Sin Eater

[Diablo]

I remember reading about this, in one of O'Brian's books if I remember correctly. When someone died some bread or cake would be placed on the body with some money underneath, and the sin eater would be summoned. He would eat the food and take the coins and thereby take the deceased's sins upon himself so the dead person would be sure to go to heaven.

As I recall this was the practice among some Christian sects in England. Of course the poor man would be sure to go to Hell and would be a pariah in the community, useful only for that function. Presumably he would be disabled in some way and unable to earn a living.

There's not much in Wiki so I wondered if anyone has any more information on this, or similar practices in other religions?

[Welsh cake]

He's basically the guy to helps himself to all the food of the recently deceased.

Sounds like a right opportunistic little shit doesn't he?

[ShaMan]

Shamanism has some roots in the concept of "Sin Eating", but not in the form you've described. In Shamanism the idea of removing "sin" (sickness etc.) from a person, closely resembles the archetype, but with the exception of not taking-on the "sins" of the person, but rather, displacing the sin into another form and sending it away. The Jews had a scapegoat for this function.

New International Version (NIV)

"But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat."

[orangebox21]

Not a practice rooted in the Christian faith.

[Baqal]

@orangebox21
-Not a practice rooted in the Christian faith.
You don't say?

[orangebox21]

@orangebox21
-Not a practice rooted in the Christian faith.
You don't say?

Yes. Christianity teaches the sinner does not pay for the removal of sins, it is a work of God, a work of grace. (Biblical reference)

[Baqal]

@orangebox21
Yes. Christianity teaches the sinner does not pay for the removal of sins, it is a work of God, a work of grace. (Biblical reference)
-subtle face palm-
I knew that already, my previous response was sarcastic.
And the removal of sins according to Christianity... that is something I'd like to discuss. Are you interested?

[ShaMan]

Not a practice rooted in the Christian faith.

Ummmm your Jesus was a "Sin Eater". While it may not be "practiced" in Christianity today, it is most certainly at the heart (root) of the Christian gospel... The sins of one being transferred to another for the explicit purpose of cleansing the former of said "sins".

[John S]

I have never heard of that practice.

[Jenny A]

http://io9.com/the-weird-but-true-histor...-479990066

The practice seems to have awfully localized. It makes wonder if there weren't some local pagan practice that got merged with the Catholic ones. It's my understanding the priests did not approve.