WV: Wiccan Couple Harassed, Children Taken Away
Monday August 2, 2004
According to a West Virginia couple, they have been harassed and even had their children taken away for six months because they are Wiccans, not Christians. They've filed a lawsuit to stop it from happening again, but Christian extremists aren't known for obeying court orders.
The Charleston Daily Mail reports:
Their [Sarah Albright and Nathan Malick III] suit claims that people in the county falsely accused them of practicing witchcraft and Satanism. By 2001, a department social worker in Nicholas County gave them $300 and urged them to leave the county, according to their suit. They took the money and moved to Clay County, where they say a social worker threatened to take their kids if they didn't get jobs closer to home.
According to the Charleston Gazette:
On one occasion, DHHR officials and a State Police trooper were called to investigate an allegation that the couple had killed their youngest child in a sacrifice and were carrying the boy’s body with them. A later DHHR visit came from another false report that the couple’s children had been sacrificed. An emergency DHHR petition was filed and the couple’s children were taken away, causing Albright to be hospitalized in October 2003, according to the lawsuit.
Remember, though, it is Christians who face continual persecution in America, not Wiccans or anyone else. Christians are the ones who suffer for their beliefs. Christians are the ones who need special protection. Wiccan couples like this... well, they’re probably just getting what they deserve. They aren’t persecuted Christians, so how can you trust them in the first place?
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What the hell kind of absurd nonsense is this? With Evangelical Christian nutcases runing the country, Christins are the ones who are persecuted? Doesn’t About.com have any controlls for quality or accuracy? This really makes me worry about the value of the rest of the acticles on this website…
Beth, it’s called “sarcasm.”
I sit here still dumbstruck at that last paragraph, the sarcasm is not easily seen as many actually do feel this way.
True, and I don’t use sarcasm like that very often… but just how likely is it that an atheism guide would write something like that and actually mean it? Sometimes, a bit of sarcasm can highlight just how ridiculous a position or belief is.
Sarcasm or not, statements like that have been have been taken as fact. Pagans and Wiccans alike have been prosecuted when statements have been taken out of context.
Wiccan in Hawaii
It’s is evident that some people don’t believe in Wiccan ideals, but I do. And the people who persecute us for being who we are are the ignorant because they truly do not understand that christians tried to stomp out paganism, and it was us who were here first.
This makes West Virginia look as backwards as it is stereotypically displayed away from here. An example “Them there Sataninist Hillbilly are out there doing evil” I do believe ignorance is a major problem. Ignorance and be cured but STUPIDITY will never be controlled. This is from a person who is has left the unseen christianity’s God to look at other religions like wicca. I say tax each and every church and see how many keep popping up and how many have hotdog sales every other day and dinners every friday “for the church” I have lost faith in businesses(churches) whom cover up major donators shortcomings but try to put there thumb on any little person. Preach them to there HELL, if there God is all knowing and all good why do we have war? why do we have sickness, rape, murder, etc. I am as of yet still undecided on which way I will turn but Wicca does not seem like a bad way to turn to, I have no-one asking me for every dollar I make when I have to work 3 jobs just to make a living.
I still can’t believe what that last paragraph said. Sadly, I know many do think that way. I was raised wiccan in southern West Virginia and you wouldn’t believe the trouble I had as a child. I had to deal with being picked on and fought with in school. And rumors.. Ohh the rumors that were started by the Christians. I still never strayed from my teachings, and I never let hate take over my heart. Funny thing is, I hear that’s what the christians are suppose to practice? Weird how not many of them do..
Wiccan should have their kids taken away. Anyone who isn’t raising their children in a Christian home should have their children taken away, it is mental, emotional and spiritual abuse. Period. End of discussion. Case closed.
Teena, you’re failing at loving thy neighbor and turning the other cheek and judging not, lest ye be judged. Christianity fail.
Teena, while I admire your compassion and tolerance, the sad truth is that if children aren’t born into Christian homes to begin with, it’s already too late. You have to burn the children alive, along with the parents. It’s the only way to show them the loving power of merciful God.
In fact, we should force all non-Christian parents to have abortions and be sterilized so that those children will be spared the pain of being burned alive in the first place.
Remember, it’s not genocide if you’re killing for Jesus. It’s just getting more babies to heaven faster.
Children should live with their parents or relatives. They should meet all sorts of people, even fundamentalist blockheads.
Teena.
My three children were brought up by a Quaker mother, and atheist father, and even for a time, went, voluntarily, to Baptist Sunday school. I can honestly say all three are born again Skeptics and there are definitely influences from both parents, their basic kindliness is from their late mother. My grand daughter at 20 years is definitely atheist without one cents worth of input from me, purely from her own environmental origins, after all Australia is about 30% atheist, or at least non religious and most of the rest are not exactly dogmatic. Less than forty per cent actually attend regular religious ceremonies. Wake up America, your Canadian neighbours have.
PS Teena. I feel Wiccans are no better than any other demented believers.
But from my perspective I feel that you are saying Wiccan’s children should not be indoctrinated from birth into Witchcraft and superstition, but should be removed to be indoctrinated into your specific fantasy and spirit ridden superstitious beliefs.
What’s the difference? Both are brainwashing and that with contaminated water.
Jeeeeeez Louise! No matter how cynical I get, I just can’t keep up!
Separating children from their parents because the family doesn’t swallow the right flavor of balderdash? Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. It’s so outrageous there just aren’t words for it.
And, yes, I can hear the Christians howling like scalded cats if anyone tried this kind of crap on them.
Todd, you seem to be under the impression that Christianity is supposed to be what the gospel authors said it was. But, as I understand it, the gospel authors somehow got confused about what God tried to inspire them to write, so God had to tell Teena what he actually intended for Christianity to be all about.
I’m not sure how many other people God has talked to lately about that, but there are very few people living today who know the real message that Jesus was preaching, and Teena is fortunate to be one of them.
Sure looks like Teena and the rest have no answers so they have run back to their cloisters for protection against truth.
The difference, My friend Tom, between christians and wiccans is that wiccans don’t go out of their way to shove their versions of fantasy down everyone else’s throats… “My imaginary friend wants you to abstain from safe sex, thinking about boobs, or just wants you dead so I can have your stuff”… wiccans have the good manners to skulk off to some dark corner for their spiritual oddities and generally leave everyone else to their own devices… Which one you want for a neighbor?
I couldn’t imagine many people less suitable, based on one small paragraph, for raising children than teena.
It is hard to imagine dictating child abuse in that short of a space, but she managed.
Short of having my kid around a RC priest, I would want them so far away from someone like that the only parallel that comes to mind is the KKK.
Most of the people who dabble in Wicca, Buddhism, etc and join Universalist “churches” are just refugees from Christianity who can no longer swallow the bs of Christianity, but who have been conditioned by the host culture into thinking that you must have SOME sort of religion. They have equated religious faith with “believe in something”, and probably swallowed the lie that religion is “moral”.
It would be interesting to see how the numbers of these people in the US compare to societies like France or Sweden where it is no longer necessary to pretend that you value or respect Christianity or church attendance. I bet in Sweden there are no Universalists, no mid-life-crisis white Buddhists, and very few Wiccans, because organised religion there is almost dead.
These quasi-religions are Religion Lite; a bridge from monotheism to atheism for those who just can’t make the move in one step. They seem to be the type of people who think that social circles don’t exist in neighbourhoods, hobbies, sports, etc, but can only be created within churches. Never having belonged to a church, I’m always baffled that people can’t figure out there are multiple ways to create a social circle.
The sooner people form social circles from their other hobbies and sports, or by meeting their neighbours, the sooner they will emotionally mature enough to leave behind Wicca, or their mid-life crisis-inspired interested in Buddhism, or their participation in a largely atheist church like the Universalists.
I’d be interested in hearing if anyone disagrees (but not if I’ve just hit a nerve and the truth isn’t something you want to admit).
Is it so awful to teach your children respect for nature, repect for neighbors and tolerence for other religions. I know of families that raised their children wiccan yet one became catholic another wiccan and the last an atheist. It has nothing to do with how you were raised. Just how you feel. Most of these post made me want to cry. America is supposed to be freedom of religion (and Wiccan is a government approved religion not a cult) yet just because someone believes something different people perscute and take away their children for no reason. For those of you that believe that non christians should have their children and/or be burned, you need to take a good look at yourself and your religion.
Hello, Teena! Come take your medicine. Perhaps it’s you who shouldn’t be raising children. It’s typical of your ilk to make a totally unfounded comment then run and hide. I’m Wiccan and with my husband raised a wonderful girl. I have no doubt that you would have reported us if you lived nearby. You should have no doubt that legal action against you would have tied you up in court for awhile.
Drew, I have to totally agree with you. I was, a long time ago, a born-again Christian in the 70’s. I went threw a variety of Christian churches. I finally gave up on organized religion in the 80’s. I spent many years doing the God-thing without a church, then to a spiritual path with meditation, looked into Buddhism and planned on joining a Universalist church. I never did. This year I finally came to my senses and realized that I don’t need a church or some sort of God. I am now happily an atheist. The gorilla is finally off my back. I joined an atheiest group and got my ‘get out of hell free’ card which I think is just a hoot!!
I’m not surprised that fundies pull crap like this, what I want to know is why these folks didn’t call the FEDS, and the ACLU, they live to screw fundie reserves like they have in west virginia!!
people have to learn to rat these fundie monkeys out every time they open their mouths, their religion is not protected to the point no one may believe any thing else in their presence!!
The correct move is to have fundies jailed and put into the three day mental evaluation, they should all be taught they do not have the right to act that way in public, and police in the area need to be jailed for backing up these nuts.
Fundies need to treated as second class citizens for inability to tolerate other belief systems, they are religious FACISTS just like the Taliban and need to be prosecuted for their beliefs, they are terrorists and need to charged with it, whern you contact the feds, inform on the scum as DOMESTIC TERRORISTS, because thats what they are!!!
..TEENA. Do your research sweet heart before you come out of you pew slinging your beliefs. It is your religion that is a contradiction to itself. Most spend majority of their days casting judgements and negativity amoung others. Beliefs like yours feeds into the negative. If your educated enough you’d realize your precious EPIC STORY is nothing more than that. Used to control and direct those with no true self power of thought. Satan is a belief of christianity and catholics alike. However did you ever stop to learn that Wiccans do not have any such beliefs in Satan. It’s nothing more than a creation of christians to place the blame of their own negative actions. Giving energy, thought and belief to something allows for it to have power and control. So whom is it that the “devil” really resides in. ? You don’t hear victim after victim from Wiccan and Pagan “churches” about Father “Dittle” molesting them. Really educate your self. Before someone gets the bright idea to take your children away for your ignorant stupidity.
Wiccan Rite state.
Do what ye Will, Harm None.
Teena suffers from a small isolated mind and heart.
Read, study, grow, leave the holler for a night or two Teena, mingle, experience those that feel differently about life, open your mind and heart to other possibilities! Reach out, ask for help!!!!!!!!
The worst things in history have been doen in the name of Christianity. I just left the ministry after 20 years of dealing with other ministers who lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, work part time for full time pay or treat the job like a retirement fund. I have friends who are called pagans and they have never done any of that and have always been there when I needed them. Harm none is the Wiccan creed. Worship God in Nature, what ever you do comes back to you three fold so do no evil. Ha Christians think they don’t have to pay for anything they have done if they asked to be forgiven. There are more pagan rituals than they know in the Christian church. The early church fathers believed in reincarnation and a lot of things Christians now call pagan. Teena get an education and take the log out of your own eye first. Good people are good people no matter what their religion.