Christmas, pagans and religious divergence (Will the VA recognize Wicca?)

[icymist]

Happy holidays!

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Have I just offended you? If you are a member of the American Family Association, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights or the Committee to Save Merry Christmas, I probably have.

<snip>

Indeed, particularly if you are Wiccan, the matter of being un-included this holiday season must especially sting. A group of Wiccan families is suing the Department of Veterans Affairs for the right to bury their fallen heroes in military cemeteries in graves marked with a pentacle, the five-pointed star that symbolizes their religion, much as a cross does Christianity or a Star of David, Judaism.


Why this symbolic exclusion that potentially affects about 1,800 active service personnel?


Veterans Affairs recognizes 38 religious symbols for soldiers' graves, and to the casual observer, some of them are odd, indeed. In addition to a variety of Christian crosses and a cross-section of symbols from world religious traditions ranging from Buddhism to Bahai, the "Available Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Markers" also include symbols for atheists, the Church of World Messianity (Izonume), Sufism Reoriented, Eckankar, the "Humanist Emblem of Spirit," and the United Church of Religious Science. Given this potpourri of "available" faiths, the exclusion of Wicca, which calls itself the Old Religion and traces its origin to pre-Christian Europe, is baffling.


Or maybe not. The federal authorities have offered no convincing explanation for the banning of this one group's symbol. But the presumption at work seems to be that, while Christian America will tolerate a certain degree of religious divergence, there is something about witchcraft that simply crosses the line. "Alternative" religious perspectives are one thing; paganism, quite another.

I ask, why? Is this not a willfull ignorance to understand what Wicca is while, at the same time, explaining that Wicca is from the so-called Satan of the Christian religion? If America really wants freedom of religion then she should start here.

Read the article here

[NeedleCast]

1. They'll come around eventually

VA is a large, quasi-political body. Takes time to get them to accept change. Keep pushing.

[HereSince1628]

3. I thought Wiccan family had a victory this Fall.

Seemed like maybe this issue was going to be resolved favorably for Wiccan families.

[icymist]

4. The 'victory' was that the state of Navada recognized Wicca.

The Va still has yet to do so.

[HereSince1628]

5. Thanks for clarifying.

[sutz12]

2. I think it already passed...

A star was added to a grave marker in Nevada, I believe.

[icymist]

7. Only in the State of Nevada for one person.

Patrick Stewert has been laid to rest with this honor only after great fights with the VA to have this symbol recognized. Recently, the State of Nevada has recognized this injustice and awarded this honor. This struggle has been going on for more than a year. The entire thing is simply the Christians wanting to explain to the world what's 'Satanic' and what's not. This is an easy thing to do when you perceive yourself as 'the good guy' that's explaining the 'bad guy' as Christians do with Pagans (by relating them to their so-called Devil). Therefore, the Christians want this symbol to be Satanic because some misguided souls have have used it as so in the past. So, in their (Christian) minds, the symbol is Satanic. Is this insane or what?

[bloom]

6. why

at some level - whether it is emotional or what - (some) Christians must see their religion as the anti-pagan. The anti-Goddess. The anti-earth. They may not admit it outright - but there are enough indicators in the religion to suggest that.

Like Saint Augustine saying that any women who did not bear as many children as was womanly possible were murderers. Original Sin. Subdue the earth. Such attitudes are mostly about the control of women.

Wicca as the historical religion that Christianity was intent on replacing. You would think they would be over it by now.

[Lilith Velkor]

8. Ironically enough, an evergreen is more "pagan" than the Star of Solomon

But noooo, we have to pretend that's a Christian symbol now... :eyes:

[LiberalEsto]

9. It's fear

All their lives they've heard preachers tell them that Wicca and paganism are evil.

And if they happen to learn a bit more and find out that many practitioners honor a Goddess, they find that scary and threatening. Many people find the idea of women having power and authority frightening. Witness the demonizing of Hillary and Nancy.

The first time I ever heard of the Goddess, I saw a bumper sticker that said "God is Coming, and is She Pissed." My first thought was, "Is this blasphemy?" even though I was no longer a practicing Christian. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea, and eventually I became a pagan.

[TechBear_Seattle]

10. Here is the "acceptable" list

Available Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Marker