Circles and arrows

[macloudt]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "moongirlk" <moongirlk at y...> wrote:

> I prefer the term faith to religion.  (look out, tangent coming!)

Tangent?  Only from the One-True-Faithers, I would think.  I would 
think (hope) that all we listies are open-minded enough not to jump 
on *that* bandwagon.
 
Despite the fact that I find this thread fascinating, and have a 
degree in sociology and cultural anthropology, I'm staying out of the 
thick of it because I was up far too late watching the Olympics and 
my edit function is not working.  However...

...when I was studying in Toronto I learned that under Canadian law 
the difference between a "religion" and a "cult" is that a religion 
is recognized by the Canadian Federal government, while a cult is 
not.  One spin-off of this legislation is that members of any 
religion have the right to, say, take paid time off work to celebrate 
their high/holy days, while occult members have no such right as 
their beliefs are not recognized.  I can remember the case of a 
college staff member, a Wicca, who tried to sue the college for not 
recognizing his beliefs and giving him is holy days as paid 
holidays.  He lost.

Anyway...I'm rambling again...all I want to know is, does a similar 
law exist in other countries?  Or do other countries distinguish 
between religions and occults in other ways, if at all?

Thanks for listening :)

Mary Ann
(who finds the fact that a "far-out, freakish, eeeevil occult" could 
suddenly be converted into a "respectable religion" by bored civil 
servants in Ottawa both amusing and disconcerting)