For religious issues, devil's in the details

In the early days of The Watch and the Watch Alert archive, a lot of people were confused about our mission. We posted a lot of information on Pagan issues, and so many people thought we were simply a Pagan forum. I suppose that might be true if one believes, as I do, that Pagans have just as much of a right to their beliefs as anyone else.

However, the reasoning behind posting so many articles and notes about Pagans had more to do with politics than with religion. Simply put, the people who stand the most to lose at the hands of the Religious Right and Christian Extremists are Pagans. Who do you think Christians see most specifically as one of their enemies? Pagans go right to the front of the list because most Christians see Pagans as Devil-worshippers.

While all Americans will suffer under the roll-back of Democracy that will occur under the steel-gloved hand of an American Taliban, Pagans will be the first to suffer because they are seen largely as a standing enemy. Therefore, I have always felt that Pagans especially should keep up with their politics and be aware of everything that's going on around them.

I posted a story to the Watch Alert Archive about Wiccans and other Pagans being denied their rights of representation in their local governments. It makes for an interesting read, and is just the sort of story I think all Americans, not just Pagans, need to be aware of. For whatever reason, the Pagans get left out of every conversation when people start talking about oppression. It is never mentioned that when Jerry Falwell tried to lay blame on non-Christians for provoking God to allow the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the first group of people he mentioned was Pagans. Some of the first people the Nazis started rounding up in the early days of World War II were the Pagans, in the form of Gypsies.

Pagans must be aware of local, state and Federal level politics, because whether they like it or not they are in the forefront. If by some bizarre twist armed conflict should come to the streets of American cities between Christians and other groups, Pagans would be among the first targets. All Pagans should keep this in mind.

- Watch Alert archived post
- Original Article