Retired Army Chaplain William Chrystal, a United Church of Christ minister who was chaplain of Stewart's National Guard unit, has strongly backed Roberta Stewart's request.Anyone who serves his country deserves the symbol of his or her choice. True, a couple of days ago I argued that all symbols are essentially valueless. But there is value in honoring the wishes of our fallen.
"It's such a clear First Amendment issue, I can't even conceive of why they are not granting it, except for political reasons," he said. "I think the powers that be are afraid they'll alienate conservative Christians if they approve a symbol that connotes witches and warlocks casting spells and brewing potions."
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
No star
It is now official: Fallen soldier Patrick Stewart, a Wiccan, will not receive a pentacle on his grave marker.
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joe, i meant to comment on your symbols post at the time, but time slipped away from me.
so i'll put it here.
you are absolutely correct that, in the ultimate analysis, symbols merely point to but are not THE reality.
but thus is the entirety of our existence as we know it. you may scoff, but i've been working on this very notion for a quarter century now. symbols are THE route through which we experience and express reality and its meaning.
that being said, finding that reality that does exist beyond symbols, and beyond the trappings of bodily existence, is what the spiritual quest of the ages has always been about. most particularly - from my studies, anyway - as described in the teachings of gautama buddha.
no, not in the teachings so much as in the practice of the technique he so generously shared.
there, again, is that important distinction. pointing, through teaching, to the reality is quite different from actually finding the reality itself oneself.
but for all of us slobs down here, trapped in this bodily reality, those symbols really do matter; they mean something. and it is important for us to respect this fact.
which raises the question, of course, what is the difference between the value to that fallen soldier of his symbol of the pentacle and the value to many americans of the symbol of the flag?
one difference is religious, and it may be the most important one. and perhaps this will answer my own query. while we can put in place laws that require we respect (while not imposing) the religious beliefs of others, we must simultaneously not allow symbols of our government to take precedence over individual symbols of religious beliefs.
burning a flag in these times actually itself becomes a symbol of my moral and 'religious' principles, a first amendment right as much as the right to place one's own religious symbol on one's tombstone.
disallowing that symbolic act of flag burning is, of course, perfectly consistent with disallowing the pentacle because they both just scream the conservatives' inability to entertain beliefs that differ with theirs, whether religious or political.
and the consistency also exposes yet again their inability to draw a clear line between matters of church and matters of state.
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