January 26, 2005Wiccans meeting on Air Force base
January 26, 2005, WorldNetDaily
Gatherings get military's blessing as long as not contrary to 'good order'
Members of the U.S. Air Force stationed at a Texas base – which prides itself as being the most religiously diverse – are attending weekly meetings for devotees of the Wiccan religion at a base facility.
Though the Wiccan meetings at Lackland Air Force Base are not considered "services," since there is no official chaplain presiding, they do draw between 25 and 50 people.
"All individuals assigned to Lackland are free to worship the faith of their choosing, whether traditional or non-traditional, as guaranteed to each of us under the U.S. Constitution," Oscar Balladares, the chief of Media Relations at the base, told WND, emphasizing that "Wiccan meetings revolve around discussions of caring for the Earth and its resources and do not include any type of Satanic worship."
Though often associated with Satanism, Wiccans, known also as witches or neopagans, don't believe in Satan, according to one online description.
"This form of witchcraft has nothing to do with sorcery, and is instead based on a reverence for nature, the worship of a fertility goddess, a restrained hedonism and group magic aimed at healing," states encyclopedia.com.
Air Force regulations say: "The Chaplain Service accommodates requests of chaplain services and/or support for religious practices unless the specific accommodation is logistically impossible, or contrary to good order and discipline prohibited by law or policy. If a specific request is denied, Chaplain Service members remain responsible for pursuing alternative means for accommodation."
Balladares stressed that the base "prohibits discrimination based on religious preference or beliefs. Base policy also provides that any religious body that does not have an endorsing body may hold organizational and informational meetings on base in Chaplain Service designated facilities at the sole discretion of the Wing Chaplain."
Since Wicca has no "endorsing body" – it is a diverse movement with no central authority – it falls under the discretion of the Chaplain Service. MORE...
Gatherings get military's blessing as long as not contrary to 'good order'
Members of the U.S. Air Force stationed at a Texas base – which prides itself as being the most religiously diverse – are attending weekly meetings for devotees of the Wiccan religion at a base facility.
Though the Wiccan meetings at Lackland Air Force Base are not considered "services," since there is no official chaplain presiding, they do draw between 25 and 50 people.
"All individuals assigned to Lackland are free to worship the faith of their choosing, whether traditional or non-traditional, as guaranteed to each of us under the U.S. Constitution," Oscar Balladares, the chief of Media Relations at the base, told WND, emphasizing that "Wiccan meetings revolve around discussions of caring for the Earth and its resources and do not include any type of Satanic worship."
Though often associated with Satanism, Wiccans, known also as witches or neopagans, don't believe in Satan, according to one online description.
"This form of witchcraft has nothing to do with sorcery, and is instead based on a reverence for nature, the worship of a fertility goddess, a restrained hedonism and group magic aimed at healing," states encyclopedia.com.
Air Force regulations say: "The Chaplain Service accommodates requests of chaplain services and/or support for religious practices unless the specific accommodation is logistically impossible, or contrary to good order and discipline prohibited by law or policy. If a specific request is denied, Chaplain Service members remain responsible for pursuing alternative means for accommodation."
Balladares stressed that the base "prohibits discrimination based on religious preference or beliefs. Base policy also provides that any religious body that does not have an endorsing body may hold organizational and informational meetings on base in Chaplain Service designated facilities at the sole discretion of the Wing Chaplain."
Since Wicca has no "endorsing body" – it is a diverse movement with no central authority – it falls under the discretion of the Chaplain Service. MORE...
