12.17.2006
Wiccans in the War Zone
One thing that underscores the veteran Pentacle quest is that there are modern Pagans serving in war zones right now as we speak. The case of Patrick Stewart, who died while serving in Afghanistan, isn't a rare fluke that happened to bring up the issue of honoring the faith of all veterans. Thousands of modern Pagans are currently active in all branches of the military, many in dangerous "hot spots" as Sgt. Stewart was. This point is driven home in a New York Times spotlight on Rev. Shareen Fischer, captain and a chaplain in the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division.
"There's so much going on militarily as you get ready" was how Captain Fischer put it. "Not enough time, not enough days. So I like to have my quiet time. When David said, 'I look to the hills' and 'My strength comes from the Lord,' he was alone in the desert. And I have to remember where my strength comes from. Because if I am not strong, how can I be a strong leader for my paratroopers?"
While Rev. Fischer is a Christian (a graduate of Oral Roberts University who is an ordained Pentecostal) as chaplain she has to oversee the spiritual and religious needs of her entire unit.
"She led worship services for Christian soldiers and helped arrange them for guardsmen of other faiths. She made sure Jews and Muslims received kosher and halal Meals Ready to Eat. She taught lessons on Bible passages that were set in Mesopotamia. After her unit was attacked, she conducted the required stress debriefing for the victims. And sometimes she simply held the men and women who were crying...Lately she had been surveying her soldiers to determine their religious backgrounds and so meet their needs. She has found Muslims, Jews, Roman Catholics, Protestants of myriad stripes, Eastern Orthodox adherents and even a few Wiccans."
Those "few Wiccans" in her division, while accommodated in life, are serving knowing that the government won't (at this time) honor their service after death by acknowledging the faith that defines them. The growing reality is that modern Pagans can be found in almost any profession and situation in America, this includes our military. It is time that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs catches up to the what chaplains like the Rev. Shareen Fischer are already doing, trying to meet the needs of all faiths currently serving.
12.11.2006
Christmas Wars + Veteran Pentacle Quest = Editorial Goldmine
Getting an advanced college degree must be good for something, just look at how Mary Zeiss Stange, professor of women's studies and religion at Skidmore College, and a contributer to USA Today managed to tie the Christmas Wars and two Pagan-related stories into one editorial! It seems to be yet another rote editorial on the "controversy" over stores saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" until it becomes all about Paganism.
"Gone are the days when folks who worried about rampant materialism cautioned that it was time to "put Christ back into Christmas." Now it's time to put Christ back into Kmart. And so, as Wal-Mart spokeswoman Marisa Bluestone has bravely proclaimed, "This year, we're not afraid to say 'Merry Christmas.'"...Of course, if you are a Jew celebrating Hanukkah, or a Muslim marking Eid al-Fitr, or a neo-pagan Wiccan for whom the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21) is a major observance, you probably had appreciated the more inclusive acknowledgment that the end of the year is a festive time for you, too. Indeed, particularly if you are Wiccan, the matter of being un-included this holiday season must especially sting. A group of Wiccan families is suing the Department of Veterans Affairs for the right to bury their fallen heroes in military cemeteries in graves marked with a pentacle, the five-pointed star that symbolizes their religion, much as a cross does Christianity or a Star of David, Judaism."
Did you see that? She managed to dis crass consumerism tainting the Christian holiday, remind people that non-Christians really do live and work in America, and then point out how modern Pagans are getting metaphorical coal in their stockings courtesy of the Veteran's Administration. Strange tops off this editorial concoction with the "cherry" of ancient pagan elements still present in modern Christmas celebrations.
"For Christmas is, in its origins and its symbolism, perhaps the most pagan-inspired of all Christian holidays. Its dating derives from the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, which was determined by the winter solstice, that astronomical point in the year after which the periods of sunlight on Earth lengthen...These pagan-derived symbols and customs are precisely the elements of Christmas that Christian activists are pressing to preserve and promote, in venues such as Target and Macy's."
How to close such a editorial? Why with the hope for peace (and justice) on earth and goodwill towards mankind (and womankind) of course.
"...nothing could be more in keeping with the "Christmas spirit" than to embrace and celebrate religious diversity. And nothing could be truer to the spirit of the First Amendment than to honor American war dead as they and their loved ones would wish. No single group of self-proclaimed Christians holds a premium on the meaning of this magical season. And no government agency should decide what "qualifies" as an appropriate religious symbol. And so, no offense intended, but season's greetings."
That is how you write an editorial on subject(s) that have been covered to death and keep it fresh. Pagan editorialists take note. Oh, and season's greetings.
Labels: Christmas, Mary Zeiss Stange, Paganism, Pentacle, VA, Veteran, War on Christmas
