Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.The title of this post is actually a headline from today's New York Times. It has taken 10 years for this to happen. Other religions have had approval within a few months. Why the difference? Here's a little background quote that gives a slant on the nature of the discrimination:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
In reviewing 30,000 pages of documents from Veterans Affairs, Americans United said, it found e-mail and memorandums referring to negative comments President Bush made about Wicca in an interview with “Good Morning America” in 1999, when he was governor of Texas. The interview had to do with a controversy at the time about Wiccan soldiers’ being allowed to worship at Fort Hood, Tex.I'm not sure if this puts Wicca a step above or a step below athiests? Wicca is centuries older than Christianity. It was one of the more prevalent religions that was surpassed by the myths du jour, ie Christianity, Islam, Judeaism, etc.
“I don’t think witchcraft is a religion,” Mr. Bush said at the time, according to a transcript. “I would hope the military officials would take a second look at the decision they made.”
The question is, if the federal government was not allowing the Wicca symbol to be put on soldier's grave markers, did it, in fact violate the freedom of religion section of the First Amendment - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...? Athiests at least can put nothing on their grave markers.
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