Freethinkers, Pagans discuss intersections of mind, spirit

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Don Branum
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) --  Members of the Air Force Academy's Freethinkers group invited members of the Special Program in Religious Education earth-centered spirituality group to discuss their beliefs, views and experiences during a SPIRE meeting here Oct. 18.

SPIRE members set aside time each week for the religiously diverse cadet population that includes Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans, atheists, agnostics and others to discuss religion, spirituality and philosophy.

Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier is the lay leader for the Academy's Earth-Centered Spirituality community, which includes Wiccans and Pagans from various traditions, as well as the facilitator for the Earth-Centered SPIRE group.

He started the discussion by familiarizing the Freethinker guests with some common beliefs but cautioned that many Pagans' beliefs vary, sometimes widely.

"If you ask eight or 10 Pagans to define Paganism, you're going to get 10 or 12 different answers," he said. "We have a very individualized spirituality."

That spiritual diversity can make it challenging to lead a group when no two members have exactly the same traditions, beliefs or practices.

One cadet with the Freethinkers group asked whether Wiccans or Pagans practiced "black magic," or spiritual work intended to bring harm to another person.

In response, Sergeant Longcrier referenced the Wiccan Rede: "An it harm none, do what ye will," a statement that sets the standard for moral behavior within most Pagan faiths.

"If you follow the Rede, you wouldn't do (black magic)," he said.

"A majority of people in any faith are trying to do the right thing," one of the Pagan cadets said. "But not everyone -- you'll always have splinter groups of extremists or militants."

Situational ethics plays a role, too.

While the Wiccan Rede would apply to most everyday settings, it would not apply to a battlefield, Sergeant Longcrier said.

Those who follow Earth-Centered religions believe in an afterlife, and many believe in more than one god or goddess, said Jeff Lucas, a Freethinkers volunteer liaison and former Air Force officer. In contrast, many atheists either deny the existence of a deity or afterlife or simply acknowledge that some things are unknowable.

"Most of us non-believers aren't afraid to say, 'I don't know,'" Mr. Lucas said. "We may never know the answers to some of these things, but just because you don't know, doesn't mean you have to go out and make up some ... answer."

The Freethinkers didn't mince words, but the discussion remained civil and calm throughout. One of the atheist cadets pointed to multiple scientific studies that have concluded prayer has no healing effects on people with serious medical conditions.

Two of the pagan cadets offered counterpoints.

"If I put out a healing spell -- say, I wanted to heal you from pizza poisoning -- if it doesn't work for you, but it works for somebody else, does that mean it didn't work?" one cadet asked.

"But also keep in mind that magic doesn't necessarily mean miracles," another said. "Say you have cancer, and someone does a healing spell for you. It doesn't mean the cancer disappears overnight. It could mean your doctor thinks up a different treatment."

Sometimes, though, there's no more fitting word than "miracle" to describe a person's recovery from a life-altering event, Sergeant Longcrier said.

"When a doctor says, 'You will not walk again. Your spine is done,' the patient is so determined," he said. "And when he does walk again, the doctor says, 'We cannot explain how his spine fused back together, but it did.'"

Differences in faith allow for good discussions in other settings as well, said one cadet who regularly talks about religion with his Christian roommate and friends.

"I kind of like the fact that I can just show up to a public ritual, just a bunch of people getting together. It's much more generalized: 'So what do you believe? That's cool, and what do you believe?' And everyone's okay with it," he said. "I like this type of settings where her beliefs are different from his, which are different from mine. Everyone is just a little bit different, and it's so interesting because everyone accepts everyone else."

Sergeant Longcrier said that while the two groups may not see eye-to-eye on matters of the spirit, the discussion was still a good one.

"I feel that we have a lot in common and that we all learned a little something from one another," he said.