It's interesting to see the tactics of the frightened and delusional. While I usually avoid finding amusement in a deeply-ingrained psychosis or crippling, mental deficiency, you can't help but let out a wry, cynical chuckle while observing the tactics used by that minuscule minority of loud-mouthed, extremist Christians who attempt to vilify and slander Wiccans.

   America in 1999 is an interesting place where perception is 90% of the law. The image that is presented to others is an important tool for making change; and boy, do the intolerant, Christian Fundamentalists know that! Unlike their more common, tolerant brothers and sisters in other branches of Christianity, the Fundamentalist I'm talking about has been using Media exposure to push their exclusionary agenda for years. They know quite well how to manipulate the data, pundits, politicians, images and sounds that inform, entertain and surround us.

   Keep in mind that the Media (unlike what most people think), is not a monolithic being of singular mind. It might seem that way, but its unified appearance is the by-product of thousands of individual efforts and general trends. These journalists, commentators, pundits and writers interact and share the ideas that form the amalgamated mass that we perceive as the modern Media. The concepts that they propagate form the basis of the perceptions that shape the world.

   In America and many other nations of the world, these journalists even tend to follow a code that encourages them to give fair treatment to all sides of an argument, even if one side is clearly lacking in a grasp of the issues at stake.

   This is the root of the Fundamentalist success. They can spread their word freely because the newspapers, radio shows, television reports and magazines are trying to demonstrate fair play by giving voice to their wide-spread, loud minority. Even if these Fundamentalist detractors only numbered a few dozen members, they would be given a voice to plead their case ... no matter how hateful, uninformed and spurious it may be.

   And like it or not, that's the way it should be. It is a tool that helps all minorities; but it is a tool that Pagans should understand in the same way that they should understand those who use it.

   Most Christians are a good and tolerant lot; it's one of their founding principles. "Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You". However, in contrast to this ideal, there exists a small group for whom this credo is only a string of words to be read, memorized and repeated without consideration for their meaning. If people like Fred Phelps, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson were serious about this particular maxim taught by Christ, they would realize that they're not treating others as they would like to be treated.

   Keeping this in mind, it's amazing to watch the Fundamentalist fringe spread rumors and use carefully-chosen words to sow doubt, suspicion and acrimony like poisoned seeds in our collective amber waves of grain. Each time a new, so-called "journalist" of the Religious Right pops his or her head out of the ground to spout off a few shots of ill-conceived venom, you can expect to see some of the following:

   "This nation was founded on Christian principles."

   "I'm a good Christian."

   "Christianity has become a minority in America today; oh, woe is us."

   "I'm not a Wiccan-hater, but..."

   After a while, you can start predicting what they'll say in your sleep. It's that repetitive. Sometimes I wonder why this group of people is so scared. It's not like Wiccans convert others or practice those long-debunked child sacrifices that they used to get accused of. It's not like Witches to instigate arguments in an attempt to tell others that they are wrong while the Wiccans are right. Oh, we'll fight back when someone defames us, but it's our very existence -not our actions- which seems to threaten these antagonists. In fact, the very kind of insecure prosthletyzing that is the hallmark of our detractors is completely foreign to most branches of NeoPaganism.

   A majority of Wiccans I know believe very strongly in the tenet that just because two beliefs exist, side-by-side -each believing that they are right- it does not implicitly mean that the opposing view is inherently wrong. Rather, they believe that the differing philosophies, even when comprised of contrary elements, can exist as subjective views on the Universe; each equally valid and correct in the frame of reference of the individual.

   Contrary to this, is the oft-heard cry of "One God, One Way". Such a belief is the refuge of the nervous, scared and weak-of-faith. Look at it this way... Fundamentalist Christianity is founded upon the belief that everyone must embrace their philosophy and that anyone outside of that belief structure must be brought around to it. Not only does the believer have to follow the path, but so must everyone else! If a follower of Christ were truly secure in their beliefs, they wouldn't have to slander and attempt to undermine other theologies. Instead, we see mindless drone after mindless drone embarrassing other Christians around them by insisting that the heathen Pagans be brought around to a 'correct' way of thinking.

   Now that's insecure!

   This isn't to say that the witnessing of Christians is a bad thing. I've found it very uplifting when a good Christian shares a religious experience or tells me about an obscure point of their theology that is uplifting, interesting or rewarding. Incidentally, this is the kind of prosthletyzing that has the greatest chance of influencing others. It is polite, respectful and non-confrontational. Sharing one's faith can be rewarding while -at the same time- educational. However, this is not the tool of choice used by group of people that I'm criticizing.

   Rather, the aforementioned minority of Fundamentalist Christians who treat any idea outside of their own theologies as a threat, are the people who I am talking about. They act as if they are the beleaguered minority; that they alone suffer and are in pain for their dedication. It's almost as if they identify too much with Christ the Martyr and not Christ the Savior. Many of these professional victims denigrate the traditions and history of their religion with their antics. They specifically use divisive words and raise straw-man arguments to point out the superiority of their ways.

   In a recent article by Jon E. Dougherty for World Net Daily, he spoke out against U.S. Army Base, Fort Hood, for setting aside space for Wiccan religious rituals. One of the points he raised was: "Since part of the ritual of worship practiced by Wiccans includes holding hands and dancing around a bonfire, I wonder if the Pentagon has figured out how they're going to let these troops practice their religion in a combat zone -- especially when darkness is a tactical must? Now there's a problem."

   No. There's a straw-man argument.

   For those who haven't taken Debate 101 (or Journalism, for that matter), the dictionary defines a straw-man argument as "a weak or imaginary question ... set up only to be easily confuted or to justify a stated or implied answer." It's a poor tactic that loses you points in debates and is often the last refuge of a person who suffers from a weak position. When all reason fails, you can set up a misleading or ridiculous situation to darken your opponent's position and cast your own in a better light.

   Mr. Dougherty points out that part of Wiccan ritual worship requires a bonfire and such a thing -in combat situations- this would be dangerous and threatening to security. Words from my youth float back to me and I feel like responding with, "Well, Duh! So would a full communion performed by a Priest in a cassock! So would the ringing of a gong by a Buddhist." When you think about it, the only religious activity that never draws any attention is the LACK of religious activity.

   Let me assure Mr. Dougherty that a Wiccan on the battlefield is not going to request a bonfire, quarter candles and an altar. I'm sure he knows this (he seems otherwise fairly intelligent), but he brings up the scenario as a supposedly-realistic outcome, anyway. Either he believes his readers to be incredibly stupid or he's purposely trying to influence them by giving them the false impression of what Wiccan practice is in order to arouse outrage and incredulity. Instead, he comes across as an inflammatory fool.

   Still, Mr. Dougherty aside, others play this game too; and they play it much more adeptly.

   Many students of propaganda who want to blacken the name of Pagans in the modern world, will use words like "religion" to describe the Wiccan faith. However, they will print the word in quotes to imply that it's not a real or legitimate theology. They'll even use incorrect terms like "Warlock", "seductress" and "Satanist" to perpetuate a myth of an evil Witch. Tactics like these are centuries old and are the result either ignorance, incompetence or willful misdirection. No matter the cause, in the modern Media, such work should be denounced.

   This brings me to Representative Bob Barr, a Republican from Georgia. He has also spoken out against Witches and Wiccans in recent days. As an Assistant Majority Whip, former District Attorney and one-time member of the Central Intelligence Agency, Mr. Barr possesses an extensive education and influential presence in the U.S. Government. He is respected and quoted by citizens and journalists alike. However, it takes only a brief look at his recent press release, "Barr demands end to Taxpayer-Funded Witchcraft on American Military Bases" to see just how selectively he applies his intelligence to further a self-serving and misinformed point of view.

   "This move [...by Fort Hood to set aside space for Wiccans to practice their rituals...] sets a dangerous precedent that could easily result in the practice of all sorts of bizarre practices being supported by the military under the rubric of 'religion.' What's next? Will armored divisions be forced to travel with sacrificial animals for Satanic rituals? Will Rastifarians demand the inclusion of ritualistic marijuana cigarettes in their rations?"

   This one statement, from Representative Barr's own Press Release, shows his misuse of debate techniques and demonstrates his intentional misdirection of the audience. He starts by describing the situation as "dangerous"; that it could spawn "bizarre practices" being performed by military personnel under false pretense of being "'religion'". (Note the use of the word "religion" in quotes to imply that Witchcraft is not really a religion. Some people just aren't that original, I guess.)

   Barr goes on to imply that the religious practices of the Wiccans are just as likely as animal sacrifice practiced by Satanists. Whether or not Satanists really sacrifice animals or not, isn't the point. Rather, Mr. Barr is drawing upon a popular conception of a Satanist and linking that to Wiccan practice. He can't come out and blatantly say that Wiccans are Satanists; he knows that we aren't. But he can do the next best thing, by linking us to the negative image of Satanists. How's that for clever? Whether or not Satanists are good or evil doesn't even come into it! He just links Wiccans to the evil reputation of Satanists and suddenly he creates the connection between corrupt, dangerous practices and Wiccan ritual! Libel suit, anyone? Both Satanists and NeoPagans could join in on it!

   His misspelling of Rastafarian aside, Bob Barr goes on to say, "A print of the painting, "The Prayer At Valley Forge," depicting George Washington on bended knee, praying in the hard snow at Valley Forge, hangs over the desk in my office. If the practice of witchcraft, such as is allowed now at Fort Hood, is permitted to stand, one wonders what paintings will grace the walls of future generations."

   Ahhhh... Pulling on the heartstrings of patriotism! Without knowing or even stating what the practices of Witchcraft are, Representative Barr is able to conjure up evil images in the minds of readers by setting up a famous image of truth and light and contrasting it with ... conjecture. He leaves the resulting image up to the imaginations of those who don't know anything about Witchcraft aside from what they've heard in the Grimm faerie tales or seen in "The Wizard of Oz".

   Yes, it would be frightening to see George Washington mincing about in a purple robe waving an athame. It just wouldn't be him! However, what problem would there be in a painting showing a circle of respectful, robe-clad men and women standing before a High Priest and Priestess receiving a blessing? There are some pretty nice paintings of Hindu ceremonies I can think of as well as some powerful images of Islamic soldiers (no less patriotic for their dedication to their own nations and faith) in prayer before going into battle!

   Unfortunately, Mr. Barr is a skilled manipulator of public perception. All the Media has to do is quote him directly and his words do the rest. While the first type of propaganda artist we saw was the Narrow-Minded Bigot; Mr. Barr is more of the Flag-Waving Opportunist. His beliefs and theological concerns may not be his true motivation, but -rather- an easy source for support in the next election.

   There is a final category of our persecutors that we should be aware of, though. They are, perhaps, the most insidious and the most insecure of the Fundamentalist lot. These are the "Good-People-Who-Just-Want-To-Help".

   I've often heard the old chestnut "If you saw a person about to jump off a cliff, wouldn't you try to stop them?" This is almost always used as a justification for mindless attempts at conversion. From the perspective of this type of Christian, the Witch is in danger of jumping off a cliff (the poor, deluded soul has no idea the cliff is even there!) and it is the Christian's duty to pull the Witch back from the brink. They do this with interventions, arguments, essays, news reports, legal actions and every other weapon in their arsenal merely because they believe that they are doing it for the Witch's own good.

   This kind of fanatic cannot be resisted easily. They don't believe anything you tell them and will say anything in response to save you. It's somewhat like working with a computer over which you have no programming control. You'd like to upgrade the operating system with something more compatible with other machines on the network, but you just don't have the access privileges. Oh, it would still be the same computer and run the same programs, but the implementation would differ so that it would be more friendly to the network environment.

   This is the kind of fanatic who is almost impossible to overcome. They'll annoy you and lecture you out of the goodness of their hearts until either you walk away or they have to go to church. Anyone remember a certain cliche pertaining to the pavement on the road to hell?

   Still, maybe I'm mistaken. Maybe they aren't always proceeding from good intentions. After all, if these people are so keen on saving us, why the hatred and spastic cries of "liar" when we say we don't worship Satan? Why are they so vehement about it? Why can't they say their peace and leave us alone? The truth is, this type of fanatic often incorporates other elements of propaganda and prosthletyzing too. Like the Gordium Knot, it's hard to unravel the full root of the emotions and insecurities that give rise to this kind of theologically-inspired, psychological terrorism.

   The worst part is that it's a vicious circle and self-fulfilling prophesy... If you look for the bad in people, surely that is all you will find.

   Recently though, of a lot of this has been grounded in the misconception that Christians have become a beleaguered minority. From a cynical viewpoint, I can see their motivation; in America we root for the underdog. From the perspective of a non-minority person, all the frills and benefits given out by the government to small groups must seem like hitting the lottery. They rarely see it as a justified dole to assist those who founder every day in the sea of majority will. As a result, fundamentalist extremists of all types foster this belief in being a minority in order to cash in on the benefit of appearing as an underdog.

   How can people honestly believe this? Just because the courts and government are stopping them from prosthletyzing in public schools? Just because someone finally woke up and realized that the government-owned property outside of police departments and offices should be off-limits to displays advocating a specific, religious view?

   Well, maybe it's partly true... Perhaps these hateful extremists' days are numbered. Perhaps their brand of spite is finally being branded as what it is: not religion, but an excuse for poor behavior. In that case, yes ... perhaps they are a dying minority. And good riddance!

   To me, it seems that their only hope is to inflate their numbers and encourage other, more mainstream Christians, to rally around the age-old fear (unsubstantiated in this case) of being outlawed and marginalized.

   Remember that over four-fifths of Americans call themselves Christian. The largest group of those are the Roman Catholics, who make up about fourty-four percent. At the time their statistics were collated, the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance estimated there to be 137,518,000 Christians living in the United States. Trust me; this is not a beleaguered minority; no matter how you look at it.

   It gets even more lopsided when you compare the numbers of practicing NeoPagans (putting all Wiccans, Witches, Druids, Asatru, etc together) to those of the Christians. Christians outnumber NeoPagans by a factor of 550 to one! Perhaps those Christians who feel that their rights are being trod upon need a lesson in math. Either that or maybe they got so used to being the unquestioned dominant religion in America that it makes them a bit uncomfortable to see the minorities raising their voices.

   Again, insecurity raises its ugly head.

   Perhaps it's also a matter of perspective. Maybe they don't understand the difference between teaching about something and preaching it as truth. Most people don't have a problem with the history of religion being taught in a public school, nor do they mind comparative theology and philosophy classes. Topics like these can broaden horizons and give a clearer picture of the root causes for societal changes, international politics and the development of our world. Many classes like this are, indeed, taught. However, that's not enough for some of these propaganda artists.

   In order to show their true minority status at the expense of those "wicked Pagans", some of these people have pointed to public school courses in ancient history and accused them of preaching Paganism. I have listened to parents argue that their children shouldn't be exposed to "The Illiad" or "The Odyssey" due to the presence of Pagan Gods and Goddesses in the text. Complaints have been lodged against educators who dared to examine non-Creationist evidence of ancient human settlements. The fact that these classes are intended to teach about the development of archaeology, literature or ancient history is unimportant to the narrow-minded critic.

   One man once told me that Pagans should not be allowed to teach in public schools or hold office. I assure you, he was quite serious. "Christians only," he said, "and I don't mean 'Judeo-Christians', either!" Apparently, he felt that the Jews were unenlightened as well. What a surprise. In all, he felt that only those people who had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior had the moral authority to hold any form of leadership role in society. It was at this point, that I left the discussion. No sense in banging my head against a wall...

   All in all, the problems between the factions of Christian and Pagan seem to be rooted in a very vocal minority of people. There are Pagans who hate Christians too, and speak libelously of them. This is a problem that we Pagans should address. Keep in mind that I have never met any Pagan who would advocate stripping religious rights from anyone; Christian or otherwise. Sadly, the opposite cannot be said.

   But what can be done about all this? Is there anything that can help solve the problems of intolerance, ignorance and hatred? I'm not sure. But I can tell you this; for all our debates, discussions, marches, emails, letters, web sites, gatherings, spells and rituals, the answer will not come solely from us. We can help it along, but the bulk of the work will have to come from within Christianity.

   Those who would see us rounded up and deported won't listen to us. Those who feel we are evil and corrupt won't believe anything we say. No, the only answer is to talk to the good Christians; the silent majority.

   A close friend of mine is a Catholic Priest. He is a dedicated scholar; quick with a pun and sharp on his theological doctrine. He knows what he believes and preaches to the needs of the spiritual community that he serves. He disparages cynicism and tries to keep an upbeat outlook on life. And yet, last year, I saw some of that light dim for a moment. It only lasted a second, but it troubled me. After having seen Reverend Fred Phelps' picketing the funeral of Matthew Sheppard, he sighed and asked "When are we finally going to start policing our own?"

   He's working at it people. He really is. But he needs help.

   We all have friends who are Christian and who understand us. I think it may be time for them to take up the cause -not of the beleaguered Pagans- but of their own, out-of-control factions. I could go on and on about how to deal with individuals who denigrate an entire group by their selfish, self-serving actions, but that's not the point here. The point of this essay has been two-fold.

   One, to identify the types of people who are arrayed against us, examining why they act in the ways that they do, and, two, to show that even if we can't change them, we have more allies than we think.

   Let's use them.

   Blessed Be,
   Sylvan SilverNight
   Solitary Celtic Wiccan
   Minneapolis, Minnesota

   May 25th, 1999