Soren Kierkegaard and Abraham's Sacrifice

Assignment E1
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Assignment E1
Søren Kierkegaard tells of his enduring fascination with the story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for God accounted in Genesis 22:1-14. In this account, God tests Abraham’s faith by directing him to lead his son Isaac to Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him (Kierkegaard, 2003). The absolute faith that Abraham has in God leaves him with no alternative but to follow the command. He proves to God that he is obedient and faithful when he pulls his knife and puts it on Isaac’s throat, but God stops the sacrifice by providing a ram to be offered as a burnt offering (Kierkegaard, 2003). This story epitomizes faith, while Kierkegaard believes the ethical expression for Abraham’s action is that he wanted to murder Isaac.
For an Abraham of today, the possible test of faith could still be child sacrifice. However, most parents today would not obey this command because they have unconditional love for their children. Therefore, if one may look at this test today, they may become scared and wonder why someone would want to murder their child. Modern times view the practice as evil and disgusting even if God asks it. In fact, parents would reason based on the Ten Commandments, claiming that God cannot allow the murder of an innocent child since it is against the commandment that prohibits killing. However, this analogy does not change the fact that sacrificing a child is the most challenging offering one can make for a god because a child is regarded as an apple of a parent’s eye.
Kierkegaard (2003) suggests that today's minister does not fathom the story of a man who planned to kill his son after hearing a preacher praise Abraham’s sacrifice. It is because the man compared himself with Abraham and wanted to emulate him. The minister ...