Soldiers' widows sue for pagan symbols on headstones

[Proteus_MST]

If they win the lawsuit the question might be if, for example, Satanists serving in the army are also granted the right to have symbols of their religion on their gravestones (for example crosses or pentagrams turned upside down) at the cost of the government.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Elok


Er, mebbe because the CoS, unlike most other religions, has a history of trying to infiltrate the FBI and alter files? Plus blackmail/extortion, death threats, framing critics, and subverting every institution they're forced to share authority with?

Pastafarians, on the other hand, sound quite yummy. I'm surprised there are any left after that whole Atkins craze.

Obligatory kashrut reference.

http://oukosher.org/index.php/recipes/single/tomato_olive_and_onion_pasta_pareve/

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


Obligatory kashrut reference.
http://oukosher.org/index.php/recipe..._pasta_pareve/

Fortunatedly I have just eaten - otherwise that link would have make me hungry

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Wycoff
Good for the plaintiifs. I hope they win.

I'm sure they will. It's hard for the government to defend the exclusion of Wiccan gravestones if it does it for 39 other religions and it already gives Wiccans in the military some religious services.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Wezil
The change will be made. The Wiccan symbol will be allowed.

Eventually the courts will force them. The very fact that Wiccan symbols aren't allowed has everything to do with ignorant Christians deliberately excluding "pagans". I'd be money on it.

[Jon Miller]

It might be to keep trouble makers form screwing around, and so it is a hassle for these people with legitamite interest in it.

JM

[thesilentone]

You get Wiccan's over there too? Oh dear. I've met a couple over here, all a bit insane. All in the weed smoking kind of circles, not sure if it's a link or maybe weed just suits their ideals.

[Dis]

I haven't read the article but I hope they are verifying the soldiers themselves are actually wiccan, not just their kooky wives.

And I mean kooky in the best possible sense.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by VJ

uhh, no

Department of Veterans' affairs should clearly let the family produce it's own symbol with it's own money if it can be proven that the buried person was a Wicca. OTOH, it should not produce one with government funds due to the excessive costs which will follow if every crackpot cult in the world can have it's own production line of headstones. Well, unless the headstones are hand-made (I know pretty much nothing of tombstones).

Wicca is well above #38 (or even #20) in the list of 'most common/popular religions in the US'. 1800 soldiers, out of a few hundred thousand, means the total is in the tenths of a percent, which is quite high considering 90+% self identify as either Christian or Agnostic/Atheist/No Preference. About 0.2% of Americans (nonmilitary) self identify as Wiccan/Pagan, which is more than self identify as Vegan, or Libertarian. 500,000-600,000 Americans identify as Wiccan or Neo-Pagan, depending on who you ask.

Wicca is the seventh largest religion in America, by self-identification, counting all of Christianity as one. (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Unitarian Universalist are ahead of it).

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by thesilentone
You get Wiccan's over there too? Oh dear. I've met a couple over here, all a bit insane. All in the weed smoking kind of circles, not sure if it's a link or maybe weed just suits their ideals.

Probably the latter... 'An it harm none, do what thou wilt' being their sole commandment.

[RGBVideo]

About 0.2% of Americans (nonmilitary) self identify as Wiccan/Pagan

Wicca is the seventh largest religion in America, by self-identification, counting all of Christianity as one. (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Unitarian Universalist are ahead of it).

If you're extrapolating the latter statement from the former one, you're probably making a mistake. Equating wicca with pagan is like equating christianity with monotheism, netting you inflated results...

[bipolarbear]

Couldn't the military just hand control of this over to the families? For example tell them they are allowed a 2.5 in. by 2.5 in. sqaure of space in which to put whatever symbol they want signifying their metaphysical beliefs. Then the family can contact an engraver, submit their design, and bill the military.

[chequita guevara]

I call BS on CT's supposed picture of pagans. None of those chicks are fat, those, none are truly pagans.

BTW, I thought UU was a form of Christianity.

[Jon Miller]

UU can be (And started out as such), but athiests can also be UU (For example).

JM

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
BTW, I thought UU was a form of Christianity.

UU's tend to believe in a higher spiritual power, and tend to regard Christ as one of humanity's great teacher regarding moral law. Some UU's, however, regard Christ himself as a manifestation of that higher spiritual power. That makes them "Christian," though not in a way that most Christians would accept. But many, perhaps most, UU's are not Christian even in that way.