Texas Local Council Covenant of the Goddess


COG National Ethics - Reference Material for Membership into COG


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ARTICLE 9: ETHICS

A. POLICY AND PURPOSE

The Covenant strongly encourages its Members to comply with the Code of Ethics described in Section B of this Article. The Covenant recognizes that ultimately questions of ethics violations are between individuals and their Gods.

B. CODE OF ETHICS

The following shall constitute the Code of Ethics of the Covenant:

1. An ye harm none, do as ye will.

2. Since Our Religion and the arts and practices peculiar to it are the gift of the Goddess, membership and training in a Coven of members of Our Religion are bestowed free, as gifts, and only on those persons who are deemed worthy to receive them; nevertheless, a Coven may expect each of its members to bear a fair share of its ordinary operating expenses.

3. All persons have the right to charge reasonable fees for the services by which they earn a living, so long as Our Religion is not thereby exploited.

4. Every person associated with this Covenant shall respect the autonomy and sovereignty of each Coven, as well as the right of each Coven to oversee the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical development of its members in its own way, and shall exercise reasonable caution against infringing upon that right in any way.

5. All persons associated with the Covenant shall respect the traditional secrecy of Our Religion.

6. Members of Our Religion should ever keep in mind both its underlying unity and the diversity of its manifestations, and should make clear on any communications just whom they are speaking for or about.

7. These ethics shall be understood and interpreted in light of one another, and especially in light of traditional laws of Our Religion.

C. ETHICS VIOLATIONS

The Covenant recognizes the following to be ethical violations:

1. Knowingly and willfully making a false statement to any Council, Board, Committee, or other duly constituted agency of the Covenant; also knowingly and willfully making a false statement about the Covenant to non-members.

2. Theft of Covenant property, commission of fraud upon the Covenant, or the intent to defraud the Covenant;

3. Persistent refusal to abide by the provisions of the Charter, these Bylaws, or such decisions of the Council as are necessary for the continued viability and usefulness of the Covenant as an instrument of the joint will of the Members;

4. Willful violation of the confidentiality provisions of Article 10 of these Bylaws;

5. Such persistent use of the veto power that the usefulness or viability of the Covenant is seriously threatened;

6. Misrepresentation by an individual or a Coven of that individual's or that Coven's status within the Covenant;

7. Deliberate intimidation, coercion, or manipulation of any individual, against that individual's will, at any business function of the Covenant; or

8. Making statements about a member of the Covenant to non-members, without that member's permission, that in any way offend, compromise or injure the security or reputation of said member.

ARTICLE 10: CONFIDENTIALITY

A. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MEMBERSHIP OFFICER

In processing an application for membership in the Covenant, the Membership Officer shall ask persons and groups for only such information as she or he needs to decide whether a person or group meets the criteria in Article 2, of these Bylaws, and such information shall be considered strictly confidential. Concerning any specific person or group, the Membership Officer shall communicate to other persons in the Covenant only the results of its decisions, as, in effect, a simple "yes" or "no." However, the Membership Officer may, at her or his discretion, communicate such information to the current members of the Board. The Membership Officer may also base general statements (such as about how many members the Covenant has) on such information, and communicate such statements to the Publications Officer.

B. COVENANT MAILING LIST

The mailing list of Covenant of the Goddess shall be in the keeping of the Publications Officer who will be charged with guarding its confidentiality. The National Board may grant access to the mailing list to other Officers or their assistants as defined in Article 3, Section A.3. Members who wish to mail communications to other members may do so at their own expense through the Publications Officer according to procedures established by the Council.

C. MERRYMEET

1. The mailing list used to publicize Merrymeet shall be in the keeping of the Second Officer, who will be charged with guarding its confidentiality. Access to this mailing list may be granted to other Officers by the National Board.

2. No information about the exact location of Merrymeet shall be released to the media without the express prior consent of the Second Officer. It is understood that media inquiries concerning Merrymeet shall be referred directly to the Second Officer.

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