But, as I thought more about it, my feelings became less clear. On a personal level, killing a sentient creature is wrong. That’s not confusing for me. But on a public level, can I hold the same position?
It would be easy to say that Santeria is evil and shouldn’t be allowed. But if we start attacking religions because we think their practices are immoral, where do we stop? I think that’s a slippery slope best not started down.
So I guess the issue comes back to where it does so often, freedom doesn’t just apply to things you like. Not always an easy lesson but an important one.
Killing an animal is always wrong and should be stopped, right? That’s my first reaction generally but sometimes it gets more complicated as you think about it.
There is a religion known as Santería. It’s supposed to have about 100,000 followers in South Florida. And, it’s followers practice animal sacrifice.
These people seem to have a sincere belief that killing of animals is a necessary part of their rituals. While I obviously disagree and am highly unlikely to join them, that really isn’t the point. How far should I or other activists go in opposing this? While I certainly think that long term these practices are doomed, what should be done in the here and now?
Freedom of religion is one of the fundamental rights that we as Americans enjoy. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see what could happen if we didn’t have it. Look at the civil war in Iraq, the genocide in Darfur, and the wars in the Balkans. All have at least some religious overtones. We’ve escaped most of those problems, no, we’re not all perfect but we’ve mostly found other things to fight about. It’s unlikely that a PETA protest of a Santería ceremony would result in violence but is that a road we want to start down?
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