STATEMENT
BY COVEN OLDENWILDE
Wiccans and Pagans oppose War.
PREFACE
What this document is for.
INTRODUCTION
Pagan Committee on Conscientious Objection of the San Francisco
Bay Area, 1991
WHAT
YOU CAN DO
Tips by the PCCO on what you can do to protect yourself or a loved
one from the Draft
PAGAN
STATEMENT ON CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION
Declaration of Position opposing war that your group can use or
adapt
SAYING
NO TO WAR: ARE YOU A CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR?
Excerpt from pamphlet by the Central Committee for Conscientious
Objectors -- CCCO
PRINCIPLES
OF PAGAN BELIEF
Culled from a number of sources and originally printed in the
BloodRose newsletter, Spring 1989
WHY
PAGANS MAY BE CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS TO WAR
Starhawk (Elder, Reclaiming Tradition)
IN
THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR STATUS
Hearing transcript of an anonymous Pagan's application for CO
status during the Vietnam War, 1972
OPEN
LETTER TO CoG MEMBERS REGARDING THE GULF WAR
Brandy Williams and Phoenix Whitebirch (Former Co-First Officers,
Covenant of the Goddess)
CoG
POLICY AFFIRMING THE RIGHT OF MEMBERS TO CLAIM C.O. STATUS
Covenant of the Goddess membership, Grand Council, 1985
WAR
AND PEACE ON SACRED EARTH:
CHURCH OF ALL WORLDS DRAFT ENCYCLICAL ON WAR
Richard Ely
(Elder, Church of All Worlds)
FOR
LOVE OF EARTH: WAR RESISTANCE FOR WARRIORS
Judy Harrow (Elder, Gardnerian Tradition)
LETTER
FROM A MOTHER TO HER SON
Anonymous
Sadly, the U.S. government routinely initiates intermittent wars and military "actions" against peoples in all parts of the planet. Within recent times, we've all been made aware how the power elite oppress foreign societies by imposing their choice of leaders on the populace -- only to vilify and attempt to assassinate their political pawns whenever they cease or refuse to push the capitalist agenda (e.g., Castro, Khomeini, Marcos, Noriega, Khadafi, Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, ...). Though "public enemies'" names change from year to year, the American way of provoking war is abysmally clear, meticulously documented, and readily understandable by all concerned citizens. (See the "History and Politics" section of our Recommended Reading List.)
As a legal option always available to men and women who are subject to the draft, conscientious objection naturally receives more urgent prominence whenever the government creates or overreacts to "threats" of opposition to its policies, and starts to conscript civilians to serve as cannon fodder. But the rational, compassionate arguments that support conscientious objection are useful on a daily basis as well -- to counter war-fevered friends and family who argue loudly in favor of physically fighting "foes".
Witches who believe "An it harm none, do as ye will" are, of course, are spiritually opposed to war and military conflict of all forms. Not only do we believe in walking a peaceful Path, we actively insist on our rights to do so.
Witches are keepers of their people's conscience. During such incessantly recurring times of "national peril", Witches remain resolute and centered in our abhorrence of war, thereby helping others resist the pull of its madness. We may spell, march, and rally for peace during wartime, or write commentaries and letters to the editor of our local papers advocating for diplomatic, non-violent approaches. Whatever we do, Witches seek to remind their neighbors and loved ones of the folly of blind patriotism in the absence of real facts, and the dangers of the inevitable propaganda that misleads many about the true state of affairs.
Witches do not live for the heat of the moment. We have unique, magical abilities, and therefore the capacity that seers and priest/esses have always had of taking the long view when it comes to politics and trends. In times of "national crisis", Pagans must calm the distressed, and assist folks to banish their conditioned prejudices against the villain du jour (who is, all too often these days, a dark-skinned, non-christian foreigner).
Witches will always resist war fever -- wherever, whenever, and however it manifests.
Most modern Witches and Pagans refuse to sacrifice themselves to War. In the next national outburst of patriotic hysteria, however, Congress could very well reinstate forced conscription -- the Draft.
If you are under 27 years old (or a health professional under age 45), you could potentially be forced into military service. In the next Draft, women will probably be included as well as men -- given "equal rights" to be herded off to slaughter. The only way out will be to demonstrate to the government that you are a "conscientious objector" -- a citizen who is morally, philosophically, or religiously opposed to war.
This anthology of statements from a variety of Pagan and Wiccan individuals and groups (including Reclaiming elder Starhawk; Gardnerian elder Judy Harrow; Covenant of the Goddess; Church of All Worlds; Faery) makes a powerful and moving case that war violates our religion's most fundamental ethical beliefs. As explained in the Introduction, it was compiled at the time of the First Gulf War by the Pagan Committee on Conscientious Objection, of which *Diuvei (Steve Rasmussen) was one of the founding members. We have illustrated it here with some Associated Press images from that time. Several of these were among the hundreds of reporters' photos and video reels that the mainstream press censored itself from publishing -- because they would have exposed to the American public the true horrors behind the slickly marketed propaganda of "Desert Storm". (Of course, the Second Gulf War -- what was this sequel titled? Operation Desert Shield? -- the propaganda and self-censorship were so carelessly disguised, only the wilfully ignorant believed it.) Click on each photo to learn more about it.
If you are already in the military: Though military service and Wiccan tenets seem mutually exclusive ideas, many enlist without ever having considered the spiritual ramifications of their choice. Some just want to learn "technology", or see no other means of escape from a bad neighborhood or legal trouble. Others need to identify with a group or live out heroic dreams of defending "democracy". But the experience of witnessing atrocities perpetrated by our own side soon produces a profound change of heart.
If you are a Wiccan or Pagan in the military and your official files do not already show this, you should begin taking the requisite steps to change your religious designation as soon as possible. Although Wicca and Paganism have been officially recognized by the military for a number of years now, you can expect the base chaplain and other low-level bureaucrats to do their best to block your efforts to leave the conformist Judeo-Christian flock. (We have helped several military Wiccans make their way through this obstacle course, so we know whereof we speak!) To minimize your risk of being forced to kill, you need to document your religious beliefs as a basis for non-combatant CO status well before the next war is officially declared.
Print or download as many copies of this anthology as you like, for yourself and for others. Keep one copy in a place where you can readily find it in case of the next "national emergency". Pray to the Goddess that you will never be compelled to use it.
Originally published under the title: "PAGANS AND CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR STATUS: A Preliminary and Limited Anthology of Statements About War and War Resistance by Pagan Individuals and Groups, Compiled by the Pagan Committee on Conscientious Objection of the San Francisco Bay Area, May 19, 1991". The sequence of the statements has been slightly altered from the original. Note: the contact addresses given in some of the statements may or may not still be valid.
With the onset of the Gulf War, several Pagans in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area became concerned about the difficulties that would face young members of the community when and if the draft were activated. The group came together at Ancient Ways Bookstore in Oakland in mid-February to discuss methods of helping Pagans who might wish to seek Conscientious Objector status in the future.
Primarily, draft boards tend to focus on the "official" teachings of whatever religion or philosophical school the candidate belongs to. Since we have no clergy who can make authoritative statements, and since we are not a "people of the Book," it seemed that collecting statements supporting various Pagan rationales for taking a CO stance might well be a useful tool to develop. We contacted recognized leaders from as widely divergent Pagan groups as possible.
Several groups and/or individuals responded; others did not. We decided to collect, print and distribute these responses ....
Among other materials, the "anthology" contains letters/statements from various sources, and an abstract from one Pagan's draft board hearing (circa Vietnam). The abstract is an example of the sort of questioning one might expect if confronted with a hearing. There is also a letter from a Wiccan mother to her son, and a statement regarding women in the military.
It is our hope that young members of the Pagan community, should they (Goddess forbid!) be involved in such a confrontation, will find this working helpful in establishing their right to CO status. (Parenthetically, the Central Committee for CO has issued the following statistics: During the Gulf War, 2,500 men and women from the "peace time army" and activated National Guard units applied for CO status. Only five requests were granted!) ...
[Y]ou may make as many copies [of this anthology] as you wish to distribute. As Woody Guthrie said (sort of), "We made these up to let people hear 'em, and anyone who passes them on will be a friend of mine." Bright blessings.
-- The Pagan Committee on Conscientious Objection
Barbara, Richard, Steve, Marilee, Ron, and several others
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OKAY, THE POSITION PAPERS [PRINTED BELOW] ARE ALL VERY WELL.
I/WE ALSO OPPOSE WAR AND WOULD RESIST A DRAFT --
BUT NOW, WHAT CAN, OR SHOULD, WE DO?
Whenever Congress enacts a new draft law and you get "Greetings" from the Selective Service, it will be almost too late. All of your CO records must be ready to present at the time you show up at the induction center. You may not add to the file later; you have to live with what you initially presented.
On the following page this committee has drafted a generic position statement that your organization could use, or might use as a starting point to articulate your own position.
For the Pagan CO Committee: Ron, Steve, Richard, Marilee, et al.
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As members of Neo-pagan and Earth-centered religious traditions, we find that conscience and the Goddess within each of us impel us to declare that war is a great evil, since:
Our belief in the unity between the Goddess and the Earth transcends political boundaries. The division of people and the planet into artificial nation-states fundamentally conflicts with our experience of the Earth and Her inhabitants as a profoundly interconnected, whole organism.
Knowledge of the evils of war and of the oneness of the Earth, and communion with the Goddess within, have led many Pagans to oppose war in any form, whatever the justification. These Pagans, if serving in a branch of the Armed Forces, or if conscripted under the Selective Service Act, have the legal right and the moral obligation to declare themselves Conscientious Objectors. It is important that they receive the information and assistance they need to do so.
While not binding myself/ourselves to act in accordance with
this declaration, I/we agree that it is consistent with Pagan
teachings and beliefs as I/we understand them.
If signing as a group, that affiliation is called (name optional):
___________________________.
Signature(s), as individuals or as officers:
____________________ ___________________ _____________________
____________________ ___________________ _____________________
____________________ ___________________ _____________________
____________________ ___________________ _____________________
____________________
(This is an excerpt from a pamphlet originally published by the CCCO, Western Region, PO Box 42249, San Francisco, CA 94142.)
Many people cannot serve in the military in any way because for them all military jobs support war. Others find that they can be part of the military as long as they're not required to kill.
The law recognizes both kinds of COs. If you're against all military duty but are willing to do civilian work instead, you can be classified 1-O. If you object to war but are willing to serve as a soldier without using weapons (noncombatant duty), you can be classified 1-A-O.
There's currently no provision for those who oppose both military and civilian duty. And it's against the law to refuse to register for the draft. ...
To be a CO under current law, you must be against "war in any form" -- meaning all wars which you might be asked to face. If you think you might fight in some wars but not in others, try to be clear about what makes some wars right and others wrong. Do you think any modern war can meet your standards?
If you find it hard to believe that any war in today's world could be right, you may be opposed to "war in any form," because you are opposed to every war that could really happen. Some COs, for example, base their claims on the Christian "just war theory," which says a war must meet certain moral standards in order to be right. They believe no modern war can meet the just war standards -- even though past wars might have met them -- because today's weapons would kill too many innocent people.
Some COs would fight a spiritual war between the powers of good and evil. This is not a "war" under the law. As long as you wouldn't fight in a "flesh and blood war," you can qualify as CO.
After you've thought about it, you may find that you're opposed to some wars but not toothers. This means you probably don't qualify for CO status. You are a "selective conscientious objector." "Selective objectors" believe that sometimes it is necessary and right to take part in war, although they may be strongly opposed to a particular war.
A selective objector can still apply for CO status -- and should do so. Draft and military authorities may decide that you qualify even if you thought you didn't. The law may change. And if you're prosecuted -- for refusing to register, refusing orders, or other offenses -- having your views on record can show that there was a moral reason for your actions.
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1.) We believe that Divinity dwells in all things, and may be sought both within and without.
2.) We feel our human intelligence gives us the responsibility of caring for our environment, rather than a right to exploit it at will. We seek a way of life in balance with Nature that is beneficial for all forms of life involved. It is necessary to have love and respect for Nature as Divine in Her own right, and to accept ourselves as part of (and dependent upon) Nature, rather than as Her "rulers". Paganism is an earth religion, and proud of it.
3). The core of our religion is a practice of rites we celebrate to attune ourselves to the natural rhythms of the life force of Mother Earth which manifest in the phases of the moon and the cycle of the seasons.
4). We recognize that a spiritual force of great power, known to many peoples by many names, resides in all things; it is this power that makes magic and life itself possible. This power is often seen as supernatural, but we believe it to be entirely a part of Nature.
5). We see the Divine as manifesting in pairs of complimentary opposites (female/male, dark/light, waning/waxing, etc.). We value neither side of the coin above the other, knowing each to be necessary to the existence of the other; after all, who ever saw a coin with only one side?
6). Since Divinity is as likely to manifest in female as in male form, we regard women and men as spiritually equal, and make no distinction on the basis of gender.
7). We perceive the world we live in to be the result of interaction between our inner world, or psychic state, and the energies and movements of the world around us. We give equal value to both inner and outer experiences, seeing the development of both as necessary for living a full, satisfying life.
8). We reject hierarchies based upon dominance, and power based on the threat of force. Hierarchy in Nature, like that of molecules, cells, and organs, is based upon systems within systems, a progression from forms that are simpler to those more evolved, more complex. Therefore, we honor those who possess and share experience and knowledge greater than our own, and who undertake the responsibility of teaching others.
9). We see religion and magic as one, and manifesting as wisdom in living. A Pagan uses magic as a religious discipline for balancing the forces within her/himself that makes living without harm to others in harmony with Nature possible. We must practice what we preach. Paganism is a way of life, not an intellectual stance or social function.
10). We believe good and evil to be an arbitrary, abstract concept that exists entirely within the human mind; we do not worship or even acknowledge the existence of the "Devil", or any other spirit or entity of absolute evil. By the same token, we do not believe in entities of absolute good, either. For us, the Divine is like fire, a force that can be at once dangerous and benevolent, and must be treated with respect and care.
11). We believe that ethics and morality should be based on tolerance, mutual respect, and love for oneself and others, avoidance of actual harm to others, and the increase of general benefit. This is most commonly expressed as "Do what you will if it harms none, and do not interfere with the right of others to do what they will so long as they harm none but themselves." Remember, everyone has the right to go to hell in their own handbasket, as long as no one else is compelled to come along for the ride.
12). The only animosity we feel towards Judeo-Christianity or any other religion or philosophy of life is to the extent that its institutions, feeling that they possess the "one, true, right, and only way", seek or have sought to restrict the freedom of choice of their members and above all, to suppress other ways of religious practice and points of view, and compel compliance with their tenets by those who reject them.
13). We believe that human beings were meant to live lives filled with joy, beauty, love, pleasure, and humor, and regard the Judeo-Christian concepts of sin, shame, and guilt as sad, neurotic misunderstandings of human life and development. In particular, we regard all forms of consensual sexual practices as sacred. "All acts of love and pleasure are My rituals".
14). We believe in accepting the positive, beneficial aspects of modern science and technology, while maintaining an attitude of critical distrust towards their supposed harmlessness and ethical neutrality.
15). We believe that people have the ability to solve their current problems, both personal and public, and create a better world. War, poverty, hunger, pain, depression, lack of creative opportunity and mutual oppression are not necessary, nor inevitable, parts either of the world or of human nature.
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(What follows is my own attempt to formulate some of these principles, and to discuss how each might be a basis for a position of conscientious objection to war. I hope this document may prove helpful to those young people of our community who are considering their own position on the draft, or applying for CO status, and to those who may be writing letters of support. Please feel free to quote from this piece or adapt it to suit your needs, or use it in full with my name attached.)
The religious beliefs of Pagans are diverse and undogmatic. There is no central doctrinal authority to pronounce upon matters of conscience. Rather, Pagans hold deep respect for the right and responsibility of each individual to make these decisions according to their own interpretations of our shared principles. For many Pagans, the underlying tents of our religion lead us to oppose war as a means of settling conflict, and to refuse to participate in war efforts. The Grand Council of the Covenant of the Goddess, a legal church and one of the most widely respected Pagan organizations, voted in 1985 to affirm the right of members to decide, as a matter of faith, that they are conscientiously opposed to war.
Pagan traditions are rooted in the concept of an immanent deity. Our Goddess, our Gods, are not separate from the material world, but are embodied, in nature, in human beings, in culture. Every human being is another facet of the Goddess, another way in which She reveals some aspect of Herself, some possibility of transformation.
Therefore, to kill a human being is to commit deicide as well as murder. Each individual's unique consciousness, potential, and life experience is sacred, not to be manipulated or coerced in any way. Death is an inherent part of life, not something to be feared or denied, but to take someone else's life before their time is a denial of the sacred life force. To demonize the enemy, to characterize a whole national or racial group as fair game for killing, is to deny the Goddess in them.
In our own history, our religious traditions have too often been the victim of such demonization. We know too well how it feels to be made the enemy, to be suppressed and to have our culture and traditions denigrated and misunderstood. We are therefore inherently suspicious of all attempts to justify war by portraying an enemy as evil, intractable, irrational, mad. Our faith demands that we continue to search for the spark of humanity in even the most malevolent opponent.
To Pagans, all of life is interconnected. Human life is interdependent with plant and animal communities, with elemental and energy resources. War ruptures those connections. If we do not see ourselves as separate from the enemy, we cannot kill the enemy. We know that what happens to other human beings affects us, directly and subtly. The suffering of others is also our suffering, and therefore we cannot contribute to suffering.
The earth, in our tradition, is also sacred. We see the earth as a living being, a conscious organism of which we are all parts. All modern war is also war on the earth. We have already seen tremendous environmental devastation in the Gulf, from the bombing, from oil spills and fires. To a Pagan, dropping a bomb that explodes on "uninhabited" desert and kills no human being is still participating in an act of murder -- murder of the animal and plant life and the fragile desert ecology, wounding of the living body of our living Goddess. Our religion demands that we work to preserve the integrity of biological systems, that we safeguard the air and the water. Therefore we cannot participate in warfare which poses such extreme dangers to the ecosystems of the earth.
Pagan religions teach personal responsibility and accountability to a community. We are each responsible for the consequences of our acts. But in modern warfare, it is impossible to know what the results of our acts may be. A pilot pushes a button, sees a blip on a screen, but never knows where the bombs fall, and how many he or she has killed. War demands obedience to authority that supersedes the individual conscience, but our religion demands that we remain true to our individual sense of integrity. Therefore a Pagan could not, in good conscience, carry out orders that contradicted her or his sense of justice.
It is true that many Pagan traditions of the past honored the Warrior aspect of our Gods and heroes. However, warfare has changed in its nature since those times. No longer is battle conducted with weapons that have limited scope for harm, that require those who wield them to see and touch and have contact with their victims, to put their own body in range of similar weapons. Now modern weaponry allows killing to be conducted at a distance, with the fighters never seeing or knowing their victims, and with weapons whose destructive scope is unimaginable. The impact of modern warfare often falls hardest on civilians, not on those who have chosen to fight. Pagans value honor, and to attack those who are weaker, defenseless, or less well-equipped technologically is dishonorable. To kill at a distance those whom the killer may never see or know is a deep violation of the Pagan sense of ethics.
Finally, the Pagan tradition teaches us that the ends do not justify the means. Rather, the means we choose themselves determine the ends we can achieve. Violent means leave a legacy of violence. We cannot achieve peace through war. Instead, we are called to use our vision and imagination, qualities highly valued in our tradition, to make our every action reflect the qualities we wish to see manifest in society, to ourselves live out the world we wish to create. If we desire a world free of domination, coercion and violence, we must seek others means to resolve conflicts, and ourselves strive to live nonviolently in both the personal and political realms.
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Back in 1967 I was drafted. I submitted an initial application for exemption from the draft on religious and moral grounds, but grew discouraged and depressed over the whole thing, gave in, and served two years active duty in the US Army.
I dropped the application because I rightly or wrongly came to believe that it would be rejected. My network of family and friends were either non-supportive or hostile, and draft boards in '67 were thought to be rigid, conservative, and ultra-christian. I felt my only real choice was between becoming a fugitive or letting them have me.
In 1970 I was discharged from active duty and spent two years trying to be a counter-cultural, anti-establishment civilian. But the military had futher plans for me. The draft gave you to the Army for two years of active duty, and six more years of reserve duty. I received another notice ordering me into uniform for two weeks with the Army reserve playing war games in the southern California desert.
I was a different person than I had been four years previous. I was less dependent on "support networks", family, etc. More able to stand alone. Also, draft boards had somewhat liberalized due to new social and legal realities. I petitioned for a complete discharge based on religious and moral grounds, and got it.
These are the questions they asked me at the hearing. I had a lawyer present. He asked me some questions also. They strengthened my case before the board. There is a new draft law now, and it doesn't provide for applicants to have lawyers present at hearings. It is my opinion that it will be more difficult to face future draft boards than it was for me in '72. By the time you receive a draft notice, it will probably be too late to prepare a case for yourself the draft board will accept. Kind of like what happened to me in '67.
Hearing Officer:
This is an official 0-3 hearing of the objector application of Specialist 4 John Doe, USAR, etc. Mr. Doe, do you understand the nature and purpose of this hearing?
Why does this belief prevent you from participating in war as a noncombatant? (This question may require some explanation. The military had many conscientious objectors serving on active duty in its ranks as noncombatants. That is to say, the military could not require these noncombatants to carry weapons or perform certain duties that were weapons related. But they can be ordered to do anything else. Many CO's are medics, for instance.)
How do you reconcile this belief with your duties in the Veteran's Administration hospital when, as I understand it, some people who are reservists or perhaps still on active duty are in various veterans hospitals for treatment.
Do you consider your belief religious or connected with religion?
Well, now is it merely that you would rather not participate in war or do you feel that your beliefs against war are so much a part of you that you --
Under what circumstances, if any, do you believe in the use of force or violence?
Well, I note that you are single. I presume you have a girl friend and let's assume that you do. Let's assume that you and the girl friend were walking along, we will say the street outside your home, and you were suddenly attacked by a group of toughs who were out to rob you and perhaps rape her. Would you defend yourself and her?
Let's suppose this: Suppose that an armored group were invading your community. Would you resist them, or would you just say welcome and take everything I have, it is yours?
Can you tell me sort of how or from what source you acquired this belief?
Lawyer:
Or approaching that?
And some kind of communication beyond, or is dialog a part of these experiences?
Have you felt God was there?
Did you get a letter earlier this year which was instrumental in -- (This question refers to summons from the active reserves)
Say, first of all, what this letter was.
Did you also have the feeling that it would be maybe out of tune with nature if you were still going to be part of the Army, even in the inactive reserve?
Hearing Officer:
Then you pinpoint the time that your beliefs really crystallized as when you received your notice to go to AT-72 (war games with active reserve for two weeks)?
Well, since your beliefs have crystallized, have you given public expression, either written or oral, to the views that you have expressed here?
Well, now, can you describe the actions or behavior in your life that, in your opinion, demonstrate the depth of your convictions or the consistency with which you hold them?
Do you have any questions Mr. Lawyer?
Lawyer:
I would like, before I ask Mr. Doe anything, to ask you, Colonel, whether there is some particular aspect which has a bearing on Mr. Doe's application that you either think you should have more information concerning, that would be necessary for you to make a decision?
Mr. Doe, how do you feel, in general, about killing, either killing humans or killing other animals, be they so-called higher animals or else birds or fish or insects? And also you talked about the area of how you would be acting in a position where some kind of force or restraint might be necessary to defend your life or someone else's life. How far would you go in that situation? Would you go to the point of killing or attempting to kill the person who was attacking in that kind of situation?
Hearing Officer:
How do you feel about people who go hunting, people who might be bothered by a few insects that are not spreading any disease and are spreading insecticide into areas where they are living or around where they are living?
On another subject, you mentioned earlier why even noncombatant service in the armed forces or in the reserves would be against your conscience. As far as service or continued membership in the reserve unit, even if you in fact did not turn out to be called, would you talk about the reasons why you would find that not acceptable.
This would apply even if you were in the reserves?
And the Army was then knowing that they would have -- that they would have you available to call if they needed you. This would be strengthening the Army?
It is the only thing you can do as far as where your conscience is, given your beliefs about nature and the universe? Otherwise, you would not be being true to those beliefs?
Lawyer:
I don't have any other questions to ask you but if you have any statements that you want to, you can. Otherwise, I think it will be concluded unless the Colonel had anything more.
Hearing Officer:
I take it you have nothing further to present, Mr. Doe.
Then this concludes the hearing.
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January 17, 1991
A war began yesterday. Planes from many countries, led by the United States, flew against Iraq. It is our fervent prayer that this war will be ended by the time you read this.
While the world and the country have known many wars during the decade and a half of the Covenant's existence, we have not appeared so close to the activation of a draft since the founding of our organization. The possibility of being called to engage in battle is a very serious matter for members of our faith, as for members of every religion.
We support all those members of our religion who are fighting in the region now. We also note that in 1985, Grand Council approved a policy affirming the right of individual members to decide, as a matter of faith, that they are conscientiously opposed to participating in a war.
It is CoG's policy to support individual matters of conscience. We understand that devotion to the Goddess may either direct individual members to participate in war, or to conscientiously object to participating in a war. We pray that the wisdom of the Goddess guide all members of our faith who face such a decision.
The Peace Committee formed in 1985 still exists; contact Lady of the Wild Things, PO Box 524, Alpine, CA 91903.
We hope you will join us in petitioning the Goddess: to return all members of our religion who are or may become involved in the Persian Gulf War safely to their own covensteads again; for as much safety as is possible for all lives endangered by this war; for comfort and sustenance for all those whose loved ones are endangered by this war; for a swift and easy passage for all those lives lost in this conflict; for the protection of sites located in the region held sacred by those of our faith and by those of other faiths; and for a speedy return to peace.
May the Desert Storm subside.
Blessed be,
Brandy Williams, Co-First Officer
Phoenix Whitebirch, Co-First Officer
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[Text containing procedure, instruction, and authority to establish a Peace Committee that would develop a policy offering conscientious objector status to CoG covens that request it. Exact words not included here.]
The following statement was adopted:
The Covenant of the Goddess supports and confirms the right of individual members to decide, as a matter of faith, that they are conscientiously opposed to war and/or participation in the Armed Services, i.e., that they are conscientious objectors.
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The fundamental belief of Neopagan religions is that Earth in Her entirety is a Goddess incarnate. She is all of Nature and Her names are many. Here we will call Her Gaea or Mother Earth, and those who honor Her before all others we will call Gaeans. Gaea's rocks, seas and atmosphere are the sacred texts of Her evolution, and She is embodied in the biosphere. Because an essential quality of the biosphere is interdependent interconnectedness, harming any part of the web of life is to harm the whole. Thus all life is sacred, from the smallest microbe to the most evolved human being. Gaeans believe that life should be taken sparingly, only in real need, and then after honoring the spirit of the organism that is to die. Most Gaeans feel that the more conscious a being is, the less justification there is for killing it. Many of us would extend the definition of murder to include cetaceans, apes, elephants, ancient trees and other forms.
The Church of All Worlds categorically supports the right of all members of Neopagan religions who honor Mother Earth as a prime deity, to nonviolently oppose war in any and all forms. War is deacide, for it is destructive to the Goddess embodied in living beings. War results from various human communities having forgotten their collective origin in the sacred Earth, and managing to demonize each other. War is the basic tool by which the patriarchal takeover and suppression of the Goddess was originally achieved, and subsequently maintained.
Wars fought with high technology weapons are among the greatest ecocidal catastrophes, due to both the physical destruction in the theatre of battle, and the environmental costs of creating the war machine. High technology weapons exacerbate warfare by allowing killing without any conscious connection with the victims. Human beings become blips on a screen, and their suffering is denied.
Conscription is involuntary servitude. A soldier in the army of the State is essentially a slave who has little or no say in what his or her weapon will be, who the enemy is, or in what manner the battles are fought. Armies can be used as agents of State terror, and soldiers have been required under pain of death to attack their own communities.
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Contemporary neo-Pagans are polytheists. We celebrate the diversity of Divinity and the divinity of diversity. We do not postulate some one way of living right, or of being holy. From our multivalent beliefs, we derive a "high choice" ethic, acknowledging that the Gods call different people to follow different Paths. Some of us are artists, healers, nurturers, scholars, and more. Some of us are warriors, and we know them to be part of the whole. Each of us must follow our own calling with whole heart, and respect the others.
All of us, of all Paths, share a core ethic, which we call the Wiccan Rede. It simply says, "An it harm none, do what you will." This is a statement of situational ethics, requiring each of us to avoid both harm to others and any abnegation of our own responsibility or freedom. This is our "golden rule." It informs all those decisions of conscience by which we bring our religious values to daily life. Like a prism, it sheds different light on different paths.
For those who are healers and nurturers, pacifism is intrinsic to their way of being. We know that our Mother the Earth is one living body, one Being. All creatures are parts of that whole, completely interdependent within Her Matrix. The gifts of the healer and nurturer include a particularly intense experience of Earth's Unity. Our healers live by their compassion, feeling the pains and joys of all around them. Those who feel the pain of the other are literally unable to act with intent to wound or kill. Their answer to military conscription can only be a simple and enduring "no!"
Our honorable warriors face a more complex decision. Their calling is to protect the Tribe and the hearth, proudly interposing their own bodies when needful. While some people are so corrupted by greed and arrogance as to have lost their empathy, their sense of connection with the whole, the rest need protection. And so, our warriors learn the skills of violence, and are willing to soil their own hands in defense of their people. For us, they risk both physical and emotional health. We honor their sacrifice.
Still, though they offer their bodies, the Wiccan Rede forbids them to yield their will and conscience to blind patriotic obedience. They are religiously obligated, as are we all, to examine each situation they face on its own particular merits. Just as healers do not always intervene, warriors do not always take up arms. None of us may ever "just follow orders."
Our warriors live by their honor and courage, and so must honestly and bravely face this tragic lesson of history: not all wars are honorable. Many wars have been fought because one nation coveted the lands or resources of another. Many have been fought because one people were fanatically intolerant of another people's lifeways and sought to impose their own instead. The honorable warrior is called to protect what is ours, not to take or destroy what belongs to others.
We have a heritage of ballads and tales of the hero warriors of old. These comprise the warrior mythos, serving as model and inspiration for today's warrior. They bear little resemblance to what war has become. In the heroic myths, combat took place between willing adversaries, all of whom had chosen to risk themselves for their people's sake. Setting torch to the crops to starve non-participants was an act of shame, to be scorned by the bold.
In a tradition of honorable warfare, there is no glory in slaying the innocent. With the advent of bombs, missiles, nuclear and chemical weapons, war in this century is no longer limited to committed and trained warriors. Paradoxically, military service may no longer be an appropriate means to fulfill any honorable warrior's calling.
For those warriors who are by religion neo-Pagans, there is still more reason to refuse military service. We worship many Gods and follow many Paths, yes, but we also all give primary reverence to our beautiful Mother Earth, Who gives life to all people and all Paths. We are part of Her, and our survival is entirely dependent on Her own. In our time, we see Her wounded and threatened by human greed and malice. Her pain is ours. It is She, first of all, that we must all defend and heal, each according to our own skills and callings.
The healers among us always knew that war was fratricidal, as even those who really would harm us are also our estranged siblings. But modern, technological war is also ecocidal, Matricidal. Wounds are dealt not just to individual bodies, but to the air, land, and waters, to entire ecosystems, and even to the Earth herself. Modern weapons endanger all that lives. Faced with this overriding threat, even those who are called to defend home and tribe must defend Earth first. In this imperative of both religious conscience and raw survival, we who serve Earth have come to the place where the Warrior and Healer Paths converge.
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Berkeley, California
November 27, 1990
Dear Mark,
So JoAnne's going to have a boy! Congratulations! Joshua Robert
is a nice name. I'm delighted to hear that I'm going to have a
grandson.
You know, it's an awful thing to say, but -- when a little boy is born, it almost always means that when he grows up, he'll be told he has to go to war. Why should that be? The reasons for going to war are almost always bad ones. When young Josh is born, your own son -- who may have your green eyes and JoAnne's dark hair, or your blonde hair and her brown eyes -- stay tuned -- when your little boy is about three months old or so and looks at you intently and smiles a toothless smile of joy, love and trust, tell me: could you send him to war? Could you send him to war, to kill innocent Asians or Central Americans or Arabs, or anyone? Could you send him to war, to be shot and paralyzed or mindless? Could you send him away to butchery and slaughter, only to come home in a body bag? When he has his first or second birthday party, laughing and running and showing you a toy, I want you to write and tell me: Hell no! He won't go!
I want you to understand why I was ready to take you to Canada or Sweden before I would let them draft you, even if you were willing to go. I want young Joshua to be all he can be -- whole, and sane, and a force for peace and justice, if he chooses to be; a man of wisdom, and a man to stop fights, not continue them at the whim of a President who wants to start a war somewhere for the price of oil, or video tapes, or whatever.
Hold your son in your arms and swear to him that you will not let him be sacrificed to greed, power and madness. Then you will be a father, and not just a sperm donor. Then you will be my true son. Then you will be a worthy mortal incarnation of whatever god you acknowledge. Then you will be all you can be. Then it will have been worth it that your forebearers shipped to America in steerage, from Norway and Germany and England, Wales and Ireland. They left all they had behind them, and worked and suffered in grim, tight-lipped silence, so that you could be born, and marry, and have children, and live in the "land of opportunity." So that you could live in this world, and carry on the legacy they would never live to see.
You have just become part of the ages, my son. In your genes, and in JoAnne's, are the hopes of every ancestor who outran saber-toothed tigers, bears, and other warriors with spears, to live to hunger and struggle all over again. You are the triumph of hundreds of thousands of years of being born, learning, working, living, loving, and dying; and before you die you have only a few short years to create for your own son, your children, the best environment you can. If you do your job well, they will remember you fondly, for at least one generation more. That's all you can ask. Welcome to the river of history. I have perhaps 25 years more to ramble around this world and have whatever effect I can manage; with luck, most of it will be declared good. Then it's your inning; you're just warming up now. May you be a Most Valuable Player.
I love you.
Mom
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