Follow up to Religious freedom question?

Question

I asked about how the law effects Freedom of Religion in cases such as using drugs or alcohol for religious purposes.
So now I have a survey for you.
Do you think the US has overstepped their bounds by restricting religious ceremonial acts?

Here is the link to my last question
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AttDfrrNL1DwHSnlf1Bd1OTzy6IX?qid=20061018071158AA4iLhV

Drugs and alcohol:
Marijuana (Rastafarians)
Peyote (Navajo indians)
and the like

Please go back and read the first question, otherwise you are anwering without full knowlege of what I am talking about.
I did say it was a Followup question, and the link is here.

Answer 1

You need to keep abreast of current Supreme Court cases. The Supreme Nine, upheld a chuches (in AZ I believe) right to drink "hallucinogenic" tea as part of their ceremony. While the Federal gov't would prefer to outlaw any type of drug or "mind-altering" concoction, the Supreme Court, usually, keeps a nice balance. Note I said Usually.

Answer 2

If their is a religion that has ritual sacrifice don't you think it perfectly acceptable to have the government say they can't do it?

The government has to step in and dissallow certain religious practices that are against the law but the is the trade-off for having a relativly well-governed society.

No, I do not think they have overstepped their bounds.

Answer 3

Depends on which acts you are discussing. Harm to another human being should absolutely be banned. Harm to animals in questionable. Nobody really cares much about goats and chickens, but in a way it does seem cruel. Otherwise, where the is no harm, there is no foul.

Answer 4

On a mature and legal basis, no religion has the right to break the law in their worshipping practices. Making a precident would open it up to a lot of bizarre things that would have to be dealt with piecemeal.

Answer 5

Yes in many ways they have. But if one religious ceremonial act is OK all of them are OK. This leads to abuse in that people CLAIM what they are doing is of a religious nature but is it? Really there is no final answer to your question.

Answer 6

I hold here, as to everywhere else, to my Libertarian-ish views:

Are any people outside of willing participants being harmed in any way?

Is any property outside of what belongs to willing participants being damaged or destroyed?

If the answer to both of these is no, let 'em do what they want.

Answer 7

YEs, As far as I know we are to have the freedom to worship as we please, but some have taken religion and have abused themselves and their children out of it where the govn't had to step in!!!!!!!!!!!!