Source: The Oracle
After giving their lives to protect their country, their country is finally giving something back.
The Department of Veterans Affairs finally added the Wiccan pentacle to the list of emblems that can be used on soldiers' headstones. At least 11 families will have the pentacle added to their loved one's headstone in the coming days. The Department of Veterans Affairs settled the lawsuit in the interest of the families involved, as well as to save taxpayers from paying further litigation. In the settlement, the V.A. also agreed to pay $225,000 in attorneys' fees and costs.
A faith group's petition for approval of a religious emblem for headstones normally takes a few months to be approved by the V.A., but this one took 10 years and a lawsuit. According to the Associated Press, 38 symbols are already permitted to appear on headstones. Some are commonly recognized, like the symbols for Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam. Then there are symbols used for smaller religions like Sufism Reoriented, Eckiankar and the Japanese faith
Seicho-No-Ie.
The problem, therefore, was not about Wicca being too small a religion to recognize, since according to a Pentagon survey cited in the lawsuit, there are 1,800 Wiccans in the armed forces. Instead, the problem was the V.A discriminating against Wiccans because some believe Wicca is not a real religion, but rather devil worship.