Native Practices

The Brits aren’t the only ones licensing religious activity. Reader Pat forwards this story from Boulder, Colorado:

Boulder police and sheriff’s officers halted an Indian sweat lodge ceremony Wednesday night because officials didn’t know a healing was scheduled.

Robert Cross, a Lakota spiritual leader who lives in Littleton, said he has held ceremonial sweats in a Boulder Open Space land on Valmont Butte for several years with written permission.

The dome-shaped sweat lodge, a permanent fixture of cross-tied logs, is protected by two fences. Cross said Boulder Open Space gave him keys to the fence locks about two years ago.

“I had the papers saying I have the right to be there, but the deputies said we couldn’t be there,” he said. “They brought canine units and said we were trespassing.”

Look at the bright side. If Cross had tried this in my town of Colorado Springs (home to Focus on the Family), he might have been stoned to death for heresy.