Sorry for the short diary. But I find this wrong and need to point it out. Hopefully booman or someone else can go into it further. I don’t mind prayers and invocations etc. before government meetings as long as they’re broad-minded. This smacks of government support of some faiths over others. We’re supposed to be a tolerant nation.
The 4th Circuit ruled Chesterfield County's Board of Supervisors did not show impermissible motive in refusing to permit a pantheistic invocation by a Wiccan because its list of clergy who registered to conduct invocations covers a wide spectrum of Judeo-Christian denominations. Simpson v. Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, No. 04-1045 (April 14). Chesterfield County is in the Richmond suburbs.
"The Judeo-Christian tradition is, after all, not a single faith but an umbrella covering many faiths," Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III wrote in the opinion.
Simpson is a leader in the spiritual group Reclaiming Tradition of Wicca and a member of another known as the Broom Riders Association. Her lawyers argue the 4th Circuit wrongfully discriminates among religions.
"A very basic point is that governments cannot make distinctions among their citizens on the basis of religion," says Rebecca Glenberg of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, who argued on behalf of Simpson.
A law professor who has been involved in establishment clause litigation says the full 4th Circuit is not likely to change the ruling. And if it does, Douglas Laycock says, the Supreme Court probably would not take up a case with questions about limiting legislative prayer to Judeo-Christian faiths.
"The court has only so many chips to spend on this issue," says Laycock, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law who believes there should be greater separation of church and state. "They haven't touched legislative prayer since the Marsh case more than 20 years ago. And it would be immensely unpopular in many parts of the country to let a Wiccan give a prayer. The courts aren't supposed to follow election returns, though they sometimes seem to do so, and they're even getting death threats now."
Intimidate the judiciary so that you get the court decisions you want. What is this? A Stalinistic country with kangaroo courts?
I forgot the link.
(and it might make my head explode)
But this is absurd- the whole basis for allowing “legislative prayer” (IMHO legislative is a misnomer, as a local government unit like a county comission has less separation of powers/Federalism protection than a state legislature or the Congress) is that it is ecumenical, not as regards a particular prayer, but in that it is open to all faiths. A better analogy is to schools which allow Bible Clubs being required to allow wicca clubs.
So it seems we now have an official list of state-approved religions? And our courts just say, “Too bad for those of you not on the list, but we’re afraid of those right-wing whackjobs?”
Hmmm. To think that I had an argument with my father (who grew up in Germany in the 30s, 40’s and 50’s) about the presence of fascism in this country this time last year, and he denied that it was even a remote possibility here.
and ride that rascal over the Chesterfield County’s Board of Supervisors. Buzz ’em ’til they say their Wiccan prayers for deliverance.
There they go with the whole ‘Judeo-Christian’ mantra. I think their umbrella is a wee bit on the tiny side. So if your Native American you can’t say a prayer(unless it’s a christian prayer?)and of course that leaves out Islam and everyone else in this country who isn’t under the Jesus umbrella with a side helping of Judeo part.
These people also probably don’t have a clue what Wiccan really means anyway.
Then again praying on government property is a conundrum in itself but guess that whole point escapes these people anyway.
That would be a yes. This is outrageous but unfortunately I didn’t expect any better.
Ya wanna talk about persecuted?! Those Xtian rascals don’t have a clue about what it means to be persecuted. How about spending a few centuries under the cloud of having your religion misrepresented as Satanism?
I’m curious tho: Are either of Simpson’s orgs chartered in the state of Virginia? Do they have religious non-profit incorporation? I know of two Wiccan Groves in Georgia that do have that legal status. I think having that paperwork in order might help these groups get the recognition to which they are rightly entitled.
Well, I’m back to packing; we’re moving to Virginia on Saturday…
Google is my friend:
http://www.pluralism.org/research/profiles/display.php?profile=73769
The Broom Riders are a legal religous org in Virginia.
eye of Newt, toe of The “Chimp”, hair of “Wag the Dog”, and voila, you have NeoCon potion ; )
Every time I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel, they build another black wall in the tunnel…..geeeesh, I need a good cigar.