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He comes home with briefcase in hand from a long day "in the trenches." His wife and boys greet him at he door. They sit and exchange the events of the day in their Coca-Cola decorated kitchen. But before he heads upstairs to change out of his "blues" he stops by the altar, lights a candle and thanks the gods for his beautiful family. He then releases the stresses of the day with a quick glance at a wooden pentacle.
Air Force Major Anthony Gatlin, chief of the Military Personnel Division for the Secretary of the Air Force at the Pentagon, is not only a proud member of the U.S. Air Force, but also a practicing pagan.
The dictionary defines pagan as a follower of a polytheistic religion, as in ancient Rome. Modern day pagans define paganism as an eclectic, nature-centered religious movement that encompasses polytheistic and magical religions. Many beliefs labeled paganism are characterized by the honoring of pre-Christian deities, lack of institutionalization, a quest to develop the self and acceptance and encouragement of diversity.
"Ive been pagan all my adult life, but didn't realize what exactly that was until about a year-and-a-half ago. It had truly been an awakening, a 'coming home,'" said Gatlin.
Gatlin and his wife of 15 years, Sheila, talked many times about their beliefs and tried several churches together but, "nothing felt right", he said.
"Over the years, our spiritual lives suffered because we found nothing to nurture them," he said.
Through much research, study and discussion the Galtlins discovered what they were searching for.
"The particular pagan path that we most identified with is of the Wiccan tradition, which is a revival of ancient Celtic tribal religions. Its an Earth-based religion that follows no set scripture, but attunes the mind, body and spirit with the forces of nature," said Gatlin.
Time passed and Gatlin became more and more comfortable with his new faith. He felt it was time to "come out of the broom closet" and not hide his religious beliefs, he said. He didnt know at the time that his next few actions would have an affect on the entire pagan community in the Air Force.
"I had reached a point in my life where I wanted to become public with my religion. I figured a good place to start would be changing my religious preference on my dog tags and my personnel file," said Gatlin.
At that time, the Air Force didnt list any earth-based religions as religious preferences. Pagans, of all paths, either chose "no religious preference" or "other."
"I first listed my religion as 'other' but, as the days went by I just felt like that was more and more offensive," he said.
Gatlin began to ask why his religion, and the religion of more than an estimated 15,000 people in the military, wasnt represented. He started doing research on how to add a religious preference to the list. He spoke with chaplains and worked with the Air Force Personnel Center to coordinate a staff summary sheet. In March 2001 the package circulated for signing. Gatlin could only hope and hold on to his faith that the change would be approved.
"No one ever said you can't do this. No one was ever verbally against it. It was more bureaucracy and red tape that held up the process," said Gatlin.
On March 15 the change was approved and Pagan, Shaman, Druid, Wicca, Seax Wicca, Gardnerian Wicca and Dianic Wicca were added to the list of religious preferences in the Air Force Personnel Data System.
"I was proud to be the first person to register my religion in the system," Gatlin said, "and I hope others will be too. I want the world to know Pagans are not just a bunch of fringe lunaticswe are military members, husbands, wives, parentsregular people with hopes and dreams who want the freedom and tolerance to practice our religion just like anyone else."
More than 50 service members registered as one of the newly listed earth-based religions in the first six weeks after the change. Gatlin hopes the numbers will climb as the word gets out of the latest options, and the new Air Force Personnel System, MilMod becomes fully functional.
Gatlin said he will continue to work towards mainstream acceptance and tolerance among all religious communities, but feels that all pagans must take part in this move.
"We need to do a better job with public relations. We are hampered by our own communal mistrust and fear of persecution. We need to get the collective chip off our shoulder and work together to further out position in the community," he said.
Recently Gatlin and fellow members of a Pagan study group were hiking in western Virginia. The group stopped along a rocky pinnacle that looked out over miles and miles of sky and earth.
"As I stood at the edge of this cliff looking hundreds of feet below, I was approached by a man who asked me about the shirt I wore, which proudly displayed our groups logo and name, the "Potomac Pagans," Gatlin said. "He clearly was taken aback merely by the word Pagan. He identified himself as Southern Baptist and asked how I could not believe in God."
"It was very surreal standing on the edge of a great precipice defending my religion, but I explained that I very much believe in the Devine Spirit and that his God may very well be my God; its just that I choose a different way of looking at it," Gatlin said.
The man then said to Gatlin, "Its like this mountain, its the same mountain, regardless of which path you take. It may look different from all angles, but that doesnt change the essence of the mountain."
"I knew then I had made my point," Gatlin said.
From the outside, the Gatlins, with their two-story house decorated in pop-culture knick-knacks and pet dog Ringo, look like the "typical" American family. But in a county, dubbed a melting pot, what is that exactly? Maybe its a family who lives true to their heart, believes in tolerance for other cultures and religions and realizes the true value of the freedoms we each are given.

Most major religions attempt to infuse in their adherents a unified system of ethics, dogmas, and metaphysics. A religion exists primarily to foster an organized outlook that places believers in proper relation to their environment. We call this outlook a worldview, a developed system of thought through which an individual is to assess existence. Looking broadly at the major spiritual systems of the world, one can discern three fundamentally different patterns. The foci of these worldviews concern the aspects of divinity, humanity, and nature. The Middle Eastern religions, the Far Eastern religions, and Neopaganism postulate different conceptualizations regarding these three areas of interest.

The Middle Eastern religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share a common history and outlook. Their sin qua non is Monotheism, a belief in a single, personalized deity. Divinity for the Monotheist is expressed as an external, transcendent force that creates and controls the universe. Monotheists have placed divinity outside time and space, above and apart from mundane experience. Divinity resides in some ethereal heavenly realm, with a creator God surrounded by angles and comfortably ensconced from the daily events of the universe.

The effect of perceiving God as an external and personal being is to separate divinity from humanity and nature. Indeed, in the three Monotheistic religions one reads of the same story of humanitys fall from nature. Humanity once dwelt in Gods presence, and through some vile act of disobedience to God was cast out of divine grace. It was humanitys punishment to experience a mortal and painful life under the influence of natures vices. Separated from divinity, humanity dwelt among the animals and the elements, eking out a harsh existence. Subject to the terrors of the natural world, humanity found it difficult to lead a morally pure lifestyle. Existence was therefore conceived as a struggle to overcome the urges of nature and instead reconcile oneself to divinity.

Monotheism came to view life as a trinitarian distinction between divinity, humanity, and nature. Rigid barriers exist between the three levels and their relationship is viewed as one of reciprocal adversity. Divinity arrogates to itself dominion over humanity, establishing itself as supreme overseer and magistrate of human affairs. To humanity is given dominion over nature. In the absence of divine protection humanity is to exploit nature for survival. Nature, however, brings with it a host of other mortal ailments that distracts humanity from its reconciliation with divinity. To the Jew and Muslim, reconciliation means following a set of rigid laws. To the Christian, this divine imperative manifests itself as the corporate worship of Jesus Christ and his teachings.

The Far Eastern religions are vast and varied, a cornucopia of spiritual views. Generally speaking, though, all share a common mission in providing an adherent with a means of achieving an ethical or spiritual perfection. The Hindu seeks to find release from an endless cycle of death and rebirth. The Buddhist yearns for an enlightenment that transcends the illusions of mundane life. The Taoist strives to live in balance with the way of the universe, while the Confucian is concerned with proper social obligations. In all these systems there is an assumption that there is a necessary way to conduct oneself, and practicing this code of belief places adherents in proper relation to their environment.

In the Far Eastern religions one generally does not find the trinitarian distinction that is so crucial to Monotheism. The Hindu considers everything existing in confluence with an universal soul. Most Buddhists see all life as interconnected; to them the sense of a unique self separate from other living beings is an illusion. The Taoist views everything as a manifestation of the universal way. The Confucian cares for social ethics, not metaphysics. Thus for the Far Eastern religions the distinction between divinity, humanity, and nature is either non-existent or irrelevant. What matters most is leading a virtuous life, however virtue may be conceived.

Neopaganism is a loose confederation of myriad spiritual systems, where beliefs and practices differ greatly among different sects and among individual adherents as well. As such, the religion does not lend itself well to generalizations. Nevertheless, in most traditions within Neopaganism one may find a modicum of agreement on doctrine. While recognizing many exceptions exist, one can say Neopaganism as a whole roughly sees a trinitarian distinction among divinity, humanity, and nature. However, Neopaganism would take strong exception with Monotheism in viewing the barriers among the three as hostile or rigid.

In most Neopagan traditions divinity is conceived as polytheistic, duotheistic, or pantheistic. However divinity is conceived, a common belief concerns its immanence. Rather than existing as an external, personal force, divinity is an impersonal force that dwells within humanity and nature. There can be no final separation from divinity as divinity resides in everything. The One is in The All, and The All is in The One. For this reason, divinity, humanity, and nature are not seen as separate constructs but interrelated aspects of the same unity.

Because the Neopagan does not feel divorced from divinity, the Neopagan feels no need to reconcile herself with a lost paradise. The Neopagan merely reveres and experiences the divinity that manifests itself continually in everything. Nature and natural urges are not viewed as destructive paradigms that distract one from experiencing divinity. Rather, nature is viewed as another level of divinity, to be worshipped and admired. While most Neopagans adopt some ethical code, few Neopagans have the harsh and rigid laws of the Monotheists or the detailed mystical codes of the Far East. A Neopagans primary duty is to cherish and experience the gifts of divinity wherever one may find them.

Given these different world views, is it possible on a fundamental level to simultaneously practice religions from different paradigms? Can a Neopagan also be a Christian or a Buddhist? The answer depends on to what extent and in what manner an individual adherent is willing to mix and match various beliefs. Neopagan spirituality and reverence for nature meshes well with the Far Eastern religions and more liberal versions of Monotheism. One could hypothetically practice Christian ethics, Buddhist meditation, and Neopagan magick. Nevertheless, to mix and match from among the different traditions requires a delicate balancing act. Those that would tread a multi-faith path must caution themselves to choose their religious ingredients wisely lest they develop a case of spiritual schizophrenia.