I don't undertstand why they fail to see Wicca as a "real religion".
What was up with them not engraving the Pentagram on deceased Wiccan soldiers' graves and discharging a man who was going to become the first Wiccan military chaplain?
2007-09-06 10:01:23 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Military
There's no persecution of Wiccans; in fact there are frequent services sponsored on each post nearly weekly.
It's just a relatively new religious change, just like muslims chaplains, buddhists, etc. In fact, I'd say the military is more accepting of Wiccans than the rest of US society. I know several Soldiers who claim Wiccan or earth religion-no big deal, as long as they can shoot, move , and communicate!
2007-09-06 10:07:49 · answer #1 · answered by Roderick F 5 · 6⤊ 1⤋
Ugh, can we stop with the persecution syndrome? Wicca has been in the military chaplain's handbook since its creation in the 70s. The reason they would not put pentagrams on graves was the same reason they would not put a hamburger on a gravestone... it wasn't an approved symbol. Now there can be a legit gripe amde about the time it took to approve the symbol (9 years), but let's keep focused on the facts. And if the chaplain you're referring to is the one I'm thinking of, he was ordained as a Christian, changed his faith, and lost his ordination thus losing his chaplain status. You don't become a chaplain just because you want to. There are requirements.
2007-09-06 13:02:14 · answer #2 · answered by Nightwind 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
truly, Wicca has been formally recognized as a faith interior america. your very own opinion approximately it being a cult is beside the point to the regulation. as a result, they should have the comparable reward as the different recognized faith. below the form's equivalent secure practices clause, we don't have the excellent to handle one team of people in a distinctive way than others. If Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, etc. get Chaplain centers, so could Wicca. and that i replaced into no longer conscious that they did no longer. What gave you the impact that they did no longer? EDIT: See, that's the subject with semantics. You did no longer ask approximately Wiccan Chaplains, you asked for Chaplain centers for Wiccans. Such centers are provided via the Chaplains. which would be saved faraway from having a Chaplain it is Wiccan. it could be economically infeasible to have a distinctive Chaplain for each faith. that's why one Chaplain provides centers to all religions.
2016-10-10 02:11:56 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wicca is accepted as a formal religion by the US Military. The deal with the pentagram not being allowed on the tomb stone was through the VA, and they settled out of court and added it so that Wiccan Soldiers now have the option of the Pentacle to be placed on their tomb stones. The deal with the Wiccan Chaplain was that you have to be sponsored by an approved church. That particular chaplain was originally sponsored by a baptist church that pulled their sponsorship when they learned he converted. He was discharged for lack of a sponsor organization. He is currently seeking readmission through a coven in Texas I believe that is waiting on the paperwork to be approved to become an official sponsor.
2007-09-06 11:26:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
There is a lot of intolerance in the military. They have an aversion to any thing they don't fully understand or appreciate. It may also be they see Wicca as a cult and not a full fledged, main stream religion. Then again the may feel Wicca is satanic. Or it may be all of the above.
2007-09-06 10:14:25 · answer #5 · answered by NavyVet64 2 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Your facts are just a little off. It was how the media portrayed it.
The military has no issue with it. It just took time to get wiccan added to the list. It is on the list, there should be no more problem.
2007-09-06 10:12:26 · answer #6 · answered by Joseph G 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Last I heard, they DO allow Wicca symbols on tombstones at Arlington. Just started within the last year or so.
2007-09-06 10:23:05 · answer #7 · answered by ? 6 · 6⤊ 0⤋
People reject things that they do not understand. That goes for the government, too. It is what it is, unfortunately. I think we are a far cry from wicca being accepted as a religion.
2007-09-06 10:10:56 · answer #8 · answered by Amy B 3 · 5⤊ 1⤋
Why should the military be different from the majority of the public?
2007-09-06 10:15:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I think witches are still reeling from all the negativity and stereotyping of the Wicked Witch of the North from The Wizard of Oz...and the witch that tried to eat Hanzel and Grettle. Even more recently, the Blair Witch got bad press. If you all could get women who look like Elizabeth Montgomery did on Bewitched...you'd get more support.
2007-09-06 10:10:34 · answer #10 · answered by Yahoo Answer Angel 6 · 2⤊ 5⤋