[Vision2020] A New Witch Hunt

Tue Jul 4 08:50:53 PDT 2006

I'm not a wiccan, but you might start with http://www.witchvox.com. Go 
to their info section to get a good overview of Wicca and other pagan 
faiths. Another good place to look for information on any religion is 
http://www.religioustolerance.org.

Technically, Wicca was started in 1949 (or thereabouts), by Gerald 
Gardner. He was a contemporary of Aleister Crowley, and part of at least 
one semi-secret magical society. However, there are many witches that 
claim to have been taught by members of their coven in an unbroken line 
that goes all the way back to the Middle Ages. Look up Strega, which is 
a form of Italian witchcraft that supposedly was handed down orally. 
There is also Druidism and Asatru, which are considered "pagan" and not 
"witchcraft", but which also supposedly connect to pre-christian times.

There are also groups of "christian witches" who try to reconcile the 
two faiths, although I think you'll find that most wiccans and witches 
in general consider themselves non-christian at the very least if not 
actually anti-christian. Wiccans believe in a Goddess and a God, mostly 
as mythical archetypes. In practice, the Goddess gets most of the focus 
(from what I've seen), probably in direct response to the 
world-dominating monotheistic patriarchal gods of Christianity and 
Islam. They do not worship Satan, as many have suggested, because they 
are not part of the christian mythos. Witchcraft in the Middle Ages is 
tied closely to Satanism, but mostly because of christian fears of that 
time, the Inquisition, the witch burnings, and a rebelliousness against 
the established Church and it's (in their view) stifling teachings.

Witchcraft as it is known today is mostly a nature religion that reveres 
the seasons, the cycles of the moon, and the spiritual realms. 
Practitioners observe the sabbats and the esbats, which are holy days 
based on the natural growing cycles of the harvest and of the seasons.

I'll let actual wiccans tell you their beliefs if there are any on here.

Paul

J Ford wrote:

> For any Wiccans out there, could you please point me to a good web 
> site(s) that would give a history and overview, if you will, of your 
> faith? I am studing the Middle Ages and am interested in Wiccans as 
> well as Driuids. Really interesting stuff. I am finding that the 
> things we were told as children is not quite what really was in both 
> of those faiths.
> http://www.google.com/
> I am also finding that "witches", as defined in those times, was not 
> necessarily the correct term for what people were doing. For instance, 
> a "healer" could be labled a witch when all they really did was act as 
> conduit for God's healing or as a doctor, as we call them today. It 
> seems to me that the Diciples could easily have held that same label 
> had they lived in those times.
>
> Today, I learned from a friend who e-mailed me and who is an author 
> (don't worry, Miss Joan - you're still my favorite one) and has 
> researched the Middle Ages to great length, that "bull throat" or 
> Morbus Suffocos was what we would call diptheria, today. Back then, it 
> was fatal and considered a punishment for "evil acts", but today it is 
> recognized as an illness they can cure and prevent.
>
> Anyway, any information and personal insight would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks.
>
> J :]
>
>
>
>
>> From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
>> To: "Joan Opyr" <joanopyr at moscow.com>, "'Moscow Vision 2020'" 
>> <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>> Subject: [Vision2020] A New Witch Hunt
>> Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2006 16:37:17 -0700
>>
>> An editorial from the July 10, 2006 edition of the Army Times -
>>
>> For you Wiccans out there. You know who you are.
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> A New Witch Hunt
>> Search for recognition falls victim to misconceptions about Wicca
>>
>> By Charles C. Haynes
>>
>> The current flap involving Wiccans in the military is a conflict that 
>> should
>> never have happened. But years of foot-dragging by the Department of
>> Veterans Affairs have turned an easy case into a major controversy 
>> complete
>> with charges of discrimination and threats of lawsuits.
>>
>> All VA needs to do is announce that the pentacle - a five-pointed 
>> star that
>> symbolizes the Wiccan faith - has been added to the list of 38 
>> "emblems of
>> belief" approved for placement on government headstones and 
>> memorials. No
>> big deal, end of story.
>>
>> Instead, VA keeps saying that it is "reviewing the process" - and 
>> will make
>> a decision at some indeterminate time in the future.
>>
>> Roberta Stewart has been hearing this bureaucratic mumbo jumbo for 
>> the past
>> eight months. She just wants to honor her husband, Patrick, a soldier 
>> in the
>> Nevada National Guard killed in combat last September in Afghanistan. 
>> Sgt.
>> Stewart, who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart,
>> among other honors, was a Wiccan.
>>
>> But Stewart's request to have a pentacle engraved on her husband's 
>> memorial
>> plaque has been repeatedly denied pending review of the VA policy. 
>> His space
>> on the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial wall remains blank.
>>
>> Eventually, VA will have no choice but to allow the pentacle. Nevada
>> politicians from both parties, as well as advocacy groups from the 
>> left and
>> right, are demanding the change.
>>
>> Then there is the small matter of the First Amendment: It's clearly
>> unconstitutional for the government to deny the Wiccan symbol while
>> permitting symbols of many other religions.
>>
>> If approval of the pentacle is inevitable, why is VA taking so long 
>> to make
>> a decision?
>>
>> For Roberta Stewart, it has been a long and frustrating eight months. 
>> But
>> other Wiccans have been pushing for VA recognition of the pentacle 
>> for more
>> than nine years. (According to the Defense Department, some 1,900
>> active-duty service members identify themselves as Wiccans.)
>>
>> At first blush, the years of VA stonewalling doesn't make sense. A 
>> glance at
>> the 38 approved emblems suggests that any religion can make the list. In
>> addition to all of the world's major faiths, a number of obscure 
>> sects are
>> represented, such as Eckankar, a New Age group that espouses out-of-body
>> travel. Atheists have a symbol, too. If VA is applying some kind of
>> religious test to keep out the Wiccans, it's hard to fathom what it 
>> might
>> be.
>>
>> Before last fall, VA blamed the rules. Applicants had to provide
>> documentation from a central authority certifying a symbol as 
>> representative
>> of that religion. Because Wiccans have no recognized head or hierarchy,
>> their applications were rejected. Rules are rules.
>>
>> Bipartisan outrage over Sgt. Stewart's case inspired a new set of rules.
>> Now, applicants are required to provide historic background and
>> documentation of use to get a symbol approved. Roberta Stewart has 
>> filled
>> out all of the forms. But she's still waiting.
>>
>> So what's the problem? VA isn't talking. But the delay may have to do 
>> with
>> the fact that Roberta Stewart went public. Putting atheists on the 
>> list when
>> no one is paying attention is one thing, but announcing recognition 
>> of the
>> Wiccan pentacle in the glare of the media spotlight is another.
>>
>> Few people have even heard of Eckankar, but almost everyone has an 
>> opinion
>> about Wiccans. Unfortunately, most of what people think they know about
>> Wicca is false. Wicca is a nature-based religion centered on a belief 
>> that
>> the divine permeates all life. Wiccans have nothing to do with black 
>> magic
>> or satanic worship, but try explaining that to a misinformed public.
>>
>> VA is probably remembering the last time Wiccans in the military made
>> headlines. About six years ago, news reports of Wiccan ceremonies at 
>> Fort
>> Hood, Texas, and other bases provoked some conservative Christian 
>> groups to
>> call on Christians not to enlist or re-enlist in the Army.
>>
>> Under the First Amendment, the Army had no choice then, just as VA 
>> has no
>> choice now, but to accommodate Wiccans in the same way it 
>> accommodates other
>> religious groups. But any "acceptance" of witches - who have long been
>> demonized in Christian history - is certain to stir up trouble for the
>> military.
>>
>> It's also possible that VA lawyers are beginning to realize that any
>> guidelines for government-sanctioned "emblems of belief," however 
>> carefully
>> crafted, are unworkable. In a nation where people are free to choose in
>> matters of faith, the government should stop trying to figure out which
>> symbols are "acceptable" and instead allow each family to choose 
>> whatever
>> symbol best represents their convictions.
>>
>> In other words, cut through all of the bureaucratic red tape and 
>> jettison
>> the "emblems of belief" list entirely.
>>
>> Meanwhile, however, VA should act immediately to honor Roberta Stewart's
>> request and fill in the blank space reserved for Sgt. Stewart. After 
>> all, if
>> we can't live up to religious freedom at home, we have no business 
>> asking
>> soldiers to die for religious freedom abroad.
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Seeya round town, Moscow.
>>
>> Tom Hansen
>> Moscow, Idaho
>>
>> "Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the 
>> tranquil
>> and steady dedication of a lifetime."
>>
>> --Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.
>>
>>
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