Chaos Eternal: Pagan/Witch Survey that is going to offend you.

thegreenwolf:

mischeviousfae:

SecularWitch: This is a survey meant to bring up unpopular opinions about certain topics within Paganism, Witchcraft, and Occultism specifically related to Magical Traditions. So if you get offended, know that you were already prepared for that joyous feeling of offense!

SecularWitch: So tell me…

Regarding animal sacrifice—not all animal killing is “sociopathic”. In fact, most isn’t. Anyone who’s ever hunted their own food isn’t a sociopath for it. And regarding religious animal sacrifice, Afro-Caribbean religions such as Vodou and Santeria which do practice it under certain circumstances are not rife with crazy people killing house pets. The animals (chickens, etc.) that are killed are killed humanely and generally are eaten afterward. The same goes for a handful of Norse and other European reconstructionist pagans who also practice animal sacrifice.

^Thank you.

Heathenry has what is essentially a “sacred barbecue”, involving the ritual slaughter of usually a cow or pig (which has been raised for that purpose, anyway). The animal is humanely slaughtered and then consumed as part of the ritual. Its bones and hide may also be used to make all sorts of things for those who have the skill and inclination, but that’s not essential.

The other hugely problematic thing here is that to this day animal remains are used as “evidence of Satanic cult activity” and is considered criminal by police pretty much nationwide. This puts Santeria and Voudou practitioners under some pretty heavy discrimination and subjects them to unfair and inaccurate media circuses where wide-eyed reporters ask them stupid and uninformed questions (like, “Do you consider yourself a Satanist?”) about their ways of life to add “an air of the exotic” (that’s some bullshit by itself) to their report.

Either way, saying that animal sacrifice is taboo (implied to be across the board of everything considered pagan) because it makes people look like sociopaths…that’s some sketch logic.