Coming right on the heels of Florida's goat-decapitation problems, now the folks in Texas may be in for a legal battle. Several dead chickens were found in North Beach, and the county prosecuting attorney says he might be filing animal cruelty charges against whoever left them there. However, authorities are also speculating that the chickens were sacrificed in a Santerian ritual.
This raises the question as to whether or not animal sacrifice as part of a religious ceremony is protected under the First Amendment. In Texas, attorneys are saying it isn't... but the First Amendment is a federal statute, not a state one. Furthermore, it has been argued in other states -- Florida, for example -- that animal sacrifice is protected as a recognized aspect of Santeria. Typically it is the blood that is used in the ritual, and then the chicken is cooked and eaten by practitioners.
In 1993, the Santeria Church of Lukumi Babalu Ave successfully sued the city of Hialeah, FL, for the right to include animal sacrifice as part of their ritual. Part of the argument was that the city had enacted ordinances forbidding the ritual slaughter of chickens, but the court determined that the ordinances were unconstitutional, because they directly contradicted the First Amendment.
Now, admittedly, the incident in Texas should raise some health concerns -- after all, dead chickens laying on a beach can't possibly be sanitary. But I'm wondering how well animal cruelty charges will hold up, if the chickens were killed in a religious context -- which seems a strong possibility, since coins and fruit were left at the site as well. This one will definitely be worth following.
This raises the question as to whether or not animal sacrifice as part of a religious ceremony is protected under the First Amendment. In Texas, attorneys are saying it isn't... but the First Amendment is a federal statute, not a state one. Furthermore, it has been argued in other states -- Florida, for example -- that animal sacrifice is protected as a recognized aspect of Santeria. Typically it is the blood that is used in the ritual, and then the chicken is cooked and eaten by practitioners.
In 1993, the Santeria Church of Lukumi Babalu Ave successfully sued the city of Hialeah, FL, for the right to include animal sacrifice as part of their ritual. Part of the argument was that the city had enacted ordinances forbidding the ritual slaughter of chickens, but the court determined that the ordinances were unconstitutional, because they directly contradicted the First Amendment.
Now, admittedly, the incident in Texas should raise some health concerns -- after all, dead chickens laying on a beach can't possibly be sanitary. But I'm wondering how well animal cruelty charges will hold up, if the chickens were killed in a religious context -- which seems a strong possibility, since coins and fruit were left at the site as well. This one will definitely be worth following.
Question: if it was a Santerian ritual, why did they leave them and not cook them? Or is that only done in certain ceromonies?
I believe in the right to choose your own religion and to practice it how you choose, however, this seems wasteful to kill the chickens and leave them as well as the fruit…
I know nothing of the religion and I ean no insult at all to anyone who may practice it!
Just curious, that’s all.
I do wonder if its christians that are raising some of the ruckus over the sacrifices? It seems to me that they too had sacrifices that involved sheep and various animals in their ceremonies.Did they have a law forbidding that? I think not!!!
yes in the bible aberham tryed to sacrific his son isic to there christan god
I agree somewhat with Rebecca: I’m alright with whatever faith someone has (including Satanism, etc.) but I also believe that faith is personal, and should NOT involve any other lives but your own (unless, of course, you practice in a group, but I’m sure you all know what I mean!).
This does, however, seem to conflict with the first amendment, and I can understand if they eat the chicken afterwards. If it is a Santerian ritual, why (as Rebecca asked) did they just leave the chickens???
First off, usually they cok and eat the chickens in Santeria but there are a few Orishas that do not want them cooked, rather left as they are. It’d take me some time to scrounge up enough info to figure out what Orisha they must have been working with to have left them with coins and fruit.
Also it could have been a small group new to Santeria and not knowing the etiquette. As a general rule Orishas like food that people like. Uncooked chicken = no.
Christianity abhors animal sacrifice. Judaism was the religion that allowed sacrifice, but eventually, somewhere in the bible, God Jehova says don’t do that anymore.
Because of disease though I think some religious animal sacrifice practices should be rethough and they should cook the animals before they leave them out. Humans are a lot more suceptible (thanks to modern medicine) to some diseases they weren’t as likely to contract when these practices were in full force. Even if curing them is easier now (thanks to modern medicine) there’s still the damage they can do befor eyou get them fixed to think about.
Well, Orisha is just one of the belief systems, as is Santeria, and hoodoo(which is a term coined in the US). These religions are located primarily in some parts of Africa and the general Caribbean area..which includes the Caribbean side of South America, Mexico and other countried bordering the Caribbean. Now, Catholicism is the main religion in these areas, with other mainstream churches as well. Catholicism was pushed on the indigenous people of the area…and were punished or killed if they did not give up their customs and embrace Catholicism. In order to practice their religion, they incorportated some Saints into it, (Their deities..were now identified with two names meaning one deity.
Animal sacrifice is part of some of their rituals, although this is really in the minority now. Sacrifices are not cooked and eaten..because sometimes they are used in exorcism (especially chickens)..the evil entity is put in the chicken, then the chicken is killed, destroying the evil entity. Certain other rituals are done using goats as sacrifice. It depends on the ritual, whether the goat is cooked and eaten or not. When it is cooked and eaten, it is honoring whatever deity..and it is thought that by eating the animal will save them from whatever,or give them certain powers.
I had research this awhile back, can’t find my article (bad filing system..lol) so this is just off the top of my head.
Oops, this is a correction to above post. When I mentioned the general Caribbean area, this also includes the Gulf of Mexico.
Oh Dear…here’s more.
Almost anywhere peoples from these areas have settled, these religions are actually growing. In Miami, Florida…there is a large church..and their website is incredible.
Most of the time, these peoples settle in large cities in the US, so they are scattered around.
Animals found left as sounds here could be a sign someone got spooked away in the middle of a ritual. Used to happen a lot where I came from.
Animals with ribbons tied all over them could consistently be found running loose very near water the day after a full moon. Would be a result of where those involved had bailed out for the hills when law enforcement was routinely welfare checking the same area.
The welfare checks, by the way, occurred all year ’round. It was not persecution. The area was notorious for prospective citizens coming ashore as well as having a history of huge illegal substance use parties in days gone by.
Very interesting comments by everyone! I’ve got to this page trying to understand why the F*#@% people use private or state property to dispose of their sacrisified animals, yet… I don’t see no answer anywhere. Here is my problem: The block where I live has very little trafic because it has a dead end; we don’t have neighbors across the street…well, we do but they are all dead… it’s a cemetery!! sounds familiar? On my block you don’t just find couples having sex in the car or druggies smoking crap or other A-holes dumping their old furniture… you also see people disposing of their sacrisified animals, mostly chicken, over the cemetery wall that divides it from the neighborhood. THAT’S MY PROBLEM!! We have dealt with the other problems but this one is complicated. There are days when I can’t even open my windows because it stincks so much outside and during the summer, all it takes is 12 hours before a dead animal is dicomposed. After talking to a police officer for one hour, we concluded that my choices are two:
1) Record on camera the suspect who is seeing disposing of “stuff” over the cemetery wall and press charges for illegal dumping and for jeopardycing the health of the neighbors… do I want to turn into a police man? Hell no!!
I will also have to go to court as many times as required…just imagine if I record 10 people in a week.
The other option is to put pressure on those who manage the cemetery and make them pick up the dead animals more often. I felt tempted to do the clean up my self but, after reading Shaamansu comments about the “devils entity in a chicken”, I am not too sure if I want to this my self.
Any suggestions?