Thank you.
Nic <CeltiNion@aol.com>
Royal Oak, MI USA - Thursday, October 07, 1999 at 17:15:42 (MDT)

Just to make sure we're on the same page here -- in case the piece was too subtle (or believable -- which would be a complement) -- it is fiction. The image has been edited; there is actually a cross on Tablerock where the ankh appears in the picture. (I assure you that the ankh has a lot of meaning for many Pagans and Wiccans.)

As far as the previous respondent's idea that (in your words) "the titles of majority and minority should be ripped from the face of the earth" -- I sincerely don't think that removing words from the language will change how the world works. Whether it is racial distribution, point of view, religion or choice of breakfast cereals, there is nothing inherently wrong with the fact that people aren't the same as each other, but they are usually similar to *some* of each other. So there is occasionally a majority and a minority -- in which case, as long as the rights of the minority are taken into consideration, it's cool. Usually, there is no majority -- just a lot of different groups, all in the minority.

Religion is the massive exception. In America, the vast majority considers themselves Christian. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, of course, as long as those who are not Christian have the same rights as those who are. While preparing to write the piece, I thought, "How would the believers in Jesus feel to look up at an ankh above the city every day?" Well, of course they would feel similar to what those who believe in something else *do* feel when they look up at the cross that *really* is there.

I'm pretty sure if a group of Pagans acquired a bit of land up there and erected an ankh -- or if Jews erected a Star of David -- or whatever, that the majority of my fellow citizens here would shit themselves. Even though it isn't right, even though "official policy" is to not respect one belief system over another, that's not how it *really* works.

I figured my best shot at trying to communicate that thought would be to write as though the roles were reversed. You are welcome.
-- The Mystic

this is a letter specifically pointed to the person who wrote the article "a little bit of inquisition"

I have always been a religious and philisophical outsider since being young- and was always keenly aware of being on the outside to belief systems that i was not a part of within America- and this awareness was not just indicitive of being raised in Florida for 13 years( ie it is not some demographic religious dialectic situation)- it also spanned immersion to MN, SD, and WI as well as moments in Hawaii- and in reading your letter. i felt i had to respond in regards to American social awareness, mainstream religion, and your bent on your religiosocial plight.

For starters- you assume that the Ankh where you live is some Catch-all symbol for paganism- its not- the pentagram ( and those witches with a penchant for bickering over miniscule details like rabbi's over the Torra will want me to say " but it has to have a point up so we dont become confused with satanists" ) is the 'symbol' we are akin to in representing our faith - the ankh is merely a symbol of fertility, regeneration, and rebirth(reincarnation to some), and in some modern subcultures( goths and 'vampires' to name a few) depending on what sources modern and ancient you wish to recite from. Paganism does NOT have a monopoly of this symbol like christians do the cross- you are either mistaken of the situation or ( and this, from the tone of your essay, is what i am inclined to believe) have an interpretation of this symbol in yoru town based on biases against paganism or impresssions of pagan 'bias' against you.

To continue... you have this diatribe of how you feel religiously persecuted in your area because paganisms seems to be a mainstay- you then go on to state that it must be an american historically founded phenomenon. I can attest on SEVERAL levels that you are severely mistaken- People came to america , yes, because of persecution- MOST of these people, if not all, originally were of European descent- the rest are of a proportionately smaller number- OF those people who were persecuted- a lot of them were considered gutter trash by the rest ofEurope- people whom teh mainstream society thought would be better off dead - America was a symbol of an opt out- of hope for something better than where they were- and yes- there were a large number of religious people seeking asylum- HOWEVER- THESE PEOPLE WERE NOT PAGANS AS A MAJORITY- people seeking religious asylum in america were by far different denominations of christio-judeo backround. Take a look at european religious history at the time- there were far more fires to be put out within christianity in interdenominational conflict than outside-

And as far as your comment of witches leaving on the boats of europe for america- Most people were burnt in the inquisition because they either had land or property the Church ( catholic) wished to aquire or had positions of power and competition that the Church wished to remove- Most people burned at the stake during this time or leaving Eurpoe because of being blamed for witchcraft were innocents that felt the wrath of the church as a political power- not because they were pagans-

And as far as American religious history at the time of the pilgrims and since- We are a religious society based on Puritans- the red letter-Salem's reaction to "witches" - a strong calvanistic view of what people should be and not be- I dont know where you think you are in terms of american religion- but you might want to read a census of the North American religious stratum- you either have a narrow perception of what the american socioreligious maintstream is or you live in an anomoly of american culture. I have been around this country and traveled through a large number of its states- and every town i come through has a slew of churches( all christian mostly since they are adorned with some mammoth cross) of every christian denomination- I have even come across a large number of jehovah's witness churches in the smaller cities- not once have i come across a mosk for islamic practitioners- or a sinagogue for the jewish- ie- IF YOU WANT TO FIND MINORITY RELIGEONS IN AMERICA YOU USUALLY HAVE TO HUNT THEM DOWN- and wiccan groups are harder to find in our culture than islamic or jewish groups-

You made a comment in your article about "saturnalia" and that you couldnt partake because of your religion- jewish people have to deal with the onslaught of "christmas" from before halloween to basically new years when stores are trying to get rid of their inventory- Jehovah's Witness's don't practice celebration of birthdays while everyone else around them asks what they want for your birthday- when it is- and wonder why they dont practice it when everyone else does- the bottom line of this reaction to your statement- IF you are part of a small religious sect- christian or otherwise- you are going to be considered different- and like every other religious minority you need to find security in your belief or your religious philosophy without social support because that social support might not ever come- other religious minorities have had to do it for a very long time- i am sure you will manage- IF you are basically mainstream christian, then i have a hard time accepting that you are so socially persecuted- go to church or watch the religious ceremonies on TV-

You bring up a situation that happened - HR101 - personally- i would have liked to read the whole bill/article represented by this alabama representative- in reading its presentation in your article- i couldn't help but feel it was taken out of context like some biblical reference against a wrong for the Church- another thought that came to mind in regards to this particular event- HE IS NOT THE ONLY REPRESENTATIVE for your state or country- there are other people to support and its not like you cant organize some religious support group in your own area if you really wanted to.

Later in your essay, you make a point of offering other options in terms of religious affiliations in the schools- " why couldnt it have been Tao Te ching or the dhammapada. Christian beautitudes might be considered more poetic..." if you were true to your statements earlier in the essay about no religion being presented as higher than the rest then this whole attitude presented above is irrelevant- it is a contradiction- it wouldnt matter if it was bhuddist philosophy or christian dogma being presented in the classroom - one religion is still being presented as the socially acceptable and predominantly followed one by the class and the community - regardless of whether it is intentional or subversive in nature- so in regards to tao- hindu- or christian or any other- it shouldnt matter if it was wiccan or otherwise in debate to that statement - wiccan falls along the roadside like any other "offbeat religion" that isnt judeochristian in American eyes-

if you feel that you are not in the mainstream of your society then welcome to my side of the playground- pagans and nonchristians alike have always had to explore their religiospiritual paths without the wholehearted support of mainstream society- i am sure that if they can get through it then you can- and as far as you living in your town since being 6 and being immerced in something other than your family's religion- You arent obligated to stay there- the rest of mainstream american religion is waiting for you- move to a different area- go to church affiliations from your faith and spend your time there- if you have kids, then raise them with the beliefs that are a part of your family and religion- but to sit on the sidelines and blame your problem on a religion that has had to fight for existance from the beginning of this millenium all the way up to pushing for acceptance from the american government in the 20th century as a legitamate religion- then thats thats truely to bad for you- I have no sympathy for you and your feelings of religious isolation- get on with your life and do something about getting involved with others like you instead of blaming other people who have nothign to do with your issue-

Reply:
My fiction must be on the line of subtlety where some people 'get' it right away and others do not.

The article employs irony, i.e., I'm using dissimulation to make a point that I know from experience doesn't soak in by employing straight-line logic. It is full of fiction and dissimulation. If you've got the time, re-read the article with the following in mind:

A) I don't live in some weird pocket of America that is primarily Pagan. Christians are the majority here, like everywhere else in this country.
B) The image with the ankh on the hill has been altered. It's actually one of those mammoth crosses you wrote about.
C) Obviously, most people who fled here from Europe were Christians, not Pagans.
D) You made my intended point about Saturnalia. It's Christmas that society assumes that everybody should celebrate.
E) H.R. 1501 -- an actual piece of legislation -- wasn't amended with a requirement to post "the Witches Rede" in classrooms. It was actually "the Ten Commandments".

Do you see why I'm trying to make the same point by changing the 'facts'? Most Americans aren't all that concerned that members of the House of Representatives proposes hanging this religious document in classrooms -- as long as it's a document that coincides with their own belief systems.

You write, "Later in your essay, you make a point of offering other options in terms of religious affiliations...if you were true to your statements earlier in the essay about no religion being presented as higher than the rest then this whole attitude presented above is irrelevant- it is a contradiction..."

Apparently, you missed the end of that paragraph where I state "Obviously, publishing them all would be the only fair step -- and also ludicrous, given the number of belief systems. This is exactly the reason why all of them should be available in the public schools and none of them mandated."

Great satire (I recognized it at once) and so much to the point. I find it hilarious and ironic that people, typically of the majoritarian religion, don't see the parallels between your tale and the actual situation in the US today and then presume to 'correct' your interpretation of the 'facts'. HA!

I am an Atheist because I have read the bible, cover to cover, and studied other religions (mythologies all) in a comparative manner. I have also become an avid amateur historian and am appalled at what I have learned and how easily it is kept hidden from the general public who just doesn't seem to care. You hit the nail directly on the head with your statement that all holy books should be uncensored while none should be preferred or promoted by government. People need to take the initiative themselves to read several and make up their own minds as to what makes sense, not having a singular one shoved at them by a money grubber screaming "TRUTH".

I am very active in fighting to keep christianity out of our schools because none of the umpteen varieties of religion belong there. Unfortunately the majority tends to overwhelm us as people see it as an argument only for christianity or for the 'religion of secular humanism' or 'Atheism' where we are seen as the horrible and hopeless people the religious have falsely painted us to be. If we actually had a course delineating the philosophy of Atheism and we were demanding that it be put into the schools there might be just cause for concern. The fact of the matter is nothing about Atheism is, or ever was, allowed to be taught in schools.

I am also surprised and disappointed that the other religious groups in America aren't demanding the same kind of access to the schools. Surprised because I would think that if they believe firmly that their religion is superior to all others, as christians surely seem to believe, they should become upset and demand that their views get equal promotion in the schools. Disappointed because, if only they would make some noise, the judicial system would become such a quagmire of debate and litigation I fully expect that the judges would then understand why not a single one of them should be let in. This would at least prove the point you made about deciding which group should be allowed to push their brand of mythology on the rest of the country: None of them.

Excellent story, great fun to read. Thanks.

KB

I'm sorry, I have a small problem with your generalizations. I happen to live in Atlanta and have been here for nearly fifteen years. Not only have I never seen a shrine to the Goddess or Horned God (although I am sure they exist), instead of those shrines on every third block, as you said, it is much more likely to see a church (Catholic or Protestant) or a synagogue. You live in the Northwest (according to your article) and I was wondering if you knew anything about the Southern Baptists? The South is bashed all the time for being extremely Christian, but this is the first time I have heard the South being referred to as Pagan Central. Also, I would appreciate it if you could tell me where you obtained the information regarding the House bill and comments from the Congressmen/women. I had not heard anything of that sentiment in the news and would appreciate a first-hand source so I may write and express my displeasure over the violation (if it exists, forgive me for not believing everything I read on the Internet. I'm sure you understand) of the First Amendment. Thank you.

MoonQueen9:

You should especially not believe what you read on the Internet - literally - if it is satire, and thus fiction. If you check out our other readers' comments linked from the bottom of the article ... you'll see that you weren't the first to take the story literally.

I'll add a link to our "Note on Satire" at the bottom of the article. Perhaps that will help in the future.

Hi Folks.
Loved this piece! I continue to be amazed as I surf the net. I have read numerous articles and bulletin boards, etc. I have come to two conclusions from all this reading. One, that most people's spellng is atrocious! This is especially annoying since most email and word processing programs come with spell check. Two, ideas that are subtle or break the established mold are rarely understood. I simply could not understand why anyone could interpret this piece as anything but satire. Paganism the predominant religion? What a yuk! Good points made! Keep up the good work. Thanks
jay

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http://unquietmind.com/inquisition.html

I think you need to do some more home work you got many facts very wrong, better luck next time.

--
Blessings,
Lyonness
Den Mommy at the Lyonness Den
http://www.vicinities.com/lyonnessden/
Washington State Director of W.A.R.D.(Witches Against Religious Discrimination)
http://witch.drak.net/ward-wa/index.html

Not surprising, since it isn't supposed to be fractual, but fiction. Better luck next time with those run-on sentences.

Oh, great Mother on a pogostick, I haven't laughed so hard in ages! After the intensity of being a Witch in the Bible Belt during the month of October, your article was just what I needed. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Byron Ballard