On Behalf of a Flowery Death

I believe in sacrifice. I believe that all varieties of it can be spiritually valid. I believe that the only way to truly do honor to ancient peoples is to neither rewrite history to suite current preferences, nor to toss aside potentially offensive practices under the generic excuse of "They just didn't know any better," but to seriously contemplate the practices in question and come to a genuine understanding of the true motivations for these practices before passing judgment. I personally practice autosacrifice (self bloodletting). I have given pain and blood to my Lord in His honor. Few people understand this. Most think it is extreme or immoral, but I argue that it is neither.

The Aztecs practiced sacrifice in several forms. The spiritual beliefs behind the sacrifices were very detailed. It wasn't mere bloodshed for the sake of primitive superstition. So many people are trapped within their modern worldview and believe that it is the only way. Even when they claim to support freedom of religion, they still reserve the right to judge what is "wrong," "unnecessary," or even "harmful," and oppose it at all costs. Although acceptance of all worldviews is preached, they still must be judged by the opposing outlook of modern Western culture.

A culture governs it's own views. The Aztec people believed that sacrifice was a great honor to the gods, and to the one being sacrificed. Most of the surrounding Mesoamerican cultures believed this and practiced sacrifice as well. Sacrifice was not some hated practice enforced on a powerless majority by the evil elite and their insane priest sidekicks. Please throw your "Road to El Dorado" tape away.

As long as a person believes in a religious practice, and other participants of said practice are in agreement, there is nothing immoral about that practice. Wine is given out for communion at a Catholic church, and most would think it ridiculous of me to object to the existence of this practice based on the fact that alcoholism is bad. As long as the wine is handled responsibly, and all present are in agreement with the practice and value it's religious meaning, who am I to object? As long as I am responsible in my bloodletting and value it's religious meaning, who is anyone else to object?