Editor,
The recent dismissal of a teacher accused of being a witch from a school in New York is a reprehensible return to the Salem witch-hunts, which were commonplace in the early history of our country. Witches, or more properly Wiccans, are no more dangerous, evil or despicable than any other religious group. On the contrary, I would rather have my kids taught by a Wiccan teacher than by a Christian fundamentalist.
Wicca is a relatively recent religion that is afforded protection under our Constitution. Discrimination against a Wiccan in the workplace or anywhere else is not only illegal, but it is immoral. I suspect the termination in this case was instigated by Christian fundamentalists such as Pat Robertson, the leader of the Christian Coalition who said he was going to pack our school boards with his intolerant followers.
The Wiccan creed prohibits a practitioner from harming another human being. That cannot be said for almost any other religion. It is a matter of fact that more atrocities, more killings and grief has been perpetuated in the world in the name of God than for any other cause. On the other hand, you cannot find a single example of a genocidal or maniacal act caused by a Wiccan.
Most Wiccans prefer not to use the term “witch” because of the unjustified negative connotation the name possesses. There are least 750,000 Wiccans in the United States and probably a whole lot more who are in the closet, as they are persecuted by an intolerant and mostly ignorant society. They have a reason to fear as the so-called Holy Bible recommends that witches be killed whenever they are found and a lot of folks take the Bible as the literal word of God. These are some of the same nuts that kill abortion doctors “in the name of God.”
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Wiccans revere Mother Earth and all of her living creatures and plants. They do not cast evil spells on anyone, mix up batches of funny brews made from bat parts or fly around on broomsticks. They are a sincere people who are proud of their religion and who wish to be left to worship as they see fit. They do not go out and witness to people or knock on our doors to try to recruit followers. You won’t find them at airports selling flowers or stopping you on the street trying to force their tracts into your hands.
I have found every Wiccan I know to be sincere, loving and respectful of all living things, and I have met a lot of them on our campus. I can’t say the same for every Christian I have met, particularly the intolerant ones that try to get you to listen to their ideas while refusing to listen to yours.
It is sad that in our country religious zealots still have power in our most precious commodity — our school systems.
--Richard Fagerlund, B.C.E.
Environmental Services
