0 Does God approve of human sacrifice?

Does God approve of human sacrifice?


Yes.

God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering.

And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Genesis 22:2

He commanded the Israelites to give him their firstborn sons.

Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. Exodus 22:29

He said that every "devoted thing ... both of man and beast ... shall surely be put to death."

No devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast ... shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death. Leviticus 27:28-29

Moses commanded his officers to kill every Midianite male and non-virgin female, but to keep the virgin females alive for themselves -- except for one in a thousand which were to be given to God. After examining the females, the soldiers found 32,000 virgins, 32 of which were God's "booty". Sixteen of these were sacrificed to God as a "heave offering."

And Moses was wroth with the officers ... which came from the battle. And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? ... Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
...
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast ... And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation: And levy a tribute unto the Lord ... one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep: Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for an heave offering of the Lord. ... And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. And the booty ... was ... thirty and two thousand persons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him ... of which the LORD's tribute was thirty and two persons. Numbers 31:25-40

The Spirit of the Lord inspired Jephthah to to sacrifice to God whatever came out to greet him when he returned from slaughtering the Ammonites. When his daughter came out to greet him, Jephthah kept his promise to God by killing her as a burnt offering.

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah ... And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.... And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child.... And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth.... And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed. Judges 11:29-40

God sent a famine is sent on David's kingdom for three years. When David asked God why, God answered: "It is for Saul, and his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites." To appease God and end the famine that was caused by his predecessor (Saul), David agreed to have two of Saul's sons and five of his grandsons killed and hung up "unto the Lord." God stopped the famine after they were killed and hung up for him.

Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.... The king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul ... And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD....And after that God was intreated for the land. 2 Samuel 21:1, 8-14

Josiah "did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord" when he killed "all the priests of the high places" and burnt their bones upon their altars.

And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD ... And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee. 1 Kings 13:1-2

Josiah ... slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men's bones upon them. 2 Kings 23:20

Josiah ... did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord ... And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars. 2 Chronicles 34:1-5

Jesus was the ultimate human sacrifice, redeeming us all with his precious blood.
(Now God doesn't have to torture us all after we die, since he tortured Jesus to death as a substitute for us.)

Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. 1 Corinthians 5:7

Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things ... But with the precious blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18-19

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God ... that by means of death ... they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator ... and without shedding of blood is no remission. Hebrews 9:13-22

We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:10

No.

At least God doesn't want us to sacrifice our children for any other god. That would be evil in the sight of the Lord.
And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. Leviticus 18:21

Every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. Deuteronomy 12:31

He [Manasseh] made his son pass through the fire, and ... wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD. 2 Kings 21:6, 2 Chronicles 33:6

If we sacrifice our children to another god, we must be stoned to death.
There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire. Deuteronomy 18:10

Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. Leviticus 20:2

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