| AREN PRESS RELEASE ON FAITH BASED INITIATIVE PRESS RELEASE ON FAITH BASED
INITIATIVE Date: February 20, 2001
Contact People: Rev. Rona J. Coomer-Russell, Coordinator Association of Pagan
Congregations and Independent Clergy spokesperson@a...
Jerrie K. Hildebrand, Director of PR & Media Alternative Religions Education Network
(AREN) kishhilde@e...
As a result of discussion among activists and religious leaders in the Wiccan, Pagan
and earth religious communities, an open statement to government officials regarding
President Bush's Office of Faith Based Action and Community Initiatives has been sent. The
statement was written in collaboration with earth religious leaders about the concerns
faced by members of Wiccan, Pagan and earth religious faith groups and the President's
initiatives. The statement outlines the fears concerning discrimination, harassment and
defamation for groups who may wish to apply for the program and program participants. The
office calls for more government funds to be opened up to religious charities and
churches. This move concerns not only Wiccan, Pagan and earth religious faith groups, but
many other religious groups as well. Some Jewish and Baptist organizations are opposed to
it, suggesting that the government funds may taint their religious programs and create
additional bureaucracy.
The Pagan community, which includes Wiccans, Druids and a wide variety of earth
religious faith groups feels that it has a lot more to fear. The Wiccan community has
often been brought up by government officials and the media as a challenge to the program.
Many deem Wicca as a substandard religion without giving clarifying reasons for why it
would not qualify in the program. Like many other faith groups, earth religious traditions
have food pantries, prison ministries, and substance abuse programs in their communities.
They are also committed to service in the area of social action in current secular and
faith based organizations.
Stephen Goldsmith, the Domestic Policy Advisor to the President spoke ill of Wicca
during an interview on "Mc Laughlin's One on One." He said that he did not
"think that Wiccans would meet the standard of being humane providers of domestic
violence shelters." In dialogue between CNN's Bill Press and Tucker Carlson on the
show "Spin Room," Wicca was heavily debated. Topics included Wiccan hospitals,
chicken sacrificing and how the government would not give funds to Wiccans. Indiana
Representative Souder stated on the House floor in April of 2000 stated that "it is
unlikely under President Bush that the witches would get funding." With such comments
abounding, it is no wonder that many in the earth religious faith traditions fear unequal
treatment.
The first edition of the letter will be in governmental boxes by the third week of
February. Initial signers of letter include: Rev. Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, Church of All
Worlds; Anne Newkirk Niven, CEO, Blessed Bee, Inc.; Rev. Wren Walker, Rev. Fritz Jung, The
Witches' Voice, Inc.; Jerrie Hildebrand, Director of PR & Media, Alternative Religions
Education Network (AREN); Cairril Adaire, National Coordinator Pagan Educational Network;
Rev. Nancy Machin, Board of Directors, Pagan Educational Network; M. Macha NightMare,
Ritualist, Author, Pagan Organizer; Rev. Rona J. Coomer-Russell, Spokesperson, Assn. for
Pagan Congregations and Independent Clergy; Dagonet Dewr, Membership Director, Pagan Pride
Project; Ellen Evert Hopman, Order of the Whiteoak (Ord Na Darach Gile); S. Cecylyna
Egbert, Executive Director, Pagan Pride Project; and Steve Foster, President, Alternative
Religions Educational Network (AREN).
The letter has been posted for further signatures at http://aren.org.
We invite those in sympathy with the letter to go and register your name for the next
edition of the letter to be forwarded. We will send every 100 signatures by mail to the
President. |
