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Kingsley, Charles, 1819-1875

"Twenty-Five Village Sermons"

Are not these beasts, then, much wiser and better than
we? We will honour them, and pray to them not to devour us--to make
us cunning and powerful as they are themselves. And if they are no
better than us, surely they are no worse than us. After all, what
difference is there between a man and a beast? The flood which
drowned the beasts drowned the men too. A beast is flesh and blood,
what more is a man? If you kill him, he dies, just as a beast dies;
and why should not a man's carcase be just as good to eat as a
beast's, and better?' And so there would have been a free opening
at once into all the horrors of cannibalism!
Again, Noah's descendants would have said, 'Our forefathers offered
sacrifices to the unseen God, as a sign that all they had belonged
to Him, and that they had forfeited their own souls by sin, and were
therefore ready to give up the most precious things they had--their
cattle, as a sign that they owed all to that very God whom they had
offended. But are not human creatures much more precious than
cattle? Will it not be a much greater sign of repentance and
willingness to give up all to God if we offer Him the best things
which we have--human creatures? If we kill and sacrifice to Him our
most beautiful and innocent things--little children--noble young
men--beautiful young girls?'
My friends, these are very strange and shocking thoughts, but they
have been in the hearts and minds of all nations.


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