Armed Forces Chaplains Board requests data from Military Pagan Network Inc.

Ellicott City, MD - October 31, 1997: Armed Forces Chaplains Board requests data from Military Pagan Network Inc.

The Executive Director of the Armed Forces Chaplains Board has taken up the offer made by MPN to provide them with information on Neopagan religions and churches. This is the response to MPN requesting information on updating the "Religious Requirements and Practices" handbook for Chaplains. The Executive Director of the AFCB has stated that there are no plans to update the "Religious Requirements and Practices" handbook, however he goes on to say "...I appreciate your offer and would like to have a copy of your data so that I may disribute it to the military departments". He also plans to keep all the data on file for possible updates od the manual.

MPN will continue to collect the data from various Neopagan churches and religious groups. The format of the data will be collected and presented in the exact format as the current issue of the handbook. MPN still maintains that an updated copy of the handbook is needed by the Chaplaincy and should be produced by the AFCB and DoD. The Coordinator of MPN has stated, that "An updated copy of the handbook with the data we are collecting included would reduce the number of incidents of discrimination based on the fact that 'its not in the handbook' or the idea that 'its not recognized by DoD' ."

Founded in 1992, the Military Pagan Network Inc. acted as a store and group information resource for Neopagans in the military. The corporation now provides material regarding various Neopagan religions to the Chaplaincy, as well as fulfilling its original goal of providing contacts near military bases around the world. In 1997 the corporation expanded its services to include assisting military members with the proper handling of harassment and discrimination.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on MPN, please visit the MPN website at http://www.milpagan.org/ .
Copyright 1997, Military Pagan Network Inc.

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