The Plight of Wiccans in the Military

by Lorelle 

In 1999, Governor George W. Bush was asked on ABC America what he felt about Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., submitting a statement decrying Wicca, a nature-based faith, as irreligious and saying it should not be accommodated by the military,

"I do not dispute that individuals may believe what they wish, and they can practice their religion in private life," Thurmond told the committee. "However, limits can and should be placed on the exercise of those views, especially in the military. I do not believe that the Armed Forces should accommodate the practice of witchcraft at military facilities. The same applies to the practices of other groups such as Satanists and cultists. For the sake of the honor and prestige of our military, there should be no obligation to permit such activity. This is an example of going too far to accommodate the practice of one's views in the name of religion."

In reply, George W. Bush said that, " I don't think that witchcraft is a religion. I wish the military would rethink this decision [to recognize Wicca]."

Later he was asked whether he agreed with the recent U.S. House of Representatives' vote that said states have the constitutional power to place the Ten Commandments in public buildings, including public schools. "He said that he had no problem with the religious codes being placed in every public building."

Since then, Wicca has been recognized as a "non-traditional" faith in the U.S. army. 

It has a page in the U.S. Army Chaplain's Handbook. yet Wiccan soldiers in the military have faced constant struggles. In 2007, Wiccan Veterans and their families once again entered a battle with the U.S. Government, because they were not allowed to have a pentacle (the Wiccan symbol of faith) placed on their tombstones. In certain war situations, Wiccan soldiers are forced to wear dog tags that state they have no religious affiliation in order to "protect them when fighting in religiously intolerant regions."

Many Wiccans are angry by the way pagan soldiers are treated in the military. Since George. W Bush's statement ten years ago, the state of Wicca in the American mind is often referred to as "the second burning time". Many individuals, confusing the peaceful, nature based religion with Satanism refuse to recognize it as a religion at all. But it is a religion, and has been since 1984 when a federal judge in Virginia ruled that Wicca was a religion protected by the First Amendment, saying the faith occupied a place in the lives of its members "parallel to that filled by the orthodox belief in God." In fact, to call Wicca a Satanist religion is in many ways laughable. Wiccans do not in any way worship or believe in "Satan," "the Devil," or any similar entities. They point out that "Satan" is a symbol of rebellion against and inversion of the Christian and Jewish traditions. Wiccans do not revile the Bible. They simply regard it as one among many of the world's mythic systems, less applicable than some to their core values, but still deserving just as much respect as any of the others.

When it comes to respect and understanding in America, Wiccans need to be patient. Wicca is a very young religion. It was founded in 1951 by Gerald B. Gardner who publicly declared himself a witch after the repeal of the anti-Witchcraft laws in Britain. Two of his students, Raymond and Rosemary Buckland migrated to the United States in 1962 and began teaching what they called Gardenian Witchcraft here. In 1975, a very diverse group of covens who wanted to secure the legal protections and benefits of church status formed the Covenant of the Goddess (CoG), which is incorporated in the State of California and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. CoG does not represent all, or even a majority of Wiccans. A coven or an individual need not be affiliated with CoG in order to validly practice the religion. But CoG is the largest single public Wiccan organization, and it is cross traditional in order to accommodate the numerous denominations of Wicca that now exist in the United States.

When Christianity was first practiced two thousand years ago, it was met with hostility and prejudice by Jewish and Pagans alike. Many people were martyred for what they believed. Now, as Paganism begins to remerge into the "new age", it is met with resistance because it is so new and different from Christianity. Wicca is a nature based religion that worships dual deities and bases its Sabbats (religious holidays) and Esbats (nature based gatherings, at times such as full and new moons) on nature and the seasons. It is based on ancient Pagan religions but is not a direct descendent of them. Some Wiccans practice magick, (spelled with a "k" to differentiate itself from magic tricks). With such radical practices and beliefs, it will take a long time for the second coming of the burning times to come to an end and for Wicca to be accepted and understood by government and society alike.

Bio:
Lorelle is currently a senior at the University at Albany in New York where she studies English and Journalism. She plans to go on to earn her MFA in Creative Writing. She has studied Wicca since she was fourteen years old. Visit Lorelle's blog!

Lorelle also wrote: Creating Your Own Community on Campus

Comments

[Diane Elizabeth]

I found this link helpful & wanted to share it.

http://www.cem.va.gov/cem/hm/hmemb.asp

BB,

Diane Elizabeth

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1492480234]

Thanks for posting the link. Just to help our fellow readers it goes to:

United States Department of Veterans Affairs
"Available Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Markers"

[Devon]

So you where 14 when you started practising Wicca? I started when I was 13 and a half. Do you have any advise on how to handle people who don't like/belive in Wicca? I could use some help.

[kaitlynne dianne eggert]

It is realy scary some times when your best friend asked you to go to a religious party more so when you dont have the same religious opinion and when you have to lie just to say why you cant at times i do feel alone because of who i am it is good to know there are others like me out there :)