Customer Reviews

Pagans and the Law

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Dana Eilers has written a book that is a must for every Pagan's bookshelf. Every HP or HPS certainly needs to add this to their reference shelves.

Dana has written a clear, concise and wonderfully readable guide to Pagans and the Law, just as the title says. This book is not a substitute for a lawyer for a specific legal problem, but, it educates a person to know fully and thoroughly what our rights really are. It is a wonderful starting point for any attorney representing or thinking of representing a Pagan. In fact, this book would be an excellent gift for Pagan friendly attorneys you know. It will fill a great need at Yule time as a great gift all your Pagan friends can use. (Unless they buy it first, but, I believe this book will end up being one of those that "disappears" so think about that when loaning it. Tell your friends to buy a copy for themselves so they will have it handy.)

Rights for Parents, Schools, Employment - they are all covered. Child Custody, one topic that seems to come up constantly has a very informative chapter. Wondering how to go about starting a legal church? Read this book, the information is included. Along with case law, citations, and a very understandable explanation of the Constitution.

Dana has a great writing style that makes you feel like you are just sitting having coffee with a friend who knows all about the law and how it applies to Pagans. But, a friend you can get advice from any time day or night. Never preachy, always informative, Dana writes for everyone without any condescension.

This book fills a void in Pagan reference books and I am very grateful that the Pagan community has Dana Eilers writing for us.

Dana Eilers has done all the research you will need to give to your attorney should you find yourself in a situation where you need to defend your religious position.

Presented here in one place is a book on practical advice for pagans with legal issues and legal briefs on various cases involving court decisions on pagan issues and common sense to apply to various legal issues involving religious intolerance and the American Court System.

This book presents very general and simple explanations of modern paganism witchcraft and Wicca. It does not go into the complexity of these spiritual paths but gives enough information for both a competent lawyer and the court system to be able to understand and use in possible cases.

The author then presents landmark cases involving rights of Pagans in courts, the stand of the government on the validity on Wicca as a religion, the courts decisions on the religious practices of Pagans in specific situations, such as how it would effect child custody cases, employment discrimination, housing issues and land use issues to name a few.

This is not a book to be taken lightly. It is a book you take to your lawyer who may not be familiar with either your practice, your situation or how the courts have ruled in the past regarding specific situations. It is a most valuable tool saving most lawyers' hours of research (and you money) and time in presenting a case involving a Pagan and their rights.

It is also a book on how you should handle your own personal part of being involved in a court case. How should you address your particular issue? Do you even have a case... how to know when to see a lawyer? What is it going to cost you? Is there anyway you can locate a pagan friendly lawyer or can you use a lawyer you have locally? What groups would be available to assist you in your case? How should you present yourself to a court? Just an example of the practical advice Ms. Eilers is well known for.

This book is a gem that should be read by everyone whether or not you ever find yourself in a situation where you would need a lawyer. The practical advice, the cases involving various pagan groups and the resource should you ever need it are well worth the price of the book. Ms. Eilers has not done any shortcuts here with the amount of information and advice she gives. Her years of experience show in the quality of the research and her writings.

This is a must for any group library. And I plan on adding this to my top ten must have books on Paganism. boudica

"Pagans and the Law" is a basic text that every Pagan leader or clergy
person should have on her bookshelf. It is also a book that solitary Pagans
and students should read, in order to understand our basic rights.
It is a practical book that covers nuts and bolts issues such as the
availability of pro-bono Pagan lawyers (there are none), and that gives
guidelines for how to pick a lawyer, internet sites to access, and
instructions on how to navigate the court system.
Eilers' discussion of the First Amendment is especially crucial for
Pagans; "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". Towards the end of the
book there is a nice history lesson about the "separation of church and
state" and of the concept of "freedom of worship" in the US and other
countries.
The book covers areas of special interest such as Pagans in the military,
child custody, and job discrimination. Eilers helps the reader to
distinguish between cases of genuine religious discrimination and cases
where the employee or the child is removed for very good reasons.
There are sections on Pagans who have been evicted or refused a lease due
to their religion, and Pagans who have been denied the free exercise of land
use. There are instructions on how to deal with zoning ordinances and for
determining when it is legal to hold a Pagan ritual in a private home, or to
build a Pagan temple or church.
This is a book that I hope every Pagan will read and that I hope no Pagan
will ever have to use.
Ellen Evert Hopman
Author of "Being a Pagan" (ISBN 089281904-9) and other volumes

Mostly I was curious to see what a "generic advice" book might be. This one didn't surprise me. While no book should be used in place of seeking real-live legal counsel, this book gave some really great tips, not the least of which is how to NOT be in the mess to begin with. Most of the subject matter has to do with family court or divorce court, obvious targeting venues, but some of the rest was really interesting. Anyone who "thinks" they are being harassed or worse really should own this book. However I still think if you're going to go flirting with trouble (and you know who you are), it's simpler to just get a lawyer first...or at least some legal insurance.

I love this book. It gives peace of mind to me as a Pagan, as a parent and as a member of corp. America. Highly recommend to other Pagans worried about freely expressing your religous views.

Dana is a very giving woman in person, and she demonstrates this well with this book in helping other Pagans understand their rights and the laws as they relate to Paganism & religions. This is a must read for any HP/HPS, pagan event organizer, or practitioner that finds themselves involved with the legal side of the government. It is also a great guide for any lawyer who needs to deal with Paganism in a case. Dana has taught many lectures and seminars on the subject of Paganism, and as a lawyer herself understands the subject from both sides.

Definatly worth reading if you want to know your rights! The only book on this subject to date.

Ms. Eilers has made a book for pagans/wiccans about their rights and within the law of all states. However, i felt at times the book was missing a few "key points". Other than that, the book is very helpful and should not be overlooked.