The ritual of sacrifice and its religious function of appeasing the gods have been documented and discussed by countless scholars. However, no scholar had highlighted the relationship between sacrifice and its social function of appeasing human violence until Rene Girard in his book, Violence and the Sacred (Miller 32). Based on his analysis of many myths, societies and religions, Girard argued that religion in ancient societies served as a mechanism to mask the inherent violence of the ritual of sacrifice and its role in preventing human beings from unleash their anger towards their adversaries. Rather, by imposing their fury onto one person who is the scapegoat, human beings can vent their frustration and violence, thus restoring the harmony of the society. Therefore, Girard's book on violence and sacrifice is predicated on three fundamental concepts: a) the interrelationships between the religious and social functions of violence; b) the theory of mimetic desire; and c) the use of a scapegoat to defuse human violence.
In this paper, Girard's book will be used primarily to discuss the topic of violence and sacrifice. His comprehensive theory that links violence and sacrifice to religion and human culture, as discussed in this book, will be described and examined. Moreover, Girard's perspective on violence and sacrifice will be contrasted with other texts that challenge the validity of Girard's theory.
Girard's theory is premised on his belief that human beings are irrational individuals who are primarily driven by their impulses and desires. Moreover, the human tendency towards violence that derives from repressed desires is a universal trait that affects all human beings (35). According to Girard's concept of mimetic desire, human beings tend to emulate the desires of their role models for several reasons. Human beings who have fulfilled their basic needs possess intense desires even though they may not know what ...