SC Druids report being pulled over for having a pagan bumper sticker

[BurtWorm]

From a pagan Website, which I got to following a link from PZ Meyer's pharyngula.org.

http://www.prattle.net/archives/001845.html

United States: A South Carolina Druid couple have filed a complaint against a police officer who used a traffic stop as an excuse to try and convert them to Christianity.

...

The officer drew attention to a bumper sticker on the couple's car which read "It's a druid thing," and investigators are trying to determine whether the presence of that sticker caused the officer to stop the car, rather than any suspicion that an offence had taken place. According to Debra Gainey, one of the couple:

The interesting part of this incident happened at the back of our car. Officer Stewart asked us if we had put the bumper stickers on or if the car had come that way. I of course told the truth and said I had put them on. The officer wanted to know what they meant so I explained that I was an ordained minister of the Emerald Sanctuary Druidic Church. The conversation continued and then Officer Stewart asked me if my church supported me? I asked him to explain what he meant by support and he clarified it as meaning ‘spiritually fulfilling’. He then begins witnessing to me and my husband... At the police station he continued to witness to me...

...Officer Stewart never mentions a reason for being pulled over, such as weaving, speeding, wrong plates or anything like that. He does mention the bumper stickers....

[BurtWorm]

1. The Druids' own story is at this link

http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/theemerald/Greer.html

Whether he is a volunteer or regular, he should still be held to a code of ethics concerning violation of constitutional rights (freedom of religion without harassment). I firmly feel he over stepped his bounds the night of the incident and has continued to do so with his letter. He assumes about my faith, as he did that night, and offers a solution to all my ‘problems’ if I come to his church. I wonder about what is meant by “And for whatever reason, God is calling you to listen to words from the Baptists. This is clear! If you deny this, then you are pushing away the hand of God and that would not be wise.”

He also tells me “Chances are that he sent this intercession after hearing the prayers of someone for your welfare. Maybe it was your prayers, or maybe it was a loved one or friend who cares for you. But he did send intercession. Now, you must respond without delay and without excuses.” So evidently ‘someone’ is praying for me to loss my faith!

[wtbymark]

2. No different than having a Dead sticker on your car

getting pulled over a searched very discriminatingly

[BurtWorm]

3. They weren't being checked for drugs.

They were being "witnessed to."

[patrice]

4. Pagans are not Racists, they'd be a political problem.

[BurtWorm]

5. I don't follow you.

Where was the implication that they were racists?

[benburch]

6. I think he meant...

that good old boy southern police are racists, and if you are a pagan, you are clearly not on their side, politically, because you are not racist.

[BurtWorm]

7. I see.

:crazy:

For all I know, Officer Stewart is black. There's no mention of his race. But he certainly makes his religion clear.

[patrice]

11. I was commenting on why they'd be unwelcome in SC.

[Taxloss]

8. I'm unclear

What exactly do Druids do/believe? I know they were pretty much exterminated in this country by the Romans, but I think all I know about Druidism comes from Asterix.

[BurtWorm]

10. I don't know much about them either, except for what I read in Asterix.

I think of them as tree and sky worshippers. And drinkers of magic potions giving them great strength against the Roman legions. ;)

[KamaAina]

9. Theocracy bites

At the rate we're going, this crap will become every bit as common as racial profiling.

Is this the sort of country you want to live in? If not, what are you going to do about it?

[patrice]

12. Bingo!!!!

Pagans are pretty anarchic; they'd be hard to control.

The Church Cartels who organize politically and promote Death and Destruction in the World: "Give "Us" your Flesh. Mammon demands it! Freedom will not be tolerated."

Pagans would resist forever.

...............................

There's an awful lot of BUSINESS in "Christian" Churches these days.

[BiggJawn]

13. Not a damn thing....

"...what are you going to do about it?"

Not a damn thing. Because everytime one of us speaks up about it, some thin-skinned Theist starts going off about how they're being "persecuted for their Faith"....

[GeekMonkey]

23. ya, stating that there is no god brings out all the fundies

[thinkingwoman]

19. Yep...DWP

Driving while Pagan will be the next thing, taking its place alongside Driving While Black and Driving While Arab.

[Coexist]

14. I love seeing pagan bumper stickers

it reminds me that I live in a wonderfully diverse country.

[DemoTex]

15. Greenville County, SC: Home of the Prayin' BoJos!

Bob Jones "University."

[BushFungus]

16. I recently debated this

on the Rapture Ready board. I don't think they liked my response.

There is more to this story - the way it's presented here is very one-sided. You guys should look it up on the Web. I think the people in the car had expired registration or something. I know there was at least one violation. Anyhow, I really doubt the officer pulled over these people solely on the basis of the bumper sticker.

That said, I argued that it was not the officer's place to be sharing Christ with those people at that time. If he wanted to do this on his own time, well then, that's a different story. But as an on-duty officer, I don't believe he was in the right to do it.

[BurtWorm]

18. The driver's license was five years expired. They're up front about that.

There was no way the cop could know that by looking at the car, was there?

[Vuem]

17. That officer is looking at serious time on the beach. At least in CA

What a fucking mook.

[Ioo]

20. As a Pagan

I can say... WOW, that takes some BALLS!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

21. *wags finger* Don't mess with the pagans

True story...

One of our local fundie churches went after our local wiccans. Seems the wiccans were renting a shop from the church pastor and when this came out the pastor felt she had to attack the wiccans to save face.

They wiccans called in the FBI and by the time the entire thing was done the church was reduced to making public apologies and saying how wiccans are good people, too. :D The church lost the majority of its congregation since no one wanted to be associated with the band of nuts that had the FBI called on them, and had their butt handed to them on a silver platter.

Karma is sweet!

[patrice]

22. We have a pretty old and healthy Pagan community here in K.C. n/t