Comments on: Ask A Witch: How old do I have to be? http://onewitchsway.com/2010/05/ask-a-witch-how-old-do-i-have-to-be/ "And when your heart is filled with fear, Close your eyes for she is here..." Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:38:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rowan Pendragon http://onewitchsway.com/2010/05/ask-a-witch-how-old-do-i-have-to-be/comment-page-1/#comment-2049 Rowan Pendragon Fri, 28 May 2010 18:33:02 +0000 http://onewitchsway.com/2010/05/ask-a-witch-how-old-do-i-have-to-be/#comment-2049 Definitely a good point, and not one that was missed but one that wasn't worded in the same what that you have here. Yes, in the states, and also in Canada, there are parental responsibility laws in place that allow the parents the right to retain total control over the religious exposure that their children receive until they reach the legal age of maturity (18). In the same area, those same laws give parents the right to control many other aspects of what a child is exposed to including their education, the kinds of activities they are allowed to participate in outside the home and so on. It is one of those things that is hard to really prove in court, especially when the parent isn't present to witness any of the supposed "abuse". While this is certainly one of the things that keeps covens on the defensive about working with minors there are some that have exceptions and provisions in place for those underage looking for a group. It's one of those things where, yes, it's the general rule of thumb, but every group is different. Covens I've been involved with and ones that I know of that are willing to open the door to the right minor have heavy parental involvement in place so that the parents are giving explicit permission for the child to be involved and often the parents are asked to be present for certain, if not all, training. I know of one group that would allow minors, with parental permission and supervision, to attend coven meetings and classes but they were not allowed to attend rituals and instead would be given outlines and details for doing their own rituals at home. I thought that was a great compromise, but again, it's not the norm. Definitely a good point, and not one that was missed but one that wasn't worded in the same what that you have here. Yes, in the states, and also in Canada, there are parental responsibility laws in place that allow the parents the right to retain total control over the religious exposure that their children receive until they reach the legal age of maturity (18). In the same area, those same laws give parents the right to control many other aspects of what a child is exposed to including their education, the kinds of activities they are allowed to participate in outside the home and so on.

It is one of those things that is hard to really prove in court, especially when the parent isn't present to witness any of the supposed "abuse". While this is certainly one of the things that keeps covens on the defensive about working with minors there are some that have exceptions and provisions in place for those underage looking for a group. It's one of those things where, yes, it's the general rule of thumb, but every group is different. Covens I've been involved with and ones that I know of that are willing to open the door to the right minor have heavy parental involvement in place so that the parents are giving explicit permission for the child to be involved and often the parents are asked to be present for certain, if not all, training. I know of one group that would allow minors, with parental permission and supervision, to attend coven meetings and classes but they were not allowed to attend rituals and instead would be given outlines and details for doing their own rituals at home. I thought that was a great compromise, but again, it's not the norm.

]]> By: TheUrbanPagan http://onewitchsway.com/2010/05/ask-a-witch-how-old-do-i-have-to-be/comment-page-1/#comment-2048 TheUrbanPagan Fri, 28 May 2010 18:14:32 +0000 http://onewitchsway.com/2010/05/ask-a-witch-how-old-do-i-have-to-be/#comment-2048 Great article, but it missed a major point. On major reason many Covens refuse to accept those under 18 is strictly a legal issue. In the litigation-happy USA, parent can and will sue and sometime prosecute those that they feel are trying to "corrupt" their precious children. Remember that many people still have a vision of Pagans as sex-crazed, immoral, evil people. It's total garbage, and rarely if ever holds up in court, but just dealing with legal issues like these is enough to force many smaller churches to close their doors. Great article, but it missed a major point. On major reason many Covens refuse to accept those under 18 is strictly a legal issue. In the litigation-happy USA, parent can and will sue and sometime prosecute those that they feel are trying to "corrupt" their precious children. Remember that many people still have a vision of Pagans as sex-crazed, immoral, evil people. It's total garbage, and rarely if ever holds up in court, but just dealing with legal issues like these is enough to force many smaller churches to close their doors.

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