Want to drive the politically correct segment of academia into a tailspin? Tell them there's a group of people hurting animals and watch the outrage. Then tell them they are religious and watch it grow. But then tell them they are a South American religion and it's part of their native heritage. Hilarity ensues.
Candomblé is a religion practiced by the "povo de santo" (people of saint) primarily in South America. They say it is inspired by older African beliefs. It definitely makes much use of animal sacrifice. It believes in the 'soul' of nature so anthropologists label it a form of Animism.
Researchers writing in the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (open access!) carried out interviews with priests, priestesses and adherents of the religion, documenting the role sacrifice plays in their beliefs.
Nivaldo Léo Neto, from the Universidade Estadual da Paraba, Brazil, worked with a team of researchers to carry out the structured and semi-structured interviews. He said, "A total of 29 animal species were used during sacrificial rituals, according to the priests and priestesses. Animals are sacrificed and offered to their deities, known as orishas, for the prosperity of all life".
The idea of sacrifice is prevalent in many cultures and is fundamental to religions including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
In Candomblé, it is believed that some essence of the sacrificed animal 'feeds' one of several supernatural deities known as orishas, who will in turn attend to the believers' requests and desires, healing diseases and solving financial or personal problems.
According to Léo Neto, "Domestic animals are mostly preferred for sacrificial purposes as wild animals are often considered sacred by adherents of the religion or are protected by environmental laws. Of the wild species used, only the yellow-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis denticulata) is threatened with extinction. In general, these practices, compared to many other human uses of wildlife, are not of serious conservation concern."
Candomblé is polytheistic, with a variety of deities and one supreme one, corresponding to some as similar to Saints in Christianity.
Since Candomblé is a nature religion, they don't just sacrifice animals, they sacrifice plants too, which can make vegans unhappy - that's why we were able to use zeitgeist in the title. Plus, it's a great way to make fun of people who use that word without having any clue what it means.
