Post by starcrossed on Nov 27, 2006 15:55:51 GMT -5
I wasn't sure where else to put this.. but oh well. it's fine here.. maybe we should have a writer's corner or something, for things besides fanfics.. anyway, for my TAG English class we have to write an essay on a humanitarian effort or something similar. I was originally going to do my paper on the aerial gunning of Alaskan wolves and how much it sucks, but there was too little information on that.. the topic i DID decide to go with, however - well, I have TONS of sources for that. what did I choose? persecution against Wiccans. as most of you already know, I'm Wiccan myself, so it's an important topic for me. I'm still in the "broom closet" in real life though, and likely always will be. it's just plain too dangerous to be otherwise. anyway, the point of me posting my paper here is this: I'd like some beta readers.. this is just the rough draft, and my teacher is going to point out errors and stuff anyway, but I want your fantabulous opinions too. let me know if you spot spelling or grammer errors, if you think something needs to be elaborated on or explained more clearly, if you think something should be omitted, whatever. and, of course, if you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them. and by the way, when i mention hollywood, i'm soooo not dissing Harry Potter, which you all HAVE to know that i love... i'm just pointing out that there is a difference between witches of fantasy and witches in real life.. anyway, read on and you'll get what i mean..
The stereotypical image of the witch has been wrongly associated with evil, heathenism, and immorality for the past several hundred years. Unfortunately, the fears and superstitions born of misinformation have been carried forth through the generations, and remain in our society to this day. The flames of this fallacy have only been fanned higher by Hollywood’s erroneous portrayal of witches in films created purely for the profit; no thought is put into the harmful propaganda these films potentially produce. These myths have become integrated into our heritage and will probably always be a part of our Halloween customs. However, such misconceptions present a danger for society as a whole as well as individuals. While “witchcraft” is it’s true name, the practitioners of Wicca – an earth-based pre-Christian religion – have adopted this name in order to prevent being persecuted and harassed. Nevertheless, Wiccans still all too often become the object of stigma in America. In modern times they have been incorrectly associated with black magic and Satanism, especially in association with Satanic Ritual Abuse hysteria. It is for this reason, among many others, that many practitioners of “the Old Ways” remain “in the broom closet” and are secretive about their beliefs.
Before one can understand what Wicca is, one must understand what it is not. One of the most wide-spread misconceptions is that Wicca is a cult. This is not true. Cults are groups led by a single leader who leads others to believe that he or she is a speaker of a spiritual being or an incarnation of that spirit – a messiah or savior, so to speak. Their following is comprised of people who exchange the ability to think for oneself – and often their property and assets – for a sense of salvation and belonging. This does not describe Wicca in the least. There is no one person – nor, in fact, any group of persons – that Wiccans consider to be their leader. They are neither foolish enough to proclaim themselves to be spokespersons of the divine nor do they attempt to get others to follow them as their leaders. Wiccans are extremely individualistic, self-sufficient people who would defend the right to free will without any hesitation. Most Wiccans, witches, and pagans come to the Craft individually through reading and communing with nature.
Another way Wicca has been misconstrued is concerning the use of spells. While some Wiccans do indeed cast spells, others do not. Spells are not a necessary component of Wicca, but they are commonly included in its practice. A spell is a ritual, formula, or series of steps used to direct energy in order to accomplish a desired end. This energy is drawn from the earth, often with the aid of elementals, and is concentrated and then sent out into the world to achieve a positive goal. Wicca teaches what is known as the three-fold law, that whatever one sends out is returned to them thrice over, and thus witches are very careful to never send out harmful energy since they will have to deal with the ramifications. Wiccans do not use spells against others, since this would be tampering with free will as well as violating another of their basic rules: “Harm None”. Thus, the only real difference that exists between Wiccan spells and Christian prayer is that Wiccans sometimes also invoke the aid of spirit guides, familiars, or other elemental energies to add strength to the process.
Probably the most common myth concerning Wicca is that witches worship the devil; this is just plain untrue. The devil has absolutely no place in Wicca and is not part of its deity structure at all. The worship of the devil, or Satan, is the practice of profaning Christian symbolism and ideals, and is thus a Christian heresy, not a pagan religion. The Goddess and God, as the divine Spirit is most commonly depicted in Wicca, have absolutely no connection to satanic practices. Satan is derived from Christian beliefs and any Wiccan would be quick to agree that they are more than welcome to keep him. If someone says that they are Wiccan and that they worship the devil, they don’t know what they are talking about and just seek to shock people. To Wiccans, evil is a choice, albeit a bad one, that any human might make, and is not caused by or embodied in an entity to blame for one’s actions. Similarly, Wiccans do not sacrifice animals or humans, nor do they believe in blood sacrifice. This would violate the “Harm None” creed, for witches view all life as sacred. The pentagram, or five pointed star, is often mistakenly viewed as a satanic symbol. Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher and mathematician, used the pentagram as a symbol of health; his followers wore them in order to recognize each other. In medieval times, some Christian knights even used the pentagram as their symbol. To modern witches, the pentagram means many things. The most common symbolism of the pentagram has each point corresponding to a sacred element: Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and the fifth “element”, at the topmost point of the star, Spirit. Satanists turn the pentagram upside-down, just as they do the cross. This misuse doesn’t make the pentagram satanic or evil any more than it does the cross.
What is Wicca? Though the answer may differ from witch to witch, the basics are the same. Contrary to what those who choose to persecute or lie about Wiccans wish to believe, Wicca is a balanced, nature-based and life-affirming religion promoting oneness with the divine and all which exists. It follows a moral code and seeks to build harmony with oneself and others. Wiccans commune with the earth, viewing streams, sky, fire, trees, animals, and all other aspects of nature as sacred, much like the indigenous Native American tribes. They see everything on our planet as a manifestation of the divine. Many witches believe in some form of reincarnation. This belief is often accompanied by the idea that the results of karma or one’s past deeds can follow a person into their next life. Other Wiccans believe in an after-life spent in another plane of existence, much like heaven, which is known as Summerland, Avalon, Valhalla, the Other Side, or any number of other names. They believe that there they shall be reunited with friends and family once again. Men and women alike can be witches, wiccans, and pagans – it is not an exclusively female practice. Male witches are referred to as simply that – witches. The term “warlock” is never used to describe a male witch as it means “traitor” or “oath-breaker” in its original Scottish, and is thus considered an insult. Wicca is based upon the reconstruction of salvaged information on pre-Christian traditions originating in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Much of the information on how our ancestors lived, believed, and worshipped is lost to us, due to the efforts of the medieval church to wipe out any historical traces of paganism. Nonetheless, Wiccans use what information is available to try and reconstruct those beliefs to the best of their ability. Thanks to archaeological findings, we now have basis to believe that the origins of Wicca can be traced as far back as the Paleolithic peoples, who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. Cave paintings have been discovered that are estimated to be around 30,000 years old, depicting a man with the head of a stag and a pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people. These archetypes coincide with the most common depiction of the Wiccan Goddess and God aspects of the supreme creative force. Because of these cave paintings, it can be reasonably deduced that witchcraft is one of the oldest belief systems in the world. These roots of Wicca predate Christianity by roughly 28,000 years.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines religion as “a belief in and reverence for a supernatural power recognized as the creator and governor of the universe”. Wicca fits this description, and has been officially recognized as a religion in the United States of America and Canada. In the United States, Wicca has been granted all rights as a religion under the Constitution. This came to be in 1985 as a result of Dettmer versus Landon, 617 F. Supp. 592, in which the District Court of Virginia ruled that Wicca is a legally recognized religion and is afforded all the benefits accorded to it by law. The 1985 court ruling was affirmed a year later by Judge J. Butzner of the Federal Appeals Court fourth circuit (799 F 2d 929, 1986). Wicca is currently the fastest growing spiritual path in America, with the number of Wiccans in the United States estimated at over 200,000.
The persecution of witches is a long-standing prejudice that began centuries ago. Historians believe that during the Dark Ages, over two million people were murdered by the Witch Finders. In the eighth century, a document written by the church titled the Canon Episcopi declared that witches were mere illusions. This might have debunked the myth that witches were evil and saved the world of much grief, if not for the Church implementing a very deadly weapon at the same time – the Inquisition. The leaders of the Inquisition overturned the Canon Episcopi and began their persecution of innocent people all across Europe, with the full sanction of the church. Most persecutions took place between the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. By making the Witch into a diabolical character and turning the old religious deities into devils and demons, missionaries were able to attach fear to pagan beliefs, which aided in the conversion process. The medieval church of the 15th through 18th centuries created yet more myths in order to convert the followers of the old nature-based religions to the church’s way of thinking. If they did not, the consequences were plain. As medical science began to surface, the men who were engaged in these initial studies had a very poor understanding of female physiology, especially concerning a woman’s monthly cycle. The unknowns of this area played quite well to the early church’s agenda, lending credence to the Witch Finders’ claims and authority. During the time of the Inquisition, religious leaders went so far as to change parts of the Bible, particularly in one passage. The original wording was “Thou shalt not suffer a poisoner to live”, but it was altered to “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” in order to justify the millions of murders. The female population had dropped to an alarming rate by the time the fanatics of the church were through. Almost no women, midwives, or local healers remained alive.
Alas, the witch hunts, in a sense, did not die completely out. In 1999 an assembly of conservative Christian groups was formed on the initiative of representative Bob Barr of Georga, in response to Wiccan gatherings on military bases. The group asked United States citizens not to enlist or re-enlist in the U.S. Army until the Army terminated the on-base freedoms of religion, speech, and assembly for all Wiccan soldiers. The boycott has since become inactive, but other clear persecutions remain. In June of 1999, around the same time that Rep. Bob Barr called for his national boycott, George W. Bush, the governor of Texas at the time, stated, “I don’t think witchcraft is a religion. I wish the military would rethink this decision.”
One of the main pagan issues facing the nation is the pagan and Wiccan presence in the military and the pagan and Wiccan veterans. Many pagans serving in the Armed Forces are very troubled by issues of their equal treatment. Firstly, active duty pagans have been denied pagan chaplains. According to the Military Pagan Network, there are currently estimated to be over 4,300 pagans serving in our military, with over 2,000 of these being Wiccan. Stars and Stripes, a government newspaper, reports that in 2005 there were 1,800 active duty Wiccans. An Air Force survey conducted in 2004 found that Wicca is the third largest Non-Christian religion in the total force, falling just behind Judaism and Buddhism, both groups of which have their own chaplains. The number of Wiccans in the Air Force surpasses the number of Muslims, and yet Muslims too have their own chaplains, while Wiccans continue to be denied such. The second big issue facing the pagan community is the government’s seeming lack of concern for the wishes of their veterans. For a few years now there has been a growing number of pagan and Wiccan soldiers either passing of old age or coming home deceased due to the bloody war taking place in Iraq. To show the pagan war heroes respect, their families have wished them to be laid to rest in national cemeteries. However, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs will not allow pagan emblems on grave markers located within these cemeteries. The VA acknowledges and allows many various “emblems of faith”, even ones for atheists, and yet pagan symbols are prohibited.
Government officials continue to persecute Wiccans and pagans in a variety of ways. Another such case occurred on Wednesday, May 5th, 1999. Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns ignored both the federal and Nebraska State Constitutions when he issued a proclamation declaring May 22, 1999 as “March For Jesus Day”. “‘March For Jesus Day’ was established as a time for us to join together as people of many faiths so that we may pay homage to our divine authority,” reads part of the proclamation. By issuing such a proclamation, Johanns is clearly in violation of the First Amendment, which prohibits government from promoting religion, giving preferences to any religion, or supporting or establishing a religion under the Establishment Clause, which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. Governor Johanns’ action does not meet constitutional scrutiny under the 1971 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lemon versus Kurtzman, which held that, in order to be constitutional, a government action must have a secular purpose, neither promote or inhibit religion, and not entangle the government with religion. In an article printed in the Lincoln Journal Star on May 6, 1999, Johanns is reported to have made the statement that he would consider similar proclamations “for the Jewish faith, Hinduism, whatever,” but that he would not issue a proclamation for Wicca. He stated that his only criteria for determining future requests for similar proclamations was: “So long as it doesn’t require me to sign something I personally don’t agree with”. In this he is elevating his own personal opinions of what constitutes a valid religion in his state above the law.
Individuals, too, have been persecuted for being Wiccan. Cases keep popping up in which Wiccan teens who were open about their religion have committed suicide, either from the constant teasing and outright maliciousness of their classmates or from overzealous Christian groups pressuring them to convert. A shocking case took place in Great Falls, South Carolina, where 42-year-old Darla Wynne became the target of religious intolerance. When she moved to the small town, with a population of 3,000, Darla felt right at home and thought that she could lead a happy life there. In 2001, after some harassment troubles that she sought help from the police for, Darla filed a lawsuit against Great Falls to make opening prayers at town council meetings nonsectarian, where no specific deity could be called upon. Before the prayer had invoked the name of Jesus Christ, which Darla saw as being the promotion of one religion over another. Glenn Ross, one of the council members, began to collect signatures to stop the lawsuit and wrote letters to the editor of a local newspaper to her from her god from him and his. He also began to preach at her in council meetings, which only served to enflame the public against her. One day upon returning home, Darla found her house a complete wreck, vandalized almost beyond recognition. She stated in an interview, “I called the Chief and then I went to the police station, only to be given a security catalog and told he would be jeopardizing his job”. From that day forward until August 11, 2004, her house would be vandalized a total of nine times, with every piece of furniture except for one dresser destroyed. Darla has been forced to remodel six times now, but nothing could bring back her beloved animals. In the same interview, Darla explained, “I walked in once to find a cat gutted and hung from a planter in the back bedroom, my African Grey, Little One beheaded and her heart cut out, with a note attached saying I was next, cats poisoned, murdered, my horses almost killed, my oldest Yorkie was blinded when she was 14 and then attacked again this year, which now she is completely blinded and just recently had to under go surgery which they didn't think she would survive due to her age. I have been pulled over my fence and beaten. Even my male raccoon was taken and I think they were going to kill him, but possibly attempted to torture him first by shaving him, which was their mistake, because he got away and came home. They killed my iguana, Sammie, which she was 6 feet long, my black shark and due to the attacks I had to give my horses away because I couldn't be in 2 places at once, my 9 foot Burmese as well. I don't want to go into the juicy details of it all because it makes me cry when I think of my animals being hurt and I have been struggling with depression since December of 2004, or maybe even sooner than that, but I know it hit me hard in December and I felt like I just wanted to die because I felt so inadequate due to my inability to keep my animals safe and my poor Blue Fronted Amazon who was Little One's companion, cried every day and made the sounds, which I believe were Little One's last sounds, would send chills up my spine and make the hair raise on my arms. It got to the point, where I had to put the birds in the back room so I could shut a door I just put up because I couldn't stand to listen to it any more.”
It’s a terrible thing that people should have to go through this kind of thing, especially in America, where we are supposed to be allowed freedom of religion. Is that not what makes this country so great? All that Wiccans are asking is that they be allowed to practice their religion without prejudice or interference as is their right guaranteed in the United States under the Constitution and as outlined in the constitutions of other countries. What Wiccans want really centers on respect, and the confidence that they can practice their beliefs in safety, without fear of harm coming to them or theirs. All that I ask is that you, reader, feel some sympathy for the plight that Wiccans face. Perhaps someday you will find yourself in a situation in which you could correct someone’s misconceptions, give them the real facts, and shed just a little more light on the situation. If only people would only open their minds to other ideas and listen to what others have to say, society – and the world itself – would run much more smoothly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thou Shalt Not Suffer Prejudice to Live
By moi, starcrossed/Cait
By moi, starcrossed/Cait
The stereotypical image of the witch has been wrongly associated with evil, heathenism, and immorality for the past several hundred years. Unfortunately, the fears and superstitions born of misinformation have been carried forth through the generations, and remain in our society to this day. The flames of this fallacy have only been fanned higher by Hollywood’s erroneous portrayal of witches in films created purely for the profit; no thought is put into the harmful propaganda these films potentially produce. These myths have become integrated into our heritage and will probably always be a part of our Halloween customs. However, such misconceptions present a danger for society as a whole as well as individuals. While “witchcraft” is it’s true name, the practitioners of Wicca – an earth-based pre-Christian religion – have adopted this name in order to prevent being persecuted and harassed. Nevertheless, Wiccans still all too often become the object of stigma in America. In modern times they have been incorrectly associated with black magic and Satanism, especially in association with Satanic Ritual Abuse hysteria. It is for this reason, among many others, that many practitioners of “the Old Ways” remain “in the broom closet” and are secretive about their beliefs.
Before one can understand what Wicca is, one must understand what it is not. One of the most wide-spread misconceptions is that Wicca is a cult. This is not true. Cults are groups led by a single leader who leads others to believe that he or she is a speaker of a spiritual being or an incarnation of that spirit – a messiah or savior, so to speak. Their following is comprised of people who exchange the ability to think for oneself – and often their property and assets – for a sense of salvation and belonging. This does not describe Wicca in the least. There is no one person – nor, in fact, any group of persons – that Wiccans consider to be their leader. They are neither foolish enough to proclaim themselves to be spokespersons of the divine nor do they attempt to get others to follow them as their leaders. Wiccans are extremely individualistic, self-sufficient people who would defend the right to free will without any hesitation. Most Wiccans, witches, and pagans come to the Craft individually through reading and communing with nature.
Another way Wicca has been misconstrued is concerning the use of spells. While some Wiccans do indeed cast spells, others do not. Spells are not a necessary component of Wicca, but they are commonly included in its practice. A spell is a ritual, formula, or series of steps used to direct energy in order to accomplish a desired end. This energy is drawn from the earth, often with the aid of elementals, and is concentrated and then sent out into the world to achieve a positive goal. Wicca teaches what is known as the three-fold law, that whatever one sends out is returned to them thrice over, and thus witches are very careful to never send out harmful energy since they will have to deal with the ramifications. Wiccans do not use spells against others, since this would be tampering with free will as well as violating another of their basic rules: “Harm None”. Thus, the only real difference that exists between Wiccan spells and Christian prayer is that Wiccans sometimes also invoke the aid of spirit guides, familiars, or other elemental energies to add strength to the process.
Probably the most common myth concerning Wicca is that witches worship the devil; this is just plain untrue. The devil has absolutely no place in Wicca and is not part of its deity structure at all. The worship of the devil, or Satan, is the practice of profaning Christian symbolism and ideals, and is thus a Christian heresy, not a pagan religion. The Goddess and God, as the divine Spirit is most commonly depicted in Wicca, have absolutely no connection to satanic practices. Satan is derived from Christian beliefs and any Wiccan would be quick to agree that they are more than welcome to keep him. If someone says that they are Wiccan and that they worship the devil, they don’t know what they are talking about and just seek to shock people. To Wiccans, evil is a choice, albeit a bad one, that any human might make, and is not caused by or embodied in an entity to blame for one’s actions. Similarly, Wiccans do not sacrifice animals or humans, nor do they believe in blood sacrifice. This would violate the “Harm None” creed, for witches view all life as sacred. The pentagram, or five pointed star, is often mistakenly viewed as a satanic symbol. Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher and mathematician, used the pentagram as a symbol of health; his followers wore them in order to recognize each other. In medieval times, some Christian knights even used the pentagram as their symbol. To modern witches, the pentagram means many things. The most common symbolism of the pentagram has each point corresponding to a sacred element: Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and the fifth “element”, at the topmost point of the star, Spirit. Satanists turn the pentagram upside-down, just as they do the cross. This misuse doesn’t make the pentagram satanic or evil any more than it does the cross.
What is Wicca? Though the answer may differ from witch to witch, the basics are the same. Contrary to what those who choose to persecute or lie about Wiccans wish to believe, Wicca is a balanced, nature-based and life-affirming religion promoting oneness with the divine and all which exists. It follows a moral code and seeks to build harmony with oneself and others. Wiccans commune with the earth, viewing streams, sky, fire, trees, animals, and all other aspects of nature as sacred, much like the indigenous Native American tribes. They see everything on our planet as a manifestation of the divine. Many witches believe in some form of reincarnation. This belief is often accompanied by the idea that the results of karma or one’s past deeds can follow a person into their next life. Other Wiccans believe in an after-life spent in another plane of existence, much like heaven, which is known as Summerland, Avalon, Valhalla, the Other Side, or any number of other names. They believe that there they shall be reunited with friends and family once again. Men and women alike can be witches, wiccans, and pagans – it is not an exclusively female practice. Male witches are referred to as simply that – witches. The term “warlock” is never used to describe a male witch as it means “traitor” or “oath-breaker” in its original Scottish, and is thus considered an insult. Wicca is based upon the reconstruction of salvaged information on pre-Christian traditions originating in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Much of the information on how our ancestors lived, believed, and worshipped is lost to us, due to the efforts of the medieval church to wipe out any historical traces of paganism. Nonetheless, Wiccans use what information is available to try and reconstruct those beliefs to the best of their ability. Thanks to archaeological findings, we now have basis to believe that the origins of Wicca can be traced as far back as the Paleolithic peoples, who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. Cave paintings have been discovered that are estimated to be around 30,000 years old, depicting a man with the head of a stag and a pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people. These archetypes coincide with the most common depiction of the Wiccan Goddess and God aspects of the supreme creative force. Because of these cave paintings, it can be reasonably deduced that witchcraft is one of the oldest belief systems in the world. These roots of Wicca predate Christianity by roughly 28,000 years.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines religion as “a belief in and reverence for a supernatural power recognized as the creator and governor of the universe”. Wicca fits this description, and has been officially recognized as a religion in the United States of America and Canada. In the United States, Wicca has been granted all rights as a religion under the Constitution. This came to be in 1985 as a result of Dettmer versus Landon, 617 F. Supp. 592, in which the District Court of Virginia ruled that Wicca is a legally recognized religion and is afforded all the benefits accorded to it by law. The 1985 court ruling was affirmed a year later by Judge J. Butzner of the Federal Appeals Court fourth circuit (799 F 2d 929, 1986). Wicca is currently the fastest growing spiritual path in America, with the number of Wiccans in the United States estimated at over 200,000.
The persecution of witches is a long-standing prejudice that began centuries ago. Historians believe that during the Dark Ages, over two million people were murdered by the Witch Finders. In the eighth century, a document written by the church titled the Canon Episcopi declared that witches were mere illusions. This might have debunked the myth that witches were evil and saved the world of much grief, if not for the Church implementing a very deadly weapon at the same time – the Inquisition. The leaders of the Inquisition overturned the Canon Episcopi and began their persecution of innocent people all across Europe, with the full sanction of the church. Most persecutions took place between the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. By making the Witch into a diabolical character and turning the old religious deities into devils and demons, missionaries were able to attach fear to pagan beliefs, which aided in the conversion process. The medieval church of the 15th through 18th centuries created yet more myths in order to convert the followers of the old nature-based religions to the church’s way of thinking. If they did not, the consequences were plain. As medical science began to surface, the men who were engaged in these initial studies had a very poor understanding of female physiology, especially concerning a woman’s monthly cycle. The unknowns of this area played quite well to the early church’s agenda, lending credence to the Witch Finders’ claims and authority. During the time of the Inquisition, religious leaders went so far as to change parts of the Bible, particularly in one passage. The original wording was “Thou shalt not suffer a poisoner to live”, but it was altered to “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” in order to justify the millions of murders. The female population had dropped to an alarming rate by the time the fanatics of the church were through. Almost no women, midwives, or local healers remained alive.
Alas, the witch hunts, in a sense, did not die completely out. In 1999 an assembly of conservative Christian groups was formed on the initiative of representative Bob Barr of Georga, in response to Wiccan gatherings on military bases. The group asked United States citizens not to enlist or re-enlist in the U.S. Army until the Army terminated the on-base freedoms of religion, speech, and assembly for all Wiccan soldiers. The boycott has since become inactive, but other clear persecutions remain. In June of 1999, around the same time that Rep. Bob Barr called for his national boycott, George W. Bush, the governor of Texas at the time, stated, “I don’t think witchcraft is a religion. I wish the military would rethink this decision.”
One of the main pagan issues facing the nation is the pagan and Wiccan presence in the military and the pagan and Wiccan veterans. Many pagans serving in the Armed Forces are very troubled by issues of their equal treatment. Firstly, active duty pagans have been denied pagan chaplains. According to the Military Pagan Network, there are currently estimated to be over 4,300 pagans serving in our military, with over 2,000 of these being Wiccan. Stars and Stripes, a government newspaper, reports that in 2005 there were 1,800 active duty Wiccans. An Air Force survey conducted in 2004 found that Wicca is the third largest Non-Christian religion in the total force, falling just behind Judaism and Buddhism, both groups of which have their own chaplains. The number of Wiccans in the Air Force surpasses the number of Muslims, and yet Muslims too have their own chaplains, while Wiccans continue to be denied such. The second big issue facing the pagan community is the government’s seeming lack of concern for the wishes of their veterans. For a few years now there has been a growing number of pagan and Wiccan soldiers either passing of old age or coming home deceased due to the bloody war taking place in Iraq. To show the pagan war heroes respect, their families have wished them to be laid to rest in national cemeteries. However, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs will not allow pagan emblems on grave markers located within these cemeteries. The VA acknowledges and allows many various “emblems of faith”, even ones for atheists, and yet pagan symbols are prohibited.
Government officials continue to persecute Wiccans and pagans in a variety of ways. Another such case occurred on Wednesday, May 5th, 1999. Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns ignored both the federal and Nebraska State Constitutions when he issued a proclamation declaring May 22, 1999 as “March For Jesus Day”. “‘March For Jesus Day’ was established as a time for us to join together as people of many faiths so that we may pay homage to our divine authority,” reads part of the proclamation. By issuing such a proclamation, Johanns is clearly in violation of the First Amendment, which prohibits government from promoting religion, giving preferences to any religion, or supporting or establishing a religion under the Establishment Clause, which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. Governor Johanns’ action does not meet constitutional scrutiny under the 1971 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lemon versus Kurtzman, which held that, in order to be constitutional, a government action must have a secular purpose, neither promote or inhibit religion, and not entangle the government with religion. In an article printed in the Lincoln Journal Star on May 6, 1999, Johanns is reported to have made the statement that he would consider similar proclamations “for the Jewish faith, Hinduism, whatever,” but that he would not issue a proclamation for Wicca. He stated that his only criteria for determining future requests for similar proclamations was: “So long as it doesn’t require me to sign something I personally don’t agree with”. In this he is elevating his own personal opinions of what constitutes a valid religion in his state above the law.
Individuals, too, have been persecuted for being Wiccan. Cases keep popping up in which Wiccan teens who were open about their religion have committed suicide, either from the constant teasing and outright maliciousness of their classmates or from overzealous Christian groups pressuring them to convert. A shocking case took place in Great Falls, South Carolina, where 42-year-old Darla Wynne became the target of religious intolerance. When she moved to the small town, with a population of 3,000, Darla felt right at home and thought that she could lead a happy life there. In 2001, after some harassment troubles that she sought help from the police for, Darla filed a lawsuit against Great Falls to make opening prayers at town council meetings nonsectarian, where no specific deity could be called upon. Before the prayer had invoked the name of Jesus Christ, which Darla saw as being the promotion of one religion over another. Glenn Ross, one of the council members, began to collect signatures to stop the lawsuit and wrote letters to the editor of a local newspaper to her from her god from him and his. He also began to preach at her in council meetings, which only served to enflame the public against her. One day upon returning home, Darla found her house a complete wreck, vandalized almost beyond recognition. She stated in an interview, “I called the Chief and then I went to the police station, only to be given a security catalog and told he would be jeopardizing his job”. From that day forward until August 11, 2004, her house would be vandalized a total of nine times, with every piece of furniture except for one dresser destroyed. Darla has been forced to remodel six times now, but nothing could bring back her beloved animals. In the same interview, Darla explained, “I walked in once to find a cat gutted and hung from a planter in the back bedroom, my African Grey, Little One beheaded and her heart cut out, with a note attached saying I was next, cats poisoned, murdered, my horses almost killed, my oldest Yorkie was blinded when she was 14 and then attacked again this year, which now she is completely blinded and just recently had to under go surgery which they didn't think she would survive due to her age. I have been pulled over my fence and beaten. Even my male raccoon was taken and I think they were going to kill him, but possibly attempted to torture him first by shaving him, which was their mistake, because he got away and came home. They killed my iguana, Sammie, which she was 6 feet long, my black shark and due to the attacks I had to give my horses away because I couldn't be in 2 places at once, my 9 foot Burmese as well. I don't want to go into the juicy details of it all because it makes me cry when I think of my animals being hurt and I have been struggling with depression since December of 2004, or maybe even sooner than that, but I know it hit me hard in December and I felt like I just wanted to die because I felt so inadequate due to my inability to keep my animals safe and my poor Blue Fronted Amazon who was Little One's companion, cried every day and made the sounds, which I believe were Little One's last sounds, would send chills up my spine and make the hair raise on my arms. It got to the point, where I had to put the birds in the back room so I could shut a door I just put up because I couldn't stand to listen to it any more.”
It’s a terrible thing that people should have to go through this kind of thing, especially in America, where we are supposed to be allowed freedom of religion. Is that not what makes this country so great? All that Wiccans are asking is that they be allowed to practice their religion without prejudice or interference as is their right guaranteed in the United States under the Constitution and as outlined in the constitutions of other countries. What Wiccans want really centers on respect, and the confidence that they can practice their beliefs in safety, without fear of harm coming to them or theirs. All that I ask is that you, reader, feel some sympathy for the plight that Wiccans face. Perhaps someday you will find yourself in a situation in which you could correct someone’s misconceptions, give them the real facts, and shed just a little more light on the situation. If only people would only open their minds to other ideas and listen to what others have to say, society – and the world itself – would run much more smoothly.
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