I don't think I have posted to this group about Demeter.

[murielm99]

Our county was given a wonderful statue of Demeter, to symbolize agriculture in our rural community. The statue is to be erected in front of the new courthouse.

The religious nuts are out in force.

A couple of idiots on the county board did not want the statue erected, because they thought they would be putting an idol on the courthouse lawn.

Now, a pastor decided to pass around a petition, and he spoke at the last county board meeting. He is a United Methodist pastor, too. I wonder if his bishop knows that he is deeply involved in a very divisive fight in his community.

He seems to think that he is "not unsophisticated in my appreciation for culture, nor am I a religious zealot who wishes to forcefully impose my religious views on others. But I also know the power of symbols, even those which represent myth and legend. I don't want it (Demeter) representing me and my spiritual beliefs."

Who says they are putting the statue there to represent his or anyone else's beliefs? Is he kidding?

He is insisting that if Demeter is erected, a statue of Jesus must be erected in front of the courthouse, too. I wish he would go feed the poor.

I am a United Methodist, too. I don't know how this man's congregation feels about his stand. I do know that he has a small church in the most conservative part of our county.

One of the religious nuts on the county board is proposing a plaque to be placed in the new courthouse. It would contain the Ten Commandments. He says, "We do have a Christian background, and I do believe that we should honor that as well."

A couple of the other nuts tried to have the approval of the statue rescinded. That vote was put off until the June 20th meeting.

I hope these people know what they are getting themselves into. I am ashamed to be represented by such ignorant fools, and I am going to hate seeing my county tax dollars used for a lawsuit.

[realisticphish]

1. i think i read one of your other posts about this

it's insane. we still read the Odyssey and the Illiad, right? Calm down, man. We use lady justice, and SHE'S not an idol.

*sigh*

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. Good grief, statues of figures from classical mythology are a fine old

tradition in the U.S.

That kind of "zero tolerance for idolatry insanity" is what we get for removing Latin from the high school curriculum, I guess. ;-)

[okasha]

3. I take it that folks are not lying down in the ploughed fields

to make the crops grow in the good old fashioned way? No maidens bringing the Lady baskets of fruit and flowers? Thought not.

Jeez, Louise. Somebody tell the twit that's Hermes on the FTD florists' logo and send him off in another direction. Or how about Atlas tires? Saturn missiles? Mars-for-pity's-sake-bars?

[Critters2]

4. Don't they know that a statue of Jesus would violate the

establishment clause? Is this in Illinois? Because, one isn't supposed to get a high school diploma in Illinois without passing a Constitution test! Looks like someone benefitted from social promotion!

This really is jaw-droppingly stunning!!

Oh, and I want to thank you for your re-wording of this. I know you raised it elsewhere (rural/farm, maybe?) and gave the impression that the thinking here was because of their rural location. Thanks for moving away from that angle. I've served several rural parishes, and haven't found the people anymore narrow-minded than in other places. Otoh, former parishioners tell me that the interim now serving my last parish, who drives there from a large city (large for Iowa), has told the deacons he won't do field blessings on Rogation Days or Blessing of the Animals next fall. He says those are pagan practices!!
The chair of the deacons e-mailed that they're probably going to insist he do the Animal Blessing, which people there really love. Pagan!

The uninformed exist in cities and small towns. And seem amazingly prolific these days!

Keep us posted about this!

[murielm99]

5. I never meant to make it sound like this was happening

because of our rural location.

While I have lived elsewhere, I have been married to a farmer for the last 28 years. I am worried that some large town newspaper or TV station will get hold of this and laugh at us for being hicks. It is not about that. It is about religious zealots trying to take over and tell the rest of us what to do.

It really is astonishing, isn't it?

I have to tell you the the other part. The guy who is proposing the plaque with the Ten Commandments want to include on that plaque a quote from Madison, that says we sustain ourselves not by the laws of man, but by the Ten Commandments. The quote is a hoax. A local chiropractor who is angry about the whole situation wrote to Madison scholars to get their opinion of the quote, and they told him it was a hoax. Madison did not like organized religion.

I will be writing another letter, calling county board members and attending meetings. I am not the only one.

[celtdem]

6. Keep up the good work!!

I have no doubt you're not the only one. The problem is often that rational people get tired of fighting these things, but the crazies--oops! the conservatives--are driven to the point of obsession. You just need to be as motivated as they are.

Good luck!!

[murielm99]

7. Yeah, I know it is a lot of work.

Our county Democratic organization hired a community organizer and consultant to help us be more effective. One of our members commented on how much work all his ideas will take to implement. He said that is why we have the president we do. Not enough people are willing to put in the hard work.

I realize that many people have to work two jobs just to make ends meet. I realize that people have children to care for, and other obligations. But as long as I have even a few hours, I will do the work.

[Critters2]

8. One thing strikes me in your post...

A good community organizer shouldn't be implementing "his" ideas, but yours. Community organizers get people together, hear what they want and need, and then organize them (the community) toward meeting those goals.

I used to work for an organization that did a lot of community organizing around health care issues. I wasn't an organizer(I worked one on one with those in need, organizers worked with community groups),
but I saw how the work was done.

I'm also taking a course in community development right now, so the theory of these things is front and center in my life. Two more weeks tll I get those CEUs!

Anyway, make sure the organizer is working with and for the community! And good luck with this!

[murielm99]

9. Thank you for your suggestion, critter.

We did work with him on a list of goals. We are using our ideas and goals. It is just that one of our people complained about the work involved.

I had discouraging news on this today. Seventeen clergymen in the county sent a petition to each of our county board members demanding that the statue be dropped. Some of the board members are thinking about changing their votes. They voted on this once and accepted it. I think it should be left as it is. I will continue working toward that end.

[okasha]

10. How is this being covered in the press?

Or is it?

A couple suggestions: call your nearest regional newspaper and your nearest metropolitan TV stations. Give them the background and suggest that they interview your county board members, cover the meetings, etc.. Meantime, get as many citizens together as you can and descend on their offices in person. If they don't want to see you, stand outside their offices and give interviews with the TV cameras running. In short, make a stink and embarass them publicly.

[Critters2]

11. I agree

Be in touch with the Trib, the Sun-times, the Rockford and Quad City papers, and TV stations. I know you don't want your community to look like hicks (and again, there are wackjobs in cities, too), but neither does your county's leadership. If they find this brings bad publicity, they may back off. And 17 clergy sounds like a lot, but it would be about half of the clergy in my city of 18,500 (of course, we have a ridiculous number of churches--and yet another new one meeting in the HS auditorium!). It's time for the non-wackjob pastors to get off their butts and take a stand for Western civilization, tolerance, and well, sanity!!

Is this Ogle County, IL? If so, it's in my cluster. In fact, I think I'm an Association liaison with one church there. Oh, no, I just checked a map. I was thinking of Lee County. But it is in my Association, and I think I'll just make some calls to my colleagues there and tell them I heard the strangest rumor, and ask what they're doing to speak out for tolerance in their county. I'll ask nicely :) BUt I want to be sure it's Illinois...it is, right?

Yep, a little bad publicity for the county can go a long way in a situation like this.

Btw, Lorado Taft State Park is in your county! One of my family's favorite places to go hiking, picnicking, etc when I was growing up!

[murielm99]

12. Yes, this is Ogle County, IL.

Thank you for your help.

I am still reluctant to do the bad publicity thing myself. I am writing letters, attending meetings, and circulating my own petition.

If someone else wants to contact the media, fine. But I have to live here.

BTW, we had media one other time, in 1982. It was 60 Minutes. It was a fiasco for our town.

[regnaD kciN]

13. I think they'd have to refuse to put up the statue of Demeter...

...if it could be shown that there's an active community of worshippers of the Greek gods in your county. After all, that would constitute the county's establishment of a particular religion. Right? ;-)