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President Bush and Wicca

• Press release on faith based initiative
• Among witches, anti-Bush sentiment is brewing

PRESS RELEASE ON FAITH BASED INITIATIVE

As a result of discussion among activists and religious leaders in the Wiccan, Pagan and earth religious communities, an open statement to government officials regarding President Bush's Office of Faith Based Action and Community Initiatives has been sent. The statement was written in collaboration with earth religious leaders about the concerns faced by members of Wiccan, Pagan and earth religious faith groups and the President's initiatives. The statement outlines the fears concerning discrimination, harassment and defamation for groups who may wish to apply for the program and program participants.

The office calls for more government funds to be opened up to religious charities and churches. This move concerns not only Wiccan, Pagan and earth religious faith groups, but many other religious groups as well. Some Jewish and Baptist organizations are opposed to it, suggesting that the government funds may taint their religious programs and create additional bureaucracy.

The Pagan community, which includes Wiccans, [Celts,] Druids and a wide variety of earth religious faith groups feels that it has a lot more to fear. The Wiccan community has often been brought up by government officials and the media as a challenge to the program. Many deem Wicca as a substandard religion without giving clarifying reasons for why it would not qualify in the program. Like many other faith groups, earth religious traditions have food pantries, prison ministries, and substance abuse programs in their communities. They are also committed to service in the area of social action in current secular and faith based organizations.

Stephen Goldsmith, the Domestic Policy Advisor to the President spoke ill of Wicca during an interview on "Mc Laughlin's One on One." He said that he did not "think that Wiccans would meet the standard of being humane providers of domestic violence shelters."

In dialogue between CNN's Bill Press and Tucker Carlson on the show "Spin Room," Wicca was heavily debated. Topics included Wiccan hospitals, chicken sacrificing and how the government would not give funds to Wiccans.  Indiana Representative Souder stated on the House floor in April of 2000 stated that "it is unlikely under President Bush that the witches would get funding."

With such comments abounding, it is no wonder that many in the earth religious faith traditions fear unequal treatment.

The first edition of the letter will be in governmental boxes by the third week of February. Initial signers of letter include:  Rev. Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, Church of All Worlds; Anne Newkirk Niven, CEO, Blessed Bee, Inc.; Rev. Wren Walker, Rev. Fritz Jung, The Witches' Voice, Inc.; Jerrie Hildebrand, Director of PR & Media, Alternative Religions Education Network (AREN); Cairril Adaire, National Coordinator Pagan Educational Network; Rev. Nancy Machin, Board of Directors, Pagan Educational Network; M. Macha NightMare, Ritualist, Author, Pagan Organizer; Rev. Rona J. Coomer-Russell, Spokesperson, Assn. for Pagan Congregations and Independent Clergy; Dagonet Dewr, Membership Director, Pagan Pride Project; [Druid] Ellen Evert Hopman, Order of the Whiteoak (Ord Na Darach Gile); S. Cecylyna Egbert, Executive Director, Pagan Pride Project; and Steve Foster, President, Alternative Religions Educational Network (AREN).

The letter has been posted for further signatures at http://www.aren.org. We invite those in sympathy with the letter to go and register your name for the next edition of the letter to be forwarded. We will send every 100 signatures by mail to the President.

Freedom of Religion means ALL Religions.

Date: February 20, 2001. Contact People: Rev. Rona J. Coomer-Russell, Coordinator Association of Pagan Congregations and Independent Clergy, Jerrie K. Hildebrand, Director of PR & Media  Alternative Religions Education Network (AREN)

AMONG WITCHES, ANTI-BUSH SENTIMENT IS BREWING

According to a "Pagan Press Release on Faith Based Initiative", Bush could face opposition to his faith-based charities initiative of mystical proportions.

"The Pagan community, which includes Wiccans, Druids and a wide variety of earth religious faith groups, feels that it has a lot more to fear (by faith-based programs])

Like many other faith groups, earth religious traditions have food pantries, prison ministries, and substance abuse programs in their communities. They are also committed to service in the area of social action in current secular and faith based organizations."

The pagans have set up a petition on the AREN Web site, which already boasts "earth religion" luminaries such as "Rev. Oberon Zell -Ravenheart, Church of All Worlds; Rev. Wren Walker, Rev. Fritz Jung, The Witches' Voice, Inc.; M. Macha NightMare, Ritualist, Author, Pagan Organizer; [Druid] Ellen Evert Hopman, Order of the Whiteoak (Ord Na Darach Gile)."

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