Pagan ethics statement project

[elfwreck]

In response to a couple of recent abuse cases, some Pagans are working to make a "Pagans against sexual abuse" statement, either for the media or for the internal Pagan community or both. Background info is available at The Wild Hunt blog.

Author Brendan Myers volunteered to host the discussion and created a subforum for related topics. The

Comments

[brock_tn]

I reread the current draft as elfwreck has posted it, in the light of people's comments in this thread, and then produced the following:

1) We are a group of spiritual people from many traditions and hearths and paths. We are Pagans: Druids, Heathens, Wiccans and Witches, shamans and loremasters.

2) We absolutely condemn any and all acts of sexual coercion and sexual violence perpetrated by religious teachers or performed in the name of our religions.

3) We believe sexual exploitation and violence are extraordinary affronts to the divine presence which dwells within every human body. Sexual violence and exploitation harm the victim, and inflict deep wounds upon the sense of bodily identity which all of us hold so dear.

4) Acts of sexual exploitation and violence perpetrated by religious teachers and spiritual leaders under the guise of providing teaching or leading worship are abhorrent to our religious principles.

5) A sexual predator who exploits the relationship of trust that exists between teacher and seeker harms the whole religious community. It undermines the good work of the honorable teachers in our midst.

6) We hereby disavow, and categorically reject the practice of all coerced or non-consensual sexual acts, especially when they are labeled as a part of our religious practice or our religious traditions.

[mythworker]

You should post your revision to the forum when you get a chance Brock. I'd really appreciate it. The more people giving input, the better.

[brock_tn]

I'll be happy to, when I get some "Free Time." Right now, about the only place I've got much slack in the schedule is the hours I'm supposedly using for sleep. Will try to post it over there this evening.

[brock_tn]

Made a post over at Brendan's site. In the new "Second Draft" thread.

We'll see how it is received.

[elfwreck]

Thank you!

(Now I have to consider if it's worth the effort to discuss the "long version." Which I didn't go through piece-by-piece because I thought it was being abandoned. And if it stands as-is, or close to it, it'll detract from the short version because people who can't agree with the long version won't share/quote/link to the short one.)

[brock_tn]

I figure if we can get a decent short, pithy version that people like, it's then time to tackle the longer one. Ya gotta have theses and a credo BEFORE you start writing manifestos.

[brock_tn]

Err, you have gone and looked at what I posted at Brendan's, yes?

[elfwreck]

Yes.

I'm afraid to spend too much time there. I really would like this to *work*, and I'm worried that if I participate in the discussion like I would here, or at my journal, or like I used to at TT/TC, I'll get denounced as a horrible troll (which I'm not actually concerned about) *and* someone will decide they should ignore everything I've said and go back to the original 1st draft, only with extra paragraphs added about how all good ethical Pagans tell kids to wait until they're 18 before they have any sexual thoughts, and always call the police when they think there's abuse going on in their circles. Gah.