Religious group, Natrona County officials find solution to keep sweat lodge burning

[rug]

6 hours ago • By ELYSIA CONNER Casper Star-Tribune

CASPER, Wyo. — Fire bans threatened to halt a weekly spiritual ceremony in Natrona County, but participants and county officials worked out a solution to continue services at a local sweat lodge.

The Sunday sweats will continue, thanks to a county-owned military fire truck placed beside the sweat lodge at Steve Weber's home near Edness K. Wilkins State Park east of Casper.

Firefighters responded to a report of smoke at Weber's property recently and found a group participating in the American Indian spiritual ceremony.

Weber presented a case of religious rights before Natrona County officials last week, explaining the importance of the ceremony that connects people with a higher power.

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/religious-group-natrona-county-officials-find-solution-to-keep-sweat/article_b1838f9c-3a36-5521-8817-3341d9c58af9.html?comment_form=true

Common sense accommodation or state/church entanglement? What would FFRF do?

This is the county truck. The sweat lodge is above.

[newfie11]

1. Good for them

I did a sweat once years ago. It should never be taken away.

[rug]

2. It looks a lot like the one I was in on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

That one was larger though and had peyote soup.

[newfie11]

8. Lol

I was told at Cheyenne River Rez to not go to one at pine ridge. They didn't say why.

[skepticscott]

3. Freedom of religion

or anything else is accompanied by responsibility for the consequences of its exercise. How about just telling them that they're free to burn things under these conditions, but that they will bear FULL legal and financial responsibility for any wildfires that start, the costs of suppressing them, any property damage that results, as well as any deaths? Then see if their ceremony is important enough for that.

[rug]

4. Due to the fire ban, the ceremony would have been unlawful, whether or not there was any consequence

Therefore, some accommodation would have to be made or it could not legally occur.

The article doesn't report one way or another, but there doesn't appear to be any water supply nearby and there appears to be a drought in the county.

So, two things happened:

1) This ceremony was exempted from the fire ban that otherwise applied to everyone else in the county, and

2) A government water truck was loaned for the purpose of allowing a private religious ceremony.

I think it was the right and humane thing to do regardless of an apparent entanglement.

[cbayer]

5. That is one of the most unappealing things I have ever seen.

At any rate, looks like common sense accommodation to me.

[rug]

6. It's cozier than it looks.

[cbayer]

7. And how is the aroma?

[newfie11]

9. The aroma is sage

Burning in a fire in the middle of the lodge. It was difficult for me to breath.

[cbayer]

10. I'm going to pass on this experience.

[newfie11]

11. I did it out of curiosity

And having many Lakota friends when working at the hospital in Eagle Butte. It is not something I would do again but I feel they should have the right to do it. Maybe I would have liked it more if I had payote Lol.

[cbayer]

12. I agree that they should have the right to do it and that fire protection

is appropriate.

But, for me, the whole thing seems claustrophobic and the addition of hallucinogens would probably just freak me out.