Wiccans, Druids et al Get a Chapel in the US Airforce Academy. Broom Jokes Away!

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There is an article in the LA Times site about the "chapel" made for Wiccans and other "alternative" religions (as well as followers of any Native American cults) in the US Air Force Academy. While I did enjoy that case of a satanist in the Royal Navy more, it was an interesting read. It's nice enough that it also works for various Native American cults, if they ever get a cadet who still holds to those. What do you think?

Spoiler

Reporting from Colorado Springs, Colo.—
In the still of a cold November evening, a small gathering of pagans, led by two witches, begins preparations for the coming winter solstice. But these are not just any pagans, and this is not just any setting. They are future officers of the United States Air Force practicing their faith in the basement of the Air Force Academy's cadet chapel.

Their ranks are slim. According to the academy's enrollment records, only three of 4,300 cadets identified themselves as pagans, followers of an ancient religion that generally does not worship a single god and considers all things in nature interconnected.

Still, the academy this year dedicated an $80,000 outdoor worship center — a small Stonehenge-like circle of boulders with propane fire pit — high on a hill for the handful of current or future cadets whose religions fall under the broad category of "Earth-based." Those include pagans, Wiccans, druids, witches and followers of Native American faiths.

Witches in the Air Force? Chaplain Maj. Darren Duncan, branch chief of cadet faith communities at the academy, sighs. A punch line waiting to happen, and he's heard all the broom jokes.

For the record, there are no witches among the cadets this year. But the two spiritual leaders for all Earth-based religions — one a civilian, one an Air Force reservist — are witches and regularly cast spells, which they say is not so different from offering prayer. There also are no druids this year. But there could be next year.

"We're here to accommodate all religions, period," Duncan says. The building of the Cadet Chapel Falcon Circle on the hilltop, he says, is no different from the past conversion of chapel rooms into worship spaces that serve this year's 11 Muslim, 16 Buddhist and 10 Hindu cadets. There are also 43 self-identified atheist cadets whose beliefs, or lack of them, Duncan says are also to be respected.

"It is very nice to have our own space," says Cadet 1st Class Nicole Johnson, a 21-year-old senior from Florida who became a pagan after entering the academy.

This is not about religious tolerance — a phrase Duncan, a Christian, rejects as implying that the majority religion is simply putting up with the minority. He calls it a 1st Amendment issue. If the military is to defend the Constitution, it should also be upholding its guarantee of religious freedom. "We think we are setting the standard," Duncan says.

In addition to providing worship space, new policy dictates that all cadets take courses in understanding the religions of those who may someday fall under their command. Recently he's fielded calls from West Point and Annapolis about replicating the Air Force's efforts.

In 2005, the Air Force — still reeling from accusations of sexual assaults against female cadets at the academy — was accused in a lawsuit of allowing aggressive proselytizing toward non-Christians. The suit, ultimately dismissed, was brought by an attorney and academy graduate, Michael Weinstein, who founded the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and has continued to fight what he calls aclimate of religious oppression at the academy.

Weinstein isn't buying this new spirit of "Kumbaya." He says he has received hundreds of complaints from cadets who allege pressure by other cadets or superiors to profess faith in Christ and cites a desecration incident in 2010 when a cross was left at a previous Earth-based worship site. The Air Force condemned that incident, and it was never discovered who was responsible.

Weinstein says the presence of the powerful fundamental Christian organization, Focus on the Family, just a short hop down the highway from the academy only adds to tension for non-evangelicals.

Meade Warthen, a civilian spokesman for the academy, stands by the academy's efforts, adding that it takes heat not only from critics like Weinstein but also from those who say it does too much to accommodate other religions.

Back at the solstice preparations, with glue guns drawn and takeout pizza within easy reach, the pagan cadets decorated yule logs with bits of ribbon and glitter. Yule logs, whose ritual burning symbolizes faith in the reappearance of the sun, will be displayed alongside the Christmas trees and menorahs in next month's crowded religious calendar at the academy.

And though Johnson acknowledges that her beliefs are often misunderstood, she says she has taken no serious grief from other cadets, save occasional questions about whether pagans dance naked (she doesn't) or whether she can cast a spell on commanding officers (she wouldn't even if she could).

The rule is no spells cast without someone's permission. There is a prevailing tenet of her faith, she says: Do as you will, but harm no one.

While I have at times been curious about what exactly such faiths are about, I am not very sure what are the differences between witch, wiccan, and druid. Actually, I thought "witches" is more of a common name for wiccans. As for how "ancient" their faiths are, well, I have my doubts if someone really kept all the traditions going through 14-15 centuries of religious domination by Christianity. By the way, 85K sounds like a lot of money for the "chapel" they got, but I guess the USAFA is doing its best to support local business .

One more thing, I kind of chuckled when I read the last two paragraphs. "Do as you will, and it harm none," is a fairly acceptable moral tenet for a religion, but I'm not sure that works very well in the military.

 

Shaman,
this cries out for context: During the last decade the US Air Force Academy has been a hotbed for Christian proselytising. It's located in Colorado Springs, which is the home with several mega-churches, and something of an Evangelical Mecca. The now 'reformed' and thus no longer gay Ted Haggard, formerly a top evangelical leader, had his old congregation there.

The problem at the academy was, to the bafflement of the zealous Evangelicals that called the academy their home, that command authority and religious proselytising don't go well with each other. You just don't tell a superior officer who insists to pray with you to get out of your face and leave you alone if you don't want to pray (captive audience and all that). It may spell doom for your career and even may get you in serious trouble for disobeying orders.

The Evangelical chaplains and involved staff maintain that proselytising i.e. 'witnessing' is natural expression and inseparable part of their religion. If that involves to tell, just picking to examples that I read of, a Jew that he will burn in hell because the Jews killed Jesus, or a Catholic that his church is the Scarlet Wh*re of Babylon - all that's just tough love to show him the only right (i.e. Evangelical) way (I would like to point out the detrimental effect of such things to unit cohesion). Be that as it may, in a military context this is BS. It is prohibited. Evangelicals, imbued with an apparent compulsion to 'witness', always had and probably still have a hard time digesting that.

There have been numerous scandals about that over the last decade, with preaching during basic training, 'The passion of the Christ' being shown in mess hall during meals, talk of spiritual warfare, war for souls, and discrimination and harassment of Jewish, Catholic, Wiccan, Atheist etc. pp. - i.e. non Evangelical students. Some links from the peak of it in 2005:

Scandal Over Proselytizing Hits Air Force
Air Force Academy Addresses "Challenges to Pluralism"
'Religious bullying' at US academy

There also was a recent 'religious respect memo'. It was not forwarded to students. Why? Guidelines that are not known are unlikely to be adhered to. Keeping it under wraps, or, say, available for lecture in an unlit room at the armpit of the academy, say, open during meal time and between 1am and 2am, sort of defeats the purpose.

That the academy now has a room of worship for other world views is in itself a good sign. In that they react, eventually, to complaints about the previous scandals. This change is the result of pressure. It is an open question whether it indicates a real change of heart. It is telling in itself that it apparently took them five years to have a room dedicated to such non-mainstream world-views.

It will be interesting how the Evangelicals at the academy will live this new official pluralism. They have detested it in the past, and it is exceedingly unlikely they changed their mind. However, the way they deal with the memo suggests to me that they ride it out - by stalling, sullenly cooperating where they have to, and limiting themselves to do what they must and not more.

 

"Native American cults"? Bad form Shaman, bad form.

 

Hmm, should I have called them "faiths" like the article, or did I miss something else?

 

Yes, you should have called them "faiths" or beliefs or any number of things other than cults. "Cult" has a very specific and very negative connotation. To call Native American religions 'cults' is demeaning of the people and their culture(s). But I would defer to Beren on such issues.

 

I would agree with T2bruno on that issue. I happen to be pagan myself.

 

Yes, T2 is right on this.

In historical terms it isn't hard to find references to a ____ cult in a text somewhere.

However in todays society cult often refers to a what is technically called a mind control organization which often involves dishonesty, emotional manipulation, looting of membership, breaking up of families at the cult's behest and on.

Think scientology & Moonies-these are organizations that are seen by many as being manipulative and looting their membership.

 

So basically all religions are cults then? They all tend to do the things you listed pplr. Cult and sect generally tends to mean smaller religions or deviations from bigger religions neither of which are very popular among the big players on the field so of course they get negative connotations but for all real intents and purposes all the difference between a cult and a religion is one of size not of content. Christianity for example is a Jewish cult of Jesus and Islam is in many ways a Jewish/Christian cult of Mohammed. They have the same basic stem but pick different main prophets the fact that these variations of a pretty common theme has become so popular does not really make them any less of a cult or sect. Emotional dishonesty, manipulation, social ostracism and other things that "cults" do and are generally frowned upon are done just as much by even the biggest congregations of the biggest religions.

 

Hmmm... he has a point that is difficult to argue with...

 

The biggest flaw I see is that a cult is more authoritarian. In a cult there isn't much variation from what the leader wants you to do. I don't think that really holds up well with the Jewish faith or Christian faiths. Look at the Pope and how many Catholics are Pro-Choice.

Religions want people to belong, but don't actually force you to belong (with the exception of Islam) EDIT: I'm referring to modern times, the Spanish Inquisition was a long time ago

 

So Snook, if you came out and told your family and friends that you had become a muslim, christian, hindu or atheist all of them would think that was fine and dandy?

 

Arguably a cult is that which focuses its veneration upon a tangible figure or object. Which would make some of the larger religions cults by extension, as a particular figure who existed is considered the nexus of knowledge and law.

The secondary and most popular definition is that of a small group of devoted that are regarded as strange or dangerous by their fellows.

Wiccan and Witch are separate. Definitely. To be honest the less I say on the subject the less offensive I will be

Spoiler

An associate of mine and her husband are witches, at one point the US army only acknowledged Christian, Wiccan or Atheist as options for a person to elect their faith, a do-gooder in the paperwork set her husband on the system as Wiccan and it was put on one of his tags - he was absolutely livid.

Anyone who tells you all witches are wiccan is as ignorant as half the wiccans in the world who also claim the same thing.

I must admit I'm terribly amused by the fact it's The Shaman entirely unsure about nature based faiths and spirituality...

 

I agree. It's somewhat popular nowadays to make negative blanket statements about the Christian faith and I don't think it really holds up in reality. I go to church of my own choosing (never went as a child), and they know i'm primarily Buddhist and they've never been anything but respectful.

Anyways, does the Army have Druid priests then? I thought the religion was almost entirely lost.

 

In order

1. Muslim- Would probably be disowned or at the very least thought of as an idiot.
2. Christian- My Grandmother would spin in her grave, but nobody else would care.
3. Hindu- I'd be looked at strange
4. Atheist- I appreciate you labeling atheism as a religion as I've always believed it is (and that drives atheists crazy). I'm sure half the people I know already think I'm an atheist.

The point is that with the exception of an unhinged Jew, Jews don't drag ex-Jews back into the religion or even worse kill them for leaving the faith. I've also never heard of a Jew or Chrisitian ever having to be "rescued" and go through deprogramming.

 

On the first, good to know, to be honest neither is a significant minority here, so my knowledge of both is quite rudimentary. I have heard that Wiccans claim some kinship to witches, and to be quite honest I reserve judgement until I speak to someone who takes it more seriously than, say, wearing a Thor's hammer-styled jewelry.

And as for the latter, hey, to be sure of what one doesn't know much about would not be quite smart of me, would it? I am more comfortable with spirituality than religion, but it's not something I would like to pass judgement on. What little I know makes me sceptic - the differences may be more due to political or interpersonal squabbles rather than those born of faith alone.

Really? Back in the 90s, there were quite a few cases of "sects" whose members were alienated, committed suicide, and generally got people completely freaked out. Back then hearing someone had joined any Protestant denomination, even a mainstream-ish one like some baptist offshoot, tended to provoke an "Oh, s..t" reaction, and it wasn't entirely underserved. I'd be quite surprised there weren't cults like that in America.

 

Not going to wind me up Snook, never did I say atheism was a religion I just listed it as atheism instead of writing "stopped believing in god".

 

Huh? Islam does not coerce conversion. A number of Islamic countries have laws including provisions that apostasy is a crime punishable by death, and some regimes and the occasional vigilante execute such verdicts. Naturally, that is severe religious intolerance. There is also the symbolic Jizya, which, to best of my knowledge is not applied in any Islamic country today, so the point is theoretical.

Now, take for instance the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony founded in 1630 and carefully restricted to "the elect" (i.e. Puritans) as settlers, actually, the "elect" with money. Applicants were screened in England before embarkation. It was, in some sense, perhaps the first gated community on American soil. Massachusetts Bay Colony, and New England Puritanism in general, are textbook examples for narrow minded religious intolerance. Look what they did to Quakers.

Who is to blame for this excess? Christianity? Of course not. The problem is not with a particular religion per se, but rather about narrow minded intolerance and a haughty disregard for other religions, in a single phrase, religious chauvinism. You have that in Islam as much as in any other religion - Christianity and Judaism included. On Sri Lanka there lies at the heart of their decades long civil war with the Tamils something as odd as Bhuddist supremacism. In India you have the odd pogrom committed by Hindu supremacists. And so forth.

Naturally, all that doesn't apply to the one true faith, Roman Catholicism

 

How kind of the air force to 'allow' the beliefs of the native people of the country. Aren't they just sweet?