By Lindsay Beyerstein
Posted on July 6, 2006, Printed on July 6, 2006
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/lindsay/38582/
Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart gave his life in Afghanistan, but the Veterans Memorial Cemetery refuses to officially acknowledge him in death.
Why? Because Stewart was a Pagan who requested that his grave be marked by the five-pointed emblem of his faith, the pentacle.
Cynical-C points to this Washington Post article on Stewart's widow's struggle to get a Wiccan memorial plaque for her husband:
At the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in the small town of Fernley, Nev., there is a wall of brass plaques for local heroes. But one space is blank. There is no memorial for Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart.
That's because Stewart was a Wiccan, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has refused to allow a symbol of the Wicca religion -- a five-pointed star within a circle, called a pentacle -- to be inscribed on U.S. military memorials or grave markers.
The department has approved the symbols of 38 other faiths; about half of are versions of the Christian cross. It also allows the Jewish Star of David, the Muslim crescent, the Buddhist wheel, the Mormon angel, the nine-pointed star of Bahai and something that looks like an atomic symbol for atheists. [WaPo]
The VA recognizes 38 other emblems of belief, including icons for Humanism, and Atheism (shown here).
Lindsay Beyerstein a New York writer blogging at Majikthise.
No comments:
Post a Comment