NYT Op-Ed Columnist Wm Safire: Of God and the Flag

Op-Ed Columnist: Of God and the Flag

My Response:

Hello, Mr. Safire-

I liked your column very much, but I’d like to make the case for removing the phrase altogether. I know it is perfectly possible to omit the phrase – I’ve been doing it my entire adult life. The words aren’t the problem. It’s the underlying assumption that permeates our culture that creates the divisive effect Mr. Newdow and people like me are trying to counteract. The words do “establish” religion by their very presence. Their inclusion implies a preference, lending a sense that “normal” Americans pray to “God”. Mr. Newdow will object to the idea that one should pray; I object to the idea that one should pray to “God”.

“God” is not a generic term, though our culture has come to treat it as such. To do so is presumptive. It presumes gender; it presumes a Central Asian origin; intentionally or not, it invokes the deity Yaw*h/Jehovah/Adonai (*I did that because I don’t know whether you are an orthodox Jew or not and they aren’t supposed to say or hear that name) and therefore brings with it a history of slavery, aggression and patriarchy. None of these are elements of my religion. None of these has anything to do with my allegiance to my flag or my country.

We are in the greatest danger ever of having state-sanctioned religion imposed on us. In this era of “faith-based initiatives”, Judeo-Christian creeds are not only preferred, they are being subsidized by the federal government. Mr. Bush has stated that my religion “is not a religion” (http://www.positiveatheism.org/writ/bushwicca.htm ) and other members of the Administration have denigrated Pagans publicly. (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/09/1070732209275.html?from=storyrhs) They are even trying to deny long-standing religious observances to soldiers who practice Wicca.

I’m not a kid playing with an alternative lifestyle. I’ve been a Priestess for over 20 years and I have taught and written about my faith as any member of the clergy would. I’, a Witch with a capital “W”, just a Christian, Jew and Muslim are capitalized. I spent most of a decade working for the government, so I know we didn’t have many protections of our First Amendment rights from the beginning. At one time I might have doubted we’d ever make progress, but I never dreamed we’d be in danger of being pushed backward to the point that we have now. Radical Christians disrupt lawful Pagan services and Ashcroft’s DOJ does as little as local law enforcement when they should be treating the incidents as hate crimes. There’s been a lot in the media about the possible rise of anti-Semitism as a result of the popularity of the new Mel Gibson movie, but no one has considered that it won’t do much for us, either.

So I thank you for supporting Mr. Newdow’s inconvenient but correct insistence that the words be removed, but I ask you to reconsider the “hands-off” position regarding the phrase. I respect the right of everyone to worship or not as is their choice, but the continued inclusion of the phrase bolsters the movement to deny those rights to me.

Bright Blessings

Morgaine Swann, H.Ps.