There has been all sorts of discussion this week about the newly-opened Pagan worship circle at the Air Force Academy, by military officials say that at this point, there's no plan to create a similar facility at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. A report from the Hometown Annapolis website says that Navy officials say they simply haven't had a demand for such a thing. Judy Campbell, an academy spokeswoman said, "At this time, there have been no requests for a worship location for earth-centered religions."



Campbell added that midshipmen at the Academy are welcome to participate any worship services they like, but are not obligated to do so.



Now, one could probably argue that the reason no one has ever asked for a Pagan worship site at the Naval Academy is because they probably never thought they'd get one. The military -- despite attempts lately to be inclusive on paper -- it still an instituation that isn't exactly tolerant of non-mainstream faiths. However, now that the Air Force Academy has set a precendent, it's certainly possible that the Naval Academy could be approached by a group of Pagan staff members or midshipmen and asked to provide some sort of worship area for those who follow earth-based paths.



Although there's no accurate count of how many practicing Pagans are in the military at this time, it's a safe bet that they number in the "several thousands" range among active duty members. Statistically speaking, that means that there can easily be a few hundred staff and/or cadets or midshipmen at military training facilities in general.



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No Pagan Circle at Naval Academy for Now originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 16:15:26.

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