November 7, 2005
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Wiccans OUGHT to be offended. Every chance we get.
From Toronto, Canada: School board cautions against offending Wiccans
Teachers should forego traditional classroom Halloween celebrations
because they are disrespectful of Wiccans and may cause some children
to feel excluded, says a Toronto District School Board memo sent to
principals and teachers this week.
‘”Many recently arrived students in our schools share absolutely none of
the background cultural knowledge that is necessary to view ‘trick or
treating,’ the commercialization of death, the Christian sexist
demonization of pagan religious beliefs, as ‘fun,’ ” says the memo.
<snip>
The memo goes on to remind teachers that, “Halloween is a religious day
of significance for Wiccans and therefore should be treated
respectfully.”Are they nuts?
Comments (2)
The real beauty of this is that Wicca is, in a sense, entirely made up. I mean, any false religion is of course, but Wicca is particularly so, in that there isn’t any historic “Wiccan” religion — it’s kind of a do it yourself thing that’s evolved over the last century or so.
So the message that the TSB is sending is, “If you decide tomorrow that the religion you practice holds something sacred that nobody ever held sacred before, and you want to be offended about it, we’ll buckle.”
Maybe some of the kids in the school shoud invent a religion that is offended by tests, and see what happens.
Mercy Maud, Jane, don’t suggest that within Dmitry’s hearing! =8^o