Pagan Mom Claims Shelter Discriminated
Thursday June 12, 2008
Recently a young mother in Idaho fled an abusive relationship, and headed for the only place she thought she and her toddler son would be safe -- a temporary homeless shelter called Ruth House. Shortly after arriving, however, Raven Litzau says administrators asked her to leave, citing her Pagan beliefs as the reason. Ruth House is billed as a "non-denominational Christian program", which helps women find jobs, build resumes, and escape domestic violence. Although they say they take everyone who needs their services, Litzau says she was asked to remove Pagan jewelry and get rid of some novels she'd brought with her that were about fictional witches.
Director Robert Gulden says Ruth House doesn't "have any standards on jewelry and the only rules on literature state that the ladies can't read books with descriptive words or pornographic pictures." In fact, he says his staff didn't follow protocol, and he's willing to meet with Litzau to help solve the problem. In the meantime, let's hope Raven Litzau and her 17-month-old child can find a safe place to stay.
Director Robert Gulden says Ruth House doesn't "have any standards on jewelry and the only rules on literature state that the ladies can't read books with descriptive words or pornographic pictures." In fact, he says his staff didn't follow protocol, and he's willing to meet with Litzau to help solve the problem. In the meantime, let's hope Raven Litzau and her 17-month-old child can find a safe place to stay.
Comments
First - blessings to Raven - I hope she has found safety for herself and her child and is well.
Second - this makes me so sad. What about good old fashion “Christian Charity”??
All I can think when I hear about this stuff is “why can’t we all just get along??”
I hope raven and her child do find a safe haven one that doesnot discriminate on personal religious beliefs.The most important issue here is her safety and that of her young child.I would love to see pagan safe houses for those that need to escape and abusive relationships! My prayers to the Goddess for her safety and protection!
As a nurse who cares for others on a daily basis, I can see absolutely no basis for any shelter or venue of care to tell anyone in need what possessions they can have on their person. (Beyond those of say, dangerous weapons and firearms or else illicit drugs, or other illegal items) What this shelter did was not only discriminate against this woman, which was an infringement of her rights, but also endanger her and her child!
What people forget, once they begin to give care, is that their own beliefs and values may motivate them to help others initially, but it is quite immoral and inhumane and illegal to impose those personal beliefs upon others, or else decide to neglect, abandon or abuse their dependents, once care is being given. Let us hope that Miss Litzau and her child receive the assitance they require now, and that this shelter adopts better standards of practice.
I am not big on people getting picked on for their religion. But it makes me mad when someone will pick on ours and assume we are doing something terrible when they don’t even understand the nature of it.
This just shows what our society has become, wouldn’t it more christian like to continue helping someone no matter what their beliefs. I don’t know of one coven that would throw someone out for having a christian bible and a cross. They refer to us as devil worshipers and such yet we have complete compasion and respect for all others, an attributes I feel christians have lost.
My prayer to the goddess watch and protect Raven and her young child on their search for help and safety.
A Christian ministry must be careful to safeguard itself from lawsuits. In this case I’d hope Ruth’s House and its attorney draft a comprehensive legal document to prevent recurrences. One non-profit legal group that specializes in protective contracts is http://www.christianlaw.org/
I am also concerned about the allegation that staff members use books that reflect values contrary to the Christian values of the Bible. If so, then normal workplace discipline will remedy such workplace misbehavior.
If you are a part of a Christian ministry threatened with bias lawsuits, you can protect yourself and your ministry. The aclj, alliance defense fund, and Christian Law Association offer free legal help.
As a pagan who previously found refuge in this place I am sickened by this girl, I wore my religion with pride in this place and actually got some comments on my tattoos while in residence there. There is no way they kicked her out because of her ‘religion’ the poor director (who is a very kind and understanding man) tried very hard to hint at the other reason which I believe that she was kicked out without straight out saying the truth and making himself look like he was trying to drag this ‘poor abused pagan girl’ through the mud which was ’she was struggling to get along with the other girls’, meaning she was probably causing problems in the house, not just because of her religion but perhaps her personality. We of the faith are taught to live and let live and be better than the zealots out there so brothers and sisters, before you start pointing your fingers at our Christan siblings, take a look at both sides. NO ONE would kick someone with a 17 month old child out on the streets without good reason. Not even a Christian Zealot.
I know the power of positive thinking so I’m going to say…I know she found a safe place to stay.
know the other side of positive thinking…. someone needs to find her and help her sue this establishment under religious discrimmnation. She could quit possibly come out a millionar than she can buy a bodyguard to protect her and her young son.
First off- I do ask the Goddess that Raven and her child remain safe.
Second off- I so agree with a previous post what happened to Christians being loving and understanding and charitable.. Again it shows lack of knowledge about our religion and hoe people even in this day and age are afraid of what they think our religion is about.
Blessed Be
I have been raised christain non deninational.
But in last five years have been wicca. I still hold on to christain as a good foundation. This is why I have a problem with the christain curcuit, they crucify their own Ive seen it time and time again causing them to loose focus of what the true meaning of christ was. Love and forgiveness, faith and mercy and hope.WWJD should always be in mind.
Wiccan creed in perfect love and trust.This is time for our wiccan comunnity to get together and help her. It does”nt matter what your belief is where is the love.Suffer not the little children.
And in my own state too. How very sad. I hope she found safe shelter. IN GENERAL, the people of my state are good folks, but every now and then we get a few that think their interpretation is the only way.
I hope the Safe houses’s governing board sees this action for what it is…discrimination and acts accordingly.
But mostly, I hope she found a safe place. Any one, of any religion, creed, race, gender, has the right to live in a safe place.
May the God and Goddess both smile down and lead her to safe passages
I can’t think of anything less “christian” than throwing a mother out on the streets with her child and nowhere to go.
Jesus would never have done that.
I hope the best for them,
don’t quit it’s hard to live in Idaho,
I know for the fact, I live in twin falls,ketchum,hailey, and beleive me if you have no car don’t go.
best of luck …..
I can’t believe they kicked her out, she was obviously in desperate need of help - and for such petty reasons! I don’t see why she wasn’t allowed a fiction book, and jewellery is jewellery, no one should try to tell you what you can and can’t read and what you can and can’t wear! It’s disgusting, and an infringement of people’s human rights! According to the Christian shelter, if they had their way, they would ban pagan books (and any books about witches, fiction or not) from all libraries and booksellers, along with pagan/wiccan jewellery, clothes, and anything else they didn’t like!
It makes you want to scream!
“…the ladies can’t read books with descriptive words…”
They’ve banned adjectives? ;o)
Ah, yes. This is one of the reasons I ended up as an electic wiccan. I tried the evangelical route and always felt uncomfortable because I felt that I had no business trying to put my belief system onto others. The whole point of offering shelter is to show unconditional love and acceptance, two tenets of Christianity, not to mention most of the major religions. It seems that because there is a lot of fear a/k/a prejudice out there because really people don’t understand it, that this happens on a regular basis. I had to stop wearing my elemental pentacle at work as a nurse because some ya-hoo made up some stupid story and went running to my boss with it, who was livid. So these things happen.
Getting back to the issue of Raven and her baby, it seems if Raven was having an issue with some of the other women she was sharing roomspace with, that should have been dealt with vis-a-vis a group meeting. All these women are PTSD because of the abuse they are seeking to escape and, at the same time, better themselves. Its so easy when somebody has different viewpoints to scapegoat them and the staff should have been sensitive to this issue, rather than kicking out a woman who clearly needed their help. Who cares what people wear? Should we ban people from wearing cheap tacky jewelry? Oops, I made a value statement here. Seriously, if Christians followed what Jesus or Yeshua would have done in that instance, it would have been to take her in and help heal her. If He would have done that, shouldn’t his followers also adher to the same policy?
For I do believe she should take the homeless shelter to court for discriminating her for what she believes in.
No matter how many times they say ” we are sorry ” it will not make it better.
Keep up head up Raven for things have to get better.
Christians.
Whenever I hear that word, I want to scrub my mouth out with concrete. The only ‘charity’ they feel is when people are lined up to put a big wet one planted solidly on the holy posterior.
I feel so helpless. I want to help, but how? This sounds a bit trite, but I pray the Source blesses you and the wee one, Raven.
I don’t understand people. What gives us the right to judge just because someone is different? Don’t the “christians” realize they left their old countries to escape religious persecution. Who are these people to say that their religion is the only right one? Live and let live. Help those in need. No matter what their religious affiliation. Last time I checked, freedom of religion was in the constitution.
My thoughts are with this woman and her young child and also with those who discriminate against her. May they someday realize that people are people.
We had recently ran into a man that ended up on the streets. His wife had him removed from his home. It was pretty obvious that it was drug related of a sort. He had been turned away at the biggest church in a our town. I have no quarrels with other religions nor do have a problem with their policy….but hey…lets feed the hunger first. So as my boyfriends in the store buying him food, I’m asking him to think of how he got to where he was and decide if this is his lifestyle. I asked no questions and he denied nothing. It may seem such a petty thing but I can only believe my pettiness helped him rise to the surface. If a shelter has a need to turn away a person then help them find another one. Safety measures should have been first, especially with a child. If she was distructive then offer another place. If she wasn’t, then shame on the shelter. If a shelter where for only paticular type of people then it should be clearly noted. Though I would think when someone has been abused, if that was the case, then I don’t think you are worried about what you are wearing, nor should a shelter.
Although I don’t belive in satan well until I look at groups like this.If I knew how to reach Raven I would gladly tell her she would be welcome in my home.. It is small and full of my hubby ,me and our fur babies but it would be safe and among her own kind. and I am sure someone here in NC would help her get what she needs our department of social services and HUD both are great at helping women to be safe and find a home Debbie/Mountain Rainwater
In fairness to the folks at the shelter, the director did indicate that he believes there was a breach of protocol. In other words, it is not Ruth House’s policy to eject someone based on religious preferences. It sounds like it may be a case of one employee going against standard operating procedure. I’m reluctant to paint the entire staff with the same brush. Ruth House does do many good things for many people, so I’m not sure it’s fair to say “all the Christians are mean” when we’re talking about this particular organization.
In the meantime, I hope Raven has found a place to say, and I hope that Mr. Gulden has gotten to the bottom of the issue so that it doesn’t ever happen again to anyone else.
patti
This is quite indicitive of “Christian love”. I do hope the mother and child are safe. She was brave to leave the relationship.
As for the shelter, those that made her leave will find that karma has a way of making things “right”.