Score one for the pointy hat club
Bush Administration Agrees To Approve Wiccan Pentacle For Veteran Memorials
- 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.
“This settlement has forced the Bush Administration into acknowledging that there are no second class religions in America, including among our nation’s veterans,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “It is a proud day for religious freedom in the United States.”
Continued Lynn, “Sadly, the refusal of the federal government to recognize the Wiccan pentacle seems to have been built on inexcusable bias, a foundation that has crumbled under the press of this litigation.”
In the lawsuit, Americans United represented Roberta Stewart, whose husband, Sgt. Patrick Stewart, was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2005; Karen DePolito, whose husband, Jerome Birnbaum, is a veteran of the Korean War who died last year; Circle Sanctuary, a prominent Wiccan congregation; Jill Medicine Heart Combs, whose husband is severely ill; and the Isis Invicta Military Mission, a Wiccan and Pagan congregation serving military personnel.
A Wiccan group first petitioned the VA for approval of the pentacle years ago. Officials at the agency dragged their feet on the request but in the interim approved the symbols of six other religions and belief systems. Among them was a Sikh emblem, which the VA approved in just a few weeks.Wicca is a nature-based religion grounded in pre-Christian beliefs. Circle Sanctuary says the Wiccan religion honors the Divine as both Mother and Father, encompasses love and respect of Nature, celebrates the cycles of Sun and Moon, and encourages adherents to live in harmony with other humans and the greater Circle of Life.
Wow, that’s awesome! I don’t understand why some Christians are so threatened by other religions. We’re all going to Hell anyway.
The VA finally agreed after eleven years, which may come as a surprise as their own regulations state that they can take no longer than two years to either approve or reject an application.
And, while Circle Sanctuary, Lady Liberty League, the Aquarian Tabernacle Church, The ACLU and Americans for Separation should all be congratulated, the real force behind all of this was the groundswell of grassroots support from the Pagan community. It was this groundswell that made it clear that the various big-name Pagan figures had better do something or they would be swept aside, thier books would languish on the shelves of stores, their lectures and workships would be empty and their income would vanish, unless they acted.
I’ve been a member of Americans For Separation of Church & State for a few years now.