As practitioners of Santeria move up from lower-income and immigrant neighborhoods and into the higher social stratas, inter-religious and cultural tensions are bound to flare up. A recent example of this is making the local news in Florida. Members of the Waterford Lakes community are unhappy that animal sacrifice, legal in Florida, is taking place and neighbors are making (completely speculative) accusations of cruelty.

“Residents living in the Waterford Lakes community near Lake Underhill Road recently called sheriff’s deputies after seeing people carrying live chickens into the home of Hector Febus. Febus has practiced the Santeria religion for about 30 years. “Yeah, we are not happy about that type of religion,” neighbor Ron Hardbower said. “The religion itself is OK, but to have that here in this neighborhood? This is a very quiet residential area. We don’t expect to see goats herded in or chickens being carried in and out.” Febus said Tuesday that he was performing a healing ritual the night neighbors called police but the chicken were for food and not sacrificed.”

Hardbower seems to be saying that a Santero is free to practice his religion within the law, just not in his community. Despite calling the police, and ongoing efforts by the local homeowners association to see if they can ban religiously-motivated animal sacrifice, the law (in Florida at least) is firmly on the side of Hector Febus.

“Because it’s considered a religious act, sheriff deputies say they can’t do anything about the issue. Now the homeowner’s association is trying to find a way to resolve it … Neighbors find it all very bizarre. Meanwhile, it seems there is little even homeowner’s association can do. Their bylaws don’t seem to have animal sacrifice provisions, so the HOA is weighing its legal options and letting the home’s owner know what his tenants are doing in there.”

Stories like this are very likely only the beginning. As Santeria continues to grow, and religiously-motivated animal sacrifice is allowed in more places (and depending on the outcome of some ongoing litigation, possibly everywhere), we will start to see some real conflicts emerge. Will differences between Christians and practitioners of Santeria escalate into intimidation, anti-Santeria local ordinances, or violence? Will the modern Pagan community, which shares many attributes with Santeria, though is often split on the issue of animal sacrifice, come to their defense? Whatever the outcome, consider this story a harbinger of what’s to come.

Tags: animal sacrifice, Christianity, law, litigation, Paganism, Religious Freedom, Santeria