The Maetreum of Cybele
A Fight for Equal ReligiousRecognition in New York State
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.21133Keywords:
tax-exemption, new religious movements, Cybele, freedom of religion, church status, Goddess religion, PaganismAbstract
In 2008, a legal case, “The Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater, Inc. v. Nancy McCoy [tax assessor)] &c., et al., for recognition of tax-exempt status between the Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater Inc. and the Town of Catskill, New York” began. The court was asked to decide whether the pastoral work of a Pagan church could be viewed in the same way as the clerical work of other accepted religions. The court also needed to determine how much of the landholdings must be dedicated to worship space. The rulings have been cited as precedent in other cases. In addition, they can act as a rallying point for other new religious movements and Pagan groups to fight for equal legal status.
References
“In the Matter of Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater, Inc., Respondent v. Nancy McCoy, &c., et al., Appellants (And Two Other Related Proceedings.), No. 202,” New York Law Journal, 2014.
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Pitzl-Water, Jason. “Pagan Community Notes: Maetreum of Cybele Loses Case, M. Macha NightMare Leaves Reclaiming, New Alexandrian Library Raises Funds, and Spiral Scouts Step Up.” The Wild Hunt, 7 August 2012,
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Roberts et al. v. Ravenwood Church of Wicca; and vice versa. Supreme Court of Georgia, 249 Ga. 348 (1982)
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Volokh, Eugene.“ In the Matter of the Maetreum of Cybele, Magna Mater, Inc,” Washington Post, 21 November 2014.
