Akedah]]'' as central to the abolition of human sacrifice.  Some [[Talmud]]ic scholars assert that its replacement is the sacrificial offering of animals at the Temple – using Exodus 13:2–12ff; 22:28ff; 34:19ff; Numeri 3:1ff; 18:15; Deuteronomy 15:19 – others view that as being superseded by the symbolic ''[[Pars pro toto|pars-pro-toto]]'' sacrifice of the covenant of [[circumcision]]. Leviticus 20:2 and Deuteronomy 18:10 specifically outlaw the giving of children to [[Moloch]], making it punishable by stoning; the [[Tanakh]] subsequently denounces human sacrifice as barbaric customs of Moloch worshippers (e.g. Psalms 106:37ff).{{cn|date=July 2024}}

Judges chapter 11 features a [[Biblical judges|Judge]] named [[Jephthah]] vowing that "whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up as a burnt-offering" in gratitude for God's help with a military battle against the Ammonites.<ref name="Brenner-56">{{cite book |last=Brenner |first=Athalya |author-link=Athalya Brenner |title=Judges: A feminist companion to the Bible |year=1999 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-84127-024-1 |page=56 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hT2vAwAAQBAJ&q=Josephus}}</ref> Much to Jephthah's dismay, his only daughter greeted him upon his triumphant return. Judges 11:39 states that Jephthah did as he had vowed, but "shies away from explicitly depicting her sacrifice, which leads some ancient and modern interpreters (e.g., [[Radak]]) to suggest that she was not actually killed."<ref name="TJSB-524">{{cite book |last1=Berlin |first1=Adele |last2=Brettler |first2=Marc Zvi |title=Jewish study bible |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=[s.l.] |isbn=978-0-19-997846-5 |page=524 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yErYBAAAQBAJ&q=%22and+he+did+to+her+as+he+had+vowed%22&pg=PT17 |access-date=31 May 2016}}</ref>

According to the [[Mishnah]] he was under no obligation to keep the ill-phrased, illegal vow. According to Rabbi [[Johanan HaSandlar|Jochanan]], in his commentary on the Mishnah, it was Jephthah's obligation to pay the vow in money.<ref name="Brenner-56"/> According to some [[meforshim|commentators of the rabbinic Jewish tradition]] during the Middle Ages, Jepthah's daughter was not sacrificed, but was forbidden to marry and remained a spinster her entire life.<ref name="Radak-MD">[[David Kimhi|Radak]], [[Book of Judges]] 11:39; ''Metzudas Dovid'' ibid</ref>

The 1st-century CE [[Hellenistic Judaism|Jewish-Hellenistic]] historian [[Flavius Josephus]], however, stated that Jephthah "sacrificed his child as a burnt-offering – a sacrifice neither sanctioned by the law nor well-pleasing to God; for he had not by reflection probed what might befall or in what aspect the deed would appear to them that heard of it".<ref name="Brenner-73">{{cite book |last=Brenner |first=Athalya |author-link=Athalya Brenner |title=Judges: a feminist companion to the Bible |year=1999 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |isbn=978-1-84127-024-1 |page=73 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hT2vAwAAQBAJ&q=Josephus}}</ref> Latin philosopher [[pseudo-Philo]], late {{nobr|1st century CE,}} wrote that Jephthah burnt his daughter because he could find no sage in Israel who would cancel his vow. In other words, in the opinion of the Latin philosopher, this story of an ill-phrased vow consolidates that human sacrifice is not an order or requirement by [[God in Judaism|God]], but the punishment for those who illegally vowed to sacrifice humans.<ref>{{cite book |title=Women's Bible Commentary |first1=Carol Ann |last1=Newsom |first2=Sharon H. |last2=Ringe |first3=Jacqueline E. |last3=Lapsley |page=133 |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://lib.cet.ac.il/pages/item.asp?item=8274 |title=הפולמוס העקיף בנושא העלאת קורבן אדם: בת יפתח (שופטים יא 40–29)}}</ref>

[[File:Ofiara Abrahama1.jpg|thumb|upright|An angel ends the [[Binding of Isaac]] by [[Abraham]] – believed to be a foreshadowing of the ''human sacrifice'' of Christ (''The Offering of Abraham, Genesis 22:1–13'', workshop of [[Rembrandt]], 1636; ''[[Christian art]]'')]]

Allegations accusing [[Jews]] of committing ritual murder – called the "[[blood libel]]" – were widespread during the [[Middle Ages]], often leading to the slaughter of entire Jewish communities.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Nathan |first1=D. |author-link=Debbie Nathan |last2=Snedeker |first2=M. |title=Satan's Silence: Ritual abuse and the making of a modern American witch hunt |year=1995 |publisher=[[Basic Books]] |isbn=0-87975-809-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/abuseofinnocence00eber/page/31 31] |url=https://archive.org/details/abuseofinnocence00eber |url-access=registration }}</ref><ref name=Victor>{{Cite book |title=Satanic Panic: The creation of a contemporary legend |last=Victor |first=J.S. |publisher=[[Open Court Publishing Company]] |year=1993 |isbn=0-8126-9192-X |pages=[https://archive.org/details/satanicpaniccrea00vict/page/n226 207–08]}}</ref> In the 20th&nbsp;century, similar accusations of ritual child killing by non-Christians were made as part of the [[satanic ritual abuse]] [[moral panic]].<ref name="Victor"/>

====Christianity====
Christianity developed the belief that the story of [[binding of Isaac|Isaac's binding]] was a [[foreshadowing]] of the sacrifice of [[Christ]], whose death and resurrection are believed to have enabled the salvation and atonement for man from its sins, including [[original sin]]. There is a tradition that the site of Isaac's binding, [[Moriah]], later became [[Jerusalem]], the city of Jesus's future crucifixion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Voices from the children of Abraham |website=Newman Toronto |url=http://www.newmantoronto.com/040311childrenofabraham2.htm |access-date=17 September 2021 |archive-date=24 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724201446/http://www.newmantoronto.com/040311childrenofabraham2.htm }}</ref> The beliefs of many Christian denominations hinge upon the [[substitutionary atonement]] of the sacrifice of [[God the Son]], which was necessary for salvation in the afterlife. According to Christian teaching, each individual person on earth must participate in, and / or receive the benefits of, this divine human sacrifice for the atonement of their [[Christian views on sin|sins]]. Early Christian sources explicitly described this event as a sacrificial offering, with Christ in the role of both [[priest]] and human sacrifice, although starting with the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], some writers, such as [[John Locke]], have disputed the model of Jesus' death as a propitiatory sacrifice.<ref>{{cite book |title= Christian Theology: An Introduction |last=McGrath |first=Alister E. |pages=390–395 |edition= 2nd |publisher=[[Blackwell Publishing|Wiley-Blackwell]] |year= 1997 |isbn=0-631-19849-0}} According to [[Alister McGrath]], early sources describing a human sacrifice include the [[New Testament]]'s [[Epistle to the Hebrews]] and writings by [[Augustine of Hippo]] and [[Athanasius of Alexandria]]. Later sources, besides Locke, include [[Thomas Chubb]] and [[Horace Bushnell]].</ref>

Although early Christians in the Roman Empire were accused of being cannibals, ''theophages'' (Greek for "god eaters")<ref>{{cite book |last=Benko |first=Stephen |title=Pagan Rome and the Early Christians |page=70 |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=1986 |isbn=0-253-20385-6}}</ref> practices such as human sacrifice were abhorrent to them.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Britons |first=Christopher Allen |last=Snyder |page=52 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=0-631-22260-X}}</ref> [[Eastern Orthodox Christian|Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Roman Catholic]] Christians believe that this "pure sacrifice" as Christ's self-giving in love is made present in the [[sacrament]] of the [[Eucharist]]. In this tradition, bread and wine becomes the "[[Real presence of Christ in the Eucharist|real presence]]" (the literal [[Logos-Sarx-Christology|carnal Body]] and Blood of the Risen Christ). Receiving the Eucharist is a central part of the religious life of Catholic and Orthodox Christians.<ref>{{cathEncy |wstitle=Sacrifice of the Mass}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oca.org/QA.asp?ID=202&SID=3 |title=Sacrifice of the Mass |publisher=Orthodox Church of America |website=Oca.org |access-date=25 May 2010}}</ref> Most [[Protestant]] traditions do not share the belief in the real presence but otherwise are varied, for example, they may believe that in the bread and wine, Christ is present only spiritually, not in the sense of a change in substance ([[Methodism]])<ref name="wesley">{{cite wikisource |title=Articles of Religion |wslink=Articles of Religion (Methodist) |at=Article&nbsp;XVIII – Of the Lord's Supper |first=John |last=Wesley |author-link=John Wesley}}</ref> or that the bread and wine of communion are a merely symbolic reminder ([[Baptist]]).<ref name="baptist supper">{{cite book |last=Moore |first=Russell D. |chapter=Baptist view: Christ's presence as memorial |editor1-first=Paul E. (series ed.) |editor1-last=Engle |editor2-first=John H. (gen. ed.) |editor2-last=Armstrong |year=2009 |title=Understanding Four Views on the Lord's Supper |series=Counterpoints: Church Life |publisher=[[Zondervan]] |isbn=978-0-310-54275-9 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R6LkmS_ntYwC&q=Understanding+Four+Views+on+the+Lord%27s+Supper+%28Counterpoints%3A+Church+Life%29&pg=PT27}}</ref>

In medieval Irish Catholic texts, there is mention of the early church in Ireland supposedly containing the practice of burying sacrificial victims underneath churches in order to consecrate them. This may have a relation to pagan Celtic practices of foundation sacrifice. The most notable example of this is the case of [[Odran of Iona]] a companion of [[St Columba]] who (according to legend) volunteered to die and be buried under the church of the monastery of Iona. However, there is no evidence that such things ever happened in reality and contemporary records closer to the time period have no mention of a practice like this.<ref>{{cite book |author=Adomnan of Iona. |title=Life of St Columba |editor-first=Richard |editor-last=Sharpe |publisher=Penguin Books |year=1995}}</ref>

==== Islam ====
Islam considers human sacrifice to be repugnant to the faith. It is also described as a common practice in pre-Islamic civilization, from Greece to Arabia{{qref|6|137|s=y|b=y}}.{{npsn|date=July 2024|reason=This is the Quran, a primary source.}} The binding of [[Ismaeel|Prophet Ismaeel]] story is interpreted as Allah showing the superiority of [[Qurban (Islamic ritual sacrifice)|animal sacrifices]] over human sacrifices.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Kitab Al-Adahi (Book of Sacrifices) |url=https://www.iium.edu.my/deed/hadith/muslim/022_smt.html#:~:text=The%20opening%20verse%20%22For%20every,has%20never%20given%20it%20sanction. |website=International Islamic University Malaysia}}</ref>{{npsn|date=July 2024|reason=This is Sahih Muslim book 22, a Hadith, i.e. a primary source.}}

===Indian religions===
{{Main|Ahimsa}}
Many [[Indian religions]], including [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and some sects{{Which|date=March 2025}} of [[Hinduism]], embrace the teaching of ''[[ahimsa]]'' (non-violence) which imposes [[vegetarianism]] and outlaws animal as well as human sacrifice.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}
====Buddhism====
In the case of Buddhism, both ''bhikkhus'' (monks) and ''bhikkhunis'' (nuns) were forbidden to take life in any form as part of the [[Vinaya|monastic code]], while non-violence was promoted among laity through encouragement of the [[Five Precepts]]. Across the Buddhist world both meat and alcohol are strongly discouraged as offerings to a Buddhist altar, with the former being synonymous with sacrifice, and the latter a violation of the Five Precepts.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

In their effort to discredit [[Tibetan Buddhism]], the [[People's Republic of China]] as well as [[Kuomintang|Chinese nationalist]]s in the [[Republic of China]] make frequent and emphatic references to the historical practice of [[human sacrifice in Tibet]], portraying the [[People's Liberation Army invasion of Tibet (1950–1951)|1950 People's Liberation Army invasion of Tibet]] as an act of humanitarian intervention.
According to Chinese sources, in the year 1948, 21&nbsp;individuals were murdered by state sacrificial priests from [[Lhasa]] as part of a ritual of enemy destruction, because their organs were required as magical ingredients.<ref>{{cite book |title = The Making of Modern Tibet |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CNHKBgAAQBAJ |publisher = Routledge |year= 2015 |isbn = 978-1-317-45583-7 |first = A. Tom |last = Grunfeld |page = 29}}</ref>
The ''Tibetan Revolutions Museum'' established by the Chinese in Lhasa has numerous morbid ritual objects on display to illustrate these claims.<ref>{{cite book|last=Epstein |first=Israel |title=Tibet Transformed |publisher=New World Press |location=Beijing |date=1983 |page=138}}</ref>

====Hinduism====
In many sects of [[Hinduism]], based on the principle of ''ahimsa'', any human or animal sacrifice is forbidden.<ref>{{cite book |last=Walli |first=Koshelya |title=The Conception of Ahimsa in Indian Thought |publisher=Varanasi |year=1974 |pages=113–145}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Ahiṃsā: Non-violence in Indian tradition |author=Tähtinen |pages=2–5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Death and Dying |page=12 |first1=Glennys |last1=Howarth |first2=Oliver |last2=Leaman}}</ref> In the 19th and 20th&nbsp;centuries, prominent figures of Indian spirituality such as [[Swami Vivekananda]],<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Swami Vivekananda]] |title=Religious Vegetarianism |editor1=Walters, K.S. |editor1-link=Kerry S. Walters |editor2=Portmess, Lisa |location=Albany |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=2001 |pages=50–52}}</ref>{{npsn|date=July 2024}} [[Ramana Maharshi]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.beasyouare.info/beasyouare.html |first=Ramana |last=Maharishi |author-link=Ramana Maharshi |title=Be as you are |publisher=Beasyouare.info |access-date=25 May 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419081500/http://www.beasyouare.info/beasyouare.html |archive-date=19 April 2010 }}</ref>{{npsn|date=July 2024}} [[Swami Sivananda]],<ref>{{cite web |author=Swami Sivananda |date=11 December 2005 |title=Bliss Divine |pages=3–8 |publisher=Dlshq.org |url=http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/ahimsa.htm |access-date=25 May 2010}}</ref>{{npsn|date=July 2024}} and [[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami]].<ref>{{cite book |first=A.C. |last=Bhaktivedanta |author-link=A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami |title=Religious Vegetarianism |pages=56–60}}</ref>{{npsn|date=July 2024}} have emphasized the importance of ahimsa.