Getting Excited about the wrong thing
See contined disclaimers about my opinions and the opinions of leadership-not that most of the leadership doesn't agree with me most of the time..
The P in pagan wasn't capitalized, the ecumencial conference didn't include Wicca, the interfaith prayer didn't include my goddess of choice, all religions day didn't include a druid, the guy called himself a warlock....
What do these call have in common?
These are all parts of stories that happened in 2006 and made the general pagan community TERRIBLY upset, but if you actual read the stories when they came out, the Pagan community benefited from them.
For years now, the gadflies of the Pagan community have used language to show where our members are lacking in their theology. If, for example, a pagan person says that "all acts performed with love are holy," we (as responsible Pagans) might ask about the speaker's views on situations where one person is acting with love and the rest are not, or things like the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan by Hinckley, [Although I generally prefer to avoid wikipedia, you can find info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_assassination_attempt ] where Hinckley did it because he loved Jodi Foster (if you ever want to make a fundie angry, say "For Hinckley so loved Jodi Foster that he tried to kill Ronald Reagan," as an example of what is wrong with killing your kid to show you love the world, but I digress.)
It seems, however, that those less schooled in matters rhetorical think that using language to point out the flaws in self-proclaimed EXPERTS and often self-proclaimed LEADERS is the same thing as pointing out language in newcomers, in the non-expert press (there is a difference between an article written by a local reporter based on one thing and an in-depth investigative report, and that difference is not hidden in the article-any fool or his betters can see it!) and in the clergy of other religions.
Ask yourself, who does this harm, really?
Ask yourself, is the thing I'm sweating about not really that big?
Ask yourself, is the view of our community as extremely litigenous, having the ACLU on speed dial and their family lawyer on their IM list helpful.
[oh, crap. I have had the ACLU on speed dial, and a lawyer I consider family on the IM list! I suppose pointing out that a college friend was WORKING for the ACLU at the time and that said lawyer is one of the people I care the most for is pointless, huh?]
Ask yourself, what am I really getting excited about? Am I like those small minded radical antisecularists who weep and gnash their teeth at every park and playground without a proper monument to their god or riot because their saviour of the day is portrayed in a way they don't like?
Wicca doesn't need rabid antisecularists. Just because the big kids on the playground have them in their gang doesn't mean we need them!