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Lesson Overview: The Purpose of this lesson is to deal with several ethical problems, in the form of scenarios. There are six overall scenarios. You need to do only 5 of them.
A Friend has a baby and wants a "Wiccaning" ceremony, in which the child is welcomed as "one of the Wicca." What are your actions, and give an example of the type of ritual you might perform. Provide some of the details of this ritual.
Well, first things first - UEW does not support "Wiccanings" or Baptism for children. One must be an adult in order to be a part of UEW. I'd be in quite a pinch if a friend asked me to perform such a ceremony, because, well, it's my friend - I don't want to hurt their feelings. I'd have to be honest of course, and tell my friend that I can not in good conscience do a ritual to decide a child's religion before that child is even capable of making that choice themselves.
I would, however, offer a Blessing ritual or a Protection ritual for the baby, and I've actual done a Blessing ritual for one of my friend's newborn daughter, Lilian. It was very simple, and all I did was present Lilian to the God and Goddess as a new life, and asked Them to watch over her as she grows up. I then presented Lilian to the Four Quarters and asked for a Blessing from each Element.
Starting in the East, I asked that Lilian be blessed with a clear mind, imagination, the ability to speak clearly and well, as well as a love for the written word. In the South, I asked that Lilian be blessed with a passion for life, and a strong sense of Will. For the West, I asked that Lilian be blessed with love - to love and be loved in return, with the gift of compassion, to know her heart's intent, to not be afraid to express her emotions. And finally, to the North, I asked that Lilian be blessed with good health for all her life, that she be strong as the mountains, to never let anyone bring her down, and that she always know what it means to live a rich life.
That's all there was to it. It took all of 15 minutes, and it was very lovely.
A couple that has been together for 6 weeks comes to you asking you to perform a commitment ceremony because they are "soul mates." What would you do?
Gently, but firmly tell them "no." While I personally believe that there are soul mates, I most certainly do not believe that it would be wise for a couple to have a "commitment" ceremony performed. Besides, if the couple was truly in love and knew that no matter what happened, they would always be together, a ceremony is not necessary, really. Sure it's nice, but in the end, the couple would still be together.
You have reason to believe that one of your coven members is abusing his/her children. What do you do?
First things first, I would make sure that my reasons were founded in truth. Then, if the member was in fact abusing their children, I would be forced to report them to Child Protective Services as according to Washington State law. For that matter, even if I wasn't required to report the abuse, I would do it anyway, because no child's life should be ignored or endangered.
It would be a difficult situation to be put in, though. This coven member is a trusted friend (hopefully), and I would never want to have to do such a thing. But children sometimes need outside help. When an adult who is supposed to love, protect and raise this child is not doing a good job, sometimes the only answer is to get the child OUT! As an abused child myself, it was the best thing to ever happen to my sister and I when we were removed from our parent's home. We grew up happy, loved, well-cared for, and were protected.
I would also make sure that the parent would be given as much support as they needed to get help. Counseling, support groups, whatever they needed to get things right for them.
Another couple is being groundlessly accused of child abuse, and one of the charges of the prosecution is that they are "practicing Witchcraft." if asked to speak as an expert witness, what should your first course of action be? If you speak on the stand, how do you describe Wicca to the jury?
Another sticky situation, and one that I hope I will never be put in. First things first, I would contact someone who may be more reputable than me to speak on the stand, possibly someone who has had experience acting as an Expert Witness in a Court of Law. If no one was available, I begin to do some heavy duty research, especially in case law regarding religious persecution, the legalities of using religion as a basis for a child abuse case, and then I would begin to prepare a statement.
If called to the stand, I would first of all, dress nicely. No ritual garb or huge, gaudy jewelry, just a simple business suit and a touch of makeup. Next I would speak with honesty, and truth. Wicca is a legally recognized religion in the United States of America, and has it's roots in Earth-based spirituality. It recognizes and honors the changing seasons, the phases of the moon, and above all else - Life. I would then answer any other questions the lawyers may have with the truth. The rest is left in the hands of the jury.
A gay couple comes to you asking for a commitment ceremony. What steps do you take? What type of ritual, if any, would you perform?
First would be an initial meeting with the couple. I have no problems whatsoever with performing a commitment ceremony for a gay couple, even though at this point in time, their commitment would not be legally recognized in most of the United States. I would ask a few basic questions about the couple, how long they have been together, what plans do they have if the commitment should not work out, arrangements for custody if there are children involved... just basic questions, and then I would ask about the ceremony they wish to have.
I feel it is important for any couple wishing to have a commitment ceremony (whatever the type may be) to be involved as much as possible in the planning. I feel the ceremony should be very personal, and to have as much meaning for the couple as possible. It makes no sense to me to perform a ceremony for a couple in which the ceremony has no meaning for them. So, I would include them in the ceremony planning wherever possible. The words, the actions - everything should have a deep personal meaning to couple, so that they can have a moment to treasure in their hearts forever, no matter what happens in the future.
A coven member repeatedly shows up to meetings drunk. S/he is a great person, but it is often difficult to get anything done when they are around. When asked nicely to stop coming to meetings intoxicated, the person relies that "Wicca is a joyful religion!" and that they are just having fun in life. What do you do?
I figured this would be a good scenario, because, well I'm sure everyone who has been to a group event has seen one or two people who drink a little excessively. I'm not going to say that we shouldn't drink alcohol at all, but when people clearly have a problem with alcohol, then perhaps it would be best to limit group functions to strictly non-alcoholic. If the coven member cannot abide by that ruling, then the coven leaders should meet with the person and come to an agreement. It may be the best solution is to ask the person to please leave the group, and then direct them to a good Alcoholics Anonymous group.
I believe that alcohol in moderation is not a bad thing. I drink on occasion, but I know my limits, and have only rarely gone over those limits - and never at a religious function. I don't believe that coven meetings is the place for alcohol, nor do I believe that serious religious rites and rituals are the place for alcohol.
