Related Terms • religion

Definition:
The concept of sacrificing something important to the gods or to spirits is common in religions around the world. Usually, the more important the god or the request, the more important the sacrifice had to be. The most important thing which could be sacrificed was, usually, a human being. It does not appear that all religions engaged in human sacrifice, but it seems that many did.

Usually, the person was sacrificed for the sake of the welfare of the entire community - to appease and angry god who had cursed the tribe, to plea for better crops, to ensure success in a coming battle, etc. The concept of needing to sacrifice an innocent human to placate an angry god even survived into Christianity, and is as basis for the idea of Jesus' death being a sacrifice to atone for the sins of humanity.

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What is the Philosophy of Religion?
Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself, rather than the truth of any particular religion.