Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2000 12:56:48 -0700 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "Pedro J. Saavedra" Subject: A Disturbing incident Cathy Messina says: > While on the trail, I witnessed a disturbing incident. As I >looked down from the trail toward the creek, I glimpsed through a >break in the dense shrubbery and saw middle-aged Hispanic woman >hold a white dove by its legs so that its wings flapped against >the back of a younger Hispanic man. The practice of animal sacrice has long been a part of several Afro-Cuban religions. However, practitioners of Santeria (the largest of the above) in this society have agreed to offer guarantees that the animals will suffer no more than those killed for food, have agreed to inspection and have agreed to not use protected animals. I still have serious problems with the practice and am totally opposed to it, but I see it as a freedom of religion issue if those rules are followed. And a Supreme Court decision upheld their rights. What you observed does not surprise me as every religious group of this sort has people who follow the practices without following the discipline which the organized practitioners have agreed to. I agree completely with the need to keep this from public places and to protect wildlife. I just do not think we can prevent ritualistic killings by some groups if they follow certain rules to prevent cruelty to animals. -- Pedro J. Saavedra -- P.O. Box 236 -- Garrett Park, MD 20896-0236 psaavedr@catholic.org -- psaavedr@apexmail.com -- psaavedr@hotmail.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================