Pagan warriors for the earth? The recognition by the U.S. military of various Earth-centered, Pagan and Wiccan sects as valid religious and spiritual systems is good news for those of us who value freedom of religion, as well as freedom from religion. The acceptance of a circle of rocks as a sacred site on an Air Force base in Colorado is also great news, because it reflects the earliest religious ideation about which we know: To wit, the most ancient religious concepts revolve around nature, constituting the reverence and worship of the sun, moon, stars, constellations, planets, Earth, wind, water, etc. This nature worship was dominated by what is called "astrotheology," a fascinating body of knowledge dating back many thousands of years and prevalent but largely hidden in our "modern" religions of today.
Neo-Pagans Get Worship Circle at Air Force Academy
Wiccan cadets and officers on the Colorado Springs base have been convening for over a decade, but the school will officially dedicate a newly built circle of stones on about March 10, putting the outdoor sanctuary on an equal footing with the Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist chapels on the base. "When I first arrived here, Earth-centered cadets didn't have anywhere to call home," said Sgt. Robert Longcrier, the lay leader of the neo-pagan groups on base.... Air Force Academy creates worship area for pagans, Druids, Wiccans The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs is establishing a worship area for followers of Earth-centered religions -- Wiccans, Druids, witches, pagans -- on a hill overlooking the campus, the USAFA says. Naturally, Christians just could not leave them alone, and someone vandalized the site by putting up a wooden cross, apparently after this story aired. Cross left Colo. AF Academy Pagan worship site An Air Force Academy staffer who helped build a worship area for Pagans and other Earth-centered religions says he and others are the victims of a hate crime because someone placed a wooden cross at their site.... Perhaps the Pagan ideals and morals will "trickle up" to members of the more sizeable religions/cults such as Christianity and Islam - these would include being good stewards of Earth as well as peacekeepers.
The chief of the academy has made religious tolerance a priority after 2004 a survey of cadets found instances of harassment, the Air Force Times reports....
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|2010-02-06 11:10:28 Jyin"But I wouldn't go so far as to call the setting up of a wooden cross on a pagan site a "hate crime." How thin-skinned on the part of the pagans!"
I would call it a hate crime. I mean come on, if the "pagans" went to the local churches and put up a big Pentagram, constructed a stone circle or held a ritual on their 'consecrated' ground then there would be one hell of a uproar about it all over the media etc. They (the christians) would all be shouting at the top of their lungs crying out and demanding that the people responsible receive the maximum sentence and tried for religious hate crimes. Whereas the people responsible for this crime probably will never even be seriously investigated.
So "thin skinned", no I don't think so...the people who were the victims of this crime have ever right to expect the perpetrators to be punished accordingly.
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|2010-02-07 15:35:04 Athenodoros"Say to yourself in the morning: I shall meet people who are interfering, ungracious, insolent, full of guile and antisocial..."
Why should anyone be surprised that Christians act like Christians? They've been meddlers for centuries, haven't they? Marcus Aurelius' comments are a better tonic to people who can only think of "hate crimes" the first instance some idiot Christian sets up a cross on their religious site. Well, they'd better get used to filing lawsuits, bringing in the ACLU, etc. because there are lots and lots of Christian meddlers in the military.
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|2010-02-15 16:57:05 Dr. Bob (ret.) - IntolerationThunderation, where is the toleration?!javascript:JOSC_emoticon("
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Surely we don't expect any religious group to show any respect for any that don't believe as they do. That would be toleration, and who wants that?
Shame how everybody speaks of love, yet don't know how to practise it.
Things don't appear to be changing soon, so bear with the religionists.
I still believe that all the wars and hellish things happening on earth have their roots in the actions of religious zealots of all stripes.
Is it possible that there will soon be intervention from "out there" to bring an end to such stupid actions by earthlings?
Beam me up..........
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|2010-02-15 18:23:59 aba5770It's great that they can have their own place of worship to call home. A cross!!! Whoop-dee-doo!!! Wiccans use the sign of the cross in the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentegram. Look it up on-line.
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|2010-02-15 19:55:29 Acharya SYes, thank you. Please see my recent post and article about the pre-Christian sacred cross:
Cruciforms/Gods on Crosses
Lindsay Lohan crucified - in more ways than one
I wouldn't expect Christians or Muslims to be tolerant of pagan beliefs, at least the ones who follow the dogma to the Nth degree. Ignorance is bliss with that lot of bumblers, but their ignorance all too often results in causing trouble for people who don't follow the words in the Bible or Koran.