Over two years since I first wrote about it, the VA is stilll shilly-shallying about approving a symbol for Wicca on its tombstones and memorials — despite having recognized symbols for any number of Christian sects (“Aaronic Order Church”? “United Moravian Church”?), Islam, Judaims, Sufism (“Reoriented”), Mormonism, Buddhism, Eckankar, Humanism, “Soka Gakkai International,” “Izumo Taishakyo Mission of Hawaii,” Konko-Kyo, Hindiusm, Bahai, Atheism, The Native American Church of North America, Sikh, the Church of World Messianity (Izunome) … some 38 symbols in all.
So why the delay in approving the Wiccan pentacle? Ostensibly because there have been so few requests for it, and only recently did the VA not require certification from some sort of central body that the faith symbol was legitimate (now it can be a “central head or primary contact person”). More likely, I suspect, because of a certain squeamishness amongst some in the VA to recognize “witches” and to use something that looks like a “Satanic” symbol.
As I noted back then, the problem with recognizing some religious symbols is that you really have to recognize all of them, at least if you don’t want to run afoul of the First Amendment. Hopefully the “Real Soon Now” answers from the VA will turn out to be accurate.
But some religions are more equal than others
Alas the ongoing saga of the VA and their failure to recognize Wicca as a religion warranting a symbol on headstones has come to an unhappy (for the moment) conclusion….