Among the oldest Christian communities , the lamb was on the pastor's shoulders (no plate )symbolized the soul saved by Christ .
Lamb on the shoulders of the shepherd is a sign of compassion and caring for the new life that Christ has provided.
When Jesus came , he tried to inspire people to a higher notion of sacrifice. Instead of sacrificing some poor animals who did no harm to anyone , he taught people to sacrifice their own inner animal and desires as inner animal slaughter such release energies that are more valuable and can be used in spiritual work . Those who understand this are on the way to climb; those who do not understand him are still stuck in the stalls or cages - symbolically speaking - along with their animals they sacrifice and do nothing to contribute to a greater deepening of their soul in the dark.
I propose this year to accept the sacrifice interior new life based on compassion and responsibility for the lives of animals and the others and become the best! How we want to have peace in the world and in our hearts if we have the plate "war".
Killing Easter lamb has no basis in the Christian tradition, but rather has its roots in the Old Testament.
"It's a bloody ritual in strong contradiction with the concept of the Resurrection, which brings renewal of faith and hope.
It is a ritual that is not necessary in a society like ours, already steeped in violence and death that serves only to satisfy the interests of the food industry. "
(Pope Francisco)
Comments
if you see a Catholic Figure-head as a Papa, on a Spiritual Freethink Forum, you're in a HEAP of trouble. ;)
I don't come here much nowadays, but if you need help getting away from Big Religion, let me know through PM. :)
Easter has nothing to do with it. The sacrificial lamb is traditionally used in Judaism, prior to Passover.
Searching for the Meaning of the Passover Sacrifice
The need for medieval exegetes to suggest a plausible alternative to the Christian exegesis of this ritual.
Prof. Rabbi Martin Lockshin
Taamei Ha-Mitzvot
Over the years, Jewish Bible commentators and thinkers have been ambivalent about taamei ha-mitzvot, literally “the reasons for the commandments,” namely attempting to find rationales behind commandments in the Torah. Many argued that since God’s wisdom transcends ours, the attempt to identify with certainty the reasons for a mitzvah (commandment) is doomed to failure.[1]
In fact, some considered this attempt potentially dangerous, since people could try to outsmart the legislator by being loyal to the idea behind the law but relaxing their observance of the law itself.[2] Even Moses Maimonides, who does explain the reasons behind many mitzvot, specifically says that looking for the reasons behind the small details, and especially laws about sacrifices, is wasted effort and unproductive.[3]
Passover Sacrifice
When it came to the Passover sacrifice in Parashat Bo (Exodus 12), however, many traditional commentators and thinkers did not hold back. They actively speculated about the reasons for individual details of the law, many of which seemed obscure:
...I grew up on a farm...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3219201/Lost-sheep-fleece-o...
So, we set them all free! Good idea - it's not like we have a connection!
Don't tell me you wear wool or leather!
Polyester is better - in the winter? REALLY??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gPATovJbVc
We used to live with our animals together - side by side!
And we all were good!
Killing one lamb is necessary to make cheese from the all the sheep's milk to last the winter.
What veggies can you grow through winter to feed you in England?
You live by supermarket only! You take but not give!
And you brag about how better you are!
Go back to WWII in England - how would you live? Eat grass with the cows?
That's how people lived their life from generations until now!
There were NO vegans in WWII!
I don't think we needed the Pope to say it, but that's cool... Killing any animal or human is not "holy" in anyway!!!
Humans will come closer to peace and unity consciousness when they no longer enslave and kill other sentient life forms, or treat them as 'resources' to be used without regard for their feelings...
Compassion is part of the evolution of spiritual consciousness, and will help bring humanity into alignment with the peaceful, loving galactic community reaching out to Earth, rather than to entities of control, fear and domination. It's very simple.
'Namaste'...to all beings.