human sacrifice (allusion to Abraham)

[J Kingston Cowart]

The instances of human sacrifice brought forward from the Hebrew
scriptures by Mary Storm are not rituals per se, but are isolated
instances.  Jephthah's case, in particular, may be read as a lesson
against hubris and manipulation of the deity, although it shows that
human sacrifice was a cultural element--at least to some extent.

With respect to Dr. Fosse's suggestion that Christianity was initiated
in an act of human sacrifice, one might argue that a) this, too, was a
singular event impossible of repetition, b) that it was not a ritual, and
c) that from an internal theological/Christological perspective, it was
an act of God's sacrificing himself.

Naturally, these observations on the feature of human sacrifice ought
not to be taken as value judgements regarding the inherent worth of
either Hinduism or Christianity.

J. Kingston Cowart
San Diego, California
<jkcowart at io-online.com>