Allow me to bring to your attention a national event (actually, network of 
events) that is based upon pagans' First Amendment Rights, Pagan Unity,
and Public Acceptance of diverse religious practices.  The Blessed Be
network of events is headlined by Blessed Be and Meet Me in DC, once again
occurring on Samhain this year, October 29th and 30th, 1999.  It will be
held in Washington, DC, as it was in 1997, to being the causes of Freedom
of Religion and Public Acceptance of diverse faiths to the doorstep of our
nation's capital.

And it isn't alone.

Mirror events will do the same for many communities around the country,
with several already confirmed, including Detroit, Chicago and Seattle,
all running simultaneously with DC.  The show of Pagan Unity generated by
this incredible network will gather the attention of the press, and thus,
the world.

Stand with us in October, and have your voice be heard nationwide.

* http://jules.org/bbmm99/ - The MotherSite of Blessed Be and Meet Me in
1999, Detroit's Mirror Event.

You care about the attacks on your right to Freedom of Religion.  Stand
with us and DO something about it.

Aldous Tyler,
Event Coordinator,
BBMM99 (Detroit) bbmm99@gtemail.net

14 responses total.

"Public Acceptance of diverse religious practices"

nothing can force the public to accept a thing, the public accepts
whatever it sees fit, freewill is such a wonderful thing

And nothing I typed says that it can be forced.  However, if the public
isn't presented a real-life, not-just-in-the-movies alternative to what
their misguided clergy has told them all these years about paganism, how
can public acceptance truly grow?  BBMM99 PROMOTED Public Acceptance, not
FORCES it.. as you said, such a thing is not only impossible, but goes
against my personal ethics, which are very much based on free will.

Moreover, if we don't give them a choice to make, between what little
misinformation they have on paganism, and the reality of who we are, how
does that assist free will?  Indeed, the only thing that CAN restrict free
will is isolation from information.  Knowledge is power, and I aim to
empower the public, so that they can then choose for themselves.  Until
they know us, though, they cannot make that choice.

        If you think the problem is misinformed Christian clergymen, you're
farther from the solution to religious intolerance.

Actually, I've had some relatively sane conversations with Christian clergy,
although they don't show that version on TV talk shows terribly often... I
think fear and attendant prejudice are a lot more likely to come from
undereducated follewers.  Which suggests, I guess, that either there are some
seriously manipulative and dishonest, or sadly undereducated clergy out there,
too.  
And no, education will not *solve* the problem here, people have to be willing
to absorb information.

Lay people listen to their clergy.
If you educate the clergy, you stand a better chance of educating the lay
people.
I sense hostile cynicism from Joe and John, rather than any constructive
commentary.

        Then again, it's not uncommon for Paul to read "hostile cynicism" into
anything I write.  :)

        All I said is, the problem isn't specifically uneducated or malicious
clergy spreading their prejudices to the Christian layfolk, and acting as if
it were puts you further from the solution.  I don't support bashing either
Pagans or Christians out of hand, nor their clergy.

there wasn't any hostility, i just found the wording to be a little
silly. If you wave something in someones face you can bet that they'll
see it eventually, but I'd also bet that you can never know how they'll
react. I don't think *any* religous outing of this sort is a good thing.
It's a close as you can get to cramming something down someone throat
without being a dentist

"Bash" and "cram" ... and there's no hostility from either of you?

All ALDOUS said was, a significant problem is uneducated clergy. This doesn't
mean (a) that clergy as a whole are a problem or (b) that all clergy are
uneducated. Where is it "bashing" or "cramming" to say, "Hey, let's educate
people, let's stop hiding and acting ashamed, and see where we get?"? We're
not talking about marching up and down Woodward carrying "Free the Pagans"
signs. We're talking about getting together in Hart Plaza and being ourselves.
If people choose not to pay anyattention, that's their business.

Well put!

My deeply held dream is to go one step beyond getting together in Hart Plaza
(where's that?) to hang out, but rather to adopt a highway, organize a drive
for food/clothing/shelter/toys, arrange to get kids out into nature, work with
the mentally ill community, be a visible presence in crisis-pregnancy or
rape-crisis care, or some other needed community service.  Or at least take
care of our *own* members in crisis...

Hart Plaza is in the shadow of the Rennaissance Center, downtown Detroit, on
the riverfront. A visible and popular place for summertime conventions and
fairs. Not so popular in the winter, since it's outdoors.

Did someone ask where Hart Plaza is? Mymymy..

Think Freedom Festival fireworks.  That's the prime place to be on the
riverfront to see them.  It is THE place in Detroit to host any outdoor event.

Still, I guess it's not that hard not to have heard of it.  It's just that
that was the first time I got that reaction, even from the windsor pagans who
are lining up to attend.

Just so you know, we've got pagans from as deep into ontario as Kingston
(above upstate NY) who are planning on coming to our mirror event.  Ohians
from Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati hav stated they will attend.
Outstate Michiganders have voiced their support.  it makes me wonder at the
resistance I get most: from metro Detroiters, and nearby communities.

It's almost as if no one minds that something like this has come to Motown.
It would be a shame if Detroit had a weak showing, amongst all the others who
are coming, considering it will be in our town.

Well, I'll be there, but I may not count as a Detroiter.
I grew up on the west side, does that count?  >8)

Well, all right, so the A2/Ypsi region is a bit outside "metro Detroit". 
Still, I'm certainly including all of you!  After all, two of the three
organizations making sure this event happens are from Ann Arbor: Shining Lake
Grove and the Magickal Education Council.

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