Letters we have written

Date: Tue, 1 Apr 1997 10:16:47 -0500 From: Corbie To: "'cnn.feedback@cnn.com'" , "''Good Morning, America' Feedback'" , "''Good Morning, America' Producer'" , 'Today Show Feedback' Cc: "'FIRE:danica@mills.edu'" Subject: inappropriate religions slurs aired on your programs To Whom It May Concern: Recent statements made by members of your cast or organization have led to a perception that you consider Pagan and Neo-Pagan religions as a "cult" and/or something which people need protecting from. This letter is to correct your apparent misinformation, as well as to request a public apology for and/or retraction of your statements. Webster's college dictionary defines the noun cult as follows: Cult: 1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies. 2. a group that devotes itself to or venerates a person, ideal, fad, etc. 3. a. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox or extremist. b. the members of such a religion or sect. According to the first definition, any and all religions are cults. By some viewpoints, the second definition labels Christianity and its derivatives as cults. The third definition sets the word cult in the light of an insult, and as such is ill-advised for use by anyone, but most especially for use on the air in a national forum. Descrimination by creed is still forbidden by the law of this land. I assure you: Pagan religions are creeds under the law. I am a Witch, a father, and a military officer. My faith is recognized, protected, and even honored by the regulations governing worship in the Armed Forces of the United States. My children don't need "protecting" from me, nor does anyone. Our rites are safe, sane, and sacred to us. Nor do we seek converts: the balance of my family practices a Christian faith, and we cohabit in the light of mutual respect and understanding. I recognize the existance of dangerous cults in America, and I share the concerns of any parent in this respect. I might also point with a cautionary finger to the nature of the more publicly-dangerous groups which have borne the label "cult," such as the Branch Davidians and the more recent Heaven's Gate group: they are based on Christian tenets, not Pagan. Few Pagan religions even use the word "heaven" with respect to our conceptions of an afterlife, and I shouldn't have to remind that the leader of the tragedy in Waco, Texas called himself by the name of the principle Christian leader: Jesus Christ. If you truly wish to learn more about what Paganism is about, I applaud the use of the Internet (and it's smaller subset, the World Wide Web) to aid your research. If, however, you merely wish to lament the growth of sites providing information with which you do not agree, then I ask you to grant the same courtesy we offer you: to live in indisturbed peace. Bright Blessings to you and yours. Sincerely, -- Mark Dyson -- http://www.infinet.com/~corbie corbie@infinet.com (personal) mdyson@afit.af.mil (professional) "No rule should be followed off a cliff." -- CJ Cherryh