[Semiapies]

"I mean that semantically, not morally."

Then you're being uselessly pedantic, and failing at it - there's no slaughter involved in making quite a lot of kosher food.

"exemptions based on belief are a loophole that should be closed"

Then expand the freedoms of all people to make exemptions on peaceful religious activity superfluous. Otherwise, when dealing with governments that carefully parse and rank claims of rights (particularly when it comes to "weird" minority groups), exemptions can serve to protect particular freedoms for the people who most care for them.