Execution as Human Sacrifice Considered Nameless

 First, the funny.

 The Greeks used to execute or banish a criminal or infamous person during plagues or famines, with the idea being that it may avert divine anger.
 https://twitter.com/GraniRau/status/1831069068553748482

 Too late. Plague is caused by famine. Famine is caused by demographic Pride, trying to maintain a population above your means.  Normally famines don't cause deadly starvation. They cause partial starvation, meaning the immune system can't be funded. Pathogens get a free ride, becoming the proximate cause of death.
 Someone who eats well and gets plenty of sunlight can't even get sick, let alone die of sickness. Plague or no plague.

 Accepting the Pride was a sin and starting to reduce population after the plague already started is hilariously retrocausal. Karma is already taking your sins out of your hide, what's the point of executing a meanyface? If they deserved to die, why aren't they already dead? If they didn't deserve to die, why are you killing them? It's a great way to offend heaven and prolong the suffering. 

 A "sacrifice" at this point is an insult. A continuing thread...

 Speaking shortly, the correct thing to do is plan on the farms "failing" every year. Never support anyone who can't be fed during a drought. If your farms do better...offer the excess to the gods. Maybe feed it to cattle, turning it into delicious meat, because inefficiency is a virtue. Never allow a "bumper" crop to feed anyone who wouldn't otherwise be fed. Can't even sell it, since doing so will drive your neighbours to zerg rush you next famine.

 Perhaps greed is, in a way, a sin. However, it is not a sin in individuals. It is a sin in the ruler, who greedily feeds his population that which is owed to the spirits. If gluttony is a sin, it's the sin of feeding a starving slum dweller, instead of fattening the lord's calfs. 

 Mortals. Dey gonna mort.

 Last, the ugly. 

 There's an account I recall that actually refers to burning heretics as burnt offerings to God. 

 Anyway, the crime of the heretic or apostate is that he's offensive to the god. His death appeased the god.
 https://twitter.com/GraniRau/status/1831061928036442142

 Truly abominable.

 First, the heavens do not want your trash. Some mortals have decided to kill some guy for mortal reasons, and now you're trying to pass the buck. "You told us to do it." Yeah, no they didn't. Profane liar, bearing false witness. Utterly repulsive.

 If the heavens want someone dead, it is very easy to tell, because they are already dead. 

 Mortals do not have time to second-guess their assessments and actions, nor those of heaven. It will have already been done.

 The above isn't a sacrifice, it's a cowardly murder. The heretic is offensive to the prey herd, so they trample him, many-many vs. one. His [[sin]] is likely being a scawwy scawwy predatur. (His real sin is spooking the herd, like a dumbass. At least plan your escape route, wtf.) They want to kill someone, then they come up with a justification post-hoc, in an attempt to shed responsibility, like a child. 

 Guess what the heavens think about letting children (grey-haired) decide who lives and dies?

 Second, nearly everyone is offensive to god. Why are you killing only one of them?
 If you truly believe those offensive to god must die, first you have to kill yourself. Children of Satan offer lies to heaven...and their religion is violently replaced. What a coincidence.
 Imagine thinking the offensive must die, then thinking heaven will be appeased by deleting fewer than 1% of the offenders. What kind of desperate bleeding heart pauper do you imagine your god to be? Prideful children of Satan can't imagine a higher power that's any higher than they are...

 Imagine running up a million-dollar loan. When the interest is called due, the debtor offers nine pennies to the bank. "Hey, this is enough, right? Approve another loan!" It's a disgusting insult. How stupid do you think they are?
 Admittedly they approved the loan in the first place. A deeply mysterious behaviour.

 Anyway, imagine seeing something so depraved that even mortals can't tolerate it, and thinking, "I know, let's give it to heaven." 

 You know who loves trash? Pigs. Taking trash mortals don't care for and transmuting it into delicious chops is exactly what pigs are for. They'll try to eat you anyway if you trip in the pen, so it's not like they're going to form any bad habits from being fed criminals from time to time. 

 Hey genius, don't treat your god like a pig. 

 

 A fortiori: this is the afterlife, and not the good place. Someone condemned to hell is there precisely because heaven rejects them utterly. [Return to sender] is not the rational response. The smell of burning meat doesn't please heaven any more than it pleases you. God help you if destroying perfectly good nutrition does please you...

 Possible exception: your country is cursed by heaven because heaven finds your government offensive. Sacrifice london and washington in sacred nuclear hellfire, and you'll see. It will work out for you. I can't imagine it would be enough, but it would be a good start. You'll get many signs and portents: "This is the way."