Activist Judge Starts Witch Hunt -- Literally

You knew this was coming. The question is what are you going to do to stop it before it spreads?

An Indianapolis father is appealing a Marion County judge's unusual order that prohibits him and his ex-wife from exposing their child to 'non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals.

The parents practice Wicca, a contemporary pagan religion that emphasizes a balance in nature and reverence for the earth.

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The parents' Wiccan beliefs came to Bradford's attention in a confidential report prepared by the Domestic Relations Counseling Bureau, which provides recommendations to the court on child custody and visitation rights. Jones' son attends a local Catholic school.

And what activist Christian is on the Domestic Relations Counseling Bureau? Does the Council have a mandated state or federal order to butt into people's private lives? Or is this just a strain of personal moral activism as has now infected employees on other issues such as the dispensing of birth control? Are they instead dispensing religion? What next, you can't get married if you're gay? Oops, forgot...

There is a discrepancy between Ms. Jones and Mr. Jones' lifestyle and the belief system adhered to by the parochial school. . . . Ms. Jones and Mr. Jones display little insight into the confusion these divergent belief systems will have upon (the boy) as he ages," the bureau said in its report.

The federal government has given Wiccans protection under the First Amendment," Snyder said. "Unless this judge has some very specific information about activities involving the child that are harmful, the law is not on his side.

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At times, divorcing parents might battle in the courts over the religion of their children. But Kenneth J. Falk, the ICLU's legal director, said he knows of no such order issued before by an Indiana court. He said his research also did not turn up such a case nationally.

Religion comes up most frequently when there are disputes between the parents. There are lots of cases where a mom and dad are of different faiths, and they're having a tug of war over the kids," Falk said. "This is different: Their dispute is with the judge. When the government is attempting to tell people they're not allowed to engage in non-mainstream activities, that raises concerns.Jones said he does not consider himself a witch or practice anything resembling witchcraft.

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During the divorce, he told a court official that Wiccans are not devil worshippers. And he said he does not practice a form of Wicca that involves nudity.

"I celebrate life as a duality. There's a male and female force to everything," Jones said. "I feel the Earth is a living creature. I don't believe in Satan or any creature of infinite evil.

Too bad there isn't a creature of Infinite Evil, I know some Christians Republicans I'd like it to meet...oh wait...there is Karl Rove.