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Home » Religion » Sacrifice or Animal Cruelty: Santeria

Sacrifice or Animal Cruelty: Santeria

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled and not everyone was happy.

Tags: animals, cigar, dogs, employers, goats, gods, plantations, Religion, Sacrifice, traditions
icon1 Published by ken bultman in Religion on October 30, 2009 | 26 responses


http://www.flickr.com/photos/33262012@N00198744976

Santeria is a religion which migrated to America from the Caribbean but is actually an offshoot of the Yoruba religion that came to the sugar plantations with the slave trade from Africa.  It has now added Catholic and Native American traditions to its rituals which include the blowing of the ceremonial cigar and the sacrifice of animals to the gods.
                                        
                                       http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrevanborte/24803982221

At the last census more than 22,000 Americans admitted to being members of Santeria, however, socialologists suggest this number is much greater due to those who hide membership for fear of recrimination from friends and employers.  Some years ago the state of Florida, including my home county of Polk, vigorously pursued reports of animal cruelty performed during Santeria ceremonies where large conclaves of Caribbean and Hispanic populations lived.  Most animals were chickens and goats but reports of dogs being sacrificed persisted.  There were many arrests and several successful prosecutions.

In 1974 the first Santeria church in the U.S. was incorporated in Hialeah, Florida as the Church of the Lukumi Babalu-Aye.  Babalu Aye is an important saint or orisha in the Santeria belief.  In 1993, church elders were convicted of animal cruelty and appeals took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.  That body overruled the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision and declared that animal cruelty laws specifically targeting Yoruba, the mother church of Santeria, were unconstitutional.  There have been virtually no law enforcement challenges to Santeria ceremonial animal sacrifice since that ruling.

A note of trivia in closing:  in the television series “I Love Lucy,” Cuban-born Desi Arnaz, who played Ricky Ricardo, Lucy’s husband, had a band.  It was often heard playing its theme song, “Babalu.”  That song is an homage to the orish Babalu-Aye for whom the Florida church is named. 

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26 Responses to “Sacrifice or Animal Cruelty: Santeria”

  1. Vikram Chhabra says:
    October 30, 2009 at 10:20 am

    This was news to me Ken. Thanks for posting this very interesting article!!

  2. chitragopi says:
    October 30, 2009 at 10:20 am

    Very interesting read.

  3. Jamie Myles says:
    October 30, 2009 at 10:51 am

    Veryu interesting, I’d like to know more about the topic.

  4. neet says:
    October 30, 2009 at 11:57 am

    Very informative………..I am a hindu and we have this tradition of sacrificing animals in the name of religion…….I hope it ends. Its terrible.

  5. PR Mace says:
    October 30, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    I had never heard of this. It is terrible in my opinion. Thanks for an informative read.

  6. cutedrishti8 says:
    October 30, 2009 at 12:45 pm

    I hope this will end one day…

  7. martinpm says:
    October 30, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    Very interesting article.

  8. B Nelson says:
    October 30, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    If I wanted to start a religion that tortured and killed babies (or just decided to follow an older religion that did that) you can bet there would be a law against it.
    Personally knowing how valuable food was to people in the past, I doubt the amount of sacrifice that took place was any where near what people think it was.

  9. Sourav says:
    October 30, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    Very informative article!

  10. Christine Ramsay says:
    October 30, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    I haven’t heard of this religion but I have been put off it by the cruelty they use. A well written piece.

    Christine

  11. Diverseblogger says:
    October 30, 2009 at 3:12 pm

    Very interesting. I have never heard of this before.

  12. Diverseblogger says:
    October 30, 2009 at 3:13 pm

    Very interesting piece. I have never heard of that but I am happy to have read this

  13. Lady Sunshine says:
    October 30, 2009 at 3:43 pm

    My opinion, it is animal cruelty, only because I’m such an animal lover. Plus to sacrifice in the name of religion?? Puts me off right there. Another fascinating article, Ken. I can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us. And where is that lynching piece, huh? lol.

    BTW I first heard of Santeria from the song of the same name by Sublime. The first line he says is “I don’t practice Santeria”.

  14. Goodselfme says:
    October 30, 2009 at 4:00 pm

    I always learn something from you. Well done again, my friend.

  15. Mystify says:
    October 30, 2009 at 7:31 pm

    Excellent journalistic write Ken! I have never heard of them but this sure was interesting.I don’t beleive in animal cruelty in any sense but if you go back to the time of the bible Isreal sacrificed animals to God so I can see how some religions would think this is right in some morbid disgusting kind of way but I think doing this to animals especially in this day of age is completely wrong and they should be charged. Perhaps they should take up another worshipping practice then to kill defenseless animals savagely.

  16. sandie says:
    October 30, 2009 at 8:32 pm

    interesting read of your story, i feel sorry for the animals being used in sacrifices which i think is pure evil like the people who do this, i know it all goes on, usually behind he scenes where nobody knows or cares.Thanks for sharing.

  17. lindalulu says:
    October 30, 2009 at 9:59 pm

    very informative and interesting article. I do not believe in sacrificing anything.

  18. Jane Benitez says:
    October 31, 2009 at 12:32 am

    Never heard of this type of religion and as always you broaden my mind on many things. I truly enjoy your articles.

  19. lisa leverton says:
    October 31, 2009 at 5:21 am

    I don’t buy all this sacrifice stuff, they will be using virgin maidens next.

    Well presented article Ken.

  20. lostash says:
    October 31, 2009 at 8:53 am

    Good piece Ken. I’m torn with this one?Culture versus modern thinking, I can’t decide.

  21. Deepblue says:
    October 31, 2009 at 8:14 pm

    This has a different twist from your previous publications. Well told.

  22. Ruby Hawk says:
    November 1, 2009 at 2:25 pm

    Ken, that was interesting, I loved Ricky’s them song. It’s origin is odd, I wonder if he was into the religion.

  23. Jane Jane says:
    November 3, 2009 at 9:47 am

    I’m totally not familiar with Santeria.

  24. Themax says:
    November 4, 2009 at 5:15 am

    Nice Interesting article,Thanks for sharing :)

  25. Teves says:
    November 5, 2009 at 8:25 am

    Very nice information…Thanks!

  26. bianca santiago says:
    March 2, 2010 at 9:25 am

    in my oppinion santeria is a religion like any other religion thats there belive to the forces of the world sacrificing animals is wrong but thats there way to thank many diffrents gods.(nice article)

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