[Artemisia] Religion 'n' SCA/Site Tokens/Faith

Ellen Stavash EStavash at msn.com
Thu Nov 20 15:54:37 CST 2003


Regarding the matter of cross-shaped site tokens, Isabeau is right.  It isn't a matter of taste, but of Corpora.  Roughly speaking, Corpora allows personal religious display, but the moment any display or activity is designed to affect others, it is forbidden.  At a glance, this seems harsh, but think about it from a legal perspective.  When you make laws, you can't assume that everyone will act with discretion and good taste.   

For instance, why can't a group require people to carry items of a religious nature?  Most people won't be offended by being given a cross, pentagram, etc. as a site token.  But what if you were required to pick up a pamphlet of religious literature at the gate as well?  This is also an item of a religious nature, and some could argue that a piece of paper is less sacred than a pewter cross, and therefore less important.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who truly don't understand why the literature would be more offensive than the site token.  Or what do you do with someone who wants to use, say, a burning cross as a site token, and thinks that those who protest are just being too PC?  You can't legislate for common sense or good intentions, and you can't simply make a list of forbidden objects, because someone out there will find a way to get around it. ("Well, nobody said that cutting up Koran pages and shaping them into Easter bunnies was against the rules...")

Then there's the prohibition of public prayer and religious ritual.  I agree that a pre-battle prayer is authentic, and if tastefully done, probably not offensive to many.  But what if the prayer leader did not do it tastefully, but lapsed into hellfire and brimstone-type speech?  Remember, you can't legislate good taste.  And what if on the other end of the field, fighters were publicly conducting a voodoo ritual designed to injure their opponents?  What if some of the fighters targeted by the ritual believed in voodoo, and that they were now cursed to a painful death?  Condone one, and you're allowing the other also.

Anyway, I'll get off the soapbox now... can you tell I live with a lawyer?

EllenGet more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
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