Air Force Acedemy Opens it's Doors To Wiccans and Pagans (Gays still not welcome)

Eager to arrest the PR nightmare of having received over fifty complaints of discrimination against non-christians Between 2001 and 2005, the Air Force Academy of Colorado Springs has spent the past few years doing everything in it's power to portray itself as an organization concerned with religious tolerance and diversity. To that end-the Academy has erected a spiritual circle atop the hill overlooking the Cadet Chapel and Visitor Center and has even created a special program called "SPIRE" or, "Special, Program, In, Religious, Education", specifically for cadets who are practitioners of "earth-centered" religions such as wicca and paganism. The Academy also now requires all of it's staff and cadets to attend a 50 minute long course on religious sensitivity. Wow... 50 whole minutes, that should fix it.

Earlier this year the Academy's web page posted an article about the facility's new worship circle which featured a photo of Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, the pagan lay leader at the academy (whatever a "lay leader" is) burning white sage to consecrate the ground prior to it's official designation as a pagan spiritual area. Also currently featured on the website, an article about a recent meeting between members of the organizations SPIRE program and their freethinking cadets, a group allegedly including atheists and agnostics.

So let's review-

If you happen to hold some outdated and ridiculous set of beliefs you can apply the label spiritual to, like say, there's an omniscient super-being living in the Sky who keeps track of everything you do or that tarot cards, curses, and hexes are real, magical incantations can cure your cancer, or that the mother Earth spirit lives in us all and wants...what ever the hell it is the mother-Earth-spirit is supposed to want. Well then you can expect the Air Force Academy to fall all over themselves trying to make sure you're views are treated with tolerance and respect.

If, on the other hand, you happen to have been born gay, openly gay cadets are still not permitted at the academy and students "disenrolled" for "homosexual conduct" can actually be required to repay their "educational costs", your "lifestyle" is clearly threatening not only America, but quite possibly the very fabric of the universe and you can pretty much still go fuck yourself.

Ahh progress, we're totally doing it wrong.

-CAINE-

source: io9