Freedom of Religion: An Ongoing Battle for the Spiritual Minority

Discrimination against minority religions is a problem which is often going unnoticed and is leading to problems of minority religion's rights to free speech in the United States. Some people argue that the United States is a Christian nation founded on Christian values and that this fact should be a guide for which religions are recognized to protect ideologies and children. The opposite side is that due to the first Amendment everyone has a right to free speech, especially those who have opinions outside of the majority. While "Christian values" and beliefs are acceptable for many people, people who have different and less common beliefs are often unable to get equal recognition and even equal rights to freedom of speech. The first amendment, which protects freedom of speech, is one of the principle values that the United States was founded on. The first amendment protects our right of free speech. While this amendment exists and is supported by most Americans, it can be shown thorough articles and research that although conditions are improving, many different groups and smaller religions do not always get equal representation and equal ability to practice what they believe. The discrimination of some minority religions can have many negative effects on a person's life. One religion that represents this issue is Wicca. Freedom of Religion is a right that people should bring awareness to help allow everyone practice and express what religious beliefs that they believe in.

Minority religions have been struggling for equal rights and equal representation for a while now. One specific place where minority religions have been working to achieve equal rights is in the military. According to "For Gods and Country" written by Alan Cooperman for the Washington Post many smaller religions have equal rights in the military. According to Cooperman, Pentagon figures show that of the 2,900 clergy on active duty there are 41 Mormon chaplains for 17,513 Mormons, 22 Rabis for 4,038 Jews, 11 Imams for 3,386 Muslims, six teachers for 636 Christian Scientists, and a single Buddhist chaplain for 4,546 Buddhists.

America is increasingly accepting more religions beyond Christianity. While many religions are starting to become more accepted, some which are more controversial, such as Wicca, are still unable to gain equal rights.

Outside of the military the proportion of non-Christians is high as well. According to a study conducted by the Graduate Center of New York University, approximately 77% of Americans identify themselves as Christians and this has been declining from 86% to 77% between 1990 and 2001 (CUNY). The percentage of non-Christian religions have increased around 3.5%, and the percentage of atheists and agnostics have increased as well. While Christianity has a majority of followers in the United States, at 77% and falling the number of people who follow another religion or choose to follow no religion are growing to become a large proportion of the population (CUNY). Because of this large amount of growth in alternative religions, freedom of religion is a subject that everyone should be aware of.

The general attitudes of American's support of freedom of religion is large. According to an original study of 90 participants consisting mostly of students at Central Michigan University and a study in The National Catholic Reporter. Eighty-three percent of Americans believe that minority religions should not be restricted (Karolak). Ninety-five of Americans believe that there should be no official religion in the United States. Half of all Americans believe that freedom of religion is a top legal guarantee (Catholic). When asked about separation of church and state 49% of Americans believe that Church and State should stay separate, 29% say it is too strict, and a fifth of Americans responded saying that there should be no separation of Church and State at all.

The results of these studies can be interpreted in a few ways. Steven Elliot, a chairperson for the Council for America's Freedom, the nonprofit organization that conducted the survey for The National Catholic Reporter, expressed his mixed feeling for the results of the survey as "[...] at the same time heartening and disquieting. They show a public that holds religious liberty as among our most prized freedoms, yet, in an apparent contradiction, is ambivalent about the constitutional tenet that keeps church and state separate. (Catholic)" Elliot argues that despite the overwhelming support Americans have for the separation of church and state there is a large amount of the public who feel that religion should be a major factor in how the government is being run. This could be used to show a relationship between the majority of people's responses to the surveys and their actions in practice. There is an overwhelming support shown in both studies for the right to support for freedom of religion, but many actions by Americans contradict this. According to the research conducted at Central Michigan University about 7% of Americans felt that access to minority religions should be restricted. It is possible many Americans feel that these extended rights may me limited or may not cover more smaller religions that may be interpreted as cults. Many Americans may just view this right in the context of their own beliefs and may not consider religions that are radically different then their own. Americans must realize what freedom of religion stands for and be aware of what not respecting that right which they support has as a consequence.

Wicca is a newer neo-pagan religion growing increasingly popular in the last fifty years according to Cooperman. Wicca is a nature-based religion which focuses on appreciating and paying respect to nature as well as their god and goddess. An important part of Wicca is the use of "Magick", or witchcraft, which is used to better understand the follower's connection to a universal energy, nature, and the god and goddess. Modern day Wicca was popularized by Gerald Gardner, a retired civil servant. While Gardner claims Wicca is a survival of religion hundreds of years old, this cannot be proven and it is accepted as a newer religion inspired by traditional pagan beliefs and practices.

Because Wicca involves the use of magic and esoteric rituals it is often misjudged by those who are unfamiliar with the religion. Within the Christian Bible it is frequently stated that witchcraft, sorcery, and magic is forbidden. In the book of Exodus of the old testament it is even explicitly stated that any women caught using magic should be put to death. While less harsh, this warning is consistent throughout the Bible. Due to this Wicca is often misjudged as a religion revolved around worshiping evil and Satan. This is in direct contrast to the Wiccan rede, a statement of Wiccan ethics, to harm none and that all actions will be returned three fold. Despite common beliefs associated with recent literature and media with Wicca-like themes such as Harry Potter, Wiccans do not believe in proselytizing (promoting and trying to convert others into your religion). Because of this misunderstanding Wicca has had been subject to discrimination and unequal representation therefore making a good example to demonstrate that people need to be more aware of freedom of religion and where the United States needs to improve.

While some minority religions are starting to gain equal rights, some religions are being deprived of their first amendment rights. Some of these religions and philosophies include Scientology, Atheism, Druidism, Neo-Paganism, and Wicca. Because of this some followers of these religions have experienced negative effects due to discrimination and intolerance. One person who was subject to this was 15-year-old Brandi Blackbear. Blackbear was suspended for 15 days due to "casting spells" and was told that she could not display the pentagram or any other symbols relating to the Wiccan religion (ACLU). The school suspended her another 19 days after taking private writings from her book bag on suspicion of her carrying a weapon (ACLU). After being accused Blackbear has suffered "continuous ridicule and humiliation" and considered herself an outcast. Because she was interested in minority religion which was greatly misunderstood her freedom of religion rights were violated. The differences of religion is protected by the first amendment, and people should be aware of this. While many people may not agree with other people's choices of what to follow people should try to promote recognizing this right and respect other religions, as they would wish for theirs to be respected.

While some religions have been acquiring equal status within the United States armed forces, some religions are having trouble gaining equal rights similarly to the acceptance in the school system. The number of Wiccans in the United States growing very quickly. The number of self-identified Wiccans has risen seventeen times from 8,000 in 1990 to 134,000 in 2001 (Cooperman). Minority religions are clearly increasing in followers. There are currently 1,511 self-identified Wiccans in the Air Force, 354 in the Marines. No statistics for the Army and Navy are given. Wiccan groups estimate there are at least 4,000 in the military but many hide to avoid ridicule. Don Larson, a previously Pentecostal Christian minister at Camp Anaconda in Iraq recently tried to switch from being a Christian Chaplain to a Wiccan Chaplain but was removed from Iraq although he had a spotless record (Cooperman). Wicca is increasing in size and even has more followers in the military than some religions or religious denominations such as Christian Scientists. The accepted minority religions such as Judaism and Islam are much older and less controversial than minority religions trying to acquire equal rights. While Wicca has some older ties it is very much a "new age," or "neo-pagan" religion, which are much different then traditional western religions such as Christianity and Judaism. It is apparent that Americans are more open to accepting new religions that are more closer to their own. Therefore, while America is increasing in religious diversity, acceptance in some areas are moving more slowly.

The recent realization of the movement for equal rights of Wiccans in the military has started to take the eye of the public. In May 1999 a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman published an article on Fort Hood in Texas about Wicca and forty military men and woman who celebration of that year's vernal equinox On May 18, Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia wrote letters to the Secretary of the Army and Fort Hood's commander in charge demanding that the Army stops allowing Wiccan practices (Silk). This started a movement by some conservative Christians and churches to protest against the Army. On June 9th of that year the Free Congress Foundation and 12 other conservative activist groups called for Christians to boycot the Army until support for "satanic rituals" are no longer supported by the Army. Then-Governor George W. Bush told ABC that he does not think that Witchcraft is a religion and wished the Army would reconsider deciding against allowing it. A bill to ban witchcraft on Army bases was attempted but ultimately failed. These series of events show that many people are not only unaware of religious freedoms, but are actively against allowing religions that are different from their own from having equal rights, even people who are highly educated and are in positions of leadership in the government. Most of this activism against Wicca and freedom of religion come from highly conservative groups including conservative activist groups and churches. The then-governor (and current president) George W. Bush expressed that he didn't believe that Witchcraft is a religion despite the fact that Wicca is an official recognized religion by the United States government. Part of the problem with promoting or allowing freedom of religion is that some people are simply against the idea of allowing different religions all together. For some people bringing up awareness of freedom of religion may not help, but more actions need to be taken to help secure equal rights.

The problems caused by religious intolerance can greatly affect those who follow Wicca and other religions who have never been attacked themselves. Gwinevere Rain explains in her book Confessions of a Teenage Witch that many people who switch to Wicca have lots of trouble "coming out" due to fears of being rejected or discriminated against by family, friends, and strangers. Rain also explains that not everyone has an open-minded family and could be subject to fights and awkward moments. Although it is illegal to reject or fire someone from working due to their religious choice, following a minority religion may create negative stereotypes and a negative relationship between a person and their workmates and bosses. Because of this many practitioners have to determine what level they feel comfortable expressing themselves and their religious beliefs, if at all. Something to consider for those who enter the religion is how they plan on conducting themselves if they do not feel open to fully disclose their beliefs to everyone they know. While Rain is well mannered in her discussion of becoming a Wiccan, she shows that religious discrimination and acceptance of minority religions is bad enough that this has to be a consideration when becoming a Wiccan.

While it may not be often noticed, people who follow a different religion or live by a different philosophy than others are sometimes unable to freely express their beliefs and receive equal recognition from other citizens and the government. Freedom of Speech is a right given and promised to all Americans. It is one of the core values that America was founded on and one that is expected and taken for granted. This right is often tested with controversial speech and beliefs, and religion is one of those areas. Whether you belong to a mainstream religion or practice something less common it is important to defend these rights so that we may all freely express ourselves and not have to worry about being censored or persecuted. Everyone should be informed about the acts of injustice done to people who practice a minority religion such as Wicca and help educate others on the problems that over 23% of Americans face daily (CUNY). It is the responsibility of the United States citizens to vote for legislations that help ensure these rights are protected.

Work Cited:

"Most Americans cherish freedom of religion: survey." National Catholic Reporter 40.42 (Oct 1, 2004): 3(1). General OneFile. Gale. Central Michigan University. 27 Feb. 2008

http://0-find.galegroup.com.catalog.lib.cmich.edu:80/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>.

"ACLU of Oklahoma Files Federal Lawsuit on Behalf of Student Accused of "Hexing" a Teacher." American Civil Liberties Union. http://www.aclu.org/religion/schools/16295prs20001026.html>

Silk, Mark. "Something Wiccan This Way Comes." Trinity College. 1999. http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/RINVol2No2/wicca.htm>

Karolak, Ryan. Original Research. Censorship. 2008

Rain, Gwinevere. Confessions of a Teenage Witch. Penguin Group, 2005

"American Religious Identification Survey." The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. 2001. http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_briefs/aris/key_findings.htm