Wiccans sue to change
VA policy
Religion's symbol not
allowed on veterans' grave markers
issued by government
By Bill Nichols, USA
TODAY, from the Web, November 24, 2006
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| Chaplain Bill Chrystal, left, and Roberta Stewart
carry a wreath symbolizing the Wiccan faith at the Veterans Cemetery
in Fernley, Nev., in this 2006 file photo. |
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WASHINGTON — The Department of
Veterans Affairs allows 38 symbols to be used on government-issued grave markers
for veterans. They range from the Christian cross to the Jewish Star of
David to the atomic whirl that denotes atheism.
However, despite the fact that at least at least 1,800 practicing Wiccans serve
in the U.S. armed forces, by Pentagon estimates, the Wiccan pentacle symbol
representing earth, air, fire, water and spirit can't be used on
government-issued markers.
Wiccans have gone to court to try to change that.
Lawsuits filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for
Separation of Church and State ask the government to change its policies,
arguing that Wiccans' constitutional right to religious freedom has been
abridged.
Jose Llmas, a spokesman for the Department of Veterans Affairs, declined to
comment on the lawsuits. He said the VA is formulating new rules that
"will permit additional emblems of belief to be added to our list of symbols."
He said he could not comment on whether the Wiccan pentacle might be added.
There are many strains of Wicca, but most Wiccans worship the Earth and identify
themselves as pagan. The roots of the pre-Christian faith involve "magick"
or witchcraft. Wiccans stress that their religion has no ties to Satanism
or black witchcraft. Wiccans do not believe in Satan.
Selena Fox, senior minister at Circle Sanctuary, a Wiccan church in Barneveld,
Wis., says Wiccans have tried for years to get the federal government to change
its practices. "We've been more than patient," Fox says, "but I think
there is prejudice against our religion."
Some state governments agree. A pentacle on a plaque honoring Nevada
National Guard Sgt. Patrick Stewart, who died in Afghanistan last year, was put
in place Monday on the Nevada Veterans Memorial at the state-run Northern Nevada
Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley, Nev.
Stewart's widow, Roberta Stewart, says the federal government balked at her
request to have the pentacle on a plaque provided by the VA. Nevada Gov.
Kenny Guinn, a Republican, then insisted that the state provide the plaque and
use the Wiccan symbol.
Sgt. Stewart died when his helicopter was shot down, and the plaque is his only
marker.
Guinn spokesman Steve George says the governor's legal advisers decided the
state controlled operations at the state cemetery. "Honoring the service
of this man who gave his life for his country was more important than the
symbol," he says. "He felt it was important that the man be honored."
Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and
State, says he's baffled as to why the federal government continues the policy
and has seen no explanation of the practice from the VA.
Applications for use of the pentacle on grave markers by Wiccan veterans, family
members and clergy have been filed for more than nine years. During that
time, the symbols of six other religions and belief systems have been approved.
"I've been in Washington since 1973, and I have never seen a bureaucratic
mechanism work in such a bizarre fashion," Lynn says.
The suits were filed on behalf of Wiccan widows of combat veterans and Wiccan
churches that have sought to have the pentacle put on markers.
The ACLU suit was filed in the U.S. District of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
The Americans United suit was filed in both the U.S. District Court in Madison,
Wis., and the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington.
A central legal argument in all the suits: The Defense Department allows
Wiccan soldiers to state their faith on dog tags and to hold services on
military installations.
"The Defense Department is the largest federal agency, and they acknowledge the
Wiccan religion. That should be precedent enough for the Veterans
Administration," says Joe Davis, a spokesman for Veterans of Foreign Wars, which
supports the Wiccan legal case.
There is no central governing body for Wiccans, so it's difficult to find
accurate numbers for how many Americans practice the religion. A study by
City University of New York in 2001 found 134,000 self-described Wiccans in the
USA.
Roberta Stewart, whose husband was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, is
named in one of the lawsuits, even though she won her fight to have the pentacle
placed on her husband's plaque in Nevada.
"My personal quest has been completed, but I continue this fight for all of our
pagan, Wiccan veterans who have not been honored," Stewart says.
She believes that the federal government misunderstands Wicca. She says
she and her husband often described their faith as a mixture of Native American
and Celtic influences and rituals.
In Wicca, "you don't go off what's in a book," Stewart says. "You go off
what's in your heart."
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