Witches, Wiccans and Pagans. If your school or your child's school called your religion a cult. Would you sue?

Question

When I was on the school's computer, I wanted to go to witchvox. com to check on something and the school blocked it for cults. I was so angry, the way it insulted my religion, but that's not my only problem other kids. I was borrowing a Silver Ravenwolf book from the school library and during class, someone looked into my backpack and took it out while I was in the bathroom. Hey who's solitary witch book is it, is that book real. I walked back into class, and I was shocked to see someone else with my book. I tried to grab it back, I call it a very sacred book, and those stupid kids will ruin it. The teacher got up from her desk and confiscated the book, she called me after class and called my parents. The principal said if I get caught with a pentacle and a witchcraft book, I will get suspended, the same goes for other young witches and wiccans. The announcements said, any student caught with any material associated with cults will be suspended for 5 days. Should I sue them?

Answer 1

you can if you wish. It's a violation of your freedom of religion. But it's a hard fight. Let your parents do it for you.
And please don't read Silver Ravenwolf. Its as far from "reality" as you can get in Paganism.

Answer 2

You have the right to sue, but you are a small fish in a big pond with it. You were discriminated against, your religious freedom has been violated, and you can NOT be suspended for wearing religious items. Contact the ACLU. They have won cases such as yours. that would be your best option. Don't stop wearing your pentacle, and continue carrying your books to school (just don't let them interfere with your schoolwork). Wicca is NOT considered a cult, and if your school board continues to discriminate, bring up the fact that the United States Government recognizes Wicca as a legitimate religion. As for blocking The Witches Voice website, that is religious discrimination too. Leave a post at that site about this situation, I'm sure you will receive a large backing from the pagan community. Just don't forget to contact the ACLU!! That will be your strongest trump card.
What state/county/city/school district is this anyways??? I will personally look into this matter, possibly email the school board about the discrimination issue. Good luck and Blessed Be!
One last thing-- Silver Ravenwolf is more of a fringe pagan arthur. I'd reccommend books by Ramond Buckland and Ann Moura for someone yourage.

Answer 3

YES! If you go to a public school, you have the right to practice your religion in whatever way you want as long as you aren't hurting anyone. And by the way, by the definition of a cult is any religious group that follows a particular belief system. So Christianity is one too. If cult is the actual word they used then they have to confiscate crosses and crucifixes too. They were probably saying the occult though, which, hon, it is. That's not a bad thing though, all it means is that it is outside the norm and hidden. You have Constitutional rights to be Wiccan, Pagan or any kind of witch. Tell your parents. Have them talk to the school. You should be allowed to profess your religion openly. Legally, they can't confiscate that stuff, and they can't punish you for having it. They might have a point if you were bringing an athame to school, but your not. They can get into a lot of trouble for that rule. I wish you all the best to solve this dilemma. Blessed be, my sister. )O(

P.S.
I wouldn't worry about the Ravenwolf book. I've heard that her works are all garbage and that she's a fraud. Check out this site:
http://wicca.timerift.net/ravenwolf.shtml

Answer 4

Well, the blocking part on the computer, if it was by itself, I'd say was more the fault of the software vendor who sold the school the filtering software. The vendors typically enter "alternative religions" into the "cult" section because, frankly, many of them don't know any better.

However, the teacher's/principal's actions are out of line. They need to be given accurate information that it's a valid, federally protected religion. If they continue to act as they have been, and you either don't get your book back, or get suspended, then you've got good grounds for a lawsuit. Many schools will back down when they've been given the correct info and get told that there's a lawsuit brewing, but I'm not a lawyer, so it's best to get your info from a professional.

As an aside, I'm not sure I'd consider anything by Ravenwolf a sacred book, but whatever floats your boat...

Answer 5

Certainly pursue this, but why go as far as a law suit against them. All this'll do is make a few lawyers a bit richer. Instead, get a copy of the Constitution and the Amendments (the first and fourteenth are the ones you want). Then set up a meeting with your principal and discuss the issue. Stay calm, discuss rationally. If the principal still insists that you don't wear a pentacle, then insist that all Christian crosses and Jewish Star of David jewellery is likewise banned. A secular approach can be taken, but if one religion is allowed then all should be.

Wicca as a religion is recognised by the US government and the US military. I'll find you some links for legal case history.

I've not heard many recommendations for Silver Ravenwolf. I've been recommended Scott Cunningham's "Wicca: A guide for the solitary practitioner" in the past, although I've still to get hold of a copy.

Answer 6

I think you should contact the ACLU. I am not even sure if they would fight for the freedom of religious practices or would they use the fact that the book was in the library, or your right to learn. I don't think anything can be done about the internet though, I have a problem with a filter here at my work and it does some of the same things just because certain words could be used with others.

I don't know who makes these filters, they sure feel superior don't they?

Answer 7

Sure you should get your name in the papers. The whole town will know your shame as the school now does.
If you want to study witchcraft go to a witch school. If you want a free education you go to public school and follow the rules.
This is as silly as the long hair war of the sixty's. You sue you will lose because the system always wins.
By the way shame on you. You are an insult to Jesus and His sacrifice. It is a cult and the kind that will get you burned which is fine if that's what you want.
Ex 22:18
Lev 19:31
Lev 20:6
See if they have a bible there. Probably not so go to bibleresources.bible.com.

Answer 8

You should contact witchvox and tell them what's going on. All you may need to do is prove that Wicca is a religion and not a cult. Here is a link to the ruling. You may need something more official then a website, but this should do as a start. I don't know if kids carry bibles in their backpacks, but you should see if there is any official rule about cults in your school handbook. If not then this may just mean going to the school board and telling them what happened. Religion is not suppose to be in schools, so this maybe more of a privacy issue. It's hard to tell just how much privacy you have in a school these days, but I would work with the school to sort this out before calling in the ACLU. Oh, document everything you do and who you talk to. You many need to prove what you did to try to settle this.
Good luck

Answer 9

Why were you looking up that website at school, anyway? Was it for classwork? Schools put governors on computers to keep kids from getting into sites that are inappropriate for school. Deal with it. If your parents are OK with you looking up that site, do it at home. I do agree with you that the student who took your book from your backpack was out of line. The teacher probably confiscated it to restore order. So, what was your parents' reaction to your reading material? As for suing the school because of your First Amendment right, get over it. I seriously doubt that the Founding Fathers of our country had pagan religions in mind when they wrote the Bill of Rights. Just follow the school rules. What you read at home is your, and your parents', business.

Answer 10

The computer stuff is more questionable without more info...they may be purchasing the service from a company that blocks WIcca as a "cult". The school may not have deliberately made that setting.

The book and pentacle issue, however, is absolutely a violation of your rights. Public schools (presuming your school is public) do not get to determine what are good religions and what are bad. (i.e. "cults") They can either ban all religious materials or none. They do not get to choose. If it's a private school they can ban what they wish.

Answer 11

I tend to take a fairly relaxed view of things like this, but then my school didn't actually care what religion I was. At the time, I was a teenaged Satanist, and drank volunteer's blood in English class, and no-one batted an eye.

Sounds like you have a far less tolerant school there, which sucks. Question is, what's the official status of witchcraft where you are? Is it recognised as a legitimate religion, or marginalised as a "cult"?

You may well have a case for unfairness being as the confiscated book CAME from the school library, but that might backfire in as much as they might just remove it from their stock. Personaly, I'm a troublemaker, and I'd question the validity of people stopping you having a pentacle if other students are allowed to wear crosses. Bottom line, I'd like to say go for it, but it very much depends on the legal status of witchcraft where you are, and the environment in which you'd be fighting. You have my sympathies though.