From: altheimm@nextnet.ccs.csus.edu (Murray Altheim)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Santeria and animal-sacrifice
Date: 11 Nov 92 07:42:09 GMT
Organization: California State University Sacramento

In article <Nov.10.02.27.14.1992.12638@geneva.rutgers.edu>
   hudson@athena.cs.uga.edu (Paul Hudson Jr) writes:
>In article <Nov.9.01.09.28.1992.10631@geneva.rutgers.edu>
   rolfe@dsuvax.dsu.edu (Tim Rolfe) writes:
>>I'd be very interested in his basis for this claim.  The Old Testament
>>most certainly does NOT contain such a prohibition; very much to the
>>contrary, it prescribes the rituals for them.  In the New Testament
>>we find Jesus objecting not to the animal sacrifice in the temple but to
>>the commercialization of it.  We also find the Apostles frequenting the
>>Jerusalem temple.  While the Epistles certainly speak of the temple
>>sacrifices as being superceded, I don't believe any of them in their
>>natural sense can be held to be prohibitions of animal sacrifice.
>
>I am not familiar with the particular case, but from what I understand
>Santeria is a lot like voodoo.  I don't think the animal sacrifices 
>of Santerian's are based on Old Testament sacrifices, but rather on 
>East African pagan practices.  The New Testament does speak against
>idolatry and offering sacrifices to false gods.  Paul wrote against
>eating at the table of devils and drinking the table of devils.  
>Such animal sacrifice is certainly a way to interact with devils and has been
>for thousands of years.  
>
>Link Hudson.
>
>[I hope no one has interpreted my defense of Santeria's legal
>rights as approval of the religion.  --clh]

The jist of this thread is the US Constitution's protection of religious 
freedom, as spelled out in the Bill of Rights. Santeria is an African 
religion related to Voodoo (or more properly Voudoun). It has heavy 
roots in animism and Catholicism. But I am not an expert. There has been
an ongoing discussion on alt.pagan if you're at all interested. I assume
you're not.

As to your last two sentences, I thank God that you're not in charge of
our Bill of Rights. While Paul may have written polemics against devils,
you might consider that what is your devil might be someone else's god,
and vice-versa. Just because Christian belief dictates that all other
gods either are "of the devil" or plainly don't exist, doesn't invalidate
either the true existence of those gods or those people's rights to
practice their religion. Remember that both your and their traditions are
founded on belief, not proven reality. And I don't desire to get into the
circular argument proving the validity of the Bible and the existence of
God. Both are a matter of belief (or "faith" in Christian parlance).

And as regards proofs like healing, speaking in tongues, etc. you might 
note that those "Christian" ideas are actually pre-Christian (ie., pagan)
and are strong elements of Santerian and many other religious traditions.

Blessings,

Murray

-- 
Murray M. Altheim      "Ils ont l'orteil de Bouc, & d'un Chevreil l'oreille,
Instructional Consultant    La corne d'un Chamois, & la face vermeille
CSU, Sacramento          Comme un rouge Croissant: & dancent toute nuict
altheimm@csus.edu       Dedans un carrefour, ou pres d'une eau qui bruict."