Question
I wonder why idol worshipers used to both worship animals and at the same time offer them as sacrifices?
Answer
Idol worship was often a form of dealing with uncontrollable forces in the world. They perceived these forces as having power over their destiny, as opposed to seeing the forces as mere tools of the Almighty. Among the forces were animals, as they were the food and machines of the time, or their nature displayed excesses of things people needed. The theory was that if these forces were appeased, they would cooperate with the desires of the appeasers. Therefore, it was possible to “feed” (sacrifice) animals as a gift to other animals, just as animals eat other animals.