Religious Knowledge Thread

[GrayMouser]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
Does anyone here know if the practice of Eastern or East Indian religions/philosophies/lifestyles (Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Taoism, etc.), whether ancient or modern, contained any form of sacrifice?

Ancient Chinese religion certainly had animal (and possibly human) sacrifice, but it died out as part of official Confucianism.

"Taoist" folk religion still practises what could be considered a form of sacrifice, here in Taiwan anyway. Farmers and local temples compete to see who can raise the fattest pig (like, too fat to even stand up) to offer at festivals for whatever deity.

The pig is killed with appropriate rites and blessings, but not publically. It's then cooked and displayed- the god or goddess consumes the 'essence' and the lucky worshippers tuck into the rest.

Food offerings are made to ancestors and 'hungry ghosts' on the fifteenth of every lunar month- same deal, the spirits inhale the essence- it's quite weird to walk past McDonalds and Burger King and see stacks of Cokes and fries with incense sticks stuck in them.

People also burn ghost money so the ancestors will have a little cash to spend, but inflation in the infernal realms has gotten so bad that the government is trying to persuade people to burn ghost credit cards instead, to cut down on pollution. Some traditionalists argue that the ancestors wouldn't know how to use a Visa Gold Card, but others point out that the newer arrivals can explain it to them.