FL Metaphysical Church --I am counting to ten...

M. Council (council@luna.cas.usf.edu)
Mon, 31 Oct 1994 10:29:45 -0500

I read a very disturbing article in the Oct. 29 St. Petersburg (FL) Times
in the Religion section called, "An ancient religion revived."
It talked about a self-proclaimed "Medicine Chief" Ron Standing Bear,
who calls himself the "medicine man for the Heart of the Bear Clan, a
Native American Metphysical Church," and claims his heritage is Cherokee,
that he grew up "in a middle-class family that did not talk about its
ancestry. Only his grandmother told him stories of the days long ago when
her grandparents LEFT THE TRAIL OF TEARS [caps mine] to settle in the
rural South.

He "[invokes] the spirits at the six points of the Medicine Wheel"
a "sacred pipe ceremony" and the "cornmeal ceremony" where people take a
pinch of cornmeal and "meditate on their negative thoughts and energy,
then toss it into the burning incense as an offering."

In 1992, this guy "underwent a vision quest" and now feels he has enough
information to start a church, which he did this August.

Here's the part: that got to me: "Indeed, this new church is attracting
more and more people since it began in August with 30 members. Sometime
this week, it expects to receive its tax-exempt status officially
designating it as a church."

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...[trying not to get mad]

This article was written by Susan Willey at the St. Petersburg Times. Her
address there is P.o. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, Florida 33731.

A phone number was listed "for more information about the Heart of the Bear
Clan, a Native American Metaphysical Church, call Standing Bear at (813)
327-0088."

If you don't want to make a long-distance call, I will be collecting
letters to forward to the Times here at:

council@luna.cas.usf.edu

...eight, nine, TEN!