The slaughtering of cows as part of traditional and religious ceremonies in South African back yards has been the subject of many heated debates. The main issue is culture and freedom of religion, versus municipal bylaws and health risks.
I found the case of an American Teacher that was harassed and threatened after she reported a Santerian Priest for sacrificing goats in his back yard.
Have we taken freedom of religion too far, and in the following case, have we taken cultural rights too far as well?
FIFA World Cup 2010
The Chairman responsible for organising cultural activities at the 2010 FIFA World Cup made the following statement:
We must have a cultural ceremony of some sort, where we are going to slaughter a beast (cow). We sacrifice the cow for this great achievement and we call on our ancestors to bless, to grace, to ensure that all goes well. It's all about calling for the divinity to prevail for a fantastic atmosphere.
It was also proposed that there should be an animal sacrifice at the beginning of every game.
Can you imagine that!
On Sport24.co.za, “Thabo” made the folowing comment: “Why don’t we just line some tourists up and mow them down as part of our welcoming them to our country?”
That comment sums it up in a nutshell: We might as well go full out in trying to convince the rest of the world that South Africa is a savage country. Why stop with the torturing of cows?
Can you believe that 43% of people agree with Mkiva’s proposal! Have we gone mad?
OK, on second thought: 23 people is hardly a good sample to base an opinion on, but imagine each game starting with this! Warning: Not for the fainthearted!
As long as they have a nice braai to go with the sacrificing ceremony, I don’t see the problem. Most cows end up unceremoniously on plates around the country anyway… >:D >:D
This ritual slaughter in public is supposed to be for the “cultural enlightenment” of visitors. The fact that many visitors left such stupidities behind several centuries ago seems beside the point.
Well, not quite the slaughter of animals, but just as useless - Prayer day for Bafana Bafana! Ray McCauley and his friends have arranged a day of prayer for our national soccer team … and it makes the frikkin’ news! Listen to this gem from the article -
“We know that God doesn’t cheat, but we will pray that Bafana Bafana will do the best they possibly can.”
Let’s all get together and waste a day, but because God doesn’t cheat, the statistics will determine the outcome! Why would God cheat in our favour anyway - doesn’t Brasil have the largest statue of his son displayed high on a mountain, that must count for something!
When I first read this, the first thing that came to mind was this -
This, according to the wiki, is step 3 in the process of slaughtering animals (for chowing). It’s also the step I think makes the most difference to Mina-Moos, Mussies and Jews.
3.Cattle are rendered unconscious by applying an electric shock of 300 volts and 2 amps to the back of the head, effectively stunning the animal, or by use of a captive bolt pistol to the front of the cow’s head (a pneumatic or cartridge-fired captive bolt). (This step is prohibited under strict application of Halal and Kashrut codes.)
Funny how the “traditional” way and the religious way often go hand in hand.
