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since 1996. This isn’t a strictly Wiccan
event: Many Christians attend it. The Charismatics barged into the center of
the gathering, testifying in loud voices that “Satan was present” and that
the drumming was “Pagan like.” Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies intervened
and removed the instigators. As they were taken away the Charismatics claimed
that they were “acting out of love for the people.” A
similar incident occurred in September of 2000 at a public ritual on the Mall
by the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC. This was part of the BBMMCD
event that I mentioned having attended earlier. This conference is well
established and has been going on for several years. A man walked into the
middle of a Circle in progress and began to quote scripture in a loud voice,
disrupting the gathering. Parks police quickly intervened and took the
individual away. Between
the fall of 2000 and the spring of 2001 The Sacred Wells Circle, an open
worship space at Fort Hood army base in Texas, was vandalized several times.
The first incident occurred just before Samhain: Vandals smashed the stone
altar to pieces. Later, at Beltaine they returned: This time the vandals
toppled the altar stone. This stone required 8 grown men to put into place,
so this was not the work of an individual. US Representative Bob Barr of
Texas had protested when the Army had agreed to allow the Fort Hood Pagans to
use this outdoor site as “chapel” space and granting them formal chaplaincy
services, putting them on the same footing as other religious organizations
on the base. Obviously some other individuals shared Barr’s sentiments and resorted
to vigilante action. To date no perpetrators have been identified by the
military police. James
Towey, the White House Deputy Assistant to President Bush and Director of the
Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, hosted a Q and A session on
Whitehouse.gov web site on 26 November 2003.
A staffer from Centralia MO wrote to Towey: "Do you feel that Pagan faith based
groups should be given the same considerations as any other group that seeks
aid?" Towey replied: "I haven't run into a pagan
faith-based group yet, much less a pagan group that cares for the poor! Once
you make it clear to any applicant that public money must go to public
purposes and can't be used to promote ideology, the fringe groups lose
interest. Helping the poor is tough work and only those with loving hearts
seem drawn to it." This
comment produced a storm of protest from the Pagan community. Contrary to what Towey thinks, Pagan groups
have been very active in helping their communities. Besides our own Avalon Cares Project, the
list includes: Circle Sanctuary, SOTES (The Society of the Evening Star),
Earthspirit, Diamond Charities of Pagan Awareness Coalition, CWPN Inc (Connecticut
Wiccan and Pagan Network), Cedarlight Grove, MAGIC (Mystic Arts Gathering and
Information Circle), Pagan Community Church (PCC), INACIM (International
Noted Arcane Covenant, Independent Ministry), Robin’s Hood Community Center,
Coven of the Sacred Stone People, Delaware Valley Pagan Network, Temple of
the Sacred Craft, Temple of Diana, Pagan Inland Empire Fellowship, CERES
(Coalition of Earth Religions for Education and Support), Touchstone Local
Council of Covenant of the Goddess, Guardians of the Heart, The Art of Living
Spiritual Center, Live Oak Local Council of the Covenant of the Goddess,
Hallowed Oaks Grove of ADF, Association of United Pagans, Fort Wayne Pagan
Alliance, and the Crescent Moon Service Corps. These are just a
few examples. Obviously we aren’t
lay-about cult members. How
do things like this happen in modern Western society? In an earlier issue of Dispatches I told
you what happened when I first used an affirmation in court: The bystanders
assumed that I did not have a religious faith because I was obviously not
Christian. It seems to me that many
people in society have been taught that if it isn’t Christian, it isn’t
spiritual. Even worse, many have been
taught that anything not Christian is anti-Christian. I have certainly found a lot of
misinformation of this sort concerning Wicca.
In
Gangs, Groups, Cults: An Informational Aid To Understanding, published in 1990 by the San Diego County Deputy Sheriff's Association,
the authors state that “...a person professing to be a witch usually belongs
to an ancient religion that is the counter-religion to Christianity." The next line in this manual is a very
revealing one: “... A society that believes in witches is more easily
controlled.” This is certainly true if
the belief being promoted is that Wiccans are evil. Evangelist
Mary Ann Herold founded the Technical Research Institute to teach law
enforcement agencies about the dangers of the occult. TRI published A Basic Guide to the Occult for Law Enforcement
Agencies to accomplish this: This is the manual
with the list of items supposedly indicative of Satanic involvement that I
mentioned at the beginning of this article.
Herold concludes her manual with the following statements: "As law enforcement officers and agents, you
frequently face danger from all kinds of people-- drug addicts, pushers,
prostitutes, pimps, the emotionally unstable, the mentally deranged--in
short, the killers, rapists, and abusers of our society. Now, it is time for you to add occultists,
witches, and satanists to your list of armed and dangerous characters. "For example, you might encounter a coven that is
protected by an armed sentinel. (Those
members with psychic abilities are preferred so they can 'see' you coming and
'know' your intentions.) These devoted
guardians will not hesitate to attack an invader, be he an innocent
trespasser, adventurous curiosity-seeker, or a peace officer. Here are some points to remember: "1) If a suicidal practitioner thinks you are a threat to his desire to die and reincarnate |
Hysteria, pg 3
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e-mail: webmaster@officersofavalon.com |
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To contact us: |
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Towey replied: "I haven't run into a pagan
faith-based group yet, much less a pagan group that cares for the poor! Once
you make it clear to any applicant that public money must go to public
purposes and can't be used to promote ideology, the fringe groups lose
interest. Helping the poor is tough work and only those with loving hearts
seem drawn to it." |
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Dispatches:
Volume 2 No. 2 Eostre/Alban Eilir/Méan Earraigh/Ostara 2007 |
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James Towey, the White House Deputy
Assistant to President Bush and Director of the Office of Faith-Based and
Community Initiatives |