The ritual part doesn't bother me all that much, as a sacrifice is a meal with a god, preferably only with The Most High. Jesus was showing his disciples this with "The Last Supper," which is a name a utterly detest since it is not, in fact, our last supper with Jesus. 🙄

I would also disagree with the "invented characters" perspective. The characters mentioned in the Bible are just not well understood by most modern Christians, with notable exceptions of The Orthodox churches, though the "rank and file" may not be able to aptly articulate what is definitely present in the trained clergy's education.