Pagan stone circle built at US Air Force training academy

The Telegraph ^ | 11-28-11

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

The US military has built a stone circle in its Air Force academy to give pagans, druids and witches somewhere to practice their religion.

The Colorado base has spent around £50,000 building the Stonehenge-like structure to allow witches to cast spells, and pagans to form "circles of power" by night.

It is situated on top of a wooded hill and includes a fire pit.

The academy says it is for cadets who practice 'Earth based' religions including druids, witches and North American faiths.

Despite the expenses it is believed only three out of the 4,300 cadets have openly admitted that they are pagan.

Bob Barr, a former Republican congressman, campaigned to ban witches from the military, saying: "What's next? Will armoured divisions be forced to travel with sacrificial animals for Satanic rituals? Will Rastafarians demand the inclusion of ritualistic marijuana cigarettes in their rations?"

The Wiccan religion was added to the US Army's chaplain's handbook in the 1970s and includes details on how covens are organised and how Druids worship 'Mother Earth and Father Sky.'

"Most Wiccan groups also practise magic, by which they mean the direction and use of 'psychic energy' — those natural but invisible forces which surround all living things," it explains.

The air force says the site is to help to protect the constitutional right to religious freedom.

But some think it is an attempt to attract more Wiccans to the army.

[Grunthor]

“If you doubt me, try presenting a 1st Amendment defense to a polygamy charge, a human or animal sacrifice charge, or a cannibalism charge.”

All of those are against the law. The military is not doing anything or supporting anything that is against the law. They are following the Constitution. You might not like that part of the Constitution but until we live in a theocracy, freedom of religion and equal treatment are the law of the land. Don’t like it? Start a revolution and force your world view on people that under a quasi-free system can worship what they choose.

“What you are advocating”

I am advocating nothing. I am telling you why what the academy is doing is supported by the Constitution. You are not arguing with me, you are arguing with the freedom of religion clause in the 1st amendment.

“There is no “freedom of exercise” reason at all that the government has to build a “stone circle”.”

So you are prepared to see military chapels used by these pagans for their ceremonies?

“In this case, An applicant who thinks he or she is a warlock or a witch should no more be considered for admission to the Academy than an applicant that thinks he is a cantelope or a carrot.”

Under current law gays are allowed into the military. So openly gay people (not exactly the height of sanity) can be in the military but someone who worships something that you or I might not like can’t be?

[achilles2000]

You don’t really know the Constitution, its history, or the caselaw. FYI, there is no “freedom of religion” clause, but there is a “free exercise” clause. You don’t even seem to understand basic standards of argumentation.

By the way, every state is a “theocracy” in the sense that its laws reflect the values of an underlying worldview, which, in the final analysis, is what a “religion” is. The underlying worldview for the Constitution and the US has always been Christian. The left hates that and wants to replace it with their worldview. If they succeed, you will still be living in a “theocracy”.

Finally, you don’t improve the situation by concluding that because sodomites are now allowed in that people suffering from delusions should be admitted too.