We are now 100% Legal | Faith and Belief Categories in the U.S.A. Military
April 23, 2007:
Pentagram approved for U.S.A. Military graves and monuments
WICCA (Pentagram) Pentacle also what we used to call the Venus (orbit clock) sigil or the Pagan star of faith was approved for use on military monuments and headstones
September 13, 2007:
Article 5:
Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions, while retaining their right to participate fully, if they so choose, in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the State.
Article 6:
Every indigenous individual has the right to a nationality
Article 11:
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to practise and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artefacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature.
2. States shall provide redress through effective mechanisms, which may include restitution, developed in conjunction with indigenous peoples, with respect to their cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their free, prior and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs.
Article 12:
Indigenous peoples have the right to manifest, practise, develop and teach their spiritual and religious traditions, customs and ceremonies; the right to maintain, protect, and have access in privacy to their religious and cultural sites; the right to the use and control of their ceremonial objects; and the right to the repatriation of their human remains
February 10, 2009:
Department of Defense INSTRUCTION NUMBER 1300.17
January 22, 2014 Change 1 Effective
POLICY.
It is DoD policy that: a. The DoD places a high value on the rights of members of the Military Services to observe the tenets of their respective religions or to observe no religion at all. It protects the civil liberties of its personnel and the public to the greatest extent possible, consistent with its military requirements, in accordance with DoD Instruction (DoDI) 1000.29 (Reference (c)).
March 27, 2017:
Pagan, Neo-Pagan and Wicca These religions are now U.S.A. Department of Defense recognized religions for U.S.A. armed forces to practice and they can now wear the insignia on duty as well as carry religious materials with them. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the people that made this possible.
PAGAN, WICCA, ASATRU, DRUID, GARDNERIAN WICCA, HEATHEN, HUMANIST, MAGICK AND SPIRITUALIST, SEAX WICCA, SHAMAN
Faith-and-Belief-Codes-for-Reporting-Personnel-Data-of-Service-Members-ocr Took effect on March 31, 2017 go to the Department of Defense Source (bottom of page)
The inclusion of these faith based codes now automatically provides international protection for those people by treaty and customs and the relevant information can be found in the Geneva AND Hague Conventions AND The United Nations regulations and bulletins. If your country recognizes or signed those treaties you now have protection that you did not realize you had before. Know your religious rights.
This is due to the one simple fact that the U.S.A. Department of Defense including the active duty military is one of the largest single groups in the world that people respect. What the DoD and service branches are saying is they must recognize the fact that these faiths and religions are real and people in the U.S.A. military practice them. These categories allow the essential faith groups and the people participating to be legally recognized by the U.S.A. federal government and more importantly the U.S.A. military forces worldwide who will hopefully have a greater understanding of the people they serve. This also opens the door to services by the U.S.A. State Department who follow the Hague conventions as well as protection against religious terrorism domestically and internationally.
Here is some legal language that you can use to help explain to people how this fits in legally with U.S.A. military law.
The U.S. Constitution proscribes Congress from enacting any law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. The Department of Defense places a high value on the rights of members of the Military Services to observe the tenets of their respective religions.—Department of Defense Instruction 1300.17,
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/130017p.pdf
This is a legal observance this organization, activity and the people participating are protected under the following relevant international treaties and codes:
U.S.A. federal government recognition of the pagan religions: including classical, neo-classical and modern paganism are available from the Faith-and-Belief-Codes-for-Reporting-Personnel-Data-of-Service-Members-ocr Link to the DOD Source This took effect on March 31, 2017.
Hague conventions apply worldwide including Rule 38 attacks against cultural property. Temple/Shrine members and keepers qualify as religious personnel protected Under Geneva Convention II Additional protocol I Article 15(5) and Additional Protocol II Article 9(1) and Section 9.4 of the 1999 UN Secretary-General’s Bulletin wherever they go. This also includes the participants and the un-named church who dedicated it and participated in the opening ceremonies.
Addendum:
2020 02 -25
Religious Ministry in the United States Marine Corps MCTP 3-30D
4 April 2018
Please note the inclusion as a category all of it’s own.
APPENDIX C
RELIGIOU.S.A. NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY
[ ] No religious preference
[ ] Christian
[ ] Jewish
[ ] Buddhist
[ ] Hindu
[ ] Pagan/Neo-pagan
[ ] Muslim
Specific tradition (Roman Catholic, Baptist, Sufi, Reformed, Wiccan, etc.): ________________
Here is a link to the manual: https://www.marines.mil/portals/1/Publications/MCTP%203-30D%20GN.pdf?ver=2019-05-21-090810-063
References:
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/100029p.pdf
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/130017p.pdf
Featured Image:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wodan_heilt_Balders_Pferd_by_Emil_Doepler.jpg–
A depiction of the “horse charm” Merseburg Incantation. Wodan heals Balder’s wounded horse while three goddesses sit (the incantation names Sinthgunt sister of Sunna, and Frija sister of Wolla) while Balder watches.
Русский: Вотан с помощью заклинания исцеляет коня Бальдра
Doepler, Emil. ca. 1905. Walhall, die Götterwelt der Germanen. Martin Oldenbourg, Berlin. Page 14. Photographed and cropped by Haukurth
The author died in 1922, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 95 years or fewer.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1925.
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