Subj : Nother article To : All From : Rachel L. Akers Date : Sun Nov 05 2000 03:48 pm This one went with an online poll... PS I thought "idolatry" was what the Catholics were accused on... Rai October 30, 2000 Quiet gathering of Pagans irks Isle of Wight ministers By LINDA MCNATT ¸ 2000, The Virginian-Pilot Wicca practitioner Betsy Ashby of Norfolk runs a Pagan art store and organized the September and Spring gatherings. "It's about spirituality," she said. [photo of woman possiblely in late 30's with cat] Photo by Bill Tiernan / The Virginian-Pilot. ISLE OF WIGHT -- After sunset on a Thursday in mid-September, a group of about 200 adults and children gathered in the woods near the headwaters of the Pagan River and remembered Heidi. "She gave love to all and made many children feel warm, loved and cuddly," the program book for the Fall Gathering of the Tribes 2000 said. Heidi was a St. Bernard who had accompanied her family on many tribal gatherings. But Heidi died this summer. After a short memorial service, her ashes were left in the quiet woods, where the people who knew Heidi hope they can return. It was a peaceful gathering, an Isle of Wight County Sheriff's Department spokesman said. There were no reports of unnecessary noise or disturbance during the four-day gathering of self-described Pagans. But now, local ministers are concerned that the group, if allowed to come back next spring as they plan, could bring "the wrong message to our young people." "Several ministers have spoken to me privately, and they share our concerns," said the Rev. Dan E. Gray, of Calvary Baptist Church in Smithfield. "These people are involved in a religious worship that centers around their 'gods and goddesses.' It's little more than idolatry." The Rev. William L. Blackwell, of Cathedral of Life Church in Smithfield, has been outspoken about his opposition to the tribes. "Objections were originally brought to me by neighbors who live on the road where the gathering was held,'' Blackwell said. "They talk about heathens, pagans, witches, druids -- terms that may mean something different. I think my primary objections are the symbols and terms they use. From a biblical standpoint, you've got to perceive certain implications." Blackwell said this week he plans to pray for the Pagans and to ask others to join him. Considering the group has already reserved the same spot for Memorial Day weekend next May, Gray said, he's not giving up that easily. "Hopefully, there are many citizens in this community who will be aware of this and vocal enough to say, 'We don't want this influence in our county,' " Gray said. "We're certainly not going to ignore it." Betsy Ashby, a Wiccan who operates Out of the Dark Inc., a Norfolk store specializing in Pagan art, is used to that kind of talk. That's why Ashby -- who isn't opposed to being called a witch -- decided to dub the gathering she organized a "revival." Ashby described the semi-annual event, held in York County for years before the group moved last month, as a meeting of different sects of the Pagan religion. If it was Christianity, it would be like Methodists, Baptists and Catholics coming together to learn more about each other, she said. Wiccans, shamans (of northern Asian descent), druids (related to the Celtics), heathens and others -- even American Indian religions -- all come under the Pagan umbrella, Ashby said. They are simply different denominations. They are not Satan worshipers, she explained. "Satan is a product of Christianity," Ashby said. "Evil is very much a human quality. It is not a quality of a deity." The difference between the Christians and the Pagans, Ashby said, is that Christians worship God. Pagans don't. For the ministers, that's a problem. "We're in the process of deciding what course of action we may follow if they do come back," Gray said. "Their deception -- their so-called religion -- I think, is detrimental to the well-being of our community at large, especially the young people." Pagans represent the most ancient of religions, said Ashby, who organizes East Coast Pagan gatherings. It's a back-to-nature, Earth-based philosophy that recognizes the mysteries of the universe, she said. In recent years, numbers have grown. More than 600,000 are registered on the Internet, Ashby said. The local group has a mailing list of over 20,000. At the gatherings, the different sects meet among themselves and come together to learn about other beliefs. The most recent gathering offered lectures on subjects considered by some as occult, such as Tarot cards, but it also offered workshops on hair-braiding, wreath-making, astrology and dream interpretation. Subjects just gaining acceptance in today's society -- like natural healing, herbal medicine and meditation -- have always been a part of Pagan religions, Ashby said. "We believe that everything in existence is related to the divine and to others," she said. "It's about spirituality, alternative ways of living. It's a quest to know yourself, a constant striving not to have power over anything or anybody but yourself." In York County, where the Pagans met for years at New Quarter Park near Williamsburg, the groups left the park in better shape than they found it, said Molly Nealer, recreation supervisor with the department of parks. "Their relationship with our county was excellent," Nealer said. "Whatever we asked of them, they did. Every single one of them were completely accommodating to our rules and regulations." The Pagans moved because New Quarter Park changed from a camping park to a public park closing at sunset. Because Pagans don't amplify their music and the camp-out was held on private property, no permits were required in Isle of Wight. "Neither the sheriff nor any county official has said anything against us," Ashby said. "Everybody -- most everybody -- has been very respectful, very nonjudgmental." That's the way it has traditionally been in this rural county, where Quakers all but dominated in earlier times, said Assistant County Administrator Don Robertson. A couple of years ago, a Buddhist temple settled in the Carrollton section. A small, Catholic church not far away from the Buddhists still conducts masses in Latin. "As a Christian, I understand the outrage of those small number of people who have spoken up," Robertson said. "But the Pagans have done nothing to offend or hurt anybody. They have as much right to be here as anybody else. That's what this country is founded on." Reach Linda McNatt at 222-5561 or lmcnatt@pilotonline.com & FTR here was the poll question.... P O L L Should the Pagans be allowed to gather? Yes No Undecided What is a Pagan anyway? --- Msged/2 4.00 * Origin: Elfwhere - The POINTy eared POINT (3:640/531.2379) .