Tolerance in the Wake of 9/11

Let's face it.....9/11 was a day that shall live in infamy in the United States of America. As well it should. Let us get a few facts straight at the outset. A small group of Al Qaeda extremists caused the death of over 3000 people by taking control of 4 flights, impacting both of the World Trade Towers, another into the Pentagon and the last impacted into a field after passengers forced it down.

I, as do most Americans, know where I was and what I was doing as my heart sank into my chest and tightened. I was heart sickened, shocked, angered and deeply saddened. I had also come to see the reality of life and that people that want to do horrific things could impact me and my family. So at what point did we also come to blame all of Islam and the Muslim population as a whole worldwide? Where is our logic and have we not seen this behavior before? No? Really?

I am not a warmonger. I am also not quick to judge others. Now let us look at some of the ridiculous behaviors that have happened since that day. I will stay with the most current. We are involved in 2 wars. Many more Americans and Muslims and others have died as a result with little truly accomplished. There has been an Islamic Community Center by the site for a very long time (more than a year) and now it is an issue. There are Christian Pastors wishing to burn copies of the Quran. Why?

Here is my view. I have met, and remain friends with many people of Islamic and Muslim faith. I am friends with many of varied faiths. It amazes me that we are taking a "holier than though" and "absolutes" approach. This was a very small group of extremists that caused this and other events. Jihad is an extremist view held by people of extreme beliefs.

If we look back on history we can find events that have been caused by virtually every faith that could be held in comparison and some even exceed this violation and the loss of life. The Crusades. The writing of the Maleous Maleficarum aka "The Witches Hammer", written by 2 catholic priests. This book brought about "the inquisition/the burning times". The ongoing battle over the Gaza Strip. The Mountain Meadows Massacre. At what point do we deem ourselves "holier than thou?"

I think we need to take a personal inventory,of sorts, and make a decision to try to be more tolerant of other faiths. We all realize that there are parts of other faiths that we disagree with, thus, the vast number of faiths that exist. Does this mean that we become elitist in our own faith? Where do we justify the "we are right and they are wrong" mentality? Or do we simply shut down that part of our intelligence and logic so we can rationalize our corresponding poor behavior?

Don't get me wrong........people that perpetrate these types of actions can, and should be, punished. But do we punish everyone that has a similar belief to the offenders? If we did that, we would not have a human race to worry about. At the very least we would have anarchy worldwide.

In closing I ask each and every one of my readers to stop and think. How many more people do we need to lose before we learn tolerance? Justice obtained through violence is not justice. It is illogical tyrrany and makes us no better than those we are persecuting. "An eye for an eye" means the perpetrators eye, not a mass group of people of similar faith. We need to begin thinking with our minds instead of our raw emotions before the world as we know becomes nothing but a war zone. Our survival depends on it. Tolerance means not forgetting but forgiving and understanding the source.

Nathan Jeffery has been Wiccan for 20 years and remains outspoken about bringing this faith into the public knowledge. Not for ridicule or degredation, but for the proud people who also just happen to practice this faith as he does, without secrecy or shame.

My Transition From Mormonism To Wicca

I was adopted by a good Utah Mormon family when only an infant. I had no comprehension of what that meant through childhood, however, I recall that I never really felt comfortable with the Mormon teachings from my earliest days of cognition.
As I passed through, and out of the Mormon faith at the age of 23 by way of ex-communication, it became very clear that it was a blessing in disguise.
I remember my first contact with the Wiccan faith very well, as it came about absolutely by what I believe to be pre-destiny.
I was attending Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah at the time and had a class about the Sociology of Religion. I knew from the beginning that having a professor that was Jewish AND an openly gay woman, this class would be interesting.
We were all given an assignment to do research, and a report, on a religion. The only catch was that it could not be on any faith that you were a member of, had knowledge of, or had previously attended. My attention was captured and I was absolutely intrigued by the idea.
I began to diligently search and after going through over 100 different faiths I was at a point of complete and utter frustration. Which one do I choose??? I didn't have to wait long for an answer......none of them.
A few days into my search I was walking across the campus of SUU and was stopped by a very plain looking young lady, whom I had never met, and she said," this book is for you". Startled, I simply took it and thanked her without asking any questions and she quickly walked away. I never saw her again from that day forward.....on or off campus.
That book would prove to be the turning point for my finding the faith that I am today. The book in question? The Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland. It was worn and tattered and I could tell that it had been read many times, however, it was complete in every way......including all of the workbook section not yet written upon.
And so my research began. The more I researched and the more I read the more intrigued and enlightened I became. I was like a firework that had been lit. I not only did my research paper and report on the faith but continued as a strong student for the following 3 years.
This faith had been right there, under my nose all of this time? Well, sort of. I learned early on that this faith fit my thinking and my belief systems to a "t". I also learned, however, that it was still very much in hiding. Being the legal minded type that I was and still am, I questioned how that could be? How could people possibly still be hiding their faith from the public?
I knew there was nothing illegal or immoral about Wicca, so why then was it so difficult to find others of my faith? I beame an activist of sorts and began to broadcast (quietly) that I was Wiccan after I initiated in my 3rd year of study as a solitary.
I wore pendant necklaces with pentacles and a shirt that had "proud to be Wiccan" emblazoned upon it. I was proud! And I remain so today.
Shortly after I began doing this though, I began getting scriptures left on my vehicle (had bumper stickers on it stating the same pride). I began receiving threatening emails and phone calls and soon understood why so many....too many.....were still hiding in this great country of freedom we call the United States of America.
From that day forward it became a crusade for me to declare and bring out of the broom closet as many fellow Wiccans as I could. I refused to live with my rights given away out of sheer ignorance and fear. I started a pagan student group at SUU and again fought an uphill battle with the student association as well as with some of the administration at the time.
Then came the turning point. I met with then President Gerald Sherratt, and within the week the student association approved the Pagan Student Association. While it has not lasted through the past 13 years it did exist, and many people became aware of this faiths existence.
I wasn't through at that point and soon discovered that other Wiccans in the majority of Utah were coming out more and more and the public soon began to take notice in even the smaller towns and cities in Utah. Not due to what I was doing but because the social connections on the internet and elsewhere was empowering us to be who we are.
It was not long after that I decided that there really was no business that was catering to us, except in SLC, and that was much too far for many of us to travel to pick up essential ritual (prayer) tools and supplies. I got the idea after graduating college that I would open a shop out of my home that would stock the necessary herbs and supplies.
The shop was called The Witches Haven and was founded in 2004. Again it was a bit of a fight to gain a business license and it was put aside by the city council a number of times. Coincidentally, the former president of the university had become mayor and after meeting with him the license was approved.
It remained quite successful for approximately 3 years and I finally sold it to one of my younger friends so she could cater to the increasingly younger following, and I could then raise my family.
To make this long story short I am Wiccan today. By pre-destiny, by choice, or by chance. In the end it really doesn't matter.
My family remains devout Mormon and they have become very accepting of what I believe and the fact that it differs from their beliefs causes no friction or heartache. I really like some of the Christian hymns and my favorite sums up my feeling on my transition from Mormon to Wiccan. "I once was lost, but now I'm found."
Peace and brightest blessings to each and every one of you and be kind to others and be who you are!

Nathan Jeffery - Blessed Be )0(