Just in on CNN they do not have an article yet about it but it is being announced on CNN.

A wonderful win for the the pagas as wiccan is considered a religion by the government.:drive:

so what? :rolleyes:

You mean they weren't before? Guess I was breakin' the law then!

so what? :rolleyes:

So what? Dude it is awsome because I know that all those fundementalist christians out there are steaming mad! HA HA HA!!

It brings me great satification that we can practice spells and rituals and they can't do anything about it.

lol, so you are happy about it because it makes someone else mad? We already have a member with an irrational hatred of christians, I think you need to find a new gig. We dont seem to have a radical feminist on board....

Theyve always allowed such things. In basic training on Sundays they allowed one girl a room to herself for like an hour to do her Wiccan stuff while everyone else was at church. Granted Wicca isnt really witchcraft, but you get my point.

Warrior doesn't even know what the Wiccan religion is. It isn't a bunch of people casting spells. It is a nature goddess religion.

There is something sick about a person who gets so much pleasure out of bringing pain to others.

umm I don't know about wiccanism but I am wiccan/agnostic...LOL

Yes we do practice witchcraft. Witchcraft is simply spell casting it isn't negative or positive till you put intent behind it. If you are casting bad spells or black magic but wiccan are spefically forbidden to do this our creed is "do what you will but harm none". White magick is healing and good spells that help people and our selves.
Witchcraft is the same as prayer accept we use herbs and candles and chants.
The pentagram is the protection of evil not an evil symbol.

I am happy to bring pain to intolerant judemental and ignorant people who spread lies and rumors about witchcraft and witches. Fundementalist christians deserve everything they are getting.

umm I don't know about wiccanism but I am wiccan/agnostic...LOL
It is rather funny that you are theist but then also agnostic, but not "laugh out loud" funny.

I practice witchcraft and believe woman should be very powerful spiritually but I have not aligned myself with any goddess or gods. I do not worship any being as it is a stupid concept since they have no need for my loyalty or praise.

So yes I am a wiccan/agnostic
agnostic is not an athiest
we do not deny a supreme being.
We simply say there is not enough proof that there is or isn't one. So your statement is invalid.

Is there an acronym for "Mildly chuckles and squirts a little bit of Coke out of my nose"?

Yes so funny since he did not understand what an agnostic was..

I wanna cast a spell! I wanna cast... Magic Missile! *creams out a load*

Ahh, there goes my daily ritual!

Yes so funny since he did not understand what an agnostic was..
You must be kidding. You have no idea what we do or do not understand and apparently you haven't seen enough of anyone's posts in the Religion forum to know.

Warrior, I wish you could meet my old High Priest. One of his taglines was, "Get off your cross, we need the fucking wood."

I wanna cast a spell! I wanna cast... Magic Missile! *creams out a load*

Ahh, there goes my daily ritual!

Haha, from the 8bit D&D flash. Thats a funny one.

Is there an acronym for "Mildly chuckles and squirts a little bit of Coke out of my nose"?
MC/CTN?

Haha, from the 8bit D&D flash. Thats a funny one.
Thought I'd go old skool on you bitches.

How is this recent news? They had actual Wiccan services when I was in basic training, and that was a year-and-a-half ago.

How is this recent news? They had actual Wiccan services when I was in basic training, and that was a year-and-a-half ago.
it's real old news...like 17 years old.

from the 1990 edition of "Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups: A Handbook for Chaplains," (http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_usbk.htm)

WICCA
ADDRESS: No central address. Wiccan worship groups, called covens, are essentially autonomous. Many, but far from all, have affiliated with: Covenant of the Goddess, P.O. Box 1226 Berkeley, CA 94704
OTHER NAMES BY WHICH KNOWN: Witchcraft; Goddess worshippers; Neo-Paganism, Paganism, Norse (or any other ethnic designation) Paganism, Earth Religion, Old Religion, Druidism, Shamanism. Note: All of these groups have some basic similarities and many surface differences of expression with Wicca.
LEADERSHIP: No central leadership. The Covenant of the Goddess annually elects a First Officer and there is a constitutional limit of two consecutive terms, but in practice officers have almost always served for one year only. In 1991, there are two co-First Officers, Phoenix Whitebirch and Brandy Williams.
MEMBERSHIP: Because of the complete autonomy of covens, this cannot be determined. There are an estimated of 50,000 Wiccans in the United States (1).
HISTORICAL ORIGIN: Wicca is a reconstruction of the Nature worship of tribal Europe, strongly influenced by the living Nature worship traditions of tribal peoples in other parts of the world. The works of such early twentieth century writers as Margaret Murray, Robert Graves and Gerald B. Gardner began the renewal of interest in the Old Religion. After the repeal of the anti-Witchcraft laws in Britain in 1951, Gardner publicly declared himself a Witch and began to gather a group of students and worshipers. In 1962, two of his students, Raymond and Rosemary Buckland (religious names: Lady Rowen and Robat), emigrated to the United States and began teaching Gardnerian Witchcraft here. At the same time, other groups of people became interested through reading books by Gardner and others. Many covens were spontaneously formed, using rituals created from a combination of research and individual inspiration. These self-created covens are today regarded as just as valid as those who can trace a "lineage" of teaching back to England. In 1975, a very diverse group of covens who wanted to secure the legal protections and benefits of church status formed Covenant of the Goddess (CoG), which is incorporated in the State of California and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. CoG does not represent all, or even a majority of Wiccans. A coven or an individual need not be affiliated with CoG in order to validly practice the religion. But CoG is the largest single public Wiccan organization, and it is cross-Traditional (i.e. non-denominational).
BASIC BELIEFS: Wiccans worship the sacred as immanent in Nature, often personified as Mother Earth and Father Sky. As polytheists, they may use many other names for Deity. Individuals will often choose Goddesses or Gods from any of the world's pantheons whose stories are particularly inspiring and use those Deities as a focus for personal devotions. Similarly, covens will use particular Deity names as a group focus, and these are often held secret by the groups. It is very important to be aware that Wiccans do not in any way worship or believe in "Satan," "the Devil," or any similar entities. They point out that "Satan" is a symbol of rebellion against and inversion of the Christian and Jewish traditions. Wiccans do not revile the Bible. They simply regard it as one among many of the world's mythic systems, less applicable than some to their core values, but still deserving just as much respect as any of the others. Most Wiccan groups also practice magic, by which they mean the direction and use of "psychic energy," those natural but invisible forces which surround all living things. Some members spell the word "magick," to distinguish it from sleight of hand entertainments. Wiccans employ such means as dance, chant, creative visualization and hypnosis to focus and direct psychic energy for the purpose of healing, protecting and aiding members in various endeavors. Such assistance is also extended to non-members upon request. Many, but not all, Wiccans believe in reincarnation. Some take this as a literal description of what happens to people when they die. For others, it is a symbolic model that helps them deal with the cycles and changes within this life. Neither Reincarnation nor any other literal belief can be used as a test of an individual's validity as a member of the Old Religion. Most groups have a handwritten collection of rituals and lore, known as a Book of Shadows. Part of the religious education of a new member will be to hand copy this book for him or herself. Over they years, as inspiration provides, new material will be added. Normally, access to these books is limited to initiated members of the religion.
PRACTICES AND BEHAVIORAL STANDARDS: The core ethical statement of Wicca, called the "Wiccan Rede" states "an it harm none, do what you will." The Rede fulfills the same function as does the "Golden Rule" for Jews and Christians; all other ethical teachings are considered to be elaborations and applications of the Rede. It is a statement of situational ethics, emphasizing at once the individual's responsibility to avoid harm to others and the widest range of personal autonomy in "victimless" activities. Wicca has been described as having a "high-choice" ethic. Because of the basic Nature orientation of the religion, many Wiccans will regard all living things as Sacred, and show a special concern for ecological issues. For this reason, individual conscience will lead some to take a pacifist position. Some are vegetarians. Others will feel that, as Nature's Way includes self-defense, they should participate in wars that they conscientiously consider to be just. The religion does not dictate either position, but requires each member to thoughtfully and meditatively examine her or his own conscience and to live by it. Social forces generally do not yet allow Witches to publicly declare their religious faith without fear of reprisals such as loss of job, child custody challenges, ridicule, etc. Prejudice against Wiccans is the result of public confusion between Witchcraft and Satanism. Wiccans in the military, especially those who may be posted in countries perceived to be particularly intolerant, will often have their dogtags read "No Religious Preference." Concealment is a traditional Wiccan defense against persecution, so non-denominational dogtags should not contravene a member's request for religious services. Wiccans celebrate eight festivals, called "Sabbats," as a means of attunement to the seasonal rhythms of Nature. These are: January 31 [Called Oimelc, Brigit, or February Eve],
March 21 [Ostara or Spring Equinox],
April 30 [Beltane or May Eve],
June 22 [Midsummer, Litha or Summer Solstice],
July 31 [Lunasa or Lammas],
September 21 [Harvest, Mabon or Autumn Equinox],
October 31 [Samhain, Sowyn or Hallows], and
December 21 [Yule or Winter Solstice].

Some groups find meetings within a few days of those dates to be acceptable, others require the precise date. In addition, most groups will meet for worship at each Full Moon, and many will also meet on the New Moon. Meetings for religious study will often be scheduled at any time convenient to the members, and rituals can be scheduled whenever there is a need (i.e. for a healing). Ritual jewelry is particularly important to many Wiccans. In addition to being a symbol of religious dedication, these talismans are often blessed by the coven back home and felt to carry the coven's protective and healing energy.

How is this recent news? They had actual Wiccan services when I was in basic training, and that was a year-and-a-half ago.

The last thing I had read on the topic was 2 or 3 years ago, and it was an article detailing how the Army was discriminating against/discouraging the practice of Wicca.

__________________________

The defacto goal of the predominant religion in the United States, -Christianity- is the suppression of the ability to think for oneself, or to draw independent conclusions, or to be self-critical, or to challenge authority, or to make it known that there are other views and different lifestyle choices that moral and ethical people can choose.

The last thing I had read on the topic was 2 or 3 years ago, and it was an article detailing how the Army was discriminating against/discouraging the practice of Wicca.

__________________________

The defacto goal of the predominant religion in the United States, -Christianity- is the suppression of the ability to think for oneself, or to draw independent conclusions, or to be self-critical, or to challenge authority, or to make it known that there are other views and different lifestyle choices that moral and ethical people can choose.

Dude, this act is getting old.. if you just made the first part of your post.. that's all find and dandy. BUT, you had to get on your soapbox and give your far radical left opinion for about the millionth time on the subject... WE KNOW you hate christianity, you don't have to bash it every time the subject of religion comes up. Hell, you bash it even when we ARENT talking about religion, just like you bash bush without a thread talking about him...

FT, what would you do if there were no Bush and no Christianity? You'd have alot of Free Time on your hands that's for sure..

The RECENT NEWS is that you can now have a wiccan symbol on your headstone.

Yes you are right I was mistaken. They did several segmants on it on CNN after I first posted the topic. They have been fighting for it for 2 years. Yes America is so full of religious tolerance.

It doesn't matter for me whether witchcraft would be practical or not.
I hope doing witchcraft not when war but before war.
If God will help us to avoid war and to keep peace, I believe the religion and almighty God.

But, I wonder I've heard that Church have banned witchcraft...:confused:

The church banned the practice of witchcraft up until the beginning of the modern age. The banning was based mainly on The Bible verse, Ex. 22:18, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." The Hebrew word was M'khashephah which does not refer to a person who worships a nature goddess but to someone who performs spells.

Other witches are mentioned in The Bible without the injunction to kill them. The Witch of Endor mentioned in First Samuel called up the soul of the prophet Samuel at the request of King Saul.