October 29, 2007
Asatruar saves woman's life
A woman who ran off the road and plunged over a cliff was saved by a man named Clifton Siple. Siple found the wreckage and the woman 14 hours after she wrecked, as he was walking along a beach. What is more interesting is that Siple practices an ancient Germanic-Scandinavian religion, and is a member of the Asatru Folk Assembly.
From the Curry Coastal Pilot article:
Siple, who was walking his Airedale terrier Dusty when he found Scott lying next to her car on the beach, said he was praying to Njord, the god of the sea, while awaiting rescuers.
"I was just praying to him, 'hold the tide back a little bit longer so we can get Diane out of here,'" Siple said Friday.
Siple said he is a member of an old Germanic-Scandinavian religion called Asatru. "It's not a mainstream religion. It's being reconstructed from a thousand years ago. We're not naked dancing in the woods," he said.
Way to go Clifton!
Technorati Tags: religion, spirit
Posted by keg at 6:20 PM
October 28, 2007
monotheism, polytheism, Greek, and Germanic/Norse
Mary Lefkowitz, professor emerita at Wellesley College, wrote a very interesting article in the Los Angeles Times, where she notes deficiencies in the world caused by dominant monotheistic religions, and discusses how a polytheistic religion might be just the palliative the world needs. She discusses Greek religion, but in Europe and the U.S., which is predominantly Germanic/Scandanavian, a religion around the Norse/Germanic Gods would be most appropriate.
So in her article, mentally substitute "Norse" for "Greek", and the appropriate Norse God names for the Greek God names, and you will get the best intent.
The separation between humankind and the gods made it possible for humans to complain to the gods without the guilt or fear of reprisal the deity of the Old Testament inspired. Mortals were free to speculate about the character and intentions of the gods. By allowing mortals to ask hard questions, Greek theology encouraged them to learn, to seek all the possible causes of events. Philosophy -- that characteristically Greek invention -- had its roots in such theological inquiry. As did science.
Technorati Tags: religion, spirit
Posted by keg at 7:45 PM
October 24, 2007
The Runestone Journal
Look for a great new journal for Asatruar!
Technorati Tags: academia, religion, spirit
Posted by keg at 7:18 PM
September 28, 2007
Future of Asatru
Here is a video excerpt from an Aegir's Feast panel discussion on the future of Asatru (the panel discussion was 45 minutes, the video is only 16):
Technorati Tags: academia, religion, spirit
Posted by keg at 1:34 AM
September 25, 2007
Revival of Asatru
Within the last 30 years, a lot of people have been trying to get back to their roots, to reconnect with what their ancestors believed and how they lived. One of the faiths that has sought to re-establish itself is Asatru.Asatru can best be defined as the revival of the ways, beliefs and customs of the ancient Germanic tribes of northern Europe which inhabited, at differing times in history, the modern nations of England, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, West Poland, Northern Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. These countries are currently seeing a revival of this very ancient pre-Christian faith.
Read the article for a few more paragraphs. Short, but nice intro to Asatru.
Technorati Tags: academia, religion, spirit
Posted by keg at 6:07 PM
July 4, 2007
The Vikings are on the Move: A Religious Rights Rally
As I mentioned earlier, there will be a religious rights rally today in Lafayette Square Park in our nation's capital.
With the backing of our Founding Fathers, Guest Voice to the Washington Post's On Faith column, noted author, and Steerswoman of the Troth Diana L. Paxson says:
America has always been noted for creativity, in religion as in all else. Each new faith, whether immigrant or homegrown, enriches our culture. Today, when Buddhist temples and Islamic mosques may be found in many parts of the U.S., one might wonder why the VA denied a Wiccan veteran the right to have a pentacle on his headstone for ten years, and the Army has still not hired a Pagan chaplain. Paganism does not seek to replace other religions, but Pagan perspectives can revitalize the ways in which we relate to our history, our ancestors, and especially, in this time of climate crisis, to the environment. Rather than resisting, America should welcome the Pagan contribution to our cultural diversity.
Diana Paxson will be speaking, in addition to representatives from Asatru Folk Assembly, Circle Sanctuary, The Troth, The Military Pagan Network, The ADF, Sacred Well Congregation, and the Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Have a Happy 4th of July!
Technorati Tags: academia, book, culture, living, religion, spirit, virginia
Posted by keg at 1:26 PM
June 21, 2007
Happy Summer Solstice
A solstice occurs twice a year, whenever Earth's axis tilts the most toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to be farthest north or south at noon.
Note that this year about 20,000 people converged to celebrate this ancient, traditional holiday:
Thousands of modern-day druids, pagans and partygoers converged on Stonehenge early Thursday to cheer the dawn of the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - the summer solstice.
I hope this day sees you well.
Technorati Tags: culture, living, religion
Posted by keg at 4:46 PM
May 22, 2007
The Pope and the Imposition of Foreign Culture
Jason at Wildhunt talks about Pope Benedict XVI's recent tour through South America. While there, the Pope made some disturbing comments about converting the indigenous people there to Christianity:
Speaking to Latin American bishops in Brazil on May 13, the Pope cited the 'rich religious traditions' of Indian people but added that their ancestors were 'silently longing' for Christ and seeking God 'without realizing it.' Pope Benedict further demonstrated his misunderstanding of history and the forced conversions of natives in North, Central and South America and of massacres and 'just wars' when he suggested that the Church did not impose itself on indigenous peoples and that Christianity had not been detrimental to them and their cultures. 'In effect, the proclamation of Jesus and of His Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture.' Benedict also added that a return to indigenous religions 'would be a step back.'
This is the same Pope who said that Hitler was not a Christian and that the Catholic Church did not have a hand in the Holocaust. In fact, Christianity had the same impact on the indigenous cultures and religions of Europe as in South America, with forced conversions, massacres, and "just wars".
And as with the South Americans, Christianity is not the native belief system of Europeans.
Technorati Tags: academia, culture, religion
Posted by keg at 10:47 AM
May 21, 2007
Religious Rights Rally at the White House
With that victory complete, it is now time to muster support for getting more religious symbols approved - a rally for such is being organized:
Celebrate Our Historic Victory with the Veterans' Pentacle Quest!
Advocate a Pagan Chaplain in the U.S. Armed Forces!
Keep the focus on the VA to accept Thor's Hammer of the Asatruar and the
Druids' Awen symbol!
Join us in front of The White House for a Pagan Religious Rights Rally and Ritual!Wednesday, July 4th, 2007!
Lafayette Square Park
Outside the White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, DC
Set-up between 10am and Noon
Speakers begin at Noon
Ritual begins at 2pm and transitions to Spirit Drum Circle until 5pm
Event ends at 5pm
Technorati Tags: academia, culture, religion
Posted by keg at 11:11 AM
April 29, 2007
Sigr
Here is a great commentary on victory and religion in our lives --- watch the YouTube video filmed during Ostara 2007 Easter celebration:
Technorati Tags: religion
Posted by keg at 9:28 PM
April 23, 2007
Veterans Affairs and Proper Burials
Last year, I spoke about how Sgt. Patrick Stewart, who was killed fighting for the US in Afghanistan, was denied by the US government a proper cemetery headstone.
At the time, I wondered if the Veterans Affairs office was doing this due to incompetence or maliciousness.
Evidently, they were being malicious.
From today's announcement: "Settlement in Americans United Lawsuit Comes after Discovery of a Pattern of Bias Against Minority Faith".
The Bush administration has conceded that Wiccans are entitled to have the pentacle, the symbol of their faith, inscribed on government-issued memorial markers for deceased veterans, Americans United for Separation of Church and State announced today.The settlement agreement, filed today with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, brings to a successful conclusion a lawsuit Americans United brought against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in November.
The litigation charged that denying a pentacle to deceased Wiccan service personnel, while granting religious symbols to those of other traditions, violated the U.S. Constitution.
It this case, the bias against this particular faith came straight from the top:
Americans United's attorneys uncovered evidence that the VA's refusal to recognize the Pentacle was motivated by bias toward the Wiccan faith. President George W. Bush, when he was governor of Texas, had opposed the right of Wiccans to meet at a military base in that state. Bush's opinion of Wiccans was taken into consideration when making decisions on whether to approve the Pentacle.
Sgt. Stewart and other government Wiccans can now have proper burials:
In addition, the VA will make markers bearing the pentacle---an encircled, intertwined five-pointed star---available to the families of Stewart, Birnbaum and others who request them.AU noted that the VA's list of 38 approved symbols for government gravestones, markers and plaques includes emblems for Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Hindus, Humanists and members of the Eckankar, Serbian Orthodox and United Moravian faiths.
Now, we just need to get the Hammer of Thor, Mjolnir, approved!
Technorati Tags: religion
Posted by keg at 3:31 PM
April 17, 2007
Virginia Tech: Guns and Defense
While details are still emerging from yesterday's tragic events on campus, there have been a variety of reactions in the news and articles expressed in the media.
According to Steve Pavlina, there are several common reactions to these types of events:
Interpretations and reactions to such events are heavily culture-bound. In the USA the popular media typically encourages us to react roughly as follows:* Drop into a fear-based state of consciousness. "Oh my goodness. Would you look at that!"
* Feel shock, disgust, or outrage. "Somebody ought to do something about that."
* Experience reassurance the situation is being handled. "I see cars with flashing lights and people in uniformed clothing."
* Do nothing. "Glad that's over. What's on TV next?"
And I have already seen news articles from other countries saying that these types of events only happen in America, because of America's glorification of violence.
Even yahoos in this country have started coming out of the woodwork with finger pointing:
* Dr. Phil blames video games.
* Ken Hamm blames evolution and atheism for the school shooting.
* And some, of course, are questioning Virginia's "lax" gun control laws.
Unlike the first two, the gun control argument is not a joke. There are many people who feel that if there are no guns, then we will all be safe. In fact, it is now somewhat ironic, and very unfortunate, that Virginia Tech itself recently successfully lobbied to prevent the licensed concealed-carry of firearms on public college campuses in Virginia.
Virginia Tech alumni Aaron quotes Tech University spokesman Larry Hincker on the bill's defeat:
I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.
I wonder if Larry now realizes the tragic and foolish consequences of defeating that bill. By not allowing citizens to lawfully be able to defend themselves against killers like Cho Seung-hui, events like Virginia Tech and Columbine will only proliferate, since the killers will have the weapons and know that their victims do not. Note that these mass-killing events occur in "gun-free" zones, such as schools and universities. In fact, reports say that Cho chained shut the doors of Norris Hall at Virginia Tech so that the students and faculty could not escape. Since he knew that no one else would have a gun, and thereby fight back, he could leisurely have his way with the victims.
From an editorial after last summer's shooting at Virginia Tech, graduate student Bradford Wiles comments in an editorial "Unarmed and Vulnerable" on not being armed during such an event:
On Aug. 21 at about 9:20 a.m., my graduate-level class was evacuated from the Squires Student Center. We were interrupted in class and not informed of anything other than the following words: "You need to get out of the building."Upon exiting the classroom, we were met at the doors leading outside by two armor-clad policemen with fully automatic weapons, plus their side arms. Once outside, there were several more officers with either fully automatic rifles and pump shotguns, and policemen running down the street, pistols drawn.
It was at this time that I realized that I had no viable means of protecting myself.
Finally, here is a great episode of Penn and Teller on Gun Control. Pay particular attention to the issue of gun-free zones at about 19 minutes.
There is also a segment of the community who says that you should not have guns also because if you need help, just call the police. After all, the police are there to help you. You also hear this sort of advice from "experts" about car-jackers ("just give them your keys"), hijackers ("just sit in your seat"), and rapists ("just lie there"). In other words, don't fight back.
Forensic psychologist Helen Smith comments on this phenomenon:
Have you noticed that most of the tips you get in recent years for how to survive a violent crime involve an accompanying psychological maneuver of first trying to make you feel impotent? And instead of suggesting remedies to overcome this impotence, these survival tips usually just tell you to give the criminal what they want. But what they typically don't say is that you can get killed using that approach also.
And as we saw with 9/11, and with the students and faculty at Virginia Tech, depending on "someone else" to show up and help you does not always work.
We cannot know what would have happened if someone had tried to fight back against Cho. But we see the result when we prevent the possibility of anyone fighting back. Draconian gun control will only remove the guns from the hands of law-abiding citizens---it will not prevent the Cho's of the world from having them and using them. Moreover, as we have seen at Virginia Tech, the results of preventing citizens from defending themselves and their loved ones will only be tragic.
Technorati Tags: academia, defense, guns, security, virginia
Posted by keg at 4:15 PM
January 24, 2007
From a Sleepy Town
Lynchburg is normally a sleepy town, except for the occasional tirade, slander, or plea for money by the local evangelical imam. And so I was quite surprised to find that another Lynchburg attraction, the tiny, all-girl's Sweet Briar College sported a Writer-in-Residence program. Moreover, the current writer-in-residence, J.C. Hallman, has written a new book: The Devil Is a Gentleman: Exploring America's Religious Fringe
Technorati Tags: book, lynchburg, religion, virginia
Posted by keg at 10:33 PM
August 24, 2006
Folk and Culture Remainders
I have a few browser windows open with items of interest - need to log them here so I can reboot!
First, a fascinating expedition in Gotland, Sweden, to investigate about 100 graves at the Viking Age Port of Trade at Frojel:
This woman with all here possessions is one of about 100 graves investigated at the Viking Age Port of Trade at Fröjel, Gotland, Sweden. It is an example showing how and where on the body we find the objects she has had on her, when buried.
And here is one lady they have found:
Second, if you like heavy metal music, then you might want to take a listen to the track "Cry of the Blackbirds" off the new Amon Amarth album "With Oden on Our Side".
Third, there is an interview with the director of what I hear is a most excellent version of Beowolf called "Beowulf and Grendel". I can't wait to get this one:
SG: Well it was great. We had a very very challenging shoot. We were suppose to shoot in the summer but we got delayed until the late fall...in Iceland. And it was the stormiest autumn they had had in years. We had 150k winds, we had flying rocks ,and we lost three base camps. It was really intense. With a lesser cast they would have been very unhappy. But Gerry, Stellan and the rest just kind of embraced it.
Fourth, the Vikings return to the Haffenreffer Museum. Includes two free lectures
on the Brown campus: "The Sagas, Oral History, and 'Neo-Literalism'" and "The Lure of Providence: Vikings, Romance, and Archaeology".
Posted by keg at 10:35 PM
August 8, 2006
The Library of Alexandria
The Royal Library of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Egypt, was once the largest library in the world. The library was a major research center, and contained many priceless works on mathematics, science, culture, history, literature, and religion.
The history of the library was featured on Daily Kos's Science Friday feature:
In 2004, a team of Polish and Egyption archeologists found the remains of what is believed to be the Great Library. It is, if anything, larger than legend. Among the impressive ruins are thirteen sweeping lecture halls with raised podiums, estimated to be able to accomodate over 5,000 students. The last great bastion of early scientific thought it now seems was indeed a reality, the flicker of knowledge it preserved once burned brightly in the ancient city of Alexandria.
However, the library was burned by a Christian mob, then invading Muslims in 646 CE destroyed the remainder, reportedly even burning the books to heat bathwater. Europe soon fell into the Dark Ages.
What would the world have been like had these great works of the Library of Alexandria remained? Jason Pitzl-Waters of The Wild Hunt wonders too:
The "ghost" hiding in this story is one of religious tolerance and the shifting from a "pagan" empire to a Christian one under Constantine. The order of tolerance for all faiths under his Edict of Milan soon evolved into favored status for Christians, repressions of Jewish and pagan religious expression, and finally the outlawing of all non-Christian faiths under Flavius Theodosius in 392. This edict from Theodosius lead to the eventual destruction of the library.In the end power corrupts. No faith pagan or otherwise can avoid atrocity when married to the needs of empire. While some like to speculate on how much "better" or "worse" our present would be if the Roman Empire had not turned Christian in the end I prefer the option of the Deist freethinkers who founded our nation. The separation of Church and State.
Indeed, science is working hard to restore another example of previous knowledge carelessly destroyed by the misguided faith of a major religion - the writings of one of the greatest mathematicians of the world, Archimedes, was erased after a Christian monk scrubbed the text and overwrote the manuscript with prayers.
The good Christian should beware the mathematician and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of hell. -- Saint Augustine
One can wonder what the world would be like had the indigenous religions of the different tribes of people were not replaced by the imports of "modern" religions like Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism. Indigenous or native beliefs and faiths were born and shaped by specific groups of peoples early in the evolutionary growth of humanity, and so have a certain purity and essence that the major imports cannot ever capture or evoke.
While it is extremely regrettable about the loss of the Library of Alexandria and Archimedes' writings, let us hope that similar book-burnings do not happen again. (Though, sadly, I discovered quite an extensive list of book burnings that have occurred throughout history, including, if you can believe it, Harry Potter books).
Finally, below are some links to indigeneous religions (thanks Tina!). If you know of others, let me know and I'll update the list.
- Lithuanian religion: http://www.geocities.com/athens/oracle/2810/romuvawhatis.html
- Siberian religion: http://haldjas.folklore.ee/~aado/index.html
- Japanese Shinto: http://www.jinja.or.jp/english/s-0.html
- Hellenic religion: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/8239/
- African traditional religion: http://www.afrikaworld.net/afrel/
- Chinese Taoism: http://www.askasia.org/teachers/essays/essay.php?no=40/
- Tibetan religion: http://www.yetizone.com/bon-po.htm
- Zoroastrianism: http://tenets.zoroastrianism.com/
- Finnish religion: http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=25814
- Mayan religion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_mythology
- Mithraism: http://www2.evansville.edu/ecoleweb/articles/mithraism.html
- Indian religion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism
- Northern European religion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asatru
culture, science, spirit,religion,books
Posted by keg at 12:47 AM
August 5, 2006
Kennewick Man
Kennewick Man is the name given to the remains of what are "believed to be the oldest and most complete set of skeletal remains in North America" and that were found in Washington State in 1996.
There has been a long legal and political debate over who gets access to the remains. Modern American Indian tribes claimed the remains for their own, and wanted to immediately bury them. Scientists, with a find this rare and important, wanted to study the remains to shed light on the earliest inhabitants of North America.
A federal judge in 2001 ruled that scientists can study the remains, mainly because there are no links between the 9,000 year old remains and modern American Indian tribes. Though many people refer to American Indians as "Native Americans", more and more scientific evidence reveals that modern tribes are hardly native to North America, any more or less than descendents of early European colonists to America. The evidence suggests there were several waves of early humans to North America - American Indians were a wave (not the first), and Europeans were another.
So the Kennewick Man was likely from a wave prior to those of American Indians and Europeans. Hopefully the scientists will continue to be allowed access to the remains for study.
From an article about the man who actually found the Kennewick Man remains:
Will Thomas was standing in knee-deep water trying to finish off a couple cans of Busch Light.He saw a roundish brown rock in the river near his foot and thought he would play a joke on his buddy Dave Deacy who was standing nearby onshore.
"I thought I could pull it off like it was a head," Thomas said.
The rock was stuck in the thick mud, so Thomas had to take a firm right-hand grip to free it while clutching his beer safely in his left hand.
Oddly, the rock wasn't heavy.
Then he saw teeth.
"It was a jaw dropper," Thomas said. "It was a human skull, no doubt about it."
As proof of the huge interest folks have in the Kennewick Man:
At 94, Warren Dexter of Elkhart, Ind., has been researching and following the story for only a year, but he's also hooked.In Kennewick Man, the retired photographer and longtime fan of early history said he's found a welcome debate about North America's earliest inhabitants and support for his belief that other peoples traveled to North America besides the Native Americans.
"A lot of our history is being covered up by not acknowledging that the waterways, rivers and lakes were used (as highways)," he said.
This last quote is particularly interesting. Because of recent scientific advances, some scientists believe that Europeans could have been some of the first visitors to North America.
Most people know that Leif Ericsson travelled to North America around the year 1000, which beat Columbus to North America by some 500 years. But even prior to the wave of modern American Indians, some think that early Europeans or their ancestors were initial North American inhabitants. Certainly the fact that a reconstruction of the Kennewick Man looks much like Star Trek's Patrick Stewart is not proof, but there are other pieces of evidence that also open this possibility.
Indeed, in order to preserve the right of scientists to investigate the Kennewick Man remains propelled some native European religion groups to support the scientists in their legal battle with modern American Indian tribes:
McNallen is glad Kennewick Man finally is being studied.He said he fought to study Kennewick Man because he thought an alternative spiritual perspective needed to be presented besides that of the Mid-Columbia Indian tribes, which want to rebury the bones.
The Asatru gave up their fight in 2000 because the lengthy legal battle was requiring too much time and money.
He and his wife said they are interested to see if future DNA testing would unravel the 9,000-year-old skeleton's ancestry.
"There are some good reasons to believe that Kennewick Man was an ancient European," said McNallen, who travels with a pewter amulet of Thor's hammer laced around his neck, a drinking horn and a bottle of mead. "I don't think that's been disproved."
The Asatru leader said there is strong evidence that early Europeans made their way to North America thousands of years before Columbus.
"Clovis points bear a striking resemblance to points found in France and Spain," he said.
He believes early Europeans may have crossed an ice bridge called the Atlantic Crescent between Europe and North America during the ice ages.
"There is enough evidence to consider this seriously," he said. "It's not a fringe phenomenon."
Finally, here is a video of an interesting interview with Stephen McNallen, the Asatru leader in the above quote.
Posted by keg at 10:19 PM
August 4, 2006
How to Pronounce the Runes
I made a simple recording of a pronunciation of each of the 24 Elder Futhark runes.
Listen to a pronunciation of the Elder Futhark (.MP3, 1:10, 1.1MB).
I've issued this recording under the Creative Commons License. While you can click the link below to investigate the details, basically you can listen to it and copy it as you like - you just can't use it commercially or derive works from it.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 License.
[ recording updated 6 August 2006 ]
Posted by keg at 9:17 PM | Comments (1)
July 17, 2006
Never too Late to Say You're Sorry
This is a brief tale of two women. The first is about Grace Sherwood, who, on July 10, 1706, became the first person to be tried by ducking in the state of Virginia for witchcraft. She was also pardoned by governor Tim Kaine on July 10, 2006. The second is about Belinda Nash, a volunteer at the historic Ferry Plantation House in Virginia Beach, VA, who fought to have the Governor clear Grace Sherwood's name.
Perhaps it seemed like a good idea at the time. To be tried by ducking means you have your thumbs tied to your toes, you have a 13 pound Bible tied to your neck, and then you are tossed overboard into a large body of water. If you float, then that means you are a witch, since the pure water has cast out the evil spirits inside, making you rise to the surface. If you stay at the bottom of the river or lake, then you must have been innocent -- drowned, but innocent.
When Grace Sherwood, age 46, was accused of being a witch in Pungo, Virginia, she was tried by ducking (bound, weighted, and thrown into the Lynnhaven River), but floated to the surface, meaning she was guilty of being a witch. The "Witch of Pungo" served more than seven years in jail for witchcraft, and then lived until age 80.
Belinda Nash researched Grace Sherwood for many years, and felt strongly that her conviction should be pardoned. And so she campaigned and lobbied the governor until the pardoning ceremony, held last Monday where a re-enactment took place in front of the Ferry Plantation House.
From an article in the Washington Post:
"With 300 years of hindsight, we all certainly can agree that trial by water is an injustice," Kaine wrote. "We also can celebrate the fact that a woman's equality is constitutionally protected today, and women have the freedom to pursue their hopes and dreams."
There is a donation form to support the Lynnhaven Parish in making a statue in honor of the Witch of Pungo. The statue is to be placed on the grounds of the Old Donation Episcopal Church, 4449 N. Witchduck Road, Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Posted by keg at 10:57 PM | Comments (2)
July 9, 2006
Veterans Affairs Problems
It seems that the Department of Veterans Affairs will not give Sergeant Patrick Stewart, who was killed while in Afghanistan, a proper cemetery headstone.
"At the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in the small town of Fernley, Nev., there is a wall of brass plaques for local heroes. But one space is blank. There is no memorial for Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart. That’s because Stewart was a Wiccan, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has refused to allow a symbol of the Wicca religion — a five-pointed star within a circle, called a pentacle — to be inscribed on U.S. military memorials or grave markers."
Wiccans have been trying to get their religious symbol approved for the last nine years.
"Wicca is one of the fastest-growing faiths in the country. Its adherents have increased almost 17-fold from 8,000 in 1990 to 134,000 in 2001, according to the American Religious Identification Survey. The Pentagon says that more than 1,800 Wiccans are on active duty in the armed forces. "
and
"Federal courts have recognized Wicca as a religion since 1986. Prisons across the country treat it as a legitimate faith, as do the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. military, which allows Wiccan ceremonies on its bases. “My husband’s dog tags said ‘Wiccan’ on them,” Stewart noted. But applications from Wiccan groups and individuals to VA for use of the pentacle on grave markers have been pending for nine years, during which time the symbols of 11 other faiths have been approved."
Note the last part - symbols of 11 other faiths have been approved while the Wicca decision has been pending.
What are some of the symbols that the Veterans Affairs has approved? There are currently 38 approved symbols, including Muslim, Konk-faith, Sikh, Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii, Soka Gakkai International, Humanist, Native American Church of North America, Bahai, and Athiest.
It is not clear if the Wiccan symbol is not being allowed because of Veterans Affairs incompetence or maliciousness. Maybe they should be reminded of the First Amendment of the US Constitution, especially the Free Exercise Clause. Or maybe they just lost their copy.
But even Christians realize that the Veterans Affairs department is in error. Rev. Barry Lynn addresses the issue on the show Culture Shocks. You can listen to the entire program here.
Posted by keg at 9:24 AM
July 6, 2006
Skyline Caverns - Captive Audience
One of the reasons I love Virginia so much is that this state has beautiful mountains, rivers, beaches, rolling hills, forests, four seasons, and even caverns. Truly a state with something for everyone.
So I was astounded to hear reports of weird religious indoctrination at one of this state's geological sites - Skyline Caverns.
The report is that if you take the guided tour of the caverns, in addition to the stalagmites and stalactites, once you have reached some 200 feet down under the surface, the guide plays a recorded evangelical message. Talk about captive audience!
I am all for people being fond of their own set of beliefs, but when you take a geological tour, the last thing I would expect is to hear broadcasts from Jerry Falwell, the Dali Lama, or the Raelians. It would be perfectly fine if, when buying your ticket, you got to choose the Jerry Falwell Tour, the Dali Lama Tour, or the Raelians Tour (instead, I'd ask for the Beatles Tour). But from these other reports, it seems they try to hoodwink you.
As one of the reviewers said, you should probably save your money instead for Luray Caverns.
Posted by keg at 7:45 PM
June 21, 2006
Happy Midsummers!
Enjoy a feast, build a bonfire, celebrate with friends, on this festival to note the longest day of the year.
Posted by keg at 12:07 PM
