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4 July 1999
Pagan Leaders Champion Religious Freedom in Military
Leaders of the major U.S. Pagan organizations have rallied to uphold the
First Amendment freedoms
of military personnel. Calling for interfaith dialogue and the affirmation
of religious freedom as an
inalienable human right, the leaders rejected attempts by Rep. Bob Barr
(R-GA) and other government
officials to ban the practice of Wicca on military bases [see accompanying
statement].
Wicca is a constitutionally-protected religion, legally established in the
U.S. for more than a quarter-century,
said Rev. Selena Fox, senior minister of Circle Sanctuary, an
international Wiccan church.
If Rep. Barr and others succeed in outlawing this religion, what faith is
safe?
Wicca has been included in the military chaplains handbook for twenty
years. The military has
consistently supported Wiccans right to worship, so long as they follow
procedural guidelines for all
religious groups.
Our diverse military is a model for states such as Yugoslavia and Iraq,
demonstrating how to create
an effective fighting force which embraces the American principle of
religious pluralism, said John
Machate, coordinator of the Military Pagan Network. Barrs actions, and
subsequent calls by the radical
religious right for Christians to boycott the Army, only serve to hurt the
morale of our troops, who need
to be focused on their missions.
Rep. Barr has suggested that elected officials, not military personnel,
determine which faiths are
acceptable for practice on military bases, added Rev. Wren Walker,
chairperson of the Witches
Voice, an educational network and the most popular Pagan Internet site.
Besides being clearly
unconstitutional, this proposal is exactly the kind of heavy-handed,
bureaucratic policy most Americans
dislike. If the military isnt complaining, what is Rep. Barr really after?
Wicca is a Pagan religion based on beliefs from tribal Europe. Adherents,
numbering between 50,000
and 300,000 in the U.S., honor masculine and/or feminine deities,
experience the Earth as sacred, and
celebrate the cycles of the sun and moon. Wicca, also known as Witchcraft,
has nothing to do with
Satanism; Wiccans do not believe in Satan or any personification of evil.
The central tenet of Wiccan
faith is If it harms none, do what you will.
JOINT STATEMENT
Pagan leaders are calling for interfaith dialogue and support for First
Amendment freedoms:
Members of other faiths need not fear working, training, fighting, or even
dying alongside Wiccans
and other Pagans. We respect all Americans right to worship as they
choose. We do not proselytize
or in any way seek converts. We welcome and support interfaith dialogue,
exploring our similarities
and differences. Pagans are proud to serve alongside members of all
faiths, upholding a Constitution
which supports all our rights.
Paganism is a collection of diverse contemporary religions which are
rooted in or inspired by
indigenous traditions worldwide. Pagan religions are characterized by
belief in the interconnection
of all life, personal autonomy, and immanent divinities. These faiths are
often nature-centered and
supportive of gender equity. Contemporary Pagan culture values diversity,
respect, good works,
living lightly on the earth, individual freedom, and personal
responsibility. We cherish our children,
our elders, and our communities, and believe that religious liberty is an
inalienable human right
which must not be abridged.
This project was coordinated by the Pagan Educational Network, Inc., and
supported by the Aquarian
Tabernacle Church; Blessed Bee, Inc.; Celtic Traditionalist Order of
Druids; Church of All Worlds;
CIRCLE Magazine; Circle Sanctuary; Covenant of the Goddess; Covenant of
Unitarian Universalist
Pagans, Inc.; Conversations with Pagans; Earth Religions Assistance
Association; The EarthSpirit
Community; Green Egg: A Journal of the Awakening Earth; The Henge of
Keltria; International Pagan
Pride Project; Irminsul ttir; Journey To The One; Lady Liberty League;
Military Pagan Network, Inc.;
Order of the Whiteoak; Ozark Avalon; Pagans in Action Council for Truth;
Pagan Community Council
of Ohio; Religious Liberties Lawyers Network; Sacred Well Congregation;
Temple of Isis; Wiccan-Pagan
Educational Association; Witches Anti-Discrimination League; Witches
League for Public
Awareness; The Witches Voice, Inc.; and WyrdWeavers Collective.
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