The Pentacle is now allowed!

Post by **[ravenwing]** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 3:15 pm

Wiccan symbol allowed in national cemeteries after VA settles Wisconsin lawsuit
BY SCOTT BAUER
Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 04/23/2007 10:33:29 AM CDT

MADISON - Wiccans will be allowed to have the symbol of their religion placed on grave markers in national cemeteries under a lawsuit settlement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced this morning.

The settlement calls for the Wiccans' pentacle, a five-pointed star representing earth, air, fire, water and spirit to be placed on grave markers within 14 days for those who have pending requests with the VA.

There are 11 families nationwide that are waiting for grave markers with the pentacle, said Selena Fox, a Wiccan high priestess with Circle Sanctuary in Barneveld, Wis., and a party to the lawsuit.

"I am glad this has ended in success in time to get markers for Memorial Day," she said.

The agreement settles a lawsuit filed in November by veterans' widows and others alleging that the VA has stalled for more than nine years in recognizing the pentacle. The case, which will be dismissed under the settlement, was scheduled to go to trial in June in federal court in Madison.

The pentacle joins 38 religious symbols the VA already permits on gravestones. They include commonly recognized symbols for Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism, as well as those for smaller religions such as Sufism Reoriented, Eckiankar and the Japanese faith Seicho-No-Ie.

The pentacle was already listed as an acceptable symbol Monday morning on the VA's Web site.

"This settlement has forced the Bush Administration into acknowledging that there are no second class religions in America, including among our nation's veterans," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of the Wiccans. "It is a proud day for religious freedom in the United States."
The VA sought the settlement in the interest of the families involved and to save taxpayers the expense of further litigation, VA spokesman Matt Burns said. Under the settlement, the VA agreed to pay $225,000 in attorneys' fees and costs.

The government also agreed to settle when it became clear the Wiccans' application to have the pentacle recognized would be "favorably considered" under new rules the VA was working on, Burns said.

A nature-based religion, the Wiccan faith is founded on respect for the earth, nature and the cycle of the seasons. Wiccans have argued that the pentacle has gotten a bad reputation because people don't understand the religion or its imagery. Variations of the pentacle not accepted by the religion have been used in horror movies as a sign of the devil.

The lawsuit argued that the VA's refusal to act on requests to permit the symbol on veterans' grave markers violated Wiccans' constitutional rights of freedom of speech, religion and due process.

The lawsuit also said it made no sense for Wiccan symbols to be banned from grave markers when Wiccan soldiers can list their faith on dog tags, Wiccan organizations are allowed to hold services on military installations, and the Army Chaplains Handbook includes an explanation of the religion.

The lawsuit was filed by Circle Sanctuary, Isis Invicta Military Mission, a Wiccan and Pagan congregation serving military personnel based in Geyserville, Calif., Jill Medicine Heart Combs, whose husband is severely ill, and two widows of Wiccans - Roberta Stewart of Nevada and Karen DePolito of Utah.

Post by **Sercee** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:23 am

Woot!

Excellent to hear!

Post by **Sobek** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 8:53 am

good on them!

Post by **Shadow_Kitten** » Wed May 16, 2007 1:39 am

Bout time! This is so excellent!

Post by **Fanny** » Wed May 16, 2007 1:26 pm

yes it's definitly about time. We are slowely moving forward. Good to know people are starting to be more open minded.

Post by **jcrowfoot** » Wed May 16, 2007 2:45 pm

The biggest Irony of all time is the fact that there are more pagans in the military (at least here in the US) statictically speaking, than there are in just about any other group. At least there was in my generation. About half of all the pagans I know face-to-face are Vets. It would be interesting to find out why! I think I will start a topic about it!

Post by **goth-kid555** » Fri May 25, 2007 3:52 am

btw...muslims don't have symbols

Post by **Sercee** » Fri May 25, 2007 10:22 am

I doubt that very much...

I just looked into google. What about this one?
http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/symbols.htm

Every religion has symbols. That sounds like a generalization but it's true.

Post by **Sobek** » Fri May 25, 2007 5:29 pm

islam has symbols, as sercee "kindly" pointed out. but she's right on the other thing too. and also keep in mind symbols can extend beyond the drawn item

Post by **goth-kid555** » Sat May 26, 2007 10:38 am

i surfed that site...and most of the things mentioned about islam in it are crap!it says that muslims take number 7 as a good number (or a luck symbol or whatever)

i think it's the only religion on earth that doesn't deal with symbols.

Post by **Exilus** » Sat May 26, 2007 1:36 pm

Ok syombols for muslims for all the people who didn't know what they were.

Islamic symbols are non-textual and non-verbal visual symbols that have been used, or are used, to express identification with Islam or a particular tradition within Islam, to evoke feelings of joy, sadness, devotion, etc., or even to stand for beliefs and ideas. Some symbols, such as the color green, have been associated with Islam for a long time and in many areas; others are of more limited duration and extent. Muslim art often uses such symbols to represent complex ideas (see Iconography). Islamic architecture may also incorporate such symbols in the decoration of religious edifices such as mosques, khanqahs, dargahs, etc.

The star and crescent is commonly regarded as a symbol of Islam. It is featured prominently on the flags of many countries in the Islamic world, notably Turkey, Malaysia, and Pakistan. Critics point out that the symbol was not used by the Prophet Muhammad and therefore has no basis in Islam, however it has undeniably become associated with the Ottoman Empire.

The crescent and star are believed to be the traditional insignia[citation needed] of the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul), capital of the Byzantine Empire. They were proudly adopted by the Ottoman Turks when they conquered Constantinople and put an end to many centuries of Byzantine rule. The Ottomans established the Ottoman Empire, which ruled much of the Middle East and North Africa for centuries. The Ottomans claimed to have inherited the caliphate and the right to represent all Islam; hence their star and crescent banner was, for a time, the banner of much of Sunni Islam.

Certain words in Arabic script or characters can be regarded as visually representing Islam, such as "Allah", or the Shahada.

A Shi'ite symbol is the sword, which is identified with Iimam Ali, who they believe fought with this sword and his life for Islam.

The gardens of the Mughal Empire in India were symbols of paradise (Jannah).

Sources
Hujjat-ul-llahi-l-Balighah by Shah Wali Ullah Dehlvi
Wikipedia. 2006. Based on article text but with changes, licensed under GFDL.
Links on Islamic Symbols
Crescent Moon: Symbol of Islam? - About.com
The Symbolism of the Number Seven in Islam - Wadsworth Learning

Oh my god Exilus still has that wonderful power of research at his finger tips.

Post by **goth-kid555** » Sun May 27, 2007 4:18 am

yea exilus,you'r right some colours were used long ago to express certain meanings,but no one uses them now.

Post by **jcrowfoot** » Sun May 27, 2007 10:19 pm

While I have never lived in a Muslim country, I have seen those things used prominently in the US to promote pride for muslims. Green is very interesting, because they use(d?) it in Persian rugs to show that the maker of the rug had gone to Mecca. It is a big deal, from what I understand. A friend of mine deals in Persian rugs, and they still use that color designation. *Only* weavers who have been to Mecca can use the green pigment in their rugs. This is traditional, from what I understand, and also goes beyond political borders.

Post by **goth-kid555** » Mon May 28, 2007 6:20 am

i think most of persians are shiies ,which is a made-up path in islam,they use alot of symblos and colours for various meanings(most of my family went to mecca,and none has a green rug

but from what i'v read in the holy quran,the colour green specifficaly was used to talk about heaven and good spirits...i think it might sign to good things

Post by **Exilus** » Mon May 28, 2007 9:11 am

Ummm to be totally on the honest side, Calling a denomination a made up branch of a religion is a bit on the stupid side. because we would all still be Roman pagen, Jewish, Odinic, Moor, celt. and a few other religions if it wasnt for the 'made up ' branches.

The point is while i was in turky, Iraq, saudi, germany and the neitherlands. I have met many different muslims and each used different symbols to show they were some branch of muslim. The muslims use the different symbols as much as any religion.

But the one used the most is the cresent and star, infact if you look at the VA website you see exactly what group applied for the muslim symbol currently in use. Also i have many conversations with the muslim turk neibor of mine he was very interested Pax Roma syombol of Juiter I wear around my neck, and we talked for hours why the this syombol of my families faith was so important to our beleif and he explained why the sword he wore was used to represent his. Yes he is sheite(sp)