Re: Pagan Bumperstinkers
Beirdd

Sun Mar 12 10:00:27 2000
Deborah wrote,*br*: I think it's very interesting how people tend to see what *br*: they focus on. *p*Actually, when I'm driving, I'm usually more concerned about someone sticking their bumper onto mine than in reading what is already stuck to their's. That day was the first time I'd been stuck in traffic in two years. Whatever the cosmic synchronicity intended, the bumpers in question all appeared next to me or ahead of me during a period of about 5 minutes and within a range of 100 feet!*p* *br*: As we were discussing in the Pub the other night, I think *br*: part of the Pagan 'in your face' mentality is part and *br*: parcel of the same type of thought processes and actions *br*: that we've seen over the years from other 'minorities', the *br*: civil rights movement, the gay rights movement, the women's *br*: rights movement... and now the Pagan rights movement.  Being *br*: nice is great when you can do it, but sometimes you have to *br*: 'kick the closet door open' because that's the only way the *br*: people on the other side of the door who are trying *br*: desperately to hold it shut will ever let it get open at *br*: all.*p*And yet, intolerance is what it is no matter who directs it to whom and almost always betrays a self-centered unwillingness to see the complexities of human actions and beliefs. I have, unfortunately, been an eyewitness to, and victim of, some of the most extreme examples of this. For good or ill, my experience has no doubt prejudiced my own belief that there is a double standard in play in all of these issues that is itself the most inflammatory element against any attempt at civility or understanding.*br*:*br*: There will come a time when the playing field has been *br*: leveled and all religions can stand on even ground and equal *br*: rights.  I greatly look forward to that day.  At that point *br*: I think you'll see many more of the positive bumperstickers *br*: on both sides and very few of the bumperstinkers being *br*: displayed by either.*p*I believe that to get there, all religious people need to stand together for the rights of freedom of religion in this country, and not work at odds to sterilize the public spiritual environment. As I have said before, when one church is silenced, all are silenced. Inequities may be remedied. Silence breeds itself. *br*:*br*: It's a pendulum swing.  For many centuries it's been waaaaay *br*: too far out of balance to the right.  Now it's swinging back *br*: to the left.  It's our job to ensure that it doesn't go too *br*: far in the other direction.  A pendulum will continue to *br*: loose strength with every swing back and forth, but can *br*: cause a lot of pain and damage during that running down *br*: process.  I think our job is to stop it at the bottom of the *br*: arc and hold it in a place of balance where both sides of *br*: this particular issue can have a safe and wonderful *br*: place/way to worship.*p*I hope that the range of beliefs will still be as interesting on that day. I hate to imagine a world that is gray in every way. For all the lip service given to diversity these days, I fear that the trend is towards a boring, blended mediocrity in all things. On that day, human dignity is dead, and our species is not worth the effort.*p*--Beirdd*br*
Re: Pagan Bumperstinkers
Deborah
519
Sun Mar 12 00:21:41 2000