Posted on 02/21/2006 7:42:06 AM PST by AntiGuv
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that a small congregation in New Mexico may use hallucinogenic tea as part of a four-hour ritual intended to connect with God.
Justices, in their first religious freedom decision under Chief Justice John Roberts, moved decisively to keep the government out of a church's religious practice. Federal drug agents should have been barred from confiscating the hoasca tea of the Brazil-based church, Roberts wrote in the decision.
The tea, which contains an illegal drug known as DMT, is considered sacred to members of O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do Vegetal, which has a blend of Christian beliefs and South American traditions. Members believe they can understand God only by drinking the tea, which is consumed twice a month at four-hour ceremonies.
New Justice Samuel Alito did not take part in the case, which was argued last fall before Justice Sandra Day O'Connor before her retirement. Alito was on the bench for the first time on Tuesday.
"Uh, dude, how about a 15 minute ceremony once a day? It will help me understand better."
You must be a Baptist.
The Chief Justices are pro-drug!!! Do you get it now that they're a joke, and have always been a joke?
Yep. Apparently we're lightweights.
It would seem so.....I can see a rash of converts to newly founded churches.
Libertarians will love this.
My ex-wife bought me a tai chi sword at a garage sale for $25, which is less than I've paid for a windbreaker :) It's no Excalibur, but it'd make a burglar think twice.
Use of marijuana in Rasta culture is not central to their beliefs.
Oh and God forbid these people are allowed to take drugs that go along with their religious beliefs. Its obviously just an excuse to get F**d up! :rolleyes:
The rest of us get stuck with the social welfare costs of their STDs and drug abuse. We fund their good time and get to clean up after them when they're finished.
If you read my post I said, quote, "I believe" NOT "I know"
There is a difference
And I said "assume", not "know". :) Some Protestant churches use wine, not grape juice, which has historically had a "temperance" association. Welchade grape juice was, if I recall the story correctly, invented by a Dr. Welch who wanted a "temperance" communion drink.
An attorney friend of mine back in chicago defended a similar case b efore the Supreme Court in about 1970. The Church was started by some pure white physician and followers in New Mexico or other SW state who started a church that used peyote as a sacrament....the Supremes ruled against them.
Now what? Could it be that the Spanish name of the church changes the equation? Nah, that would be racially biased.
Interesting
But wine or grape juice, what does it matter, both represent the shed blood of Christ unless your Catholic, then it really is the shed blood
The bottom line is..."do this in remembrance of me"
1 Cor.11:25
I had a different impression, though I haven't studied it very deeply. I thought they considered it a sacrament.
In any case, if the Supreme Court allows the DMT folks their tea, on what basis do they disallow others? Arbitrarily chosen congregation sizes or length of time the religions have been around? I'm not real comfortable with the idea of the courts deciding which religion is valid and which is not.
Actually, most Libertarians will be offended that religious groups now have one more special right.
Hang on a second. Let's not get all excited yet.
This is about a preliminary injunction and whether the feds have, on an even evidentiary record, a likelihood of victory to the point that they may stop the drug from being used/shipped in until the actual trial takes place. This does not by any means seem to be a final decision on the law, or a legalization of the drug use, simply an upholding of the lower court's ruling on the preliminary injunction.
Good, a return to the freedom envisioned by the founders, and I am NOT being saracstic.
I wonder what this means for Ganja smoking by Rastafarians
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