Christians Desecrate Wiccan Religious Site at Air Force Academy

[Contessa_Sharra]

Christians Desecrate Wiccan Religious Site at Air Force Academy

February 3, 2010 by Michael Leon

Evangelical Christians are at it again. The proselytizing only-through-Christ bunch have now taken up desecration of non-Christian religious sites: Not Jews this time but Wiccans. What the hell goes through the minds of these evangelicals who think they can tell other religions—at a military academy no less—what to believe? At their core, evangelicals who despise pluralism are infantile.

- Update: In celebration of holy Super Bowl Sunday, I want to urge readers to check out the new book, Onward Christian Athletes by Tom Krattenmaker. Not for Jews, Wiccans, Muslims, Football-Only-though-Christ. This is a critical book and Krattenmaker is brilliant. -

- The opening of the worship area at the Colorado Springs academy had been hailed as a step for religious tolerance -

By DeeDee Correll—Reporting from Denver – The Air Force Academy, stung several years ago by accusations of Christian bias, has built a new outdoor worship area for pagans and other practitioners of Earth-based religions.

But its opening, heralded as a sign of a more tolerant religious climate at the academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., was marred by the discovery two weeks ago of a large wooden cross placed there.

‘We’ve been making great progress at the Air Force Academy. This is clearly a setback,’ said Mikey Weinstein, a 1977 graduate of the academy. He is founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and has often tangled with the academy over such issues.

Although he credits the academy’s superintendent, Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Gould, with an improved climate of religious tolerance, Weinstein criticized other academy officials as trivializing the incident, which he said was not revealed to cadets.

Rhetorically addressing academy officials, Weinstein said Tuesday, ‘It’s been two weeks — were you going to get around to telling them about this horrible thing that happened, and why haven’t you?’

Academy spokesman John Van Winkle said officials reported the situation to those on base and issued a message reiterating the school’s policy of religious tolerance and respect.

In a statement, Gould said, ‘We absolutely will not stand for this type of destructive behavior. I consider this no different than someone writing graffiti on the Cadet Chapel.’ In 2004, an academy survey found that many cadets felt that evangelical Christians were imposing their views and harassing non-Christians at the school.
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Christians Desecrate Wiccan Religious Site at Air Force Academy : Veterans Today

 

[bodecea]

Firewood for the next celebration. Thank them for providing it.

 

[slackjawed]

That one is kind of sticky. The thing is the christian tradition has always been to fight against pagans, wiccans in particular. Some have argued that the Salem witch trials were christains burning wiccans, although I have found it odd that there was a big wiccan following in 1700's mass.
Then you have the other thing about freedom of religion. The idea was put into law in our country by a group that certainly had some christians in it.
I can see in this particular incident a case being made by the christians, or some of them, that doing this was following their religion, and to prohibit them from doing so interferes with their religious freedom.
But there is that fact that the 'other side' has rights too..........

Personally I side with the freedom to practice, or not practice any religion at all, and think the right to 'practice' should be limited when it interferes with someone else's right.

 

[PatekPhilippe]

Oh....the HORROR of it all....what has become of us?

 

[strollingbones]

That one is kind of sticky. The thing is the christian tradition has always been to fight against pagans, wiccans in particular. Some have argued that the Salem witch trials were christains burning wiccans, although I have found it odd that there was a big wiccan following in 1700's mass.

Then you have the other thing about freedom of religion. The idea was put into law in our country by a group that certainly had some christians in it.
I can see in this particular incident a case being made by the christians, or some of them, that doing this was following their religion, and to prohibit them from doing so interferes with their religious freedom.
But there is that fact that the 'other side' has rights too..........

Personally I side with the freedom to practice, or not practice any religion at all, and think the right to 'practice' should be limited when it interferes with someone else's right.

sweetie ...wiccans are new to the world....only cropping up in the 1920 or so...

i love your little defensive rant..but you dont know anything about pagans or wiccans

 

[strollingbones]

i did not mean to distort your quote....i just dont have a handle on this quote thing

 

[asaratis]

That one is kind of sticky. The thing is the christian tradition has always been to fight against pagans, wiccans in particular. Some have argued that the Salem witch trials were christains burning wiccans, although I have found it odd that there was a big wiccan following in 1700's mass.
Then you have the other thing about freedom of religion. The idea was put into law in our country by a group that certainly had some christians in it.
I can see in this particular incident a case being made by the christians, or some of them, that doing this was following their religion, and to prohibit them from doing so interferes with their religious freedom.
But there is that fact that the 'other side' has rights too..........

Personally I side with the freedom to practice, or not practice any religion at all, and think the right to 'practice' should be limited when it interferes with someone else's right.

...and when religious leaders preach hate toward others and make calls for violence against others. Radical Muslim leaders should be sent to Muslim countries and not allowed to cultivate hatred from within the borders of countries that allow their presence.

I think the Australian dude has as much as told them to get the hell out of Australia if they don't like the laws and customs. Kudos to Australia.

Christian zealots and evangelical bible-thumpers are only one step removed from the radical Muslims. They usually don't actually try to kill people.

The desecration of any worship site is a hate crime. (IMO)

 

[slackjawed]

That one is kind of sticky. The thing is the christian tradition has always been to fight against pagans, wiccans in particular. Some have argued that the Salem witch trials were christains burning wiccans, although I have found it odd that there was a big wiccan following in 1700's mass.

Then you have the other thing about freedom of religion. The idea was put into law in our country by a group that certainly had some christians in it.
I can see in this particular incident a case being made by the christians, or some of them, that doing this was following their religion, and to prohibit them from doing so interferes with their religious freedom.
But there is that fact that the 'other side' has rights too..........

Personally I side with the freedom to practice, or not practice any religion at all, and think the right to 'practice' should be limited when it interferes with someone else's right.

sweetie ...wiccans are new to the world....only cropping up in the 1920 or so...

i love your little defensive rant..but you dont know anything about pagans or wiccans

no, actually i don't. The only real exposure I have ever had was a woman that worked for me in Prescott for a couple years.
She claimed linage to ancient groups, I see you claim otherwise.
Whatever.

 

[rightwinger]

Its the Christian thing to do

 

[Dorkazoid_Jones]

"But its opening, heralded as a sign of a more tolerant religious climate at the academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., was marred by the discovery two weeks ago of a large wooden cross placed there."

The government is intolerant of Christians having torn down Christmas displays so why should we care about wiccans having things torn down?

 

[strollingbones]

o dont get all hootie its a common mistake

Wicca - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and wiccans like to pretend they are all there is....but pagans go back to the beginning of time..and come in all kinds of sizes and shapes with many different dieties...

 

[Cold Fusion38]

That one is kind of sticky. The thing is the christian tradition has always been to fight against pagans, wiccans in particular. Some have argued that the Salem witch trials were christains burning wiccans, although I have found it odd that there was a big wiccan following in 1700's mass.
Then you have the other thing about freedom of religion. The idea was put into law in our country by a group that certainly had some christians in it.
I can see in this particular incident a case being made by the christians, or some of them, that doing this was following their religion, and to prohibit them from doing so interferes with their religious freedom.
But there is that fact that the 'other side' has rights too..........

Personally I side with the freedom to practice, or not practice any religion at all, and think the right to 'practice' should be limited when it interferes with someone else's right.

I suppose if a Wiccan burns down a church they are just exercizing their religious faith? the FACT is that ONLY Christians get to practice their faith and yet they are ALWAYS so put upon. Listen to them CRY and WHINE how they are "under attack" it's PATHETIC!

 

[WillowTree]

The way I see it the left is the most intolerant of the intolerant. Against Christians, It's almost as bad as the hate Fox, Hate America, Hate Bush, and Hate White Republicans,and Hate Jews,,, damn it's good to not be "as tolerant" as the intolerant left.. dayuuuum!



What are Wiccans anyway? are they good kind gentle people? I hope so. I hope they are not like the intolerant left.

 

[slackjawed]

yeah, I think once a christian decides on some group being pagans, it doesn't matter what brand.

 

[slackjawed]

That one is kind of sticky. The thing is the christian tradition has always been to fight against pagans, wiccans in particular. Some have argued that the Salem witch trials were christains burning wiccans, although I have found it odd that there was a big wiccan following in 1700's mass.
Then you have the other thing about freedom of religion. The idea was put into law in our country by a group that certainly had some christians in it.
I can see in this particular incident a case being made by the christians, or some of them, that doing this was following their religion, and to prohibit them from doing so interferes with their religious freedom.
But there is that fact that the 'other side' has rights too..........

Personally I side with the freedom to practice, or not practice any religion at all, and think the right to 'practice' should be limited when it interferes with someone else's right.

I suppose if a Wiccan burns down a church they are just exercizing their religious faith? the FACT is that ONLY Christians get to practice their faith and yet they are ALWAYS so put upon. Listen to them CRY and WHINE how they are "under attack" it's PATHETIC!

Sadly, I would be very surprised if some group of pagans somewhere at some time, have not burned down a church.

nobody has a monopoly on faith based hate

 

[slackjawed]

The way I see it the left is the most intolerant of the intolerant. Against Christians, It's almost as bad as the hate Fox, Hate America, Hate Bush, and Hate White Republicans,and Hate Jews,,, damn it's good to not be "as tolerant" as the intolerant left.. dayuuuum!



What are Wiccans anyway? are they good kind gentle people? I hope so. I hope they are not like the intolerant left.

I knew one, she was kind and decent.
The left has turned their so-called belief in personal rights into their own faith based brand of hate, as displayed by coldfusion right here.

 

[WillowTree]

The way I see it the left is the most intolerant of the intolerant. Against Christians, It's almost as bad as the hate Fox, Hate America, Hate Bush, and Hate White Republicans,and Hate Jews,,, damn it's good to not be "as tolerant" as the intolerant left.. dayuuuum!



What are Wiccans anyway? are they good kind gentle people? I hope so. I hope they are not like the intolerant left.

I knew one, she was kind and decent.
The left has turned their so-called belief in personal rights into their own faith based brand of hate, as displayed by coldfusion right here.

I know, I sit here gobsmacked as their hate list grows daily.

It must be hard assed work to hate that much.

 

[Care4all]

Its the Christian thing to do

sorry, but BULLCRAP....Rightwinger!

The Christian THING to do is to respect other people's beliefs....this is what Christ taught the apostles.....if they came in to a home where people believed that they were eating a certain thing for their god or whatever, then the apostles were told to go ahead and eat what the strangers were offering them out of respect, not out of belief in what they did, but respect...

If the strangers treated them nicely then stay with them...respecting their customs, if they treated the apostles poorly and without respect then the apostles were to dust off their feet and move on.

 

[Cold Fusion38]

The way I see it the left is the most intolerant of the intolerant. Against Christians, It's almost as bad as the hate Fox, Hate America, Hate Bush, and Hate White Republicans,and Hate Jews,,, damn it's good to not be "as tolerant" as the intolerant left.. dayuuuum!



What are Wiccans anyway? are they good kind gentle people? I hope so. I hope they are not like the intolerant left.

I knew one, she was kind and decent.
The left has turned their so-called belief in personal rights into their own faith based brand of hate, as displayed by coldfusion right here.

OH REALLY!!!??? Christians get to practice THEIR hate on a DAILY BASIS and this is just ONE MORE EXAMPLE!

 

[WillowTree]

The way I see it the left is the most intolerant of the intolerant. Against Christians, It's almost as bad as the hate Fox, Hate America, Hate Bush, and Hate White Republicans,and Hate Jews,,, damn it's good to not be "as tolerant" as the intolerant left.. dayuuuum!



What are Wiccans anyway? are they good kind gentle people? I hope so. I hope they are not like the intolerant left.

I knew one, she was kind and decent.
The left has turned their so-called belief in personal rights into their own faith based brand of hate, as displayed by coldfusion right here.

OH REALLY!!!??? Christians get to practice THEIR hate on a DAILY BASIS and this is just ONE MORE EXAMPLE!

why not? equality. they should be able to hate with the same gusto you lefties do..