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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SanteríaThere is the Wikipedia article at the top of the post, but in a grossly oversimplified sense, Santeria is an Afro-Carribean/Latin form of voodoo mixed with Roman Catholicism. A friend of mine who is a pagan told me about and it seems great: open to other religions, open to homosexuality and transgendered people, about finding faith within ourselves, etc.
However, there is one thing that is a huge turn-off for me: animal-sacrifice. It is still performed in almost all sects of this religion. My friend says that the animal is not wasted. It is killed in respect to God/the earth and is cooked and made into a feast. The only difference is that the animal is killed in person and not processed in a factory.
I don't know, I just don't like that one aspect. I feel like a food offering is just as sufficient and far more humane. Am I looking too much into this, or is there a way of justifying animal sacrifice?
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Of course if you accept everything else of that religion, and reject their animal sacrifices, well that could be a problem with others of that religion. That's about it.
Hinduism used to have animal sacrifices and now they put food, flowers and milk at the feet of the deities. Seems to be working just fine.
sorry, you typed for it
Is that a Maroon 5 reference?
I don't practice Santeria,
I ain't got no crystal ball,
Well I had a million dollars but I,
I'd spend it all,
If I could find that heina and that sancho that she's found,
Well I'd pop a cap in sancho and I'd slap her down.
What I really wanna know,
My baby,
What I really want to say I can't define,
Well it's love that I need, oh,
But my soul will have to,
Wait till I get back find heina of my own,
Daddy's gonna love one and all.
I feel the break,
Feel the break,
Feel the break and I got live it out,
Oh, yea huh, well I swear that I,
What I really wanna know,
My baby,
What I really want to say I can't define,
Got love make it go,
My soul will have to...
Ohhh, what I really wanna say,
My baby,
What I really wanna say is I've got mine,
And I'll make it, yes, I'm comin' up.
Tell Sanchito that if he knows what is good for him he best go run and hide,
Daddy's got a new .45,
And I won't think twice to stick that barrel straight down sancho's throat,
Believe me when I say that I got somethin' for his punk ass.
What I really wanna know,
My baby,
Oh what I really wanna say is there's just one,
Way back,
And I'll make it, yea,
But my soul will have to wait.
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I really would stay away from groups that advocate ritual killing in that way, I think that even if they seem to be doing other things "right" it might be coming from a really dark place. Some actions look the same, but when you get down to their essence or intention, some people are doing it for the right reasons and some people are doing it for the wrong reasons.
I'd really have to question the intentions and motivations of all the actions of a group that are so unevolved that they think animal sacrifice is ok, because who knows what else they find acceptable?
And then I'd run far, far away from them
Animal sacrifice does still happen in the most strictest of traditional observances, but in modern Santeria, there are many ways around that for ritual and spell-making purposes.
Those Priests and Priestesses who do animal sacrifice do not view it the same as Buddhists or other cultures. However, to be fair, Santeria is NOT the only religion or culture in which animal sacrifice as part of a ritual or celebration is still done. To say it's "un-evolved" or "primitive" is pretty bigoted. It's just 'different'.
"a regular Santeria practitioner can go to a Santeria priest or priestess to have serious (intense) rituals done for them, instead of doing it themselves."
I don't think that would really make a difference because the intention is still the same. If I hire an assassin rather than killing someone myself, I'd still be guilty of murder.
It is no more primitive or barbaric than killing cows, pigs, chickens or goats, or gophers, birds, snakes, deer or any other game for eating or wearing of skins.
True, some people DO believe that is all barbaric as well, but most people don't, and certainly those who do those things aren't breaking any laws and being condemned socially or legally by the majority of their society.
A Santeria priest who kills one chicken, swiftly and without pain, drains the blood and uses the meat for food is worse than the chicken farmer who breeds and kills thousands of chickens every week, and makes profit from it? Really?
Is there that much of a difference? Well, I don't see it.
As for the comparison to FGM and other atrocities against humans, or any other torture or cruelty towards animals - totally unfair comparison for this conversation.
We weren't talking about anything other than Santeria and (their ritual) animal sacrifice...
Orthodox Jews ritually kill and prepare the game/meats they eat, which also entails throat cutting and bleeding out in many circumstances. Different? Barbaric and primitive? If no, Why not?
Many cultures do the same thing for different reasons. I may not agree, and I certainly would not (Could not!) do that sort of thing myself... but I try to understand why its done without disparaging and condemning a whole culture or religion.
I have met several Santeria followers and they were some of the most peaceful, serene and accepting people one could imagine. Animal sacrifice is but a tiny fraction of their practice that a tiny fraction of them still do.
Peace.
And to answer you question about Jewish practice, we don't eat kosher or halal in our house. We don't buy the meat and we avoid halal restaurants.
Well I feel like a noob. There is a Marion 5 song that had the lyrics "I'm not a fortune teller, don't have a crystal ball...".
"Noob Mind, Beginners Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki
hehehehehehe
Most people that practice santeria are interested in material wealth or in doing damage to other people. Hows that similar to the path of Enlightenment...
I've known some racist, bigoted, compassion-less people in my time, people who call themselves "good Christians" and go to church, etc. Should I make that the stereotype by which I explain what ALL Christians are like? I've met Buddhists who are fundamentalist, fanatical hard-heads about their religion. Should I think ALL Buddhists are the same?
So, how did you come to your stereotype about Santerians? How many have you met/known personally? If you have known some, is it fair to think they are all as bad as the ones you have met?
Sorry, but I find your post offensive - on a few levels.
"Like it or not, sacrificing animals is straight up evil." may be your truth, your opinion, but it is not true for a practitioner of Santeria. Please be a little more tolerant of those of different religious views.
As humans we're prone to error, unless we take a relativistic view which would say "we're not prone to error because we think all our actions are ok". If we didn't think our actions were ok, we wouldn't do them.
Thinking it's ok to sacrifice animals doesn't make it any less of an error. Perhaps evil is a word with too many different connotations, and describing it as error would be more appropriate here. But just because you think it's ok doesn't make it so. There has to be an absolute.
Judge not lest ye be judged applies between religions. If we're going to judge Santeria, imagine how other religions will judge us. And would we consider their judgments to be "true" since they believe differently than we do? We certainly wouldn't! We all have our own value judgments and opinions, whether individually or through religion.
Santeria is right for Santeria. Buddhism is right for Buddhism. Crossing the line and telling practitioners (or potential practitioners) of other religions that they are straight up wrong, like it or not, isn't tolerant or accepting or compassionate or even true.
I think with that, this thread has been answered. I hope you got what you were looking for in any case @DaftChris...