Council has moment to reflect
Many have taken issue with prayers of invocation at the start of town council meetings. For those who cherish the concept of the "Separation of Church and State", this becomes even more troublesome when just prayers of mainstream faiths (dominated by Christian ones) are welcome. In the USA, debates in small towns often degenerate into shouting matches, egged on by outside agitators. But a town in British Columbia CA has come up with a reasoned solution to this problem:
...Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Muslims and Sikhs could all offer their thoughts and blessings to Maple Ridge council, as politicians continued their plan to invite all groups to start council meetings on a spiritual note.
The town is granting a period of time "and reflection" for a list to be generated documenting the varied faiths around their community. Not only that, the invoking prayer has now been modified, to become a "moment of reflection" to allow readings and other expressions which don't quite fit in the definition of "prayer". What's quite exceptional about the town council of Maple Ridge, is that they are even extending a hand to less established faiths:
...The invitation would include groups that don’t have established locations to practice their faith...
That seems wonderfully inclusive of the non-mainstream!
Showing posts with label religious right. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religious right. Show all posts
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Burning Times, the Do-over
In the comments section of a post about Knoxville, Riverwolf relates the story of having the windows shot-out of a church he was visiting.
Nothing that frightening has ever happened to me. But coming out of a Goth/S&M club one night with a friend (I use to be active in that community), some character pitched a beer bottle at us from a passing car while yelling 'FAGS'. Certainly not comparable to gunshots, but at least somewhat unnerving.
While attending a horror convention in Denver in the mid-1990's, I remember discussing my fear that the Religious Right would focus on "the BDSM scene". Soon after my quasi prediction, such attacks came to pass. Hotels hosting BDSM events became the targets of boycotts. Cranky letters were published in local papers, "Do our neighbors know the Marriott Hotel is playing host to rapists, wife beaters, and perverts?", that sort of thing. Soon, Dominionist websites invested bandwidth to demonizing the lifestyle. S&M'ers became the poster children for all that's wrong with this country. (For some strange reason, the specifics of fisting and blood play held special fascination for the Religious right. This lead to some unintentionally funny reading, btw.)
Fortunately, the organization the National Organization for Sexual Freedom formed, an organization devoting battling misconceptions and propaganda aimed at the lifestyle. (But that's another story.).
I'm concerned our community (the Wiccan/Pagan one) is going to suffer increased attacks in the coming years. Just look at the recent flood of anti-Harry Potter hysteria. In the film "Jesus Camp" when the lead Dominionist brings up Harry Potter to the youthful crowd, she shouts (I'm paraphrasing), "You know what would happen to Harry Potter if he lived in the days of the Bible...HE'D BE PUT TO DEATH!". Dominionist literature pushes a horror film caricature of our belief systems, in order to scare people into believing we are crazy and dangerous.
But the Religious Right is not entirely alone in this. Atheist blogs often stereotype our beliefs, but fortunately they usually portray us as just harmless cranks. Many Atheists and skeptics are focused on the shortcomings of organized religion, so they reserve the balance of their angst for main stream faiths. (In fairness, I have to say I concur with most of their criticisms.) On the other hand, some others (termed Atheist Supremacists) hold a darker view, that being religion is like a disease which needs to be wiped out.
This brings me to the shooting at Knoxville. There's a fantastic piece at CrooksandLiars posted by Nicole Belle, guest blogged by NonnyMouse (a UUA member). I strongly encourage everyone to read it. NonnyMouse describes her church as noteworthy for its pacifism, compassion, tolerance, and welcoming nature towards any race, religion, ethnic background, or sexual orientation. She intelligently acknowledges the man who perpetrated the Knoxville crime as ill and in need of help. He is not the focus of her anger. She finds a more deserving target:
...My anger instead is concentrated on those people who callously use such vulnerable people, stirring up their bigotry and discontent, egging them to acts of violence. People like Michelle Malkin, Michael Savage, Bill O'Reilly, and Rush Limbaugh who have made lucrative careers out of liberal-bashing. People who write things like "Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder", "Let Freedom Ring," and "The O'Reilly Factor," - all literature found in Adkisson's home after the shooting. People like Ann Coulter who advocated attacking liberals with baseball bats. The hate-filled spewage from the right-wing media mavens is and should be held accountable for inciting such acts of violence and murder, those heartless, soulless, conscienceless opportunists who have gleefully participated in encouraging the Adkissons of America to take out their anger and hatred and frustration on liberals...
Many of us were struck by the outpouring of support for the Unitarians coming from diverse spiritual circles. We have reason to be proud of our communities. As NonneMouse points out, the Unitarians are models for us all:
...I have never before been so proud to be a Unitarian, as well as a liberal. Those liberals the rightwing continue to denigrate as weak-kneed cowards proved to be anything but...
She describes the heroic actions of those that subdued the attacker, and how the very best qualities of humanity were on display. One victims wife, Amy, described Adkisson as:
...a man who was hurt in the world and feeling nothing was going his way. He turned the gun on people who were mostly likely to treat him lovingly and compassionately and be the ones to help someone in that situation...' How is it, that someone who needs so much help, would turn his hatred on the very sort of people most inclined to help him?
Over at Jeffrey Feldman's Framshop, there is "Taking a Stand against Rhetoric". Feldman is concerned with what he views as tolerance of violent rhetoric by traditional media, and even some left leaning new media. But:
...When female bloggers get an email from a right-winger threatening to rape them...the reaction is to take it seriously and call for it to stop--always...
Feldman then reminds us how everyone takes it seriously when others are targeted, such as African Americans or lesbians and gays. But he ask why is it that threats against liberals, or people expressing liberal views, are somehow taken less seriously? Feldman has a suggests what we can do about this:
...Now is the time for influential progressive bloggers who have not done so to put up a post that is 100% and clearly against violent rhetoric, and to state emphatically that it is an intolerable threat against women, gays, lesbians, people of color, and anyone else who voices their political views...
I agree. But that begs a question: Why is it that so many in the media seem to be downplaying the facts surrounding Knoxville? Why has his killer's choice of reading material been seemingly ignored. When Columbine and other school shootings happened, the media obsesses over what computer games the kids play or what music they listen too.
PZ Myers recently thrust himself into the controversy involving the desecration of a Catholic ritual. Fortunately, a number of people (from across the spiritual and skeptic spectrum) recognized these actions as bordering on hate speech. However, there also was some troubling rationalization (or downright encouragement) evident across much of the Atheist/Skeptic blogsphere. As discussed in Feldman's article, a raging double standard took hold on some upper tier blogs. For example Majikthise, who rightfully went to bat when a female blogger came under attack, came off as too eager to nullify the feelings of others. She decided to frame the episode (rather pedantically, in my opinion) as an exercise in free speech. Over at DailyKos, Darksyde also waxed poetic about PZ's right to free speech and the inanity of anyone taking offense. I guess religious or spiritual people don't deserve a base-line demonstration of human empathy.
We must speak out against violent rhetoric. Wiccans and Pagans are used to being targets of Dominionists. But I fear there is also a problem arising in the 'Atheist Supremacists'. Some seem to revel in an evangelizing Spock-like omniscience and hold everyone and everything to an absolutist philosophy. (Of course, I must point out that many Atheist/Skeptics are not like this. Many "A" bloggers did not post about the PZ Myers incident and seemed to wish the whole thing would go away.)
We need to be proactive. Of course, none of us wants to see more Knoxvilles, or be the target of a hate crime. But I fear--as the election nears--things will get worse. It's frightening to realize there's a big chunk of the US population that's threatened by people who are open and tolerant. But we can't allow our religion to be stereotyped or framed. Speak up if you see someone misrepresenting our views. Post a comment. Provide reference and links.
On a mailing list a number of years ago, I got into a bit of a flame war. The details are irrelevant, but I was told: "How dare you subject us to your open minded views!" How dare I! Well, I do dare. We all should.
Nothing that frightening has ever happened to me. But coming out of a Goth/S&M club one night with a friend (I use to be active in that community), some character pitched a beer bottle at us from a passing car while yelling 'FAGS'. Certainly not comparable to gunshots, but at least somewhat unnerving.
While attending a horror convention in Denver in the mid-1990's, I remember discussing my fear that the Religious Right would focus on "the BDSM scene". Soon after my quasi prediction, such attacks came to pass. Hotels hosting BDSM events became the targets of boycotts. Cranky letters were published in local papers, "Do our neighbors know the Marriott Hotel is playing host to rapists, wife beaters, and perverts?", that sort of thing. Soon, Dominionist websites invested bandwidth to demonizing the lifestyle. S&M'ers became the poster children for all that's wrong with this country. (For some strange reason, the specifics of fisting and blood play held special fascination for the Religious right. This lead to some unintentionally funny reading, btw.)
Fortunately, the organization the National Organization for Sexual Freedom formed, an organization devoting battling misconceptions and propaganda aimed at the lifestyle. (But that's another story.).
I'm concerned our community (the Wiccan/Pagan one) is going to suffer increased attacks in the coming years. Just look at the recent flood of anti-Harry Potter hysteria. In the film "Jesus Camp" when the lead Dominionist brings up Harry Potter to the youthful crowd, she shouts (I'm paraphrasing), "You know what would happen to Harry Potter if he lived in the days of the Bible...HE'D BE PUT TO DEATH!". Dominionist literature pushes a horror film caricature of our belief systems, in order to scare people into believing we are crazy and dangerous.
But the Religious Right is not entirely alone in this. Atheist blogs often stereotype our beliefs, but fortunately they usually portray us as just harmless cranks. Many Atheists and skeptics are focused on the shortcomings of organized religion, so they reserve the balance of their angst for main stream faiths. (In fairness, I have to say I concur with most of their criticisms.) On the other hand, some others (termed Atheist Supremacists) hold a darker view, that being religion is like a disease which needs to be wiped out.
This brings me to the shooting at Knoxville. There's a fantastic piece at CrooksandLiars posted by Nicole Belle, guest blogged by NonnyMouse (a UUA member). I strongly encourage everyone to read it. NonnyMouse describes her church as noteworthy for its pacifism, compassion, tolerance, and welcoming nature towards any race, religion, ethnic background, or sexual orientation. She intelligently acknowledges the man who perpetrated the Knoxville crime as ill and in need of help. He is not the focus of her anger. She finds a more deserving target:
...My anger instead is concentrated on those people who callously use such vulnerable people, stirring up their bigotry and discontent, egging them to acts of violence. People like Michelle Malkin, Michael Savage, Bill O'Reilly, and Rush Limbaugh who have made lucrative careers out of liberal-bashing. People who write things like "Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder", "Let Freedom Ring," and "The O'Reilly Factor," - all literature found in Adkisson's home after the shooting. People like Ann Coulter who advocated attacking liberals with baseball bats. The hate-filled spewage from the right-wing media mavens is and should be held accountable for inciting such acts of violence and murder, those heartless, soulless, conscienceless opportunists who have gleefully participated in encouraging the Adkissons of America to take out their anger and hatred and frustration on liberals...
Many of us were struck by the outpouring of support for the Unitarians coming from diverse spiritual circles. We have reason to be proud of our communities. As NonneMouse points out, the Unitarians are models for us all:
...I have never before been so proud to be a Unitarian, as well as a liberal. Those liberals the rightwing continue to denigrate as weak-kneed cowards proved to be anything but...
She describes the heroic actions of those that subdued the attacker, and how the very best qualities of humanity were on display. One victims wife, Amy, described Adkisson as:
...a man who was hurt in the world and feeling nothing was going his way. He turned the gun on people who were mostly likely to treat him lovingly and compassionately and be the ones to help someone in that situation...' How is it, that someone who needs so much help, would turn his hatred on the very sort of people most inclined to help him?
Over at Jeffrey Feldman's Framshop, there is "Taking a Stand against Rhetoric". Feldman is concerned with what he views as tolerance of violent rhetoric by traditional media, and even some left leaning new media. But:
...When female bloggers get an email from a right-winger threatening to rape them...the reaction is to take it seriously and call for it to stop--always...
Feldman then reminds us how everyone takes it seriously when others are targeted, such as African Americans or lesbians and gays. But he ask why is it that threats against liberals, or people expressing liberal views, are somehow taken less seriously? Feldman has a suggests what we can do about this:
...Now is the time for influential progressive bloggers who have not done so to put up a post that is 100% and clearly against violent rhetoric, and to state emphatically that it is an intolerable threat against women, gays, lesbians, people of color, and anyone else who voices their political views...
I agree. But that begs a question: Why is it that so many in the media seem to be downplaying the facts surrounding Knoxville? Why has his killer's choice of reading material been seemingly ignored. When Columbine and other school shootings happened, the media obsesses over what computer games the kids play or what music they listen too.
PZ Myers recently thrust himself into the controversy involving the desecration of a Catholic ritual. Fortunately, a number of people (from across the spiritual and skeptic spectrum) recognized these actions as bordering on hate speech. However, there also was some troubling rationalization (or downright encouragement) evident across much of the Atheist/Skeptic blogsphere. As discussed in Feldman's article, a raging double standard took hold on some upper tier blogs. For example Majikthise, who rightfully went to bat when a female blogger came under attack, came off as too eager to nullify the feelings of others. She decided to frame the episode (rather pedantically, in my opinion) as an exercise in free speech. Over at DailyKos, Darksyde also waxed poetic about PZ's right to free speech and the inanity of anyone taking offense. I guess religious or spiritual people don't deserve a base-line demonstration of human empathy.
We must speak out against violent rhetoric. Wiccans and Pagans are used to being targets of Dominionists. But I fear there is also a problem arising in the 'Atheist Supremacists'. Some seem to revel in an evangelizing Spock-like omniscience and hold everyone and everything to an absolutist philosophy. (Of course, I must point out that many Atheist/Skeptics are not like this. Many "A" bloggers did not post about the PZ Myers incident and seemed to wish the whole thing would go away.)
We need to be proactive. Of course, none of us wants to see more Knoxvilles, or be the target of a hate crime. But I fear--as the election nears--things will get worse. It's frightening to realize there's a big chunk of the US population that's threatened by people who are open and tolerant. But we can't allow our religion to be stereotyped or framed. Speak up if you see someone misrepresenting our views. Post a comment. Provide reference and links.
On a mailing list a number of years ago, I got into a bit of a flame war. The details are irrelevant, but I was told: "How dare you subject us to your open minded views!" How dare I! Well, I do dare. We all should.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
We are tolerant, dammit!
Survey Shows U.S. Religious Tolerance
I posted just the other day about misconceptions about Americans' beliefs. Here's another survey showing that Americans are not the religious dogmatists we are often portrayed as by the traditional media. Pew just came out with a survey contradicting many long held beliefs regarding religions and spiritual attitudes. From the NYTimes article:
"...The report, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, reveals a broad trend toward tolerance and an ability among many Americans to hold beliefs that might contradict the doctrines of their professed faiths..."
So people have a healthy attitude when confronting contradictions in their one faiths. But it gets better:
...70 percent of Americans affiliated with a religion or denomination said they agreed that “many religions can lead to eternal life,” including majorities among Protestants and Catholics...
Now wait a second! Next they're going to claim that vast majority of us are not breathers of fire and brimstone...
...The findings seem to undercut the conventional wisdom that the more religiously committed people are, the more intolerant they are, scholars who reviewed the survey said...
I wonder who is responsible for shoving that 'conventional wisdom' down our throats for the last couple of decades? Could it be...the traditional media!
“...It’s not that Americans don’t believe in anything,” said Michael Lindsay, assistant director of the Center on Race, Religion and Urban Life at Rice University. “It’s that we believe in everything. We aren’t religious purists or dogmatists...”
Wow, that's a truly refreshing factoid. It's hard for me to believe that this is something new. I know that the last George Bush presidency has been a hard lesson in proving the titanic mistake of letting theo-cons run this country. Yet, changes in religious attitudes tend to morph slowly. I just have the strong suspicion, that whenever the traditional media has claimed to be surveying our religious and spiritual attitudes--everything from Creationism to 'separation of church-state' issues--what they have really been doing is 'push polling'. No! The traditional media pushing a dominionist right-wing agenda! Who'd a thunk?
Now here's a part that might have some bearing on all us Wiccans, Pagans, Atheists, and Scientists out there:
...According to that report, more than a quarter of adult Americans have left the faith of their childhood to join another religion or no religion. The survey indicated that the group that had the greatest net gain was the unaffiliated, accounting for 16 percent of American adults...Like the overwhelming majority of Americans, 70 percent of the unaffiliated said they believed in God, including one of every five people who identified themselves as atheist and more than half of those who identified as agnostic.
So, 1 in 5 people who call themselves 'Atheist' believes in God! OK, now I'm confused! Maybe I need a refresher course in what being an Atheist means:
“..What does atheist mean? It may mean they don’t believe in God, or it could be that they are hostile to organized religion,” Mr. Green said. “A lot of these unaffiliated people, by some measures, are fairly religious, and then there are those who are affiliated with a religion but don’t believe in God and identify instead with history or holidays or communities...”
It's fascinating how Atheism is evolving. It may not necessarily imply (or require) a disbelief in God. A healthy "hostility to organized religion" is all it takes. I think that's something that many Wiccan's and Pagans can get behind.
Here's the direct Pew link: US Religious Landscape Survey.
I posted just the other day about misconceptions about Americans' beliefs. Here's another survey showing that Americans are not the religious dogmatists we are often portrayed as by the traditional media. Pew just came out with a survey contradicting many long held beliefs regarding religions and spiritual attitudes. From the NYTimes article:
"...The report, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, reveals a broad trend toward tolerance and an ability among many Americans to hold beliefs that might contradict the doctrines of their professed faiths..."
So people have a healthy attitude when confronting contradictions in their one faiths. But it gets better:
...70 percent of Americans affiliated with a religion or denomination said they agreed that “many religions can lead to eternal life,” including majorities among Protestants and Catholics...
Now wait a second! Next they're going to claim that vast majority of us are not breathers of fire and brimstone...
...The findings seem to undercut the conventional wisdom that the more religiously committed people are, the more intolerant they are, scholars who reviewed the survey said...
I wonder who is responsible for shoving that 'conventional wisdom' down our throats for the last couple of decades? Could it be...the traditional media!
“...It’s not that Americans don’t believe in anything,” said Michael Lindsay, assistant director of the Center on Race, Religion and Urban Life at Rice University. “It’s that we believe in everything. We aren’t religious purists or dogmatists...”
Wow, that's a truly refreshing factoid. It's hard for me to believe that this is something new. I know that the last George Bush presidency has been a hard lesson in proving the titanic mistake of letting theo-cons run this country. Yet, changes in religious attitudes tend to morph slowly. I just have the strong suspicion, that whenever the traditional media has claimed to be surveying our religious and spiritual attitudes--everything from Creationism to 'separation of church-state' issues--what they have really been doing is 'push polling'. No! The traditional media pushing a dominionist right-wing agenda! Who'd a thunk?
Now here's a part that might have some bearing on all us Wiccans, Pagans, Atheists, and Scientists out there:
...According to that report, more than a quarter of adult Americans have left the faith of their childhood to join another religion or no religion. The survey indicated that the group that had the greatest net gain was the unaffiliated, accounting for 16 percent of American adults...Like the overwhelming majority of Americans, 70 percent of the unaffiliated said they believed in God, including one of every five people who identified themselves as atheist and more than half of those who identified as agnostic.
So, 1 in 5 people who call themselves 'Atheist' believes in God! OK, now I'm confused! Maybe I need a refresher course in what being an Atheist means:
“..What does atheist mean? It may mean they don’t believe in God, or it could be that they are hostile to organized religion,” Mr. Green said. “A lot of these unaffiliated people, by some measures, are fairly religious, and then there are those who are affiliated with a religion but don’t believe in God and identify instead with history or holidays or communities...”
It's fascinating how Atheism is evolving. It may not necessarily imply (or require) a disbelief in God. A healthy "hostility to organized religion" is all it takes. I think that's something that many Wiccan's and Pagans can get behind.
Here's the direct Pew link: US Religious Landscape Survey.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Is there religious freedom in the USA?
Is U.S. religious freedom eroding?
Great article on the tradition of religious freedom in the USA:
...One obstacle is a growing tendency on the part of some people to feel that Christianity, the majority faith, should be privileged, and minority faiths only tolerated, if that. This belief is a product of the popular notion that the United States Constitution established a Christian nation. It did not. It created a secular republic committed to freedom of religion and conscience for all...
Agreed. Just attaining a state of "toleration" is not what it's all about. This is a must read article, which hits the right stride. The only crit I'd offer is that mentioning "freedom _from_ religion" would have been a good idea, as that's a viable choice--as Atheism demonstrates.
(via WitchVox)
Great article on the tradition of religious freedom in the USA:
...One obstacle is a growing tendency on the part of some people to feel that Christianity, the majority faith, should be privileged, and minority faiths only tolerated, if that. This belief is a product of the popular notion that the United States Constitution established a Christian nation. It did not. It created a secular republic committed to freedom of religion and conscience for all...
Agreed. Just attaining a state of "toleration" is not what it's all about. This is a must read article, which hits the right stride. The only crit I'd offer is that mentioning "freedom _from_ religion" would have been a good idea, as that's a viable choice--as Atheism demonstrates.
(via WitchVox)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
The Flushing Remonstrance
A Colony With a Conscience
Remarkable opinion piece on the history of religious tolerance in the USA by Kenneth T. Jackson:
...Religious tolerance did not begin with the Bill of Rights...this republic really owes its enduring strength to a fragile, scorched and little-known document that was signed by some 30 ordinary citizens on Dec. 27, 1657...
Even thought the Dutch were remarkably tolerant, the provincial director general of New Amsterdam was fed-up with with the Quakers, who were quickly getting a reputation as troublemakers. He signed a harsh ordinance against the religious group and bared anyone from harboring them. A man named Edward Hart, along with other like-minded individuals, quickly signed a petition protesting the general's act:
“...We desire therefore in this case not to judge least we be judged, neither to condemn least we be condemned, but rather let every man stand and fall to his own master...the power of this world can neither attack us, neither excuse us, for if God justify, who can condemn, and if God condemn, there is none can justify..If any of these said persons come in love unto us, we cannot in conscience lay violent hands upon them, but give them free egress and regress unto our town...For we are bound by the law of God and man to do good unto all men and evil to no man...”
Adding more import to this historic document is the fact none of the signers were Quakers. Predictably, the general had Hart and others arrested or jailed. Some were made to recant. One farmer, John Browne, was banished but eventually made it back to Amsterdam to plead his case. He won! The harsh ordinance was overruled.
Jackson ends the piece poignantly:
...The Bowne house is still standing. And within a few blocks of it a modern visitor to Flushing will encounter a Quaker meeting house, a Dutch Reformed church, an Episcopal church, a Catholic church, a synagogue, a Hindu temple and a mosque. All coexist in peace, appropriately in the most diverse neighborhood in the most diverse borough in the most diverse city on the planet.
Remarkable opinion piece on the history of religious tolerance in the USA by Kenneth T. Jackson:
...Religious tolerance did not begin with the Bill of Rights...this republic really owes its enduring strength to a fragile, scorched and little-known document that was signed by some 30 ordinary citizens on Dec. 27, 1657...
Even thought the Dutch were remarkably tolerant, the provincial director general of New Amsterdam was fed-up with with the Quakers, who were quickly getting a reputation as troublemakers. He signed a harsh ordinance against the religious group and bared anyone from harboring them. A man named Edward Hart, along with other like-minded individuals, quickly signed a petition protesting the general's act:
“...We desire therefore in this case not to judge least we be judged, neither to condemn least we be condemned, but rather let every man stand and fall to his own master...the power of this world can neither attack us, neither excuse us, for if God justify, who can condemn, and if God condemn, there is none can justify..If any of these said persons come in love unto us, we cannot in conscience lay violent hands upon them, but give them free egress and regress unto our town...For we are bound by the law of God and man to do good unto all men and evil to no man...”
Adding more import to this historic document is the fact none of the signers were Quakers. Predictably, the general had Hart and others arrested or jailed. Some were made to recant. One farmer, John Browne, was banished but eventually made it back to Amsterdam to plead his case. He won! The harsh ordinance was overruled.
Jackson ends the piece poignantly:
...The Bowne house is still standing. And within a few blocks of it a modern visitor to Flushing will encounter a Quaker meeting house, a Dutch Reformed church, an Episcopal church, a Catholic church, a synagogue, a Hindu temple and a mosque. All coexist in peace, appropriately in the most diverse neighborhood in the most diverse borough in the most diverse city on the planet.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Harry Potter's Dumbledore outed!
J.K. Rowling outs Hogwarts character
Ah, yet another reason for the Religious Right Wingnut-o-sphere to hate the Potter series:
...Rowling, finishing a brief "Open Book Tour"...said that she regarded her Potter books as a "prolonged argument for tolerance" and urged her fans to "question authority"...
It's days like this that make me proud to be a Wiccan. :)
Ah, yet another reason for the Religious Right Wingnut-o-sphere to hate the Potter series:
...Rowling, finishing a brief "Open Book Tour"...said that she regarded her Potter books as a "prolonged argument for tolerance" and urged her fans to "question authority"...
It's days like this that make me proud to be a Wiccan. :)
Monday, August 6, 2007
Angel releases album
Sinead O’Connor releases ’Theology’ album 15 years after tearing pope photo
The always fascinating Sinead O'Conner has released a new album, titled 'Theology', inspired by religion and Biblical scripture:
"...There’s a lot that’s beautiful about religion," she said. "It’s just you get some ... nutters that misinterpret it..." Islam "essentially at its core is a very beautiful religion," she said. "You’ve got a very small bunch of fruitcakes bringing that religion into disrepute. Same in the States, you’ve got people like George Bush bringing Christianity into disrepute..."
It figures that a woman with the vocal cords of an angel would come up with something like this. I've always been mesmerized by her voice. I think she'd reduce me to a quivering blob of jelly, just reading the lunch specials in some greasy spoon diner.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Liberty U Student hits Big Time
Virginia: Liberty University Student Held
It's pathetic how the MSM is ignoring this story. At the risk of pointing up the obvious, if he was Muslim, I'm sure the media would be all over him. But since he's an Absolutist Xtian attending a Dominionist University, he gets a free pass. But not from this judge:
...Troubled by testimony showing support for Nazis, gang connections and plans for violence, a federal judge ordered a Liberty University student held without bond on a charge of possessing a napalmlike bomb...
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
NY Post insults Wiccan Veterans
How does a right-wing propagandist rag--that passes itself off as a newspaper--mark the veteran's victory in the Pentacle Quest? With typical right-wing idiocy, that's how. I could just imagine what would happen if they pulled such a stunt on a mainstream religion! It's a sobering reminder that intolerance is alive and well and we still have a long way to go.
It goes without saying I don't read the NY Post, so I sure won't link to it. But the article that accompanies the insulting picture is just the straight-up AP article. I want to thank Democratic Underground. They have some good comments on it there.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Silent Spring for Rachel Carlson
Republican environmental critic blocks honors for Rachel Carson
Rachel Carlson, who's groundbreaking book "Silent Spring" helped launch the environmental movement, was up for a Congressional honor until a Republican Senator got wind of it. From Raw Story:
...A Republican Senator known for his criticism of various environmental causes is single-handedly holding up two bills in the US Senate that would honor the life of Rachel Carson, author of the well-known book Silent Spring...
Just another exercise in earth-hating, brought to you by the Republican party.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Liberty U, RA! RA! RA!
Bomb Plot Thwarted at Falwell's Funeral
Liberty University must be so proud! Dominionist Monica Goodling is testifying before Congress today on how she tried to stifle decent by ripping up the Constitution. Now, another Xtian University student is in the news:
...Campbell County authorities arrested a Liberty University student for having several homemade bombs in his car....The student, 19-year-old Mark D. Uhl of Amissville, Va., reportedly told authorities that he was making the bombs to stop protesters from disrupting the funeral service...
Oh Liberty, your alumni must be so proud! Is this enterprising student going to get their own tribute page, like Monica got! I blogged about Monica before. I received one noteworthy comment, defending Messiah and politely asking me not to be so quick to judge. Well, I'm judging now. As CrooksandLiars points out, the thought that our government institutions are now peopled with over a 100 officials schooled in such institutions is truly frightening.
Liberty University must be so proud! Dominionist Monica Goodling is testifying before Congress today on how she tried to stifle decent by ripping up the Constitution. Now, another Xtian University student is in the news:
...Campbell County authorities arrested a Liberty University student for having several homemade bombs in his car....The student, 19-year-old Mark D. Uhl of Amissville, Va., reportedly told authorities that he was making the bombs to stop protesters from disrupting the funeral service...
Oh Liberty, your alumni must be so proud! Is this enterprising student going to get their own tribute page, like Monica got! I blogged about Monica before. I received one noteworthy comment, defending Messiah and politely asking me not to be so quick to judge. Well, I'm judging now. As CrooksandLiars points out, the thought that our government institutions are now peopled with over a 100 officials schooled in such institutions is truly frightening.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Great bedside manner!
A Crusade and a Holy War in the US Military
Great Truthout article via CrooksandLiars. David Miller, a disabled vet, was in for a surprise when he checked in to the VA for a medical evaluation:
...An Orthodox Jew and former petty officer in the US Navy said his civil rights were violated after a chaplain and officials at a Veterans Administration hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, tried to convert him to Christianity while he was under the VA's care..."My doctor said that since I am a religious Jew, I should try prayer or meditation to deal with the pain," Miller said. "I was shocked that a medical doctor would make such a suggestion. I immediately raised hell and was assigned a new physician...The first two visits by the Protestant (Assembly of God) chaplain were all about trying to convert me, trying to convince me that I needed Jesus, that Jesus was the Messiah of the Jews too," Miller said...
Imagine being in a hospital, sick and in need of care. Then someone comes in and gives you the idea you'd get better care if you believed in God the way they did! Kinda reminds me of the Inquisition, where Jews were given the option of conversion or death. My, how things have changed!
Great Truthout article via CrooksandLiars. David Miller, a disabled vet, was in for a surprise when he checked in to the VA for a medical evaluation:
...An Orthodox Jew and former petty officer in the US Navy said his civil rights were violated after a chaplain and officials at a Veterans Administration hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, tried to convert him to Christianity while he was under the VA's care..."My doctor said that since I am a religious Jew, I should try prayer or meditation to deal with the pain," Miller said. "I was shocked that a medical doctor would make such a suggestion. I immediately raised hell and was assigned a new physician...The first two visits by the Protestant (Assembly of God) chaplain were all about trying to convert me, trying to convince me that I needed Jesus, that Jesus was the Messiah of the Jews too," Miller said...
Imagine being in a hospital, sick and in need of care. Then someone comes in and gives you the idea you'd get better care if you believed in God the way they did! Kinda reminds me of the Inquisition, where Jews were given the option of conversion or death. My, how things have changed!
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Beltane and the Pentacle
Success in the Veteran Pentacle Quest!
Over at Witchvox, there's a fascinating article by Selena Fox documenting her successful lawsuit against the Veterans Admin. This article is a must-read for anyone interested in church/state issues. The VA's foot dragging turns out to be motivated by bold-faced religious discrimination:
...As part of discovery, the VA was required to turn over additional internal emails, memos, and other documents which it had failed to release to us through our Freedom of Information Act request.
Hmm, interesting that the VA held back documents, but it gets worse:
...The VA turned over more than 30, 000 documents to our AU attorneys...Buried in the "blizzard" of paperwork, our AU attorneys found several documents that were additional evidence that VA officials had blocked Pentacle approval because of prejudice against the Wiccan religion.With this additional evidence of discrimination, our preparations for court intensified...our attorneys...issued a subpoena for the internal documents that the VA still had not turned over to us...
Soon, the VA had to deal with three separate lawsuits! Here's the happy ending:
...Then, in early April, our attorneys drafted an amended complaint that we planned to file in the Federal District Court of Western Wisconsin on Good Friday, April 6. As part of this process, our attorneys sent a draft to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys representing the VA. Shortly after DOJ attorneys saw this amended complaint draft, they quickly began negotiating a settlement of our lawsuit with us through our AU attorneys...
So, the the actions of the VA were even deemed unconstitutional by the Dominionist bible thumpers over at the DOJ! The entire "Pentacle Quest" episode demonstrates what's best in Wiccans and Pagans: people coming together to correct ignorance and intolerance.
Selena makes a request:
...Please join us and other Wiccans, Witches, and Pagans of many paths around the world in a special day of Quest remembrance and celebration on Tuesday, May 1. Place offerings of flowers on your home altars, at Pagan shrines, and community ritual sites in sacred thanksgiving and joy for this victory, and in remembrance of living and deceased Pagan veterans and their families. Please let the Lady Liberty League know about your victory celebrations you have held and/or will be holding at Beltane, Memorial Day, and other times. Email: liberty@circlesanctuary.org with Quest Victory in the subject line.
Over at Witchvox, there's a fascinating article by Selena Fox documenting her successful lawsuit against the Veterans Admin. This article is a must-read for anyone interested in church/state issues. The VA's foot dragging turns out to be motivated by bold-faced religious discrimination:
...As part of discovery, the VA was required to turn over additional internal emails, memos, and other documents which it had failed to release to us through our Freedom of Information Act request.
Hmm, interesting that the VA held back documents, but it gets worse:
...The VA turned over more than 30, 000 documents to our AU attorneys...Buried in the "blizzard" of paperwork, our AU attorneys found several documents that were additional evidence that VA officials had blocked Pentacle approval because of prejudice against the Wiccan religion.With this additional evidence of discrimination, our preparations for court intensified...our attorneys...issued a subpoena for the internal documents that the VA still had not turned over to us...
Soon, the VA had to deal with three separate lawsuits! Here's the happy ending:
...Then, in early April, our attorneys drafted an amended complaint that we planned to file in the Federal District Court of Western Wisconsin on Good Friday, April 6. As part of this process, our attorneys sent a draft to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys representing the VA. Shortly after DOJ attorneys saw this amended complaint draft, they quickly began negotiating a settlement of our lawsuit with us through our AU attorneys...
So, the the actions of the VA were even deemed unconstitutional by the Dominionist bible thumpers over at the DOJ! The entire "Pentacle Quest" episode demonstrates what's best in Wiccans and Pagans: people coming together to correct ignorance and intolerance.
Selena makes a request:
...Please join us and other Wiccans, Witches, and Pagans of many paths around the world in a special day of Quest remembrance and celebration on Tuesday, May 1. Place offerings of flowers on your home altars, at Pagan shrines, and community ritual sites in sacred thanksgiving and joy for this victory, and in remembrance of living and deceased Pagan veterans and their families. Please let the Lady Liberty League know about your victory celebrations you have held and/or will be holding at Beltane, Memorial Day, and other times. Email: liberty@circlesanctuary.org with Quest Victory in the subject line.
Friday, March 30, 2007
My Sweet Lord
Storm in US over chocolate Jesus
Just think of all the suckers who gave up chocolate for Lent:
...A New York gallery has angered a US Catholic group with its decision to exhibit a milk chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ...Catholic League head Bill Donohue called it "one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever...the fact they chose Holy Week shows this is calculated, and the timing is deliberate..."
(Update via Witchvox: exhibit cancelled . I tell'ya, Xtains can't have any fun. It's not like someone made a Virgin Mary out of doodie or something. Heh!)
Just think of all the suckers who gave up chocolate for Lent:
...A New York gallery has angered a US Catholic group with its decision to exhibit a milk chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ...Catholic League head Bill Donohue called it "one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever...the fact they chose Holy Week shows this is calculated, and the timing is deliberate..."
(Update via Witchvox: exhibit cancelled . I tell'ya, Xtains can't have any fun. It's not like someone made a Virgin Mary out of doodie or something. Heh!)
Saturday, December 2, 2006
Pentacle Quest: The Right Wing Meltdown
American's United for Separation of Church and State is an organization I am proud to be a member of! Their e-zine (and print zine) has two excellent articles relevant to witches and scientists everywhere:
Right-Wing Meltdown
"The tone of the evening was set early...Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), the number three man in the Senate and a great champion of Religious Right causes, was soundly beaten... Religious Right-backed candidates in Ohio, Missouri, Florida and other states were soon to follow....A slate of candidates who favor teaching evolution in public schools won election to the Ohio Board of Education, after being endorsed by a pro-science group. As the Cleveland Plain Dealer put it, 'Ohio's scientists laid down their test tubes and flexed some political muscle Tuesday as four pro-evolution candidates they backed were on their way to capturing or retaining seats on the state Board of Education.'"
Pentacle Quest:Americans United Brings legal Action To Halt Discrimination Against Wiccans By Veterans Administration:
The fight of war widow Roberta Stewart has received a good deal of deserved coverage. There's been a concerted effort by the Religious Right to rid the US military of again and Wiccan influences. Mrs Stewart says: "I have had reporters and friends ask me why I continue to be prominently involved in this battle, now that I have indication that I'll receive the proper marker," Stewart said. "I choose to stay on the forefront for humankind, for America and the Constitution of the United States."
The State of Nevada agrees Stewart should have her marker. This Saturday (12/2/06), an interfaith ceremony commemorating the placement of the marker and sacrifice of Patrick Stewart will take place.
Right-Wing Meltdown
"The tone of the evening was set early...Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), the number three man in the Senate and a great champion of Religious Right causes, was soundly beaten... Religious Right-backed candidates in Ohio, Missouri, Florida and other states were soon to follow....A slate of candidates who favor teaching evolution in public schools won election to the Ohio Board of Education, after being endorsed by a pro-science group. As the Cleveland Plain Dealer put it, 'Ohio's scientists laid down their test tubes and flexed some political muscle Tuesday as four pro-evolution candidates they backed were on their way to capturing or retaining seats on the state Board of Education.'"
Pentacle Quest:Americans United Brings legal Action To Halt Discrimination Against Wiccans By Veterans Administration:
The fight of war widow Roberta Stewart has received a good deal of deserved coverage. There's been a concerted effort by the Religious Right to rid the US military of again and Wiccan influences. Mrs Stewart says: "I have had reporters and friends ask me why I continue to be prominently involved in this battle, now that I have indication that I'll receive the proper marker," Stewart said. "I choose to stay on the forefront for humankind, for America and the Constitution of the United States."
The State of Nevada agrees Stewart should have her marker. This Saturday (12/2/06), an interfaith ceremony commemorating the placement of the marker and sacrifice of Patrick Stewart will take place.
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