"If sacrifice is so wrong, why has it been a popular part of religious practice for so long, and a part of so many faiths?"
The answer to this is three fold, two of these being natural, the other unnatural.  First of all, sacrifice was originally a means of supporting the local temple and priesthood.  The less desirable parts of the animals went to the altar fire, the rest to the priest's table.  Other portions were either given to the needy, or traded for other things the priests needed.
Long before governments, sacrificial demands were a form of taxation, for the ancient priest kings.  For most early rulers were considered to be the divine representatives of their particular god on Earth, and the sacrifices logically went to their support.
Secondly, when The Lords taught man in Their Divine Wisdom, that in order to gain perfection, to secure a place of comfort in The Afterlife, they must do good and sacrifice of themselves, primitive men mistakenly thought this meant they should sacrifice part of their herds and crops.  For to them, these WERE themselves, their means of life.  So, by giving of their herds and crops, they mistakenly thought they were pleasing The Lords, who were teaching them.
Thirdly, some of those who in ancient times, guided man, were NOT Lords of Light, but Demons of Darkness, creatures that feed on the last energy given off by a dead body after the soul has left it.  We cannot fully describe demons at this time, but to learn what they really are, send for our leaflet
"A Spiritist Speaks About Demons"   (Click on the title to read it online free.)  However, some of a Demon's favorite places are battlefields, and slaughterhouses.  On the rare occasion when demons possess human bodies, they often gather a following and start religions that specialize in murder and death.  A good example of this is the goddess Kali and her Huggi followers.
A demon encourages sacrifice, relishes the shedding of blood, for even encased in a human form, it feeds on the energy of the dead bodies, and the more death it encourages, the more powerful it becomes.
Most all gods that demanded blood were such demented spirits, seeking death to feed their insatiable hunger. That's why The Spiritist turns from all faiths that shed blood or are based on the shedding of blood, for such is wrong.  And those that do such practices will in time, learn their mistake.  But we do not wish to be drawn into their error, but instead choose to follow The True Path Of Light.  Such is The Way Of The Lords Of Truth.
"In Our Sacred Writings it tells of certain celebrations in which our people bless animals and slaughter them for a feast.  Is this not sacrifice?"
No.  We are asking The Lords' favors, not for ourselves, but for the animals; asking The Lords to bless those creatures that give their lives to sustain our existence.  This is in no way a sacrificial rite, and is looked upon with favor by The Lords.
Now, many have asked us if we cannot sacrifice or accept another sacrifice, what can we give The Lords?  What must we do to secure Their favor?
The answer, astonishingly enough, is "Nothing."  The Lords give us Their Love, guidance and teachings without charge.  They ask nothing in return.  What we do give Them must be given freely from our hearts, not because we feel obligated, but because we love The Lords, because of all the suffering They have endured in our behalf.  We must lovingly give Them our praise, our love, and our joy in return for those gifts They give us.  We must serve Them as we are served, of our own desire, in greatest joy, doing those things that They have taught us, sacrificing the only thing that is rightfully ours to sacrifice....our own time, our own effort to bring Their Message to all the world.  To carry their Truth to the stars.
This is what brings The Lords joy.  This is what feeds Them and sustains Them, as when Their Children (Descendants) do good things in Their Names, lift up their voices in praise of Them, and keep Their Memory alive for future generations.  This is The Lords; Way.  This is Love, this is Truth, not to be served, but to serve, not to attack, but to defend, not to take but to give.  These are The Treasures Of The Lords, the wealth other people give Them.  As it was in The Beginning, may it also be forever, until The End.

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