The Theological Necessity of Goats

Good news for those trying to reach God by way of the goat:

On 31 July 2009, a federal appeals court decided that Euless, Texas law enforcement officials violated the religious rights of Jose Merced, a practitioner of Santeria, when they prevented him from sacrificing a goat.

“A federal appeals court reversed a lower court’s ruling on Friday that barred a Santeria priest from sacrificing goats in his Texas home, saying a city’s decision to prohibit the ritual violated the man’s religious rights … “It’s a great day for religious freedom in Texas,” said Eric Rassbach, Merced’s lawyer, in response to the three-judge panel’s ruling. Merced said by practicing his faith in the privacy of his own home, he didn’t harm anyone. “Now Santeros can practice their religion at home without being afraid of being fined, arrested or taken to court,” Merced said.”

Merced, a Puerto Rico native and a practitioner of Santeria since childhood, had sued in Fort Worth federal district court, arguing that Euless’s selective enforcement of its laws violated his religious freedom rights under the First Amendment and Texas state law. He also relied on a 1993 Supreme Court case, Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah. Merced’s sacrifices were performed in a humane manner, utilizing a method that is approved as humane by federal statute. Most of the animal meat was consumed in a ceremonial dinner and the leftovers were disposed of neatly.

Santeria is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on the traditional beliefs of Nigeria’s Yoruba tribe, who brought it to the New World as slaves. In Cuba, it merged with some Christian beliefs and evolved into modern day Santeria, where its gods, or orishas, are reached through animal sacrifices. Santeria priests are trained to perform humane ritual sacrifice and the animals are consumed in a communal meal after the ceremony.