U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The
Air Force Academy chapel will add a worship area for followers of
Earth-centered religions during a dedication ceremony, which is
tentatively scheduled to be held at the circle March 10.
The circle, located atop the hill overlooking the Cadet Chapel and
Visitor Center, will be the latest addition to a collection of worship
areas that includes Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist
sacred spaces.
Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, NCO in charge of the Academy's
Astronautics laboratories, worked with the chapel to create the
official worship area for both cadets and other servicemembers in the
Colorado Springs area who practice Earth-centered spirituality.
"Feel free to check the site out, but treat it as you would any other religious structure," he said.
The stones that now form the inner and outer rings of the circle once
sat near the Visitor Center, where the chance of erosion made the rocks
a safety hazard. The 10th Civil Engineer Squadron moved the rocks to
the top of the hill in spring and early summer. Once finished, the
circle will also include materials from a smaller circle that Sergeant
Longcrier briefly set up in Jacks Valley.
"We used the (Jacks Valley) circle during Basic Cadet Training, and it
was great," he said. However, the new circle offers significant
advantages.
"The circle that we secured in December is much bigger, better and
closer to the cadet area," he explained. "This will allow cadets to use
the circle anytime they feel the need."
The Academy's chaplains have supported Sergeant Longcrier's efforts every step of the way, the NCO said.
"There really haven't been any obstacles for the new circle," he said. "The chaplain's office has been 100-percent supportive."
"Every servicemember is charged with defending freedom for all
Americans, and that includes freedom to practice our religion of choice
or, for that matter, not to practice any faith at all," said Chaplain
(Lt. Col.) William Ziegler, Cadet Wing chaplain. "Being in the military
isn't just a job — it's a calling. We all take an oath to support and
defend the Constitution, and that means we've all sworn to protect one
another's religious liberties. We all put on our uniforms the same way;
we're all Airmen first."
The presence of diverse worship areas reflects a sea change from five
years ago, when reports surfaced alleging religious intolerance at the
Academy. Sergeant Longcrier became Pagan shortly after arriving at the
Academy in 2006 and said he believes the climate has improved
dramatically.
"When I first arrived here, Earth-centered cadets didn't have anywhere
to call home," he said. "Now, they meet every Monday night, they get to
go on retreats, and they have a stone circle. … We have
representation on the Cadet Interfaith Council, and I even meet with
the Chaplains at Peterson Air Force Base once a year to discuss
religious climate."
Earth-centered spirituality includes traditions such as Wicca, Druidism
and several other religious paths that, while relatively new, trace
their roots to pre-Christian Europe, Sergeant Longcrier said. Gerald
Gardner founded the first Wiccan tradition in England in 1952, with
neo-Druidism following in the early 1960s.
Some Earth-centered traditions involve the worship of gods and
goddesses, whereas others may involve only one deity or none at all.
Reincarnation is a popular concept, as is rebirth and celebrating the
cycle of the seasons.
Famous outdoor worship circles include Stonehenge and Avebury in
England and Native American sites such as the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in
Wyoming and Cahokia Henge in Missouri. A worship circle at Fort Hood,
Texas, became a flashpoint for discussions about Paganism in the U.S.
military after it was established by the Sacred Well Congregation in
1999.
The Fort Hood Open Circle was vandalized on four separate occasions
from 1999 to 2000, including an incident Oct. 27, 2000, in which the
half-ton limestone altar was destroyed outright. In response, a member
of the Sacred Well Congregation wrote, "If we speak together, we are a
chorus to be heard. If we whisper alone, we are but a sigh in the dead
of night."
"We want to create that chorus," Chaplain Ziegler said. "We want to
invite the Academy leadership, the Cadet Interfaith Council, the news
media and people from every religious background for the dedication
ceremony. We want this dedication service to be another example of
celebrating the freedom we enjoy as well as the freedom we, as Airmen,
have pledged to defend."