Supreme Court to Rule on Sacramental Tea Use

October 31, 2005

Source: UDV USA

http://www.udvusa.com/

On October 31, 2005 UDV USA reported, "On November 1st, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a major case, Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente União do Vegetal, which goes to the very foundation of the free exercise of religion in the United States. For the past six years, the federal government has attempted to prohibit a small religious organization and its members from practicing their religion, which involves the use of a sacramental tea, ritually prepared from two plants... Centro Espirita Beneficente União do Vegetal (UDV) is a Spiritist Christian religion that blends Indigenous and Amazonian spiritual traditions within Christian theology... 'União do Vegetal' literally means 'the union of the plants.' Central to UDV's religious tradition and practice is the sacramental use of hoasca, a tea made from two plants indigenous to the Brazilian Amazon... UDV has temples in over 100 cities and villages throughout Brazil with a membership of close to 10,000 adherents. Approximately 140 UDV members live in the United States. They wish to practice their religion in peace under the protection of U.S. law and the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution."