- Anything Else -

it is a question of a deeply held and centuries old belief.

In Reply to: Dont force the animals to practice your religion posted by Jeff on December 06, 1999 at 11:18:03:

: And I must disagree w/ you. The rite to be nonreligious doesnt include hurting anything. If people want to believe in and practice any specific religion thats fine, but what a shame that they have to selfishly hurt and kill other species in order to practice that religion. Would it be ok if it was my personal belief that if I were to hang cats upside down for several days and then burn them to death that I would be guaranteed a place in heaven? No, it would be illegal and I would be punished and probably considered for mental health treatment. Yet it is ok to practice equally cruel sacrifices in the name of other religions. Whats the difference?

It is not 'a shame', it is a question of a deeply held and centuries old belief. You seem to think that you can come waltzing in and say flippantly 'oh yes, you are wrong, i am right', 'your culture is stupid' (to paraphrase the above posts).

It is not a question of somebody holding a personal belief and that making it ok, it is a question a persons identity being tied to a certain way of life. This is who the Hopi are. It is the essence of their being. They do not consider themselves selfish or cruel, they consider it to be a glorious ceremony that pays tribute to the gods.

For them sacrificing these birds is the MORAL thing to do.

Follow Ups:

• That's what they said about slavery. MDG December 07 1999 (0)