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[Coachbob]

So it does then reflect the hypocricy of religious freedom in the US; one can be as openly religious as they want, so long as they are of the majority faith.

Who here has proposed that anybody not of the "majority faith" do not have freedom of religion?

[ChicagoHeathen]

Pfft, I don't see you as being negative, Gwyddion.

Here we are, in modern times, and yet we're still viewed by many in the same way we would have been seven hundred years ago. Here we are, having to hide our religions if we want to hold office (or, in some cases, a job).

And, apparently, hardly anyone cares.

I don't see being upset about that as being negative.

[Gorm_Sionnach]

So it does then reflect the hypocricy of religious freedom in the US; one can be as openly religious as they want, so long as they are of the majority faith.

Who here has proposed that anybody not of the "majority faith" do not have freedom of religion?

No one here has said that, it was an inference on my part. When the claim is made that religions have equality before the law, then the religion of a candidate, epecially when religion is treated as a private matter (which in this case it was) it is quite hypocritical to turn around and say, "This guy is the member of a bizzare cult" vote for him at your peril.

It is poltically safe to be a meber of a majortiy religion, not so with minority posistions.

[Gwyddion9]

Pagan Rites for Queens GOP Council Candidate

Link:
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/09/pagan_rites_for.php

This story deals with the candidate in question is GOP council nominee Dan Halloran who was revealed in a September 17 story in the Queens Tribune to be a member of a religious organization that is, well - heathen. This is the very topic of discussion that we have been having.
It’s a shame but it shows the way people act. 

[ChicagoHeathen]

It does, however, encourage me that the reactions in the comments to the article are mostly negative about the article. But yes... if this guy were Jewish or Baptist or Episcopalian, they'd never run or even be able to run an article like that.

[Gwyddion9]

yeah, know what you mean. One thing i've learned about the Pagan community though,(at least in my area), they do not cower in fear of some other group and have no problems telling them where to place things.     

[John T Mainer]

Just a year or two ago, Fox News here ran a story linking Asatru (as a whole) to the white supremacy movement. Of course, we're no more part of it because of some Odinist groups than Christians are because of the Christian Identity or KKK movement.

CH,

I can barely spell Asatru, let alone describe its beliefs, but I've seen a number of allegations along this line while trying to educate myself on your faith.  Even Religious Tolerance mentions it, albeit as a corruption.

How much of a problem are racist splinter sects within Asatru?  I am asking out of interest and ignorance, and do not see this as part of your praxis in any way.

FB

Almost non-existent.  If you were to try to find a single Asatru leader espousing hatred to match any ten Christian leaders spouting hatred, or any hundred you would fail.  You will not find any Asatru trying to paint Barak Obama as the Antichrist; granted because none of us would care if he was Christ, the Antichrist, or the Dahli Lama in disguise.

There is a huge vested interest in believing that Asatru is related to the Nazi's.  Ironic as the Nazi's were a Christian ultra-conservative group, like the Christian Identity groups that make the GOP so worthy of watching for the wise.  Our symbols were stolen and polluted by ultraconservative Christians, who now use the crimes of those very Christian thieves to blacken our name.

[ChicagoHeathen]

I think the biggest "detriment" to us pagans and heathens in this sort of situation is that we don't really have our own set of lawyers or huge groups we can turn to. The community, in small groups as they are, most of us without a lot of money, it is hard to do much against attacks when they come. I mean, heck, most articles about pagans and heathens still have to state that we don't worship Satan! How are we supposed to get out real information when at best, we're fluff pieces?

The reality behind it is that, despite what the law says, pagans and heathens still face harassment, still face loss of jobs or housing or even parental rights because of misconceptions. Not everywhere, and it is less of an issue than it used to be, but there are still issues.

The pentacle, by the way, is approved as a verterans' marker. We're still fighting for the Thor's hammer.

It does remind me... when Fox News local wanted to interview some heathens on a piece about Asatru (the one where they linked us with racists), they spent months and months looking for someone who would talk to them. In fact, a piece they wanted to do a couple years before that never aired because no one talked to them. The two people who did finally agree to speak with them caught a lot of flak from our community, mostly because we knew that the local Faux News wouldn't do an unbiased piece.

Seems there's no winning, in the short term.

[Gorm_Sionnach]

So, thinking about the issue of Pagans being discriminated against, and the issue of a politician relying on their religious views to decide on policy (or at least the perception they do) and how it related to the previous POTUS.

It is of course well known in the community that the former administration was hardly supportive of Paganism, which was based in the POTUS religious convictions. Whether it was the Senator proclaiming  "Witchcraft isn't a religion"  when asked about the 1999 decision by the US Military to accomodate Wiccan on military bases, the President snubbing the widow of a deceased Wiccan serviceman, or denying a prolific authour an award, because her works inspired "witchcraft", one does not get the impression that the religious freedom of minority groups, which a Politician disgrees with on a fundamental level, for theological reasons, will be protected.

[Gorm_Sionnach]

Now, just to show that this is not an issue of one party over the other, but a systemic issue, several reports are now coming out that the GOP isstanding by their candidate and are furious with his Democratic opponents for using his faith against him.

""What we have done is stand firmly with Dan Halloran and called on Congressman [Gary] Ackerman and his staffer Kevin Kim to renounce the vile, repugnant attacks on Dan Halloran’s faith and heritage,” he continued."

I have a feeling that a lot of people in the community are going to be watching this one closely.

[ChicagoHeathen]

Oh, I am not claiming this to be a Democrat vs Republican issue, or even a conservative vs liberal issue. It is an issue that there is a certain segment of society that just absolutely freaks out to think there are real pagans and heathens out there in America. This time around, it was the Democrats (or at least some Democrats) who decided to use that against the guy.

[Gorm_Sionnach]

Oh, I am not claiming this to be a Democrat vs Republican issue, or even a conservative vs liberal issue. It is an issue that there is a certain segment of society that just absolutely freaks out to think there are real pagans and heathens out there in America. This time around, it was the Democrats (or at least some Democrats) who decided to use that against the guy.

Which is my point, it isn't necessarily an issue of one Party boosting Pagans, and another shunning them, its far more complex than that. I made the above statement only because my post prior to that was focused on past actions and statements by the GOP, and I did not want to come off as attacking one party, when the actions of the other are just as problematic.

[CCC460]

. I don't think that it will stop becoming a scandal until people grow up and get over themselves, or until we heathens and pagans (and others) start making charges of ritual cannibalism against Christians. Maybe that will open some eyes.

Frith,
CH

ROFL, taking one out of the pages of the Romans, eh?
but there is an irony there, because there was a time when everything the Christians believed was suspect and considered seditious against the Roman empire.

[CCC460]

I think the problem is, many people don't want to get beyond the shallow "understanding" of paganism and heathenry. They don't want to understand it.

I can't think of a single place, though, where these beliefs are spelled out in a way to dispel the notions that you guys work against.

To be honest, I really don't know much of what you believe. And it's not that i don't care, but these things really aren't even on my radar. they have little to do with my everyday life, and they are such a minority in America that there's really little discussion about paganism as a worldview and religion.

[ChicagoHeathen]

For learning about paganism, and some specific religions in general, http://www.religioustolerance.org is a good start.

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