Submitted by Grandmother Spider on Fri, 07/07/2006 - 9:12pm.
The widow of a Wiccan soldier killed last year in Afghanistan is gaining support in her quest to have a pentacle placed on his grave:
The space where the memorial marker of Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart, a decorated American soldier who was killed last year in Afghanistan, should stand is empty because his Wiccan faith is not one of 30 approved for such designation by the federal government.
Stewart, a 34-year-old native of Fernley, Nev., was killed Sept. 25 by a rocket-propelled grenade. His body was cremated and he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
His widow, Roberta, held her own Memorial Day service this past May 31 to protest the government's policy. She has refused a temporary marker at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery until she gets a permanent recognition of her late husband's faith. ...
Now, several secular and religious organizations -- including Americans United for Separation of Church and State -- and a well-known constitutional scholar say Stewart's widow should be allowed to have the Wiccan pentacle placed on his marker.
In a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson and Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs William Tuerk, Americans United said Wiccans have been trying to get the pentacle, a five-pointed star in a circle, on the list of approved religious symbols to no avail. The group says this is a direct violation of the First Amendment and has asked the VA to respond within 30 days to avoid litigation.
Keep in mind that Wicca is a recognized religion in the US military services, but Wiccans are not allowed to mark their graves with a pentacle because they don't have a "headquarters." No guru, no method, no teacher--no grave marker.
Interestingly, that "well-known constitutional scholar" cited by Beliefnet is an evangelical Christian.
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