A Texas man who practices Santeria has finally gotten his day in court, and is asking a federal judge to allow him to resume the sacrificing of goats in his home.
Jose Merced, a native of Puerto Rico and practitioner of Santeria, sued the city of Euless, Texas, when they told him he could no longer perform animal sacrifices as part of his religious practice. The city told him that "animal sacrifices jeopardize public health and violate its slaughterhouse and animal cruelty ordinances." Merced, however, has been sacrificing animals for over a decade without any problems, and says he's willing to "quadruple bag the remains" and find a safe method of disposal.
Police responded to a neighbor's complaint and interrupted a ceremony in 2004. Merced says there are at least ten other practitioners of Santeria in Euless, but the city hasn't cracked down on them. He said, "I guess their neighbors are not that nosy."
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Jose Merced, a native of Puerto Rico and practitioner of Santeria, sued the city of Euless, Texas, when they told him he could no longer perform animal sacrifices as part of his religious practice. The city told him that "animal sacrifices jeopardize public health and violate its slaughterhouse and animal cruelty ordinances." Merced, however, has been sacrificing animals for over a decade without any problems, and says he's willing to "quadruple bag the remains" and find a safe method of disposal.
Police responded to a neighbor's complaint and interrupted a ceremony in 2004. Merced says there are at least ten other practitioners of Santeria in Euless, but the city hasn't cracked down on them. He said, "I guess their neighbors are not that nosy."
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Poor goats. I hope one bites him hard one day.
Yeah…I really hate religious discrimination….but I also hate killing animals for no good reason. :\
I would never do this myself, but if he eats the meat then I suppose it is no different than ranchers slaughtering their own cattle. Granted, there’s a religious implication, but that used to be standard practice. They would slaughter the animal in ritual to a God/Goddess then consume whatever was not given to the deity.
Actually, if you learn a little about Santeria, you learn that animals used in ritual sacrifice must be killed as humanely as possible in order for the sacrifice to be accepted by the Gods. Any sacrificial animals must be treated with respect as sacred animals before they are sacrificed. Also, following the ritual itself, the animals are generally cooked and eaten in a ritual meal, so the animal’s life does not go to waste. How many chickens have you eaten that have not lived as well?
I practice Santeria and we dont sacrifice the animals for fun, there is meaning behind it. And yes sometimes the meat is eaten (unless it was used for a cleansing) the way that the animals are sacrificed is alot more humane than a slaughter house does it. As a matter of fact for “religion” reasons it must be done as quickly and as painless as possible.
Now let’s not be ethnocentric…. lol. Oh sorry I’m a college student and I learned this word last semester, I wanted to employ my new knowledge. Anyway, while his practices aren’t something I would do myself (I’m a vegetarian), I think he has every right to practice his religion and if this is part of his religion, then by all means. Especially considering that he respects the animal and is grateful for its sacrifice. Think about it: a SACRIFICE. People are eating dead animals every day without a second thought about how it was killed and without a shred of gratefulness in their hearts. Let this man be.
I am quite prepared to let the community override individual religious chioce where there’s animal abuse: I am very angry that most Western countries allow Halal slaughter, which basically means bleeding alive and conscious animals to death, rather than offend Muslims, But this guy seems to be doing nothing I didn’t do when I raised livestock for meat, and it’s just official interference for its own sake.
Oh for Pete’s sake! Why kill a little goat. It’s obscene and self indulgent and pitiful.
Hey not only do people kill animals we kill fish, bugs. What is the difference. It is all life. We turn our backs to it all. Why single out this guy.
I think that it is a double standard for anyone who eats meat to say that this man is doing something wrong by sacrificing a goat. For that matter, anyone who eats plants too as some believe that all things feel pain.
He is doing nothing wrong and his religious beliefs are just as justified as anyone elses. In fact, if you actually look into his religion you will find that the sacrifice is more humane than any buthcers…and I have personally seen how they slaughter cows, goats, pigs. It is a horrible process.
Who is so just and righteous that they can point a finger at this man and say he is so wrong? No one that I know.
I hope that he wins his case.
I live in Euless, I am vegetarian and I am behind the city on this one.
Winter, I understand you’re a vegetarian, but I would like to hear your reasoning behind your choice; it was vague.
As for myself, I respect the man’s choices as long as he respects the animal. I agree that he’s been more humane than the slaughterhouses & I understand that it is a sacrifice which must be made, but only as long as he consumes the meat or uses every part on the goat that he can. Just like hunting, it makes sense, but it shouldn’t be left to rot. I personally would not kill an animal for the purpose of ritual sacrifice, but I would acknowledge that a sacrifice has been made & go through the ritual of ensuring that the animal did not die in vain.
Jade you say you hate religious discrimination but in the same sentence you say the man killed a goat for no good reason.If he sacrificed it in a ritual he was asking his Gods for something an in return he was giving an offering.So thats something.