Religion
Related: About this forumReligious group, Natrona County officials find solution to keep sweat lodge burning
6 hours ago By ELYSIA CONNER Casper Star-Tribune
CASPER, Wyo. Fire bans threatened to halt a weekly spiritual ceremony in Natrona County, but participants and county officials worked out a solution to continue services at a local sweat lodge.
The Sunday sweats will continue, thanks to a county-owned military fire truck placed beside the sweat lodge at Steve Weber's home near Edness K. Wilkins State Park east of Casper.
Firefighters responded to a report of smoke at Weber's property recently and found a group participating in the American Indian spiritual ceremony.
Weber presented a case of religious rights before Natrona County officials last week, explaining the importance of the ceremony that connects people with a higher power.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/religious-group-natrona-county-officials-find-solution-to-keep-sweat/article_b1838f9c-3a36-5521-8817-3341d9c58af9.html?comment_form=true
Common sense accommodation or state/church entanglement? What would FFRF do?
This is the county truck. The sweat lodge is above.
newfie11
(8,159 posts)I did a sweat once years ago. It should never be taken away.
rug
(82,333 posts)That one was larger though and had peyote soup.
I was told at Cheyenne River Rez to not go to one at pine ridge. They didn't say why.
skepticscott
(13,029 posts)or anything else is accompanied by responsibility for the consequences of its exercise. How about just telling them that they're free to burn things under these conditions, but that they will bear FULL legal and financial responsibility for any wildfires that start, the costs of suppressing them, any property damage that results, as well as any deaths? Then see if their ceremony is important enough for that.
rug
(82,333 posts)Therefore, some accommodation would have to be made or it could not legally occur.
The article doesn't report one way or another, but there doesn't appear to be any water supply nearby and there appears to be a drought in the county.
So, two things happened:
1) This ceremony was exempted from the fire ban that otherwise applied to everyone else in the county, and
2) A government water truck was loaned for the purpose of allowing a private religious ceremony.
I think it was the right and humane thing to do regardless of an apparent entanglement.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)At any rate, looks like common sense accommodation to me.
rug
(82,333 posts)cbayer
(146,218 posts)newfie11
(8,159 posts)Burning in a fire in the middle of the lodge. It was difficult for me to breath.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)newfie11
(8,159 posts)And having many Lakota friends when working at the hospital in Eagle Butte. It is not something I would do again but I feel they should have the right to do it. Maybe I would have liked it more if I had payote Lol.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)is appropriate.
But, for me, the whole thing seems claustrophobic and the addition of hallucinogens would probably just freak me out.