FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR IS THERE?
By Eric

There is freedom of religion, if you’re a Christian, a Mormon, or a Catholic. If you’re Pagan, and especially a Pagan soldier, don’t hold your breath. You’re actually fighting so the mainstream religions can practice their faiths.

What, you don’t believe me? Ask the Pagan soldier that died last week, or ask the Navy soldier in Kuwait right now whose being harassed constantly and actually was physically beaten by her fellow soldiers in basic training. Or better yet, ask the Soldiers from Baghdad who according to the Stars and Stripes newspaper in 2004 were put in the hospital by fellow Soldiers while holding a ritual.

I stand my ground when it comes to my practice and the practice of my fellow Pagan soldiers and know the procedures for handling these situations to right the wrongs thrown at us. My chaplain stands behind me as well and backs up our rights as Pagans to worship in a combat zone. The Soldier who died last week, is proof that the military needs to get its head out of a dark hole and get us a Pagan Chaplain-- if all the Pagan soldiers in our military were just to stand up and walk off all at once, most of the units in the military wouldn’t be able to function but maybe that’s just the wake-up call our chaplaincy corps, our military, and our government need to realize; that wow, not everyone in America is a main-stream religion, and maybe we should get our heads out of our asses.

I’m done with the Military after this tour, and I just can’t wait as I have plans of giving the Military hell as a civilian and pursuing the VA with the Pagan headstone campaign if it’s not approved by that time, oh you didn’t know? There is no approved symbol for our Pagan Soldiers, yet there are 32 symbols approved for headstones, at last count I believe 16 were Christian, the Atheists are even allowed a symbol, but oh my Goddess we can’t condone the Pentacle for Pagans that would just be absurd.

I’m sure there’s many more, but I know for a fact of at least two soldiers of Pagan faiths have died in this thing they call Bush’ war. Yes I’m fed up beyond belief and I know it shows in this writing but maybe that’s what it takes. I’ve said it before and I’ll explain it again, I had a tent Desert Moon Grove met in at the start of this deployment, it was taken away from us while I was home on leave as I was told mission dictated, so now my platoon sergeant uses it a his little office and rubs it in my face as his tent now all the time. We meet in my trailer, all 25 of us every night, well, at least 10 to12 every night but try fitting 10 Soldiers in a space about 15 feet by 5 feet, it doesn’t work.

Then I’m told we can’t meet here cause then I would be breaking a curfew policy, yes I’m 37 years old and I’m pretty much told when I can sneeze to a point. So they try and take our location away but don’t give us a compromise, so we meet here anyway because I’m not going to turn away my group, that doesn’t work. Meantime there’s all kinds of room in our little company compound but oh no can’t have a Pagan tent there but it’s ok to hold Bible studies in the same compound, hmm do you smell some discrimination? I think I do too.

But that’s just the beginning and a small tip of the iceberg. As of this writing, my battalion chaplain will be coming back down here to rectify a lot of this crap that’s going on as he has been supportive of Desert Moon since its conception in Feb 2004. We still go on with morale staying high because we don’t let the little people get us down and we don’t stoop to their level of stupidity.

I fight stupidity with politics and regulations that were designed to cut through the crap. As of this writing also, I’m looking into the policies of what I’m authorized to do as a pagan lay-leader. I’m also looking into the Kuwait issue with the female Navy Soldier as to why the chaplaincy isn’t helping her out, as last time I knew there was a Pagan group on that base unless, of course, it fell through as well.

My main concern however, is that as long as we are here in this war, soldiers are going to die. Hopefully they won’t be Pagan or they won’t properly be respected unless something in the procedures here change. I will strive to make that change as I see it is my duty as a Pagan and as a leader of soldiers. I will keep you all updated on changes and on this war on terror, however my definition of terrorist is changing slowly.

Until next time,
Bright Blessings.

Eric