Deborah Maynard, leader of the Cedar Rapids Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, became the first Wiccan Priestess to give a blessing before the Iowa House of Representatives yesterday. She says her goal was to show that freedom of religion exists in Iowa and in the United States.
“I wanted to be inclusive. Wicca is a form of Earth-based spirituality. We honor nature and the interdependent web of all existence. We have a god and a godness that we honor in equality. Our greatest law is 'Do no harm.'”
Several lawmakers left legislative chambers and one turned his back while she spoke.
Representative Liz Bennett of House District 65 invited Maynard and says she was surprised by her colleagues' behavior. “When I invited Deborah, I invited people of other denominations. I respect anyone’s right to their own faith tradition,” she said.
During this River to River interview, host Ben Kieffer talks with Maynard and Bennett about the blessing.
We believe that Jesus Christ existed and that he was a wonderful man. Paganism is not opposed to Christianity at all. Our greatest law is 'harm none.'
Maynard says that she wasn’t offended by lawmakers who opposed her presence in the Statehouse and adds that Wicca isn’t anti-Christian.
“We believe that Jesus Christ existed and that he was a wonderful man. Paganism is not opposed to Christianity at all. Our greatest law is harm none,” she explains. “We also believe in the threefold law that whatever you put out comes back to you three times, so we wouldn’t want to do wrong by anyone.”
During this River to River program, you can also hear a conversation with Grace Mumm, who organized a peaceful walkout Wednesday at Dowling Catholic High School to protest the non-hiring of an openly gay teacher; a preview of the sentencing trial for Peter and Jack DeCoster, who pled guilty to bribing public officials and other charges after a 2010 Salmonella outbreak; and a preview of the bands coming to Des Moines for this year’s 80/35 music festival.
