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Conservative Christian boycott of the U.S. ArmyReaction to Rep. Barr's statements in 1999
Sponsored link.
Background:On 1999-MAY-18, U.S. Representative Bob Barr (GA-7) issued a press release which attacked the freedom of religion experienced by Wiccan soldiers at Fort Hood TX and at many other armed forces bases. He later unsuccessfully attempted "to amend a defense authorization bill to prohibit the practice of Wicca or any other form of witchcraft at Defense Department facilities. 1 These efforts seemed to have inspired a boycott by 13 conservative Christian groups. They are urging Christians to not enlist or re-enlist in the Army until the religious freedom of Wiccans in the army are terminated. 2 Complete details are available. These activities prompted some interesting responses.
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The Pagan network is aware of 6 military installations which have active Wiccan covens practicing their rituals. There are 13 installations and two Navy ships which have Wiccan study groups.
Lady Liberty League:
This is a Neopagan anti-defamation group. They issued a news alert on 1999-MAY-25 which stated in part:
"Rep. Barr of Georgia's 7th Congressional District not only ridiculed and defamed the Wiccan religion with his remarks, but demanded that the US Military treat the Wiccan religion differently than other religions in accommodating the religious needs of military personnel. Having seen a news report about Wiccans in the military taking part in a Spring Equinox ritual at Fort Hood in Texas, Rep. Barr called for an end to Wiccan circles being held at military installations and began his campaign against fair and equal treatment of the Wiccan religion by the US government.
Barr's press release and his subsequent remarks about this are specifically directed toward Wiccans and contain comments that are insulting, demeaning, and derogatory to the Wiccan religion. Barr advocates that the United States military treat those who practice Wicca in a discriminatory manner, by revoking their Constitutional right to worship. Barr maintained his stand even after he was inundated with educational material and other feedback from numerous Wiccan and Pagan sources, including Wiccan constituents from his own district.
This type of attack from an elected official of the United States government sets a dangerous precedent and challenges our basic Constitutional right to worship in a manner of our personal choosing. The impact upon the Wiccan-Pagan community could be horrific. Because of the First Amendment implications of this campaign, it should be of concern not only to Wiccans and Pagans, but to those of all religions." 5
This essay continues below.
Sponsored link:
People for the American Way:
This is a liberal organization that promotes the separation of church and
state. They selected congressman Bob Barr as the winner
of the 1999 Equine Posterior Achievement Award on 1999-MAY-26. PFAW President
Carole Shields presented the second annual award. "The Equine Posterior
Achievement Award is given to a 'leader' whose abilities to misrepresent an issue and
pander to our baser instincts have reached ridiculous levels." 6,7
Shields said:
"A number of Washington politicians competed for the award, but Barr
was flank and shoulders below the competition. He has tried to subvert the U.S.
Constitution and the will of the American people. He has misused his political power to
attack women, minorities and gays. He has voted against good, proven programs like Head
Start and Aid to Families with Dependent Children. He is, in other words, a genuine
horse's patootie."
They sponsor Wiccan covens
at Fort Hood and at three other U.S. army bases. Its founder, Major David
Oringderff, is a
psychologist and sociologist who served 22 years in the army. He has asked Rep. Barr for
an apology. He wrote:
"...I am painfully aware that, despite constitutional
guarantees and protection under law, intellectual and spiritual bigotry is alive and well
in this country... Witches, are quite accustomed to naive notions and caustic rhetoric
from zealots...[but not] coming from a man of your stature... Minority faith
groups have been supported by chaplains for 20 to 30 years, and we follow the same
regulations and follow the same rules as Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhists, Mormons and any
other minority faith groups. I find it ridiculous that we as a group are singled out for
who we are and what we do and that we choose to express our faith in ways other than what
the dominate culture chooses to express theirs."
On 1999-JUN-22, President Clinton commented on the importance of religious diversity
and of respect for minority religions within the U.S. Armed forces. He gave a
congratulatory talk to troops at Aviano Air Base in Italy, recognizing their efforts
during the air war against Yugoslavia. He said in part: "...tomorrow's dictators in other places will have to now take a harder look
before they try to destroy or expel an entire people simply because of their race or
religion... I want to say a special word of appreciation to all of you in our Armed Forces for
just being here. If you think about -- I want you to really think about it -- you
think about what Kosovo is all about. People were taught to hate people who
were from a different ethnic group than they were, who worshiped God in a different
way. They started out by being afraid of them and misunderstanding them. Then, they
came to hate them. And then after hating them for a good while, they came to
dehumanize them. A group of Wiccans held a full moon circle at the Jefferson Memorial on
1998-JUN-28. Paul Strand of Pat Robertson's 700 Club on the
Christian Broadcasting Network aired a balanced report on the circle two
days later. He interviewed John Machate, coordinator of the Military Pagan
Network, who said: "The Constitution doesn’t say only Christianity is
valid. If you start taking away one religion, you’re going to start picking at
the other religions." Andrea Sheldon of the Traditional Values
Coalition warned that granting equal rights to Wiccans "...is very
dangerous to the military." Following the report, Pat Robertson showed
that he fully understood the constitutional aspects to the problem. He said: "I’m
not worried about a little coven of witches running around...Rather than
suppress us all, we might give them their freedom." 9 Copyright © 1999, 2001 & 2004 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
The Sacred Well Congregation of Texas:
Military spokespersons:
Navy Capt. Russell Gunter is the executive
director of the Armed Forces Chaplains Board at the Pentagon. He said that the
military is obligated to respect and make provisions for the religious needs of its
members without passing judgment on their beliefs.
Col. Jerome Haberek is a Roman Catholic priest and the head chaplain
of III Army Corps, which includes 75,000 soldiers stationed at
Fort Hood and other posts worldwide. He said: "...I raised my right hand
when I came in the Army to support and defend the Constitution, and that's what I'm doing:
defending the constitutional right of soldiers and family members." President Clinton's related comments:
And once you decide that someone you're looking at is no longer a human being, it's not so
hard to justify killing them, or burning them out of house and home, or torturing their
children, or doing all the other things you have heard. It all starts -- it all
starts with the inability to recognize the inherent dignity and equality of someone who is
different from ourselves.
The composition of our Armed Forces, with people from every race, every ethnic group,
every religious persuasion, from all walks of life, that make up American society -- the
fact that our military has all of you in it is the most stunning rebuke to the claims of
ethnic cleansing."Full Moon Circle in Washington DC:
References:
Creation date: 1999-JUN-9
Latest update: 2004-JUL-06
Author: B.A. Robinson
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ReligiousTolerance.org
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