6.09.2008
Oklahoma Takes Stand Against Fake Religious Freedom
Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry (a conservative Democrat) has vetoed the controversial Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act (RTF file). The act, which is nearly identical to one recently passed in Texas, forces schools to adopt policies to "protect" students who "voluntarily" express their religious views.
"Henry said students are already allowed to express their faith through voluntary prayer and other activities. He said the legislation was well-intended, but vague and "may trigger a number of unintended consequences that actually impede rather than enhance such expression." Schools could be forced to provide equal time to fringe groups that masquerade as religions and advocate behaviors such as hate speech."
One of the "unintended consequences" of the act was laid out by the Texas House's own research organization, which stated that the law, if enacted, would most likely privilege the Christian majority (though some feared it would empower "Wiccans and anti-Christians" to spread their message to Christian students).
"The bill's constitutionality is questionable ... The bill could serve as a tool to proselytize the majority religious view, Christianity, in Texas schools. The United States is a nation made up of people of many faiths. Children are required to attend school and should be permitted to do so without someone else's religion being imposed on them ... A school should be a religion-free zone - leaving religion for homes, places of worship, and individual hearts."
I was beginning to wonder if any lawmakers or politicians in the "red" states had the guts to stand up for religious minorities (and real religious freedom). With Texas passing the Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act, and South Carolina passing the Public Invocation Act, its nice to see that Oklahoma won't fall in line with the conservative Christian activists trying to circumvent Church-State separation with vaguely worded legislation and baseless legal challenges. If we had more Governors of conscience, perhaps this anti-religious minority legislation trend would come to an end.
Labels: Christianity, law, Oklahoma, Paganism, Religion, Religious Freedom, South Carolina, Texas
2.29.2008
Updates on Past Stories
Psychic Wars in Livingston: It looks like a legal battle over a religiously-motivated Livingston Parish ordinance banning fortune telling will be headed to court. Despite being warned by their lawyer that they would most likely lose a lawsuit, the Parish Council decided to not address the issue at their most recent meeting, much to the dismay of some Parish residents.
"Taxpayers might question the council's insistence on spending public money to fight a lawsuit on an issue that has no purpose other than to pacify a particular religious group. The council's attorney, Blayne Honeycutt, has advised that it probably would lose the Wiccan suit if it persists in defending the ordinance. When no member of the council would offer a motion to repeal the soothsaying ordinance, Honeycutt advised the council it needs to hire special counsel to handle such a case. Parish government, which has a history of being strapped for funds, could be putting that money to proper uses on roads, drainage, water and sewage rather than waging war for or against particular religious groups. Instead, the council will spend money it says is in short supply defending a lawsuit against a problem its attorney told council members apparently doesn't even exist in the parish."
The Parish is being sued by local businessman and Wiccan Cliff Eakin, who wishes to offer fortune-telling and divination services at his store, Gryphon's Nest Gifts. Eakin maintains that the ordinance is an attempt to promote Christianity over Paganism.
Thelemites Fight Pedophillia Charges: Australian couple Vivienne Legg and Dyson Devine have been released from prison after apologizing to a judge for defying an order to remove material from their website that groundlessly implicated a local O.T.O. organization in an underground pedophile ring. The couple served two months of a nine-month sentence for contempt of court.
"Yesterday both apologised to Judge Harbison and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and undertook not to repeat, or help anyone else to publish, the vilifying material about the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO). But David Leggatt, for the OTO, complained that the vilification had a "grapevine effect". It had been removed from the pair's website, Gaiaguys.net, in December, but soon appeared on Adam Dodson's site. Simon Moglia, for Mr Devine and Ms Legg, said they had not helped the new website. He said they at first saw their non-compliance as individuals standing for their beliefs. But when they realised that resisting the tribunal encouraged others to disobey the law, they closed down their website."
While the OTO in Australia have certainly won this battle, they may find themselves pestered by dozens (if not hundreds) of conspiracy theorists who see Legg and Devine as martyrs in the quest for "the truth". The original actionable paper written by Dr Reina Michaelson inflated in importance and virally spread across the Internet.
Fighting For (Christian) Religious Expression: Arizona joins Oklahoma in trying to pass a "student religious expression" law similar to the one recently passed by Texas.
"On Wednesday, the Arizona House Education Committee narrowly approved, and sent on to the full House of Representatives, HB 2713, a bill that would prohibit public schools from discriminating against students on the basis of their religious belief or expression. It permits students to engage in prayer and religious activity on an equal basis with other activities, but does not permit the school to require participation in religious activities. It includes provisions prohibiting banning of religious attire and jewelry when similar secular items are permitted and another section that prohibits discrimination for or against a student in grading coursework in which the student expresses a religious viewpoint or religious content."
While these laws may sound innocuous enough to some, they ultimately benefit the religious majority, a point driven home by the Texas House's own research organization who stated: "the bill could serve as a tool to proselytize the majority religious view". These proposed laws claim to protect a student's freedom to express religious viewpoints, but I fear they instead encourage a hostile environment towards religious minorities, dis-empower teachers from keeping order in their classrooms, and give Christian students a sense of immunity from consequences. I encourage Pagan groups in in Arizona (and Oklahoma) to send a message to their representatives ensuring them that Pagans, Witches, and Heathens oppose this legislation, but will gladly use their new "rights" as often and as loudly as possible if it is enacted.
Labels: Arizona, Australia, Cliff Eakin, law, litigation, Livingston Parish, Oklahoma, OTO, Paganism, psychics, Religious Freedom, Texas, Thelema, Wicca
1.25.2008
Tulsa and Sectarian Prayer
The Tulsa City Council has decided to change their "unwritten" policy concerning opening prayers to now allow references to specific deities.
"Tulsa's City Council voted Thursday to change an unwritten policy so that people can name a deity when praying before the council's regular weekly meetings ... The council's previous prayer policy, which prohibited the use of the name of Jesus, Allah or other religious figures, had prompted complaints. Councilor Rick Westcott, who sponsored the change along with Councilors Bill Christiansen, John Eagleton and Cason Carter, said it was warranted because of Tulsa's rich history of a variety of faiths. "I think it's important for this council to open this meeting with prayers that allow people to express the fullness of their faiths," Westcott said."
The new policy passed 7-2 despite critics invoking conservative Christianity's ongoing fear that their "religious freedom" chickens will eventually come home to roost.
"Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry Executive Director James Mishler also spoke against the change, questioning who would decide what is a "recognized congregation." "I think the very people who have been encouraging you to make this change are going to be very uncomfortable when the priest from the Hindu temple is standing here chanting in the name of Krishna or when someone from the Wiccan community offers prayers to the earth mother," he said."
Do you lead a Pagan congregation in Tulsa? I encourage you to contact the city council and volunteer to give an opening prayer. Councilor Bill Martinson has said that he wants "varied" faiths to participate so that "one denomination does not dominate the prayer week after week." Lets see how strong their commitment to religious freedom really is.
Brief Updates on Past Stories
I would also like to give a couple brief updates on stories I have reported on previously. First off, Livingston Parish in Louisiana has decided to hold an open hearing on Feb. 11. to discuss repealing its anti-soothsaying ordinance.
"Councilman Randy Rushing, who said the ordinance is "not going to hold up" in court, made the motion to hold a hearing on the proposal to repeal the ordinance, which was enacted last year. Rushing's proposal was approved 5-2. The hearing will be held during the council's next meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 11."
This move comes after a local Wiccan brought federal litigation against the parish, and the parish's lawyer advised the council that they would most likely lose in court. I'm no soothsayer, but I predict that ordinance will be repealed before the end of February.
Secondly, police investigators in San Diego have ruled that the death of Wiccan priestess Mimi Rohwer is indeed a homicide, and not accidental.
"Investigators ruled the death a homicide Thursday after the autopsy, which showed she was strangled by hands and not with an object, according to the Medical Examiner's Office."
The prime suspect is Julio Cesar Jacobo-Curiel, a day-laborer who had been staying with Rohwer, and who has been missing since her death. Witnesses claim that Rohwer had been having problems with Jacobo-Curiel, and wanted him to move out. Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. To leave an anonymous tip, call (888) 580-TIPS.
Labels: Cliff Eakin, law, litigation, Livingston Parish, Oklahoma, Paganism, psychics, Religious Freedom, Tulsa, Wicca
1.05.2008
(More) Fighting For (Christian) Religious Expression
Back in May of 2007 I reported on legislation passed by the Texas House that forced schools to adopt policies to "protect" students who "voluntarily" express their religious views. Despite the fact that the Texas House's own research organization warned that it will most likely privilege the Christian majority, that didn't seem to concern Gov. Rick Perry at all.
"Freedom of religion should not be mistaken for freedom from religion and I want to thank the more than 100 members of the Texas House who voted to give religious expression in our schools the same protection as secular expression"
Now nearly identical legislation is being introduced in Oklahoma in order to fight "religious discrimination" (against Christians).
"Reps. Mike Reynolds and Sally Kern, Republicans from Oklahoma City, have introduced nearly identical bills for the upcoming session called the Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act. The legislation would require that an expression by a student of a religious viewpoint be treated in the same way as an expression of any secular viewpoint. Both measures would prohibit school districts from discriminating against students based on religious viewpoints and would require every district in the state to adopt a written policy to prohibit such discrimination."
The problem with legislation of this sort, besides the fact that it is unconstitutional, are the unintended consequences of trying to privilege one single faith group in a pluralistic society.
"Opponents say that the bill further erodes the separation of church and state. They note that as an unintended consequence, school districts could find themselves obligated to give Wiccans or those with anti-Christian views a chance to lead prayers before football games. 'What are you going to do the first year that a Wiccan calls upon the great mother goddess to watch over the students that day?' said [Texas] Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth. 'You are not prepared to have schools inclusive enough to meet the law.'"
While Wiccans and other minority faiths taking advantage of the law could be embarrassing for the conservative lawmakers, they know such laws ultimately benefit the majority opinion (and aren't easily overturned like policies on a local level). Also, the dictate to treat religious speech in the same manner as secular speech in pubic schools is nonsensical (unless you happen to be teaching a course on religion). A religious opinion or belief isn't categorically the same as a secular statement. There is no workable definition of "treating them the same" in the proposed legislation. If passed into law, all it will do is encourage a hostile environment towards religious minorities, dis-empower teachers from keeping order in their classrooms, and give Christian students a sense of immunity from consequences.
This legislation, like similar legislation being considered in South Carolina, is an attempt by Christian conservatives to muddy the legal waters and create "constitutional confusion" in order to delay and discourage litigation against the laws (once enacted), and ultimately roll back secular advancements. One can only hope that Oklahoma's lawmakers have a better grasp of the constitution than Texas's lawmakers. In the meantime, I encourage Pagan groups in in Oklahoma to send a message to their representatives ensuring them that Pagans, Witches, and Heathens oppose this legislation, but will gladly use their new "rights" as often and as loudly as possible if it is enacted.
Labels: Christianity, law, Oklahoma, Paganism, Religion, Religious Freedom, Texas
