Cruelty and violence in Leviticus

1. God gives detailed instructions for performing ritualistic animal sacrifices. such bloody rituals must be important to God, judging from the number of times that he repeats their instructions. Indeed the entire first nine chapters of Leviticus can be summarized as follows: Get an animal, kill it, sprinkle the blood around, cut the dead animal into pieces, and burn it for a "sweet savor unto the Lord." Chapters 1 - 9

2. "Flay the burnt offering; cut it into pieces." 1:6

3. Burn the head, fat, and entrails for "a sweet savour unto the Lord." 1:8-9

4. "Kill it and sprinkle blood round about." 1:11, 3:2, 3:8, 3:13

5. "Cut it into pieces and burn it for a sweet savour unto the Lord." 1:12-13

6. "Wring off its head and burn it." 1:15

7. "For a sweet savour unto the Lord." 1:17

8. "Part it in pieces... it is a meat offering." 2:6

9. "It is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire." 2:10

10. What to do with the fat, kidneys, and liver of your burnt offerings. 3:3-4, 3:9-10, 3:14-16

11. "Kill the bullock before the Lord and take of the bullock's blood." 4:4

12. "The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle the blood seven times before the Lord." 4:6, 4:17

13. "Pour all the blood at the bottom of the altar." 4:7

14. What to do with the fat, kidneys, liver, skin, head, entrails, and dung from your burnt offerings. 4:8-11

15. "The bullock shall be killed before the Lord." 4:14

16. "Kill it and pour out the blood." 4:24-25

17. "Slay it for a sin offering, pour out the blood, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the Lord." 4:29-31

18. Slay it for a sin offering, put the blood on your finger, and pour out the blood at the bottom of the altar. 4:33-34

19. Wringing off the heads of pigeons for God. 5:8-9

20. Kill the sin offering before the Lord. "It is most holy." 6:25

21. The holy law of trespass offering: Find an animal; kill it; sprinkle the blood around; offer God the fat, rump, kidneys, and caul; burn and eat it in the holy place, for "it is most holy." 7:1-6

22. The priest must sprinkle the blood of the peace offerings. 7:14

23. Be careful what you eat during these animal sacrifices. Don't eat fat or blood -- these are for God. (And he doesn't like to share!) 7:18-27

24. God gives instructions for "wave offerings" and "heave offerings." He says these offerings are to be made perpetually "by a statute for ever." Have you made your heave offering today? 7:30-36

25. Moses does it all for God. First he kills an animal; wipes the blood on Aaron's ears, thumbs, and big toes. Then he sprinkles blood round about and waves the guts before the Lord. Finally he burns the whole mess for "a sweet savour before the Lord." 8:14-32

26. More killing, sprinkling of blood, waiving animal parts, and burning carcasses "before the Lord." 9:2-21

27. Kill the calf, dip your finger in the blood, sprinkle the blood round about, burn the fat and entrails, and wave the breast for a wave offering before the Lord. 9:8-21

28. Two of the sons of Aaron "offered strange fire before the Lord" and "there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord." 10:1-3

29. If priests misbehave at the tabernacle by uncovering their heads, tearing their clothes, leaving with holy oil on them, or by drinking "wine or strong drink", then God will kill them and send his wrath on "all the people." 10:6-9

30. After a woman gives birth, a priest must kill a lamb, pigeon, or dove as a sin offering. This is because having children is sinful and God likes it when things are killed for him. 12:6-8

31. God's law for lepers: Get two birds. Kill one. Dip the live bird in the blood of the dead one. Sprinkle the blood on the leper seven times, and then let the blood-soaked bird fly off. Next find a lamb and kill it. Wipe some of its blood on the patient's right ear, thumb, and big toe. Sprinkle seven times with oil and wipe some of the oil on his right ear, thumb and big toe. Repeat. Finally kill a couple doves and offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 14:2-32

32. God "put the plague of leprosy" into the houses of the Canaanites. 14:34

33. God explains the use of scapegoats. It goes like this: Get two goats. Kill one. Wipe, smear, and sprinkle the blood around seven times. Then take the other goat, give it the sins of all the people, and send it off into the wilderness. 16:6-28

34. Sprinkle the blood and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the Lord. 17:6

35. If you upset God, he'll cause the land to vomit you out. 18:25

36. "Whosoever shall commit any of these abominations ... shall be cut off from among their people." 18:29, 19:8

37. Don't eat sacrifices on the third day or God will cut you off from among your people. 19:6-8

38. Kill anyone who "gives his seed" to Molech. If you refuse, God will cut you and your family off. 20:2-5

39. "For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death." Couldn't we try spanking first? 20:9

40. Both parties in adultery shall be executed. 20:10

41. If a man has sex with his father's wife, kill them both. 20:11

42. If a man "lies" with his daughter-in-law, then both must be killed. 20:12

43. If a man has sex with another man, kill them both. 20:13

44. If you "lie" with your wife and your mother-in-law (now that sounds fun!), then all three of you must be burned to death. 20:14

45. If a man or woman "lie with a beast" both the person and the poor animal are to be killed. 20:15-16

46. People with "familiar spirits" (witches, fortune tellers, etc.) are to be stoned to death.  20:27

47. A priest's daughter who "plays the whore" is to be burned to death. 21:9

48. God gives us more instructions on killing and burning animals. I guess the first nine chapters of Leviticus wasn't enough. He says we must do this because he really likes the smell -- it is "a sweet savour unto the Lord." 23:12-14, 18

49. Don't do any work on the day of atonement or God will destroy you. 23:29-30

50. A man curses and blasphemes while disputing with another man. Moses asks God what to do about it. God says that the whole community must stone him to death. "And the children of Israel did as the Lord and Moses commanded." 24:10-23

51. Anyone who blasphemes or curses shall be stoned to death by the entire community. 24:16

52. God tells the Israelites to make slaves out of their neighbors and their families. The "heathens" and "strangers" are to be their possessions forever. 25:44-46

53. God tells the Israelites to "chase" their enemies and make them "fall before you by the sword." He figures five of the Israelites will be able to "chase" a hundred of their enemies, and a hundred will be able to "put ten thousand to flight." 26:7-8

54. God describes the torments that he has planned for those who displease him. The usual stuff: plagues, burning fevers that will consume the eyes, etc. but he reserves the worst for the little children. He says "ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it," "I will send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children," and "ye shall eat the flesh of your sons and daughters." 26:16-39

55. All "devoted" things (both man and beast) "shall surely be put to death." 27:28-29

Christian Responses

Responses to the Skeptic's Annotated Bible Cruelty Short List

Leviticus