Cannibalism: A Human Atrocity

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Cannibalism: A Human Atrocity

"Cannibalism is morally wrong according to modern religion. In Christianity, it was used by God as an ultimate punishment for the disobedience of the Israelites during the siege of Jerusalem. Around the sixth century Before Christ, the prophet Jeremiah warned the Israelites of such a holy damnation: “I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the stress of the siege imposed on them by the enemies who seek their lives” (Barker, Jeremiah 19:9). Despite the warnings, the Israelites continuously disobeyed God and were rightfully punished. Jeremiah saw God as ultimate and threatened the ultimate crime as castigation for their sins. In Islam, cannibalism is considered haram, or one of the “carnal sins which constitute the most grave danger to man and environment” (Light of Islam). Cannibalism is one of man’s greatest betrayals to God.

Cannibalism was a topic of ancient horror stories. In Greek mythology, “after Thyestes unwittingly ate the flesh of his own children, the Sun was so appalled that he turned back on his course and plunged the world into darkness” (Hodgkinson, 2001). Such an idea was haunting. In the Odyssey, Odysseus met the Cyclops, “a race of one-eyed human-eating giants” (Acadia). Cannibalism was nightmarish and represented ultimate power.

In modern day, cannibalism has emerged in the most horrifying crimes. In 1991, Wisconsinite Jeffrey Dahmer was convicted of fifteen gruesome murders dating back to 1987. Dahmer raped young, ethnic men he met in bars across Milwaukee. He used the teenagers as experiments of his sexual fantasy by “drilling holes in the selected victim’s skull, then drib...

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...ysterious disappearance of a Soylent Company executive (Fleischer). The idea of a depressing, anthropophagic apocalypse stuns moviegoers. Filmmakers evoke fear in their audiences by presenting cannibalism as doomful and inescapable.

Cannibalism is immoral and remains the most horrifying phenomenon of mankind. The practice has been part of ancient and modern history, and is a sin according to modern religion. Ancient mythology depicts the practice as outlandish and sinister. Cannibalism has sparked much controversy in the Western world and has been widely feared by societies. Cannibalism is a mind-boggling phenomenon that is so primitive and taboo; it is ignored by society. Cannibalism is the most horrifying reality of the human culture, and mankind forever fears the prospect of unavoidably resorting to Soylent Blue, Soylent Yellow, or Soylent Green."

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