(copy from journal - Success!)
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Freedom of religion means all religion. You might have heard about the battle that's been waging in court for months now to allow fallen Wiccan soldiers the right to put the symbol of their faith on their grave markers - the same as anyone else gets to. The VA had denied the request which prompted the lawsuit. Thirty-eight other symbols were already allowed, including ironically, one for atheism. But a pentacle? Gasp, shock, horror - no! Can't allow that.
I'm proud to say that has now changed. They were successful in their case and the eleven pending families who merely wanted to honor their family members who died in service to this country (same as those of any other religion) will now be allowed to.
The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemeteries and on government-issued headstones of fallen soldiers, according to a settlement announced Monday.
A settlement between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Wiccans adds the five-pointed star to the list of "emblems of belief" allowed on VA grave markers.
"This settlement has forced the Bush Administration into acknowledging that there are no second class religions in America, including among our nation's veterans," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which represented the Wiccans in the lawsuit.
VA-issued headstones, markers and plaques can be used in any cemetery, whether it is a national one such as Arlington or a private burial ground like that on Circle Sanctuary's property.
(Source: CNN.com)
I am so happy that this has been resolved. And that at the end of the day, a little more equality has been hard-won. You don't have to be Wiccan to see that it's the correct thing to do. We're talking about honoring a veterans here and our differences shouldn't be a grounds for hatred, but rather tolerance and acceptance. We don't all have to agree, but we can all be mature enough to live and let live and thank these people for their service the same as we do those from any other religion.
Freedom of religion means all religion. You might have heard about the battle that's been waging in court for months now to allow fallen Wiccan soldiers the right to put the symbol of their faith on their grave markers - the same as anyone else gets to. The VA had denied the request which prompted the lawsuit. Thirty-eight other symbols were already allowed, including ironically, one for atheism. But a pentacle? Gasp, shock, horror - no! Can't allow that.
I'm proud to say that has now changed. They were successful in their case and the eleven pending families who merely wanted to honor their family members who died in service to this country (same as those of any other religion) will now be allowed to.
The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemeteries and on government-issued headstones of fallen soldiers, according to a settlement announced Monday.
A settlement between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Wiccans adds the five-pointed star to the list of "emblems of belief" allowed on VA grave markers.
"This settlement has forced the Bush Administration into acknowledging that there are no second class religions in America, including among our nation's veterans," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which represented the Wiccans in the lawsuit.
VA-issued headstones, markers and plaques can be used in any cemetery, whether it is a national one such as Arlington or a private burial ground like that on Circle Sanctuary's property.
(Source: CNN.com)
I am so happy that this has been resolved. And that at the end of the day, a little more equality has been hard-won. You don't have to be Wiccan to see that it's the correct thing to do. We're talking about honoring a veterans here and our differences shouldn't be a grounds for hatred, but rather tolerance and acceptance. We don't all have to agree, but we can all be mature enough to live and let live and thank these people for their service the same as we do those from any other religion.