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Sylvan Hearth Pagan Temple High Priestess Lianna
Costantino-Cardon, left, extended her hand to Dean Moore Sunday
in Poteet Park. Moore, a member of the Street Preachers Fellowship
and a leader of the N.C. Bible Believers, refused her offer to
shake, keeping his hand inside the sign he wore. For an hour,
during which time Costantino-Cardon had planned a meeting of her
group, Moore paced the park and shouted passages from the Bible.
- Herald photo by Nick Breedlove
By Carey King
A few minutes before the scheduled 1 p.m. meeting
of the Sylvan Hearth Pagan Temple Sunday (Sept. 7) in Poteet Park,
Sylva Police Chief Jeff Jamison instructed street preacher Dean
Moore to put away his megaphone and "Jesus Saves" sandwich
board.
He also asked the few protestors who showed up at the park to
turn off the Christian music blaring from a car stereo.
These two actions marked the beginning of Jamison's hour-long
negotiations between Moore, the protesters and Lianna Costantino-Cardon,
high priestess of the pagan organization.
"I'm here to preach the gospel," said Moore, member
of the Street Preachers Fellowship and a leader of the N.C. Bible
Believers, another street preaching group.
"Freedom of speech is my right under the Constitution. I've
stepped outside their permitted meeting area, but I will continue
to preach the word of Jesus Christ," he said.
For the remainder of the hour, Moore paced the park with Bible
in hand, preaching loudly. A handful of other protesters, unrelated
to Moore, sat or stood near the playground and watched the proceedings.
Two other police officers accompanied Jamison in the park, a scene
that remained primarily peaceful.
Earlier in the week, Costantino-Cardon met with Jamison and town
attorney Eric Ridenour to discuss the legality of meeting in Poteet
Park, one of Sylva's public spaces. Citing freedom of worship
and freedom of assembly, Costantino-Cardon paid the fee and secured
a meeting permit to use the park's covered shelter from 1-2 p.m.
Temple members planned on using the Sunday gathering to discuss
future plans for a campus pagan group with students from Western
Carolina University. No worship activities had been scheduled
for the afternoon, Costantino-Cardon said.
About half the dozen people who came to the pagan meeting left
within 30 minutes, saying Moore's preaching and the presence of
the press made it difficult for them to meet. They relocated to
an undisclosed spot to continue.
"People get murdered, people lose their jobs over things
like this," said one group member who chose to remain unidentified.
The members of the group who remained at the park discussed upcoming
plans. First on Costantino-Cardon's agenda was to address concerns
brought to Sylva Town Board members Sept. 4 by the Rev. Larry
Perry, pastor of Tuckasegee Baptist Church. During a period of
public comment, Perry presented information on pagan groups that
Costantino-Cardon says is inaccurate.
"He printed something from a Web site that is not ours. He
claimed things about us that are not true. So I'm going to speak
about those misconceptions at the October town board meeting,"
she said.
One of the biggest misconceptions, says Costantino-Cardon, is
that the group intends to attract local teenagers. "We don't
believe in proselytizing," she said.
Costantino-Cardon is also considering whether to take legal action
against the city after the Sunday event, claiming town officers
failed to enforce state criminal statutes that prevent disturbance
of a religious meeting.
"I will be taking issue with my attorney about this,"
she said.
Costantino-Cardon and her husband, Palugo Cardon, moved to the
Sylva area from Colorado a month ago to establish a local branch
of the Sylvan Hearth Pagan Temple, which already includes five
groups around the country. Pelugo Cardon serves as the group's
high priest.
Long before coming to Jackson County, "Sylvan" has been
part of the temple's name because the word means "inhabiting
the forest." One of the most important elements of pagan
worship is its connection to nature, the two said.
In addition to the temple and the student group at WCU, Costantino-Cardon
said she would like to purchase property for a seminary and interfaith
community similar to ones she led in Colorado.
Concerning the rift with Moore, the protesters and city officials,
Costantino-Cardon said, "I hope to try to settle this amicably.
I've had problems when establishing groups in other places, but
I hope we can work this out here."
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