by: Rick Johnson 
PO Box 40451
Tucson, Az.
85717
RikJohnson@juno.com
We often hear about the controversies between the American Gardnerians and the British Gardnerians which includes the different working methods, manner of acceptance of who is and is not a Valid Gardnerian and what to do about this. As one person mentioned, “It’s the Donatist Controversy all over again.” So to explain this comment, I offer the following description of Donatism from another website that has excellent historical information. Following this section will be my comments to compare the two.
http://atheism.about.com/library/glossary/western/bldef_donatism.htm
Donatism was a heretical sect of early Chrstianity which believed that sanctity was a requisite for church membership and administration of sacraments.
During the oppression of Christians under Emporer Diocletian, many Christian leaders obeyed the order to surrender sacred texts to state authorities for destruction. One of those who agreed to do this was Felix of Aptunga, which made him a traitor to the faith in the eyes of many. After Christians regained power, some believed that those who obeyed the state rather than become martyrs should not be allowed to hold church offices, and that included Felix.
In 311, Felix consecrated Caecillian as bishop, but a group in Carthage refused to acknowledge him because they did not believe that Felix had any remaining authority to put people in church offices. These people elected bishop Donatus to replace Caecillian, thus the name later applied to the group.
position was declared a heresy at the Synod of Arles in 314 CE, where it was decided that the validity of ordination and baptism were not dependent upon the merit of the administrator in question. Emperor Constantine agreed with the ruling, but the people in North Africa refused to accept this and Constantine tried to impose it by force, but he was unsuccessful. Most Christians in North Africa were probably Donatists by the 5th century, but they were wiped out in the Muslim invasions which occurred in the 7th and 8th centuries.
In this the Donatists may have had a point and are in common with some American catholics who wish to ‘clean house’ of child-molesting priests and top take steps to prevent such actions before the government does it for them but are opposed by the Vatican who feel that this is an internal problem to be ignored by the Church and so no bodies business. The offical position of the Church remains that any person consecrated as a catholic priest remains a priest regardless of his personal integrity and criminal history and so must be treated as such.
This idea is the basis for much of the controversy between the Conservative-Gardnerians and the Reformed-Gardnerians in America today. The Conservatives (Hard-Gards) believe that simply being Initiated by another Gardnerian according to the rules laid down by Gerald Gardner as interpreted by Judy K. (then High Priestess of the Long Island Coven) are absolute and binding to all and that anyone who disagrees with these rules are invalid. Further, once Elevated to the position of High Priest/ess, your will is absolute and unquestionable. Further, if there is any question at all as to the Lineage or Initiation of the High Priestess, that person must be considered Invalid (a fraud) until the questions are resolved, generally by that person revoking all previous loyalties and Initiations and being re-Initiated by someone considered to be Valid.
Many Hard-Gards also believe that whatever action that they take to stop these ‘invalid’ people is justified which has resulted in a private ‘Inquisition’ where some Gardnerians of the Long Island Line (LI-Line) have generated volumes of hate mail via the US Postal Office or the Internet, often using several differing fake identities, with the sole purpose of destroying the reputation and occupational abilities of anyone who they consider to be invalid. Any e-list that caters to Gardnerians is evidence to that and the abuses that can and do occur.
The main problem here, and the comparison to the Donatists, is that the majority of the Gardnerian community who are descended from the LI-Line are curiously silent about this action, thus giving tacit approval to these illegal and immoral activities. Their arguments are that as the people performing these actions are ‘valid’ Gardnerians, their actions are acceptable and justified. Personal integrity has no place in one’s lineage or Validity as a Priest/ess of the Gods.
The Reformed Gardnerians believe that any evil is wrong regardless of the credentials of the perpetrator. Thus Reformed Gardnerians are more closely aligned to the Donatists than to the modern Catholics who continue even today to state that a catholic priest who molests hundreds of young children is STILL a valid priest and so should be respected and obeyed regardless of his criminal behaviour.
Obviously for many of us, the personal integrity of a Priest/ess, be it Gardnerian or catholic is equal to or more important than the Validity of that Priest/ess’ credentials. After all, we reason:
Note that this is almost exclusively an American problem (with some Western Canadians joining in) which is completely not understood by the European and Australian/New Zealand and Eastern Canadian Gardnerians who consider personal integrity to be the first prerequisite to Initiation.
To contact me or to request topics to be covered, send to RikJohnson@juno.com
by: Rick Johnson
PO Box 40451
Tucson, Az.
85717
