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Aztecs and Human Sacrifice

 

(James).
             The reasons why the Aztecs performed human sacrifices is simple. It is what they feel that they owe to their gods and goddesses in order to receive a high-quality life hereafter. "The Mystery of Aztec," said, "The primary purpose of sacrifice, Graulich maintains, was 'expiation of sins or transgressions in order to deserve a worthy afterlife." The worshippers would do anything to keep their masters content and keep their tribe in the gods good graces. Blood sacrifice seems like an odd and barbaric choice for reparation, but to the Aztecs, it was ideal. Giving blood was considered the ultimate sacrifice in that time period. As seen in, "The Gods Must Be Hungry; Religion Has a Bloody History That's Not All in the Past," By Jerry Adler, the author states, "The sacrifice of human blood, and particularly the heart, was necessary to make the sun go around every day. It ties in to their stories of creation and myth. It was part of the cultural tradition," (75). Adler states that in that time period, regular sacrifices were vital to keep the world as they knew intact. The Aztecs believed that the gods and goddesses that they worshipped had gifted them with multiple blessings, so they felt it was necessary to give back to their leaders. In "The Mystery of Aztec Sacrifice," the Wilson Quarterly stated, "Sacrifice as an act of atonement is not uncommon in the history of religions," the author points out. Catholic missionaries in Mexico saw, "striking similarities between Aztec religion and Christianity, including the salvation aspect." While some specialists deny that the Aztecs had a "religion of salvation" comparable to--if "morally less exacting" than--Christianity or Islam, Graulich believes that they did, to some extent. The Aztecs, in his view, were either moving toward a full-fledged religion of salvation--or perhaps moving away from one, having lost some of its original meaning.


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