Paganism In The Navy
- Thread starter MysticalMom
- Start date
BlackSheep
New Member
dbquad1993
New Member
I think it is so sad that those who fight to keep our country free, which is supposed to include freedom to choose ones own religion and not be force fed the mass "duty" religion, have to hide due to ignorance and misinformation. At least the military has finally relented to the use of the pentacle on stones at Arlington. Due to the commercialization of a certain faith over the last 20-30 years, people have been turned off to it. Knowing there has some greater being above us - how else could such natural beauty exist on this globe? - people are turning towards older religions to find meaning. It is a shame that the older religions are not treated with the same respecct as the newer ones (Christianity, Judaism and Islam). Thanks fo the article!!! 
nhboy
Ubi bene ibi patria
Thank goodness the Rev. Falwell (blessed be his holy name) isn't around to read this. We'd never hear the end of it!
If Paganism becomes a main stream religion, I will no longer be allowed to use my favorite wintertime phrase " Its colder than a witches tit!" Not PC at all!
Heres to the Wiccans!
My Celtic Jeweler
If Paganism becomes a main stream religion, I will no longer be allowed to use my favorite wintertime phrase " Its colder than a witches tit!" Not PC at all!
Heres to the Wiccans!
My Celtic Jeweler
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Christy
b*tch rocket
dbquad1993 said:I think it is so sad that those who fight to keep our country free, which is supposed to include freedom to choose ones own religion and not be force fed the mass "duty" religion, have to hide due to ignorance and misinformation. At least the military has finally relented to the use of the pentacle on stones at Arlington. Due to the commercialization of a certain faith over the last 20-30 years, people have been turned off to it. Knowing there has some greater being above us - how else could such natural beauty exist on this globe? - people are turning towards older religions to find meaning. It is a shame that the older religions are not treated with the same respecct as the newer ones (Christianity, Judaism and Islam). Thanks fo the article!!!
I spent several years in military and was never "force fed" any religion.
And your making it sound like the US Navy is hunting down Wiccans like the Nazis hunted down the Jews, which is absurd. I think the US military tries to accomodate all religions as much as humanly possible. I don't see what the huge issue is?
I figure it reflects the same condition and probably the same percentage as in the civilian population. 
Christy
b*tch rocket
HopHead said:
Again, what is the big deal? The vast majority of military personnel subscribe to Christian beliefs. Are you saying that since the minority of members don't, it should be stopped? I find it ironic that those who scream the loudest about not having their beliefs recognized or respected, are the first to want to squash other's rights to their beliefs.
And again, I stand by my opinion that the military does their best to accomodate all recognized religions, and whenever the Wiccans become the majority in the military, then all of the Christians will have to suck it up and listen to a Pagan before every military function.
MysticalMom
Witchy Woman
MMDad said:
I'd have to agree. I grew up a Navy brat. And while some functions did begin with a prayer or bendiction,(especially aboard ship) I attended plenty that didn't.
MMDad
Lem Putt
HopHead said:
Since you felt the need to leave me karma calling me "sheep", please explain yourself. Are you saying I'm wrong? Are you saying I'm a follower incapable of independent thought? Are you calling me a Christian, as in a member of the flock? What do you mean?
I'm a veteran and have worked with the military for more than 22 years. I have seen some military functions that included a prayer, but the vast majority did not. Since you claimed the every function does have a prayer, and I know that not to be true, you are obviously distorting the truth.
K
kris31280
Guest
So why not do what 90% of the world's practicing pagans do when faced with something like that... simply ignore it!HopHead said:
At Thanksgiving when my grandparents insist on praying to God and thanking him for the meal, I don't bow my head because I will not pray to their God. The same goes at Christmas. Am I defianant about it? Do I make a big deal about it? No. I simply do not bow my head in prayer when they begin to pray. They respect my right to not share in their religious belief and I respect their right to practice theirs.
K
kris31280
Guest
And while I'm at it (as I sat here thinking and reading the article)...
What the hell are wiccans doing in the Navy, or any armed forces for that matter?
The Wiccan Creed, which is the one and only law/rule in wiccanism, is stated as follows:
"Bide the Wiccan law ye must
In perfect love, in perfect trust.
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill:
And ye harm none, do as ye will.
And ever mind the rule of three:
And what ye sends out comes back to thee.
Follow this with mind and heart,
And merry ye meet, and merry ye part."
Basically there are two things in that "law" that would make it pretty clear that a military career is not the best choice for a wiccan...
"As long as ye harm none, do as ye will" - That means, as long as it's hurting no one, go ahead and do it. This includes harm to yourself, btw. I think that, personally, shooting a gun at someone with the intent to kill or maim or injure is willfully doing harm... and willfully doing harm (and even unintentionally doing harm) goes against the Wiccan Rede.
"And ever mind the rule of three: what ye sends out comes back to thee." - Again, killing someone comes back to you threefold. Plotting against someone, no matter in who's name it is and for what purpose, comes back to you threefold. Basically anything bad you do comes back threefold... but anything good you do comes back threefold as well.
I don't know, just my 4 cents there on that.
What the hell are wiccans doing in the Navy, or any armed forces for that matter?
The Wiccan Creed, which is the one and only law/rule in wiccanism, is stated as follows:
"Bide the Wiccan law ye must
In perfect love, in perfect trust.
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill:
And ye harm none, do as ye will.
And ever mind the rule of three:
And what ye sends out comes back to thee.
Follow this with mind and heart,
And merry ye meet, and merry ye part."
Basically there are two things in that "law" that would make it pretty clear that a military career is not the best choice for a wiccan...
"As long as ye harm none, do as ye will" - That means, as long as it's hurting no one, go ahead and do it. This includes harm to yourself, btw. I think that, personally, shooting a gun at someone with the intent to kill or maim or injure is willfully doing harm... and willfully doing harm (and even unintentionally doing harm) goes against the Wiccan Rede.
"And ever mind the rule of three: what ye sends out comes back to thee." - Again, killing someone comes back to you threefold. Plotting against someone, no matter in who's name it is and for what purpose, comes back to you threefold. Basically anything bad you do comes back threefold... but anything good you do comes back threefold as well.
I don't know, just my 4 cents there on that.
Kris, if that's the case, you've just taken this thread 360 degrees around and illustrated that most everyone has the same beliefs. We just all look at it from different points of view. Take your arguement from the wiccan creed and compare it to the ten commandments. So I'll rephrase your question for you...What the hell is anyone who believes in a religion (wiccan/christian/muslim/jew/whateverelse) doing in the military?kris31280 said:
K
kris31280
Guest
It's funny you mention that similarity... but keep in mind it is just that, a similarity.HopHead said:
If you do the research, you'll find that when Christianity was taking over the world and wars were being fought in it's name, the Christians used that same arguement. Christmas is right around the same time as the pagan Yule. Easter is around the same time as another Pagan holiday. It's a little coincidental that Jesus was born on one and died on the other. And why do you think bunnies are associated with Easter? It's for the fertility, which was key in the pagan festival.
But the biggest difference between the two in terms of the "law" and the "ten commandments" is that the commandments say "Do unto others as you would have then do unto you." Basically play nice with other people if you want them to play nice with you. The wiccan rede of "And ye harm none, do as ye will" is about 100 times MORE strict than even the strictest christian code. "And ye harm NONE...", that includes yourself. Anything that causes harm, mentally or physically, to anyone is to be avoided at all costs due to the rule of three... what you put out there comes back threefold (which is very similar to the christian belief of "You reap what you sow" but again, promises a much harsher payback).
And I agree with you on the "What the hell is anyone doing in the military" question... I'm pretty anti-military, and I realize that A: Saying that here is bound to give me loads of red karma and B: I live in the wrong part of the country to be anti-military. But, based on my religous beliefs and the very belief that "And ye harm none, do as ye will", it's pretty easy to see why I'm anti-military.
Nickel
curiouser and curiouser
You sure as hell do. There are plenty of wonderful people in the military that haven't hurt a soul. In fact, some of the most admirable people I know are in the military. It takes a special person to sacrifice their wants for the greater good of their country, versus sitting on their soapbox complaining while doing nothing to change things.kris31280 said: