If God asked you to sacrifice your family to Him, would you do it?

My cousin John Robert, who is an atheist, posted this on my husband’s Facebook wall: If God asked you to sacrifice your family to Him, would you do it?

Prince Charming was at work, so I had all day to think about this before he ever saw it. He posted his reply; now it's my turn.

But first, I asked my kids what they thought of the question. Space Cadet, predictably, didn’t want to think about it.

Cornbread Muffin said, “Sure, and I’ll start with my distant relatives first. Is now a good time for a visit?”

Czarina rolled her eyes and said, “Daddy wouldn’t do that.”

Fashinista said, “I would run away and hide, and call DFCS (Department of Family and Children Services).”

Now, assuming this question is referring to human sacrifice, it is a red herring for at least 3 reasons.

FIRST REASON: God does not ask us to do something that is in violation to his written Word (the Bible).

Many ancient civilizations practiced some sort of human sacrifice. These civilizations include the Phoenicians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Ethiopians, Canaanites, Chinese, Persians, Arabians, & Romans. God has made it very clear how he feels about human sacrifice, and that He did not want His people to participate in this practice.

Deut 18:9-12 - When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.

Deuteronomy 12:31 - You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.

Jeremiah 19:5 - They have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.

Jeremiah 32:35 - They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.

Psalm 106:37-40 - They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.

They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

Therefore the LORD was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance.

Leviticus 20:3 - I will set my face against that man and I will cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.

2 Kings 16:3 - He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Kings 21:6 - He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

2 Kings17:17 - They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

That’s the first reason. I hope to research and write up the second and third reasons in the near future.

Thoughts, anyone?