May 28, 2005
THE OMEN WASN'T AN INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO (via Rick Perlstein):
Divorced Wiccans Fight Judge's Order (KEN KUSMER, 5/26/05, Associated Press)
A Wiccan activist and his ex-wife are challenging a court's order that they must protect their 9-year-old son from what it calls their "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals."The Indiana Civil Liberties Union has appealed the stipulation written into the couple's divorce order, saying it is unconstitutionally vague because it does not define mainstream religion.
Thomas Jones, a Wiccan activist who has coordinated Pagan Pride Day in Indianapolis for six years, said he and his ex-wife, Tammy Bristol, were stunned by the order
Brother Perlstein suggests that this is un-American, but once you make your family subject to a court's jurisdiction this is certainly the type of thing it should take into consideration, as it reflects on the fitness of the parents. Of course, you shouldn't be allowed to divorce in the first place if you have minor children and neither spouse is being abused. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 28, 2005 8:35 PM
Boy, been a while since Perlstein sent you anything, huh? Nice to see he's still hanging around.
Posted by: Matt Murphy at May 28, 2005 9:37 PMThe court's order will not stand.
Are you suggesting that Wiccans are less fit parents than atheists ?
What's not mainstream about "The Ways of Magick:
The paths of the Witch, the Shaman, the Magician, The Mystic and the Sage are spokes on the same wheel that lead to a center—a place of awareness, power, wisdom and self-knowledge.
There are many paths to explore; the journeys along each one offer vistas to expand the consciousness and enrich the soul." ~ Bluemoon web site.
It's just spiritualism, as opposed to organized religion.
During England's 2001 census, nearly 400,000 people declared that they were of the "Jedi" religion.
Compare that to the estimated 150,000 Christian Scientists that still cling to their brand of faith in the U.S., where the courts have long ruled that as long as CS children aren't being denied medical treatment for potentially fatal illnesses, they can be subjected to their parents' nutso lifestyle.
As for no divorce except when abuse is present, I would support such a change, as long as there is also a clause supporting divorce when one partner can be demonstrated to be addicted to something, or to some behavior.
However, I would expect that the primary result of such a change would be an increase in the number of police complaints for domestic violence, in order to build a documented case for divorce, rather than a significant decrease in the number of divorces.
Yes, they're less fit.
Posted by: oj at May 29, 2005 1:30 AMMatt:
Rick sends me two kinds of e-mails:
(1) Those saying that W is installing a rightwing theocracy
(2) Those saying he's a plutocrat who just serves business interests but we conservative Christians are too stupid to know we're being hood-winked
Posted by: oj at May 29, 2005 1:34 AMHow so ?
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at May 29, 2005 3:23 AMSimple ignorance vs malevolent error
Posted by: oj at May 29, 2005 8:40 AMthe relative fitness of competing belief systems is an interesting topic. christianity and democracy, for example, are tolerant of competing systems as long as they are not violent or subversive. when a given belief system, such as communism or islam, can not compete effectively on the merits, it always resorts to violence -- but eventually wither and die out. there can be only one.
Posted by: cjm at May 29, 2005 12:07 PMOJ:
What's interesting is that he struck me as a very fair-minded observer in his book on Barry Goldwater. I guess Bush has driven a lot of folks to the brink.
Posted by: Matt Murphy at May 29, 2005 12:42 PMYes, Goldwater had the virtue of losing.
Posted by: oj at May 29, 2005 12:53 PMYes, of course...That explains a lot!
Posted by: Matt Murphy at May 29, 2005 2:39 PMEugene Volok had his shorts in a knot about this one, but I don't get it. I cannot fathom why it would be in the child's best interest to have his head filled with the details of an invented pseudo-religion.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at May 31, 2005 11:32 PM