Dear Syed Atiq ul Hassan,

May Allah bless you.

Unlike in the olden days, very few people today have sheep or other farm animals as friends which they hold dear.

But many have other pets, both animal pets and non-animate pets.

Suppose you had a pet which you treated like your child, which you have taken into your own bed when it was cold, which you spent sleepless nights when it was ill, trying to find a vet in the middle of the night and going there with heart fluttering not knowing whether they will survive, and when they did you not only paid $1000's in vet fees, but also thanked her with a special card and flowers.
Suppose then you believed, rightly or wrongly, that Allah wanted your pet sacrificed and so you wiped off your tears and did, then you could have been following the principle and spirit of Qurbani.

Qurbani literally means "to bring [oneself] close [to Allah]". It does so because by performing the physical act, one reaffirms Allah to be their highest priority.
Slaughtering an anonymous sheep to which one is not particularly emotionally-attached, for its meat, for you and your family to eat and for accruing the merit accompanying charity to the poor, does not fulfill the spirit of Qurbani and I doubt it would be endearing to Allah at all.

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Sacrifice that is performed according to scriptural injunctions without expectation of rewards, with the firm conviction of the mind that it is a matter of duty, is of the nature of goodness.
O best of the Bharatas, know that sacrifice performed for material benefit, or with a hypocritical aim, is in the mode of passion.
Sacrifice devoid of faith and contrary to the injunctions of the scriptures, in which no food is offered, no mantras chanted, and no donation made, is to be considered in the mode of ignorance.
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[Bhagavad-Gita 17:11-13]

Dear David F.,

«He told me he would see a psychiatrist. Dad had more sense than the Bible or Koran bashers.»

I agree and like your father's response!

(in such case I could also suggest him getting a hearing-aid...)

«I have no reason to think that I will have any experiences after I die any more than trees or possums have.»

You may have no reason to think so, but even then, a devotee who truly loves God would still worship and sacrifice just the same.
If one worships for the sake of having desirable post-death experiences, then they are merely mediocre traders who try to do business with God, just as I quoted above to the author: "know that sacrifice performed for material benefit, or with a hypocritical aim, is in the mode of passion."

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Dear Ttbn,

«Not much longer now before you might be answering for your contempt for religion.»

David F. never stops thinking about God - I think that should please God very much!