US pagans fight grave symbol ban

[icymist]

Pagans in the US have filed a law suit against the government for the right to have their five-pointed symbol placed on gravestones in military cemeteries.

Widows of two Wiccan soldiers and two Wiccan congregations say the government is obstructing their constitutional right to freedom of religion.

About 1,800 people on active duty in the US armed services are Wiccan.

Read the BBC article

Wiccan widows sue feds
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"I continue this fight for America and for our right for religious freedom, not only for myself and Patrick, but for all Wiccan and Pagan soldiers," Stewart said by phone from Washington D.C.

The Nevada Office of Veterans Services decided in September to put the Wiccan emblem on a plaque for Stewart on the Veterans' Memorial Wall at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley.

However, Stewart said she must continue her fight for national recognition.

"Right now, my heart goes out to the soldiers and their wives who are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, knowing that they're fighting for this country and if they die, they will not be honored," she said. "As a spouse, I am entitled to a plaque or headstone in a veteran's memorial cemetery, and unless the pentacle is approved, I cannot have the pentacle on mine."

Read the Reno Gazette-Journal article

Group sues to allow pagan symbol on gravestones

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“If a Wiccan soldier is killed in action, the families of that soldier are unable to have the pentacle added to his or her gravestone,” said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “Sergeant Stewart was ... a hero when he died in service to his country. His memory should be honored in a fitting way.”

Historically, the religion has faced animosity because many mistakenly believe pagans worship the devil. In fact, the devil isn’t part of the faith at all. And when members speak of Wicca, people tend to think of Halloween witches, rather than people with a mantra of “harm none.”

Read the Navy Times article