Page 12 • Warren & Frederick County Report • Early September, 2014
Faith and the law
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“I was raised Catholic… and to be perfectly honest I didn’t notice such a blissful state of being within my church. I noticed all the things I was told were unholy happening all around me, including to my own young self by the age of 7…under the guise of my religion.” – pro-repeal speaker Lynette Nicholis
Why town Code 110-17 should be repealed
He who has not sinned, cast the first stone – Catholic-raised Lynette Nicholis, wearing a relic of her early faith, turns to crowd following emotional personal history and call for equality under the law for her adopted earth-based faith. By Roger Bianchini Warren County Report We are including companion stories on the Aug. 11 public hearing on repeal of town Code Section 110-17 to illustrate the major points made by speakers for both sides. While supporters of keeping the Code Section 110-17 ban on gypsies and so-called “magic arts” like fortune telling outnumbered their opponents by over 2-1 (12-5), several people rose defend the right of pagans and others to practice their beliefs. In fact, the first pro-repeal speaker, Claudia R. Post, identified herself as “a traditional, practicing Roman Catholic” who noted she had visited a fortune teller in the past. “My many experiences have led to where I am now. I don’t think we should go against anybody, tell them they can’t practice something because you can often go the right way even if you start off wrong, and I don’t think it’s the place of anything in America to restrict that freedom.” Apparently Post’s self identification as a practicing Catholic confused at least one 110-17 supporter, who if my memory serves me from previous encounters was Jessica Dominguez , who applauded Post’s call for
non-discrimination though she had enthusiastically applauded previous calls for keeping the code’s prohibitions. John Remby followed Post to the podium as the second consecutive self-described practicing Catholic urging council NOT to discriminate against any portion of the community. After citing First Amendment protections of personal expression and religious freedom, Remby quoted what he said were even older state law protections of religious freedom. “As a forerunner of the First Amendment we have the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, this very state, which states, ‘Our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions any more than our opinions on physics or geometry; that therefore describing any citizen as unworthy of the public confidence … unless he professes or renounces this or that religious opinion is depriving him injuriously of these privileges and advantages that are common to his fellow citizens and he has a natural right to.’ “There hasn’t been a single attack on tarot card reading that hasn’t been a straw man or false equivalence; or an attack on a reporter for whatever reason whatsoever. We support re-
ligious freedom in America. I’m a Catholic and I believe that people should be able to follow whatever religion they want. And if Catholics can make money without being licensed then anyone should.” Remby suggested that rather than emotional stereotyping, council consider the law in reaching a decision – “And the law is that we have religious freedom in America, PERIOD.” Rubylee Bryant followed Remby to the podium, first noting that while a resident of Chester Gap outside town limits, she was a supporter of the town both economically as a shopper and emotionally “because this is my community – So, I was kind of appalled when I found out what was going on with this issue because it really does sound discriminatory to me.” Bryant pointed to the opening of governmental meetings by the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag quoting “and liberty and justice for all.” That quote led to a comment from the crowd I heard as “under God.” “It doesn’t matter what you call Him as you pray, just pray to Him or Her or It,” Bryant continued. “But liberty and justice for all is what I’m asking – nothing more, nothing less.”
Bryant noted no one was being forced to frequent tarot readings or similar practices set up in town. She added, “No one in the Catholic Church is being taken by the collar and told you ‘have to put in $50’ – It doesn’t happen there and it doesn’t happen with tarot readers. “I have seen more brotherly love with these people being put down as pagans and gypsies – and it’s said so nasty like they are the most vile creatures on earth. I beg to differ, the same God that created them, created you. So, don’t stand in judgment if you are so Christian. We are all Americans with liberty and justice for all.” After an interlude for some more “vile” descriptions of practices of divination and the practitioners of such by Anthony D’Andrea and Thomas Centrella (see companion “keep it” story), as well as several speakers who took a more measured, quasilegal stance that such practices were controllable by law as economic activities of questionable moral character, the fourth supporter of repeal of the ban came to the podium. Citing a Stephen’s City address, Lynette Nicholis said she hadn’t planned to speak but was there “to support my friends speaking to defend our
right to practice our spirituality.” Nicholis then went into an emotional history of her own faith, beginning, “I was raised Catholic in Ohio and to be perfectly honest I didn’t notice such a blissful state of being within my church. I noticed all the things I was told were unholy happening all around me, including to my own young self by the age of seven – three times. So, all of this was found under the guise of my religion.” At this point she began to visibly tremble, leading to earlier speaker Rubylee Bryant coming to her assistance, standing behind Nicholis and rubbing her shoulders as she continued. “And there was nothing there for me, to help me. I have been insulted tonight. I have chosen an earth-based spirituality because I worship the earth. And I have opened my definition of God – the word God literally means ALL … and you can’t really exclude much from that concept. “All that I’ve heard is just a total judgment against witchcraft – But there are abominations within the Catholic Church and other religions … and we haven’t focused on that or condemned people for being Catholic. We are only wanting to practice