coalition of religious conservative has called upon Christians to boycott the U.S. Army until the Pentagon bans Wiccans and Satanists from all installations. Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Association charged that tolerating meetings of witches at military bases was "a direct assault on the Christian faith that generations of American soldiers have fought and died for."

   "Until the Army withdraws all official support and approval from witchcraft, no Christian should enlist or reenlist in the Army, and Christian parents should not allow their children to join the Army," Weyrich said. "An Army that sponsors satanic rituals is unworthy of representing the United States of America."

   Weyrich and others were reacting to news reports that witches, or Wiccan groups, have been permitted to hold religious rituals at Fort Hood, Texas, the nation's largest military base. A story last month in the Austin American-Statesman included photographs of members of a local congregation jumping through fire and calling upon the "Great goddess Freya." There are reportedly more than 40 male and female witches of the Ft. Hood Open Circle on active duty at the installation; three years ago, base officials recognized Wicca as a legitimate religion, and provided space for the pagan rituals.

   Col. Jerome Haberek, head chaplain at Ft. Hood and a Roman Catholic priest, told the paper that the base "worked hard to understand and accommodate the Wiccans."

   News about the Wiccan activities reached Rep. Bob Barr, a staunch Christian conservative, who sent a letter to Ft. Hood commander Lt. Gen. Leon LaPorte insisting that he "stop this nonsense now" and close down the Open Circle. "What's next?" asked Barr. "Will Rastafarians demand the inclusion of ritualistic marijuana cigarettes in their rations?" The congressman added that the presence of witches at a military base would affect national security and combat readiness, and referred to unspecified "detrimental effects on our society." Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Waco), a Christian who represents the area of Ft. Hood, countered by saying that he had "serious differences with the philosophy and practice of Wicca," but warned that it would be a "terrible policy to require each installation commander to define what is a religion and decide which religions can be practiced by American citizens."

   Early reports identified 13 Christian conservative groups organizing the boycott, including Christian Coalition, Traditional Values Coalition, Christian Action Network, Religious Freedom Coalition, Home School Legal Defense Association, American Association of Christian Schools, I Love Jesus Worldwide Ministries, the Madison Project, 60 Plus, American Council for Immigration Reform, along with Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. and the American Family Association. But on Wednesday, as Mr. Weyrich and his group was encouraging support for the move, some groups were having second thoughts, and even took issue with the tactic of urging the Army to bar the Wiccans. Marc Levin of the American Freedom Institute warned, "This brings back the specter of the Salem witch trials. In addition to being wrongheaded, conservative calls for a boycott of the military are politically suicidal." He added that "Support for the military is a bedrock conservative principle."

"But Wiccans may have sufficient legal protection without RLPA and the dangerous precedents that legislation -- now under consideration on capitol hill -- might generate."

   The American Family Association then withdrew its support for the boycott. Pat Trueman of AFA told the Austin American-Stateman, "We were totally blindsided by this." Other groups began lining up on the issue. William S. Lind of the Center for Cultural Conservatism opined that while his group opposes government intervention in religious practices, "Some things should be discriminated against. All religions are not equal. Satan should be discriminated against..."

   While Wiccans deny that they worship the devil, the U.S. military chaplain's handbook includes details on memorial services for personnel in the Church of Satan.

   Yesterday, news reports announced that Christian Coalition would not be urging its 2.1 million members to participate in the boycott. Spokeswoman Molly Clatworthy told the Statesman that the group "doesn't tell its members what to do on personal issues of faith," but added that, "As individuals, Christian Coalition members may support this boycott." Paul Weyrich responded to the defections by saying, "We held a coalition meeting, laid out our game plan and asked people to sign on. A couple of these groups either misunderstood what was being advocated or got cold feet."

   John Machate of the Military Pagan Network told the Dallas Morning News that the boycott was "a direct attack on the Constitution of the United States," and violated freedom of religion. Ironically, many of the organizations involved in the boycott -- or others which may be sympathetic toward it -- have advocated so-called "religious liberty" legislation, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and the federal Religious Liberty Protection Act (RLPA). Those measures would require that governments adhere to a "compelling interest/least restrictive means" test when dealing with faith-based practices or organizations; critics charge, though, that RLPA and similar laws give preferential treatment to organized religion.

   One problem RLPA supporters, including Christian conservatives like Rep. Barr, encounter, though, is when the issue of "religious liberty" applies to sects or religious philosophies frowned upon by fundamentalists and evangelicals. RLPA and RFRA could make it even more difficult to discriminate against a Wiccan group, or some other non-mainstream religious organization.

   But Wiccans may have sufficient legal protection without RLPA and the dangerous precedents that legislation -- now under consideration on capitol hill -- might generate. By allowing Christians, Jews and Moslems on military bases, the government must tolerate all religious (and non-religious) groups, including ones which do not meet with approval from Rep. Barr or Paul Weyrich's coalition. Mr. Machate noted, "All religions are protected, not just those that Congress, the president or Supreme Court determine... All religions are and should be permitted free practice on military bases, within reasonable limits."

   So far, says Machate, six U.S. military installations sanction the peaceful rituals and meetings of Wiccan groups.

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