Edit: Removed a snipe at a translation, I'm not qualified for that.
And indeed, the NIV*, CEV, and Good News all disagree with the King James that the plunder from Numbers 31 was to be sacrificed. It just says 'given to the Levites', who were basically at that time the Goddest of God's people, and the heave offering was the part given to the priests for sustenance. So, uh, rape but not human sacrifice. It's no worse than any other wartime activities of the Israelites.
I'm not even sure human sacrifice would be any worse, though that's a nasty discussion. But okay, that does seem like a reasonable interpretation (as far as I know. It's not like I know Hebrew
). God's people were kinda amazingly into polygamy and concubines.
The story of Jephthah is messed up, I agree. In terms of utilitarian morals, of course...
In terms of the morals of the New Testament. I'm not trying to argue that God is evil, except to say his nature changes drastically between the books. Which suggests that the books are fabrications.
So while I fixated on the "human sacrifice" aspect, it's really the overall cruelty of the OT God which supports my argument.
Though I do also still think that human sacrifice to God was a tenet of the religion. Based on this story, Isaac's story, their treatment of conquered towns, and the fact that God *specifically* forbids them from sacrifice humans to *other* gods.
Josiah killing high priests is obviously acting in God's interests. Burning them is weird, though.
Seems like consistent behavior.
As regards the majority of the rest of the cases, they're human sacrifices in the same sense that killing the Canaanites and other inhabitants of the Promised Land was human sacrifice. Kill people in the name of the Lord -> the Lord gives you stuff.
Considering how they slaughtered noncombatants, especially children and nonvirgin women, I think that this does count.
Wait, wait, crap. If humans aren't kosher then my whole theory falls apart, right? Can't offer God unclean things. And we don't have hooves so...
*I paused to do some Googling at this point*
http://www.jewishpress.com/judaism/parsha/is-a-human-kosher/2013/04/04/Short answer: Specifically our milk and blood are considered kosher, according to Jewish texts. What more can I possibly say?