Posts Tagged ‘Discrimination’

News & Submissions 2/18/2010

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Pagan Festivals and much merriment
Pantheacon 2010 was a hot spot for Pagan activities last weekend. We both were amazed at all Pagan wares for sale. It seemed like there was a lot more really beautiful occult supplies and jewels this year.  The costumes and fine clothing were stunning as usual. Always surprising how creative the Pagan culture is. Read full story from examiner.com

Christian Right’s attack on rights
Recently, WallBuilders, Inc., whose founder David Barton has been a guest on Fox’s “Huckabee,” among other venues, filed an amicus brief in a case in the Ninth Circuit. The brief argues that the religion protections of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution should be limited to Christians or, at most, monotheists because, in the founding era, the word “religion” meant only Christianity or, at most, monotheism. Barton’s history is all wrong. Read full story from washingtonpost.com

The devil’s in the details
“I was appalled by the Satanic image of the devil in the canoe with the shadow over the reddened moon,” writes Dennis from Phoenix, Ariz. “What was that all about? … Is your newspaper getting any blowback on this? Are Canadians talking about it?” Read full story from vancouversun.com

Extreme nationalist brought to court for fiery swastika
The 45-year-old resident of the city Tashtagol did his landscape fire show on May 9 last year – the date of Russia’s national holyday marking the victory over Nazi Germany – which naturally led investigators to suspecting neo-Nazis responsible for the act. Read full story from rt.com

Walsh Library Acquires Collection of Afro-Latin Religious Books and Artifacts
Maureen A. Tilley, Ph.D., professor of theology, has donated various Afro-Latin religious books and artifacts to the Latin American and Latino Institute and William D. Walsh Family Library. Read full story from fordham.edu

Bob Barr’s new Atlanta Journal-Constitution article on Paganism causes a stir
I did not like Bob Barr while he was in office as a Republican. I thought of him as a smug elitist bunghole, a slightly smarter verion of VP Joe Biden. Then he cut ties with his party. Later he joined the ranks of the Libertarian party, the one to which I belong. I found this encouraging. “Pehaps a zebra can change his stripes”, I thought. There were signs in interviews that he had relaxed, become more embracing of individual liberty and the Constitution. After giving the man a chance and voting for him in the Presidential election, one he had no shot at winning, I purposely lost track of him. I had other things on which to focus. Read full story from independentpoliticalreport.com

Discrimination defies any logic
Even on this campus, people are being taken for granted and stereotyped because of their religious beliefs. How is it possible to exclude any set of people without taking away that principle of religious freedom which we ourselves so warmly contend over? If you walk around, dressed in all black from head to toe, people would consider you a Goth (or emo) kid. But do clothes really define you as a person? Do your beliefs really determine your friends? We, as human beings, are so quick to judge one another. We put our brothers and sisters down, we encourage violence, and we choose to not live by the rules. I see so many people who are turned down from jobs, are not able to join organizations, or don’t even get the chance to walk by a group of people because they are judged. Read full story from studentprintz.com

News & Submissions 12/9/2009

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Bakersfield council prayers too Christian?
Bakersfield is the second city in Kern County to have prayers at city council meetings challenged by the Freedom From Religion Foundation Inc., a Wisconsin nonprofit with a membership of mostly atheists and agnostics. Read full story from bakersfield.com

Is Islam really a threat to America?
A recent headline in the Nashville newspaper The Tennessean asks the question “Is Islam a threat to America.” Throughout the history of the nation this question has been asked of many different groups. What is the difference now? Islam as a faith is no more a threat to America than Judaism, Hinduism, Paganism or other any other faith experience. The question itself suffers from the propensity to mislabel and mis-characterize Muslims (and many other groups). Read full story from examiner.com

What is Five Elements Acupuncture?
Five Elements Acupuncture is one of a handful of traditional Eastern acupuncture modalities. Originally introduced to the Western world by an Englishman, J.R. Worlsey, in the mid-20th century, it’s based on the ancient concept of the five elements of Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. These five elements correspond to the five seasons known as winter, spring, summer, fall and Indian summer. Read full story from examiner.com

Obama administration reps meet with many faiths at PWR
Showing openness to diversity in American religion, members of the Obama administration met at the Parliament of World Religions Dec. 6 with 50 members of multiple faiths. Read full story from stltoday.com

A perfect Christmas
The first requirement for an ideal Christmas might be this: Nothing new and different is allowed. No new songs, carols, traditions, customs, foods, movie plots or TV heartwarmers. You may occasionally think you’ve found a new holiday wrinkle, but if you check it out you’ll find it’s based on something that was first trotted out years ago. The closest thing to a really new Christmas idea would be a nativity scene in which the three wise men (dressed like Taliban warriors) are frisked for concealed weapons by U.S. Marines before being allowed admission to the manger.
Read full story from tbnweekly.com

News & Submissions 11/14/2009

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

Strange satanic chruch posters cause concern
STRANGE posters that apparently promote the Church of Satan have caused concern in Worcester. Read full story from worcesternews.co.uk

Police worker fired for backing psychic investigations claims religious discrimination
Alan Power, who has been a member of a Spiritualist church for 30 years, argues that his belief in the power of mediums should be placed on a par with more mainstream religious and philosophical convictions. Read full story from telegraph.co.uk

Vampire clubs, covens and lairs spring up following Twilight craze
Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga, hit TV show True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries have taken hold of popular culture, reviving interest in the age-old legend of immortal blood-suckers, The Sunday Telegraph reports. Read full story from news.com.au

Faith & Works | Faiths debate whether tattoos are appropriate
It wasn’t that long ago that tattoos, if they had any religious meaning, were viewed mostly in the West as pagan. In “Moby Dick,” Herman Melville describes the pagan harpooner Queequeg as having covered his body with tattoos depicting “a complete theory of the heavens and the earth, and a mystical treatise on the art of attaining truth.” Read full story from courier-journal.com

Questioning a ‘commander-in-chief’ for focusing on Indians
WASHINGTON – In the waning minutes of the day-long White House Tribal Nations Conference, held Nov. 5, President Barack Obama performed two duties: He said goodbye to the hundreds of leaders of sovereign Indian nations whom he invited to Washington, and addressed the horrific shootings at Fort Hood. In doing so, he created a controversy that has perplexed some in Indian country. Read full story from Indian Country Today

7 Questions you should never ask a Quija Board
When planning a seance it is crucial that you devise a ‘safe’ list of questions that you’ll ask the board, before starting the session. This is why it’s important not to use the Ouija when intoxicated as it can cause you to ask some potentially dangerous questions. Here is a quick list of 7 questions that you should never ask the board under any circumstances whatsoever. Read full story from ezinearticle.com

News & Submissions 11/9/2009

Monday, November 9th, 2009

The fall of the Berlin Wall: Your memories
As Germany celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the BBC News website has asked readers to share their memories of the historic day. Read full story from new.bbc.co.uk

Mongolian Shamanism Making Comeback
When Degi, a 24-year-old web designer in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, hit a pedestrian in July 2008 with his Daewoo sedan, his luck took a turn for the worse. His company didn’t get a contract he was hoping for, and misfortune seemed to hover over his personal life. The family of the victim extorted money from him, threatening to sue and warning him that they had connections in the courts. So Degi, like many Mongolians, took his troubles to a shaman. Read full story from isn.ethz.ch

Non-Native eagle feather issues return to court
DENVER – Eagle-feather possession laws unnecessarily restrict non-Natives’ legal application for feathers, even though federal eagle policy itself has shortcomings and a black market in eagle feathers feeds on the “opportunistic greed of American society,”according to a brief filed Oct. 27 in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Read full story from IndianCountryToday.com

News & Submissions 11/4/2009

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Dan Halloran Wins, Alice Richmond Loses
It looks like a split decision last night in the battle of the Pagan candidates, resulting in a historic win for Republican candidate Dan Halloran. In a very close race Halloran defeated his Democratic opponent by a margin of 1300 votes to become the next New York City Councilman for District 19. This is a dramatic win for the beleaguered Theodsman, and his victory represents a dramatic first for modern Paganism, the first openly Pagan/Heathen candidate to gain an important political office. We await an official statement from Halloran, in the meantime, you can read congratulations from his supporters, and commentary from a snarky but somewhat humbled Village Voice (not to mention a peeved-sounding Steven Thrasher). Read full story from The Wild Hunt

Tanzania’s albinos celebrate death sentences for body part killers
Ngeme Luhagula has not had a peaceful night’s sleep since she saw her daughter hacked to death before her eyes two years ago. Read full story from timesonline.co.uk

Google Sued For Sexual, Religious Discrimination
Google (NSDQ: GOOG), an organization that received top marks in 2009 for respecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, is being sued by James Bara, a Georgia-based former employee for sexual and religious discrimination in violation of the Civil Rights Act. Read full story from informationweek.com

Celebration provides a different goodbye
Swaying to an animalistic rhythm, dancers led the crowd at Caras Park in an enticing limbo, ensuring the uncertainty of death was celebrated with lively revelry. Read full story from montanakaiman.com

Expert Speaks Out About Cult Findings Found in a San Juan Home Raid
HIDALGO COUNTY – Alfredo Murillo considers himself a spiritual guide; an expert in many religions and faiths, even in what he calls dark and white magic. Read full story from krgv.com

Strategic shamanism and the new world order
Many will know of the dream behind the First Earth Battalion through The Men Who Stare at Goats. But, as part of Jon Ronson’s takeover, Jim Channon explains that it’s the government and large corporations who really need to hear the message Read full story from guardian.co.uk

Italy in uproar over court ruling against crucifix
STRASBOURG/ROME (Reuters) – The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Italian schools should remove crucifixes from classrooms, sparking uproar in Italy, where such icons are embedded in the national psyche. Read full story from uk.reuters.com

News & Submissions 11/3/2009

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

It’s Election Day!
Today is the day, elections are being held, and we’ll soon find out if two out/outed Pagan candidates will win their respective races. The higher-profile story, that of Republican New York City Council candidate, and Heathen Theodsman, Dan Halloran, has gotten a bit ugly in the final hours. Read full story from The Wild Hunt

Candidate’s Religion Is Point of Contention in Queens Race
Dan Halloran, the Republican candidate for a City Council seat in northeastern Queens, actively practices Theodism, a neo-pagan faith which attempts to reconstruct the pre-Christian tribal religions of the European Germanic people. Read full story from nytimes.com

First Amendment doesn’t shield us from private infringements
Every American is protected by the guarantees of the First Amendment, but protections for religious liberty and free expression apply only when government actions are involved — and therein is the rub for some of our fellow citizens. Read full story from firstamendmentcenter.org

News & Submissions 10/24/2009

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

Near stadium, Cowboys have a new rival: Satan
ARLINGTON — A wee bit o’ Scotland has come to the outskirts of Cowboys Stadium, and with it a foggy auld controversy over whether a Scottish sculpture park is also a pagan shrine that might hex the Dallas Cowboys. Read full story from star-telegram.com

Wiccan Ways
This is a busy time for Wiccans as they prepare for the pagan New Year. Read full story from fresnobee.com

Archaeologists may have unearthed beer hall of ancient Viking kings in Denmark
Copenhagen, October 19 : Archaeologists have unearthed a large mud building in Denmark, which may have been a cult place or beer hall of the ancient Viking kings. Read full story from irishsun.com

Buddhists gather with the goal of being in the moment
SALISBURY — In a relaxed atmosphere, dedicated Buddhists gather for meditation and discussion by candlelight. Read full story from delmarvanow.com

‘I’m a good witch’
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — What? No long black hair? No piercing green eyes? What about the wrinkled, gray complexion? Her hands aren’t gnarled. Her nails aren’t claws. She isn’t even wearing a tall black hat. Read full story from sundaygazettemail.com

Basic Tools of Wicca
Wiccan ritual and spell work can be as simple or elaborate as you want to make them. There is a multi-million dollar market in America for supplies for witches to perform their magick. Many new to the path will obsess about obtaining all kinds of fancy tools in hopes of enhancing their magical workings. While no tools are rally needed, let’s look briefly at the most common ones and their uses. Read full story from bellaonline.com

Salem, Mass., witch hunt of 1692 resulted in deaths of many innocents
When a colleague told me that one of his wife’s goals in life was to spend Halloween week in Salem, Mass., I felt it only fair to warn him. I was brewing up an anti-Salem column in my cauldron. Read full story from kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com

Wiccan Says Firing Was Religious Bias
HARTFORD (CN) – A sales manager says she was fired unfairly for making her annual religious pilgrimage to Salem, Mass., to celebrate the Wiccan New Year. She claims her boss told her, “You will need a new career in your new year. … I will be damned if I have a devil-worshipper on my team.” Read full story from courthousenews.com

Hey, Brainheads, Hallowe’en is Not A Pagan Holiday
I say this every year at about this time–in fact, I say this so often that I should probably have it printed and hand it out to strangers every day of the world–Hallowe’en is not a Pagan holiday. Read full story from the Village Witch

‘New Years Around the World’ series examines Wicca in time for Halloween
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Gory ghouls and fang-bearing vampires may bang the doors for candy or heave toilet paper into trees in your neighborhood come Halloween. Read full story from silive.com

Season of the Witch
October has became the season of the witch in the collective consciousness. The “witch” despised and demonized flies again on her broomstick carrying with her ancestor memories and our fears about women, death and lately commercial income. Read full story from the Examiner

Pop Culture Paganism: Wicca, Neovampirism, and the Occult
Paganism is quickly becoming the most influential ideology in both Europe and America as millions practice it worldwide. Many are still active members of the Christian Church. The Law of Attraction, the power behind The Secret is examined with a shocking conclusion! Research is brought to life with dramatic unmasking of it’s original author and ties to Alchemy . Read full story from jeremiahfilms.com