Xiangyu Han
Arizona Sates University,REL100
July 16, 2022

Needs of Indigenous religions today

Religion has been part and parcel of the human race for generations. There are many religions practiced all over the world by people, including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and lesser-known religions practiced by so many other indigenous and ethnic communities. Through the fourteenth amendment, the free exercise clause was realized, but congress was not allowed to make laws that forbid the free practice of religion; some communities were further prohibited from conducting their beliefs by similar laws.

The major probe, “Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. v. Hialeah,” was pushed to the Supreme Court in 1993. The case had two parties, the Church and the city of Hialeah, which had the main aim of settling their disputes (“Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, 508 U.S. 520,” 1993). When the Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye bought a piece of property in Hialeah, Florida, in 1987, the inhabitants were hostile to them. After learning that they planned to utilize the land to establish their religion openly, the city authority held an urgent meeting where one councilman argued the religion was opposing the country’s norms and that Hialeah as a community did not condone religious activities which did not align with their community values. Following this, the council implemented ordinances that make the offerings of animal sacrifices illegal. To counter this, they sued at the local federal court, but this encountered failure from the rulings. After several appeals at the U.S. Court in the eleventh council and the directive not agreeing of the Church, the Supreme Court finally worked on this probe (“Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, 508 U.S. 520,” 1993). The court affirmed an enactment against the unneeded animal slaughtering in any proper manner for any intention which was not for eating, including the sacrifices among believers. The activities were declared unconstitutional since they did not follow fair laws.

There are numerous beliefs in the world, and people have different ways and practices they use to worship. The offering of sacrifices applied by the Church of Lukumi was a long-standing culture of their religion. The congregants were also believers of the Santeria entity, originally exercised by the Yoruba people and initiated as laborers to Cuba. In the Santeria belief, there was an understanding of the existence of Orishas that helped people realize their destinies (“Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, 508 U.S. 520,” 1993). These beings survived on blood; hence, they slaughtered animals for offerings. The animals were terminated on ritual occasions, and the people would eat or cook them except at times of death or healing ceremonies (“Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. v. City of Hialeah,” 1992). As persecution emerged in Cuba, the believers exercised their religion in secrecy. However, Ernesto Pichardo bought land in Hialeah so the congregants could worship and practice their religion in the open without discrimination. However, before they could realize their dream, the city of Hialeah filed a case against them. Reporting some people for freely conducting worship is a form of religious oppression that should not be allowed.

Indigenous communities have varying patterns of life and cultural practices. Aside from that, this case was about the practices conducted by people of the Santeria belief and their rights as an indigenous minority group. As the world continues growing and evolving with technology, more people seem to forget where they come from and their roots. However, indigenous people have been able to stick to their traditions through the years (Serva, 2021). For a small community or minority group like them to survive that long, they had to have endured a lot. For religious communities and indigenous groups to survive, they have to remain a close-knit groups. Banning an activity that brought them together was like tearing them apart. Discontinuing activities practiced by a community could contribute to the extinction of said practice, and the community could lose its sense of self. Therefore, society should strive to ensure all groups of people, religious or indigenous groups, exist in society freely without discrimination.

While many indigenous communities help protect the environment, seek ways to defend against natural disasters, and fight climate change, their rights are not always protected. Only a small percentage of the land occupied by or owned by indigenous communities gets recognition by the government (Ijjasz-Vasquez, Gill & Duchicela, 2017). Indigenous people are just like every other human being; their rights, traditions, and values should be protected and respected as they are an inherent part of their lives. They need better recognition from the government and have their needs met just like everyone else. The government has a big challenge in ensuring that their basic human rights are protected and included in development projects to ensure they live better lives in a safe and healthy environment.

Despite the constitutional laws claiming to protect the people’s right to practice their religions freely, a few religious groups cannot practice them because of some existing laws. Indigenous groups and religions hold the same weight in the eyes of whichever Deity they prescribe to and the law. Therefore, people should be allowed to practice their religion freely if they adhere to the existing laws. As a society, people should be more inclusive, understanding, and accommodating towards different cultures and religions.

Bibliography/References

Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. v. City of Hialeah. Oyez. (1992). https://www.oyez.org/cases/1992/91-948

Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, 508 U.S. 520. (1993).             https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/91-948.ZO.html

Ijjasz-Vasquez, E., Gill, M., & Duchicela, L. (2017). Three reasons why we should all care about     Indigenous Peoples. https://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/three-reasons-why-we-should-all-care-about-indigenous-peoples

Serva, C. Cultural Survival: Maintaining Culture Despite Outside Influence. (2021)             https://study.com/academy/lesson/cultural-survival-maintaining-culture-despite-outside-influence.html