In what year was the religion of Wicca legalized in the state of Washington?

Question

I heard that it was illegal to practice this benign Earth base religion in Washington for quite some time. Are there any other states in the U.S. where it is still illegal?

Answer 1

When they became a state... its in the Constitution.

edited to add: The Bill of Rights protects freedom of religion. No state can pass any law contrary to the Constitution (not and have it stand up to a challenge). Wicca only became a religion in the past few years, before that it was not considered a religion and had no 1st amendment protection. I lived through the period where we had to post a guard, in order to practice the Craft. Even then, we knew the persecution was not Constitutional and thanks to many of my peers we overcame the stigma. I still don't agree that it is actually a religion but since all pagans are now afforded that protection, I don't complain much.

Answer 2

Actually, I think it is the town that dictated what people can and can not do in the communities, and it is the bill or rights, not the constitution itself that lists the right to bear arms, the right to practice our religions etc. This argument seems to be splitting hairs since Wicca was still considered by many the path of the devil, the communities, which were bible belt communities, did not differentiate between wicca, paganism, occult etc. They lumped it all together and banned it, this being why many are still in the broom closet. Not sure on the date, need to look it up later. People are still being persecuted for their beliefs despite the rights in this matter.  It only takes a handful to ruin it for those who just want to be left alone to do what they know it right for their religion.

Answer 3

I'm in Washington and there are a ton of Wiccans and Pagans here.  I am friends with 2 pagans (not wiccan though) I live in the most unchurched part of our state and trust me it is not illegal that I know of.  

Would love to see where you read this and would be interested in reading it myself.

Answer 4

I'm from Washington and I have never heard such a thing. Perhaps you mean that Wicca was not legally recognized as a religion? I have a friend who did Wiccan prison ministry, and I believe in order to do that, the state has to have recognized the religion. You should be able to find the information through a google search. Also, Pete Pathfinder and the Aquarian Tabernacle Church are based in Index, Washington. And they organized years ago.

Answer 5

I could not find sources to prove your statement.

There were court challenges regarding wiccan symbols being allowed on veterans' headstones in national cemeteries, and they were eventually approved.

It is not illegal  in any states.  As a matter of fact, in some public schools, the courts have ordered that schools must not offend wiccans and can't display traditional Halloween decorations such as flying witches, and any stories with negative depictions of witches are also disallowed.  

Answer 6

There is no such thing as a legal or illegal religion in the United States.  There is only religion.  No governmental body is allowed to rule on the validity of a religion.

A law against fortune telling would not be a law against religion nor against Wicca.  Fortune telling has nothing to do with Wicca.

I wonder if this person is passing on a corrupted version of the story of the Witchcraft Act of 1736 in England.  That law made it illegal to accuse someone of witchcraft but also made it illegal for someone to claim supernatural powers.  It was last used to prosecute a fortune teller in the 1940s.  It was repealed in 1951, and Gerald Gardner gives that instance as the reason he was able to go public with his "witch-cult," which later became known as Wicca.