'Remove the idea of sacrifice, the reality of sacrifice, from Christianity and it becomes something other than Christianity.
The concept of expiation, of making amends by sacrifice, is indeed primitive. It is primitive in the sense that it is deeply rooted in human nature and variously expressed in all cultures that we know about. Once again, to say that something is primitive does not mean that it is naive and should be outgrown. That which is most deeply rooted in human nature and culture - whether it be attitudes toward sexual relations, property and theft or the love of children - reflects a wisdom that we ignore at our peril.'
Richard John Neuhaus, Death on a Friday Afternoon, p.216.
