Wiccan lawsuit's goal: Acceptance

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061221/ap_on_re_us/wiccan_awakening

Wiccan lawsuit's goal: Acceptance

By SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press Writer Thu Dec 21, 10:35 AM ET

BARNEVELD, Wis. - With an estimated 400,000 members nationwide, and a high-profile fight with the federal government over veterans' grave markers, Wiccans are moving into a more prominent place in the religious landscape.

Selena Fox is leading the way.

A Wiccan priestess and founder of Circle Sanctuary, a 200-acre nature center in the Wisconsin woods about 30 miles west of Madison, Fox battles for acceptance of the so-called neo-pagan religion.

Though they are often equated with witches, many Wiccans reject the label because of the baggage it brings...........

On the Net: Circle Sanctuary: http://www.circlesanctuary.or

Fox, whose graying hair flows midway down her purple dress and matching cape, exudes more hippie-esque charm than any kind of Hollywood-conjured witchery. She embraces the task of fighting discrimination against Wiccans.

"Spirituality should be something that lifts the spirit," she said.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Known Wiccans

they are good people.

[lisby]

3. Am one.

And a Buddhist, too.

(You can do that when you let go of the idea you can't. ;-) )

Wicca is a beautiful, deeply uplifting spiritual path with a definite sense of humor. It's not perfect or the end-all-be-all--nothing is--but it is beautiful and it should be honored.


Lisby

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Yep

isn't it nice that you can be more than one thing when you realize there's only one thing?

Since you're Buddhist too, thought you might like this true story:

A group of Sufis were visiting India, and had an audience with the Dalai Lama. They were surprised when he talked to them about Sufis and Sufi practices instead about Buddhism. "You are Sufis, you need to know about Sufi," he said. In the question session, one of them asked, "What is the difference between Buddhism and Sufism?" The Dalai Lama replied, "In Sufism, everything is. In Buddhism, nothing is. Same thing, no difference."

edited to add close quotes.

[iamjoy]

2. This Is Too Much

When will these freaks get that this is a CHRISTIAN nation? It was bad enough when we had to start being sensitive to the Jews. At least Christianity has its roots in Judaism. Then, we were supposed to respect the terrorists, I mean Muslims. And we're supposed to respect the Hindu and Buddhist mumbo-jumbo.

And now we're supposed to accept devil worshiping witches, too?

What is this country coming to?

:sarcasm:
OR
The actual likely response of Bill O'Reilly or a Freeper.

[Annces]

4. Yes Freedom of Religion

It is not just freedom for a few, it is freedom for all.

[Zenlitened]

6. Acceptance for Wiccans = Persecution of Khristians

Mean, bad Wiccans!

:crazy:

[Rosemary2205]

7. It's not possible to legislate social acceptance

How long have we had legislated equal opportunities for minorities and women? -- as the recent documentary shows, black kids are still feel the "white baby" is better. You can legislate what people DO you cannot legislate how they FEEL.

Even so, I wish the wiccans luck.

[NMMNG]

8. May they get it

It's high time "minority" religions and the non-religious stop being relegated to the wings.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. I said on a list that I liked to celebrate lots of things

I said on a newslist I had an electric menorah in one window and a Xmas tree in another window "to confuse the neighbors". I believe in having a good time -- any excuse for a party is fine by me.

Then I said I wanted to get an electric Kwanzaa menorah (even though I'm white).
Then some guy on the list said that "co-opting a religious holiday is not only fun, it's healthy." in a sarcastic fashion.

So I told him he wouldn't understand why I used to belong to a Missionary Baptist church and he wouldn't understand why I have an African-designed dress that I wear on some occasions. I also explained that Christmas and Easter were stolen from Pagan festivals (the evergreen tree and birth of Mithra, and Oestara, the Goddess of Spring) and draped in Christian images.

I didn't even mention the fact that my partner the video whiz put together a CD-ROM biography of Barbara Jordan that we tried to sell to her church, because we wanted it distributed as a charitable/fund-raising project, to show little kids that you could be poor and black and still make a difference in government. The minister declined, so it never got done.

Some people just don't get multiculturalism.

[NMMNG]

11. "Some people just don't get multiculturalism. "

Indeed they don't. Some time ago there was an article posted about how some fundie-type Christians were doing yoga but they'd turned it into "Christian Yoga" because they didn't like the "ungodly" spiritual associations classic yoga has. To some, anything that doesn't fit into their narrow paradigm simply won't do.

[ncabot22]

10. I wish them luck

Wicca is a beautiful religion. I find it intriguing and have been studying it recently. Good luck to Selena Fox and others like her.