Atlanta Vampire Alliance [AVA]

[Twilight]

http://www.religioustolerance.org/burn_aw2.htm

here are some articles about how the military doesn't want to recognize Wicca as a religion. Its pretty long so I really don't want to post all of it on this page. I'll just throw in some quotes from the site given above...

"The military should rethink their position. That's not a religion." G.W. Bush, governor of Texas, referring to the Wiccan religion.

Rep Barr continues: "What's next? Will armored divisions be forced to travel with sacrificial animals for Satanic rituals? Will Rastafarians demand the inclusion of ritualistic marijuana cigarettes in their rations?..."

Okay fine, if the gov't doesn't want to recognize Wicca as a religion, then think of it more as a way of life. Christians live their lives according to the belief in their 'god's' commandments.
Making it their way of life.

What really irks me is that people instantly hate and fear what they don't even understand. If anyone were to ask any politician wht they knew about Wicca and their practices. They'll just look at you in bewilderment.
They should make their decisions ONLY after they understand what it is they are trying to decide on.

I have lived almost 11 years of my life as a christian, learning about it, so I think I can say without a doubt that I at least understand their beliefs, even though I have never believed in it.

Just like another post of mine... the gov't is trying to keep everything they control as christian based. This article on the given site above, gives more evidence that this idea of mine could be true.

[Eclecta]

I can't say that I understand it either.. But what I do know is that you are right.. Ppl are def afraid of what they don't know or understand. It is like they unconsciously try to protect themselves in case its to scary or something.
_________________
"Love is the law, love under will."

[siege]

I'm pretty sure that the US government does recognize Wicca as a religion. However, I think I've seen that article about the military. How old is it? Has this not changed? I'm going to try to dig up the article I read that said Wicca is recognized as a religion by the US.

Eh, of course I can't find the article I was referring to above, but here's a link to a good one: http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_rel.htm

And an excerpt from it:

Wiccan and other Neopagan groups have been recognized by governments in the US and Canada and given tax exempt status. Wiccan priests and priestesses have been given access to penitentiaries in both countries, and the privilege of performing handfastings/marriages. On 2001-MAR-15, the list of religious preferences in the U.S. Air Force Personnel Data System (MilMod) was augmented to include: Dianic Wicca, Druidism, Gardnerian Wicca, Pagan, Seax Wicca, Shamanism, and Wicca.

[Eclecta]

Oh thanks Siege..

Twilight.. can you find out the date on that article you posted?
_________________
"Love is the law, love under will."

[Crypticsphere]

Hmm aslong as I was in the Army, I remember wicca was recognized by the military. Remember fort lewis circle? The army apropiated funds for that ritual, and even gave the wiccans an unused building to further thier development. You can listen to the right wing christians and buy thier lies if you want. I even remember in the Jerry Falwell incident around 2002 when he was trying to get all wiccans banished from the armed forces, when the army actually got a count of how many pagans actually served in the forces, they stopped all his crap.

The chaplians even have a section in the back of thier military bible that pertains to wicca. I believe this topic pre dates the 1950's era.

Cryptic

[gothik]

I don't particularly favor Wicca, but what really gets me is that if we're not hearing opposition from the Republican base, we're hearing silence from the Liberals on this issue. They both fear taking one step towards it. What they really need is to educate themselves on Paganism in antiquity, the renaissance, Victorian/Antebellum periods, and realize that it isn't just some viewpoint taken by the descendants of some country shit-shovellers in England, but that it has parallelled veins of intellectual development in both Europe and America to the present day - unfortunately it has been undermined for too long by arrogant historians.

[CeruleanTwilight]

After reading this thread and the one on Harry Potter, I've determined that there are some crazy people in Georgia. How the heck does the AVA deal with the nuts living there?

[CeruleanTwilight]

Here's a story about some boys kicked out of a Boy Scout troop for being Wiccan.

http://www.airamerica.com/stateofbelief/node/141

[Maloryn]

[nightchild]

some ppl want to always be in control especially over here some assume all should follow them but they themselves aren't of any good. I have no problem with other ppl's religioun but with the Islam over here i'm getting some bad vibrations from the turks(ottoman's).
I'm no rascist but i just no longer can trust there ppl most of them are getting to fanatic and they still have problem adepting msot of them are homesick.
So here when into something even it's wiccan belgians really don't pay any attention that much to it. But all one get's to hear is they assume it's all evil you can't turn your back or they are calling you a devilworshipper. So there you have another problem they then steal away things from you but do not need to be saved by them neither need anything to be fixed.
_________________
who dares not speak his free thoughts is a slave.Euripides

[cathmael]

Some things:

1. The military definitely does recognize wicca as does the government. I have a friend who is wiccan clergy in the military.
(Currently deployed in Iraq)
2. Even the president cannot make any changes that would make the government not recognize wicca as a religion, since that is based
from census data (plus the SCOTUS would slap them so hard and fast they would bleed)
3. The Boy Scouts are a PRIVATE and CHRISTIAN organization, and while they allow members of other faiths, they do so at their leisure and since they are private can kick out whomever they so desire.
(also the reason why they no longer get government or united way funding anymore...)

And yes, people are intolerant. I can go on my rant about it later, but I'm resisiting another burning times rant at the moment so I'll forestall it till later.

[Maloryn]

[nightchild]

ppl talk about relgious tolorance and i haven't seen much of it so i'm more going with luciferian ways not the Anton Zandor Lavey but the other path.
here they still live in the dark ages when it comes to religioun and there good at manipulating ppl.
like said before god created man in his own image but as ungreatfull as mankind are they created in there own image,so fort hat you have 3 believes and all have diffirent day's. the muslim has a friday the jews have a saterday and with the christians it's a sunday.
So when you believe another way you are seen as a devil worshipper.
and they look at you like one to many muslims around and fanatics
are growing in Europe. And i'm a godless person?
_________________
who dares not speak his free thoughts is a slave.Euripides

[CeruleanTwilight]

[Lord_Abdou]

If we see in the right side , Wiccan is not a religion , it's the same thing -Satanic- there only the Musulaman religion , christianism , and juifs , i respect the oder religion like Wiccan and Satanism ...
But ... People don't believe .

I just like to say there i respect the oders Religions .