Clipmarks | missykiss's 'wiccan' clips

Gunman Kills 32 at Virginia Tech

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:34:37 GMT

clipped by: BitDrifter
clipper's remarks: Updated down to: 32 dead via cnn.
Updated to: 33 Dead via Wiccan
Updated With Timeline: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18138327 via Wiccan.
Updated to: 32 Dead via yanksrule.
Updated to: 31 Dead via Wiccan, and Skwirl.

Clip Source: www.breitbart.com

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) - A gunman opened fire in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech on Monday, killing 21 people and wounding another 21 before he was killed, police said.

Tags: school, college, education, shooting, guns, death, virginia, virginia tech

Wiccan Pentacle Added to Emblems Allowed on Headstones

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 04:05:06 GMT

clipped by: k9riley99
clipper's remarks: The pentacle has been added to 38 symbols the VA already permits on gravestones. They include commonly recognized symbols for Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism, as well as those for smaller religions such as Sufism Reoriented, Eckiankar and the Japanese faith Seicho-No-Ie.

VA-issued headstones, markers and plaques can be used in any cemetery, whether it is a national one such as Arlington or a private burial ground like that on Circle Sanctuary's property.

Wicca is a nature-based religion based on respect for the earth, nature and the cycle of the seasons. Variations of the pentacle not accepted by Wiccans have been used in horror movies as a sign of the devil.

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

MADISON, Wis. — The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemeteries and on goverment-issued headstones of fallen soldiers, according to a settlement announced Monday.

A settlement between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Wiccans adds the five-pointed star to the list of "emblems of belief" allowed on VA grave markers.

Eleven families nationwide are waiting for grave markers with the pentacle, said Selena Fox, a Wiccan high priestess with Circle Sanctuary in Barneveld, Wis., a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

The settlement calls for the pentacle, whose five points represent earth, air, fire, water and spirit, to be placed on grave markers within 14 days for those who have pending requests with the VA.

"This settlement has forced the Bush Administration into acknowledging that there are no second class religions in America, including among our nation's veterans,"

Tags: religion, wicca, nature based, earth, nature, seasons, the bush administration, five-pointed pentacle, cemetery, headstone

India seeking Wiccan help to save girls

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 06:43:14 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

India has enlisted the follower of a global pagan witchcraft movement to help curb the country's high female infanticide rate and end the neglect of the girl child, officials said yesterday.

Ipsita Roy Chakraverti, a Wiccan and social activist, has been nominated by the government's National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) to head a panel tasked with improving the status of young girls, they said

Around 10 million girls have been killed by their parents over the last 20 years, the government says, as female infanticide and foeticide, although illegal, are still prevalent with boys preferred to girls as breadwinners

The Wiccan campaign has made inroads into several rural pockets across India and has helped raise awareness against victimising young women and girls as witches.

Authorities expect that this influence could be expanded to promote the overall well-being of young girls

Tags: india, wicca, girls, female, well being, improvement, culture, religion

'Earth worship' on the rise among evangelical youth

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:42:48 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.onenewsnow.com

Janice Crouse, a senior fellow with Concerned Women for America, says it's disturbing that many young people in evangelical churches are experimenting with the Wiccan religion. Church leaders and Christian parents, she warns, must be ready to counter that growing interest among their youth.

Crouse cites an article in Religion Journal which said youth pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention were worried about large numbers of evangelicals taking part in Wicca, a religion that involves nature worship, stresses moral autonomy, and includes remedies and spells -- beliefs that Crouse points out are distinctly different from orthodox Christianity, not to mention incompatible with the Bible.

According to Crouse, "earth worship" -- as she describes Wicca -- appeals to people who do not want to be bound by any book of authority or have imposed on them any requirements to be "believers."

Tags: religion, wicca, nature, evangelical, youth, christian, earth

First Wiccan Chaplain in History To Meet With U.S. Commission On Civil Rights

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:22:35 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: bbsnews.net

A Wiccan Chaplain and Statewide California Department of Corrections, Patrick McCollum will speak at a briefing on prisoners' religious rights at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in Washington, DC on Friday, February 8, 2007. This marks the first time that a Wiccan expert has spoken on religious freedom issues at a Commission briefing.

"It is an honor to be invited to participate in the dialogue and to share a Wiccan's point of view," said McCollum. "Those in minority faiths are seldom given the opportunity to be heard, even when the issue concerns their rights. I am hopeful this invitation is indicative of what we can expect going forward and that there truly is a desire on the part of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to ensure that inmates receive equal treatment, and a willingness to better serve minority religions."

Tags: wicca, religion, civil rights, prison, government, freedom

Presidential Snub Of Wiccan War Widow

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 03:53:40 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: ----- Forwarded Message
From: Circle Times

At midday today, President George W. Bush met by phone with Roberta
Stewart, a Wiccan from Nevada and member of Circle Sanctuary. The
president apologized to Roberta for her not being invited to the meeting he
held in Reno, Nevada on Tuesday with families of Nevada soldiers killed in
action.

Clip Source: www.lvrj.com

CARSON CITY -- When President Bush took time Tuesday to meet family members of some of the fallen soldiers from Northern Nevada, a woman whose husband made the ultimate sacrifice was notably absent.

Roberta Stewart of Fernley, who lost her husband, Sgt. Patrick Stewart, when the helicopter he was in was shot down in Afghanistan in September 2005, said she was not invited to the meeting that followed Bush's speech to the American Legion's national convention in Reno.

Roberta Stewart said she believes she knows why no invitation was extended to her by the White House.

Roberta Stewart, like her late husband, is a practitioner of the Wiccan faith, and she fought with the Department of Veterans Affairs for more than a year to win the right to display the pentacle, the emblem of their faith, on his memorial marker in the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley.

Tags: wicca, war, bush, religion, military, president, memorial, grave, soldier

Pagan Store Burned Down

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 16:46:31 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: www.wildhunt.org

Pagan Store Burned Down

The Herald in Washington reports on a Pagan shop that was "suspiciously" burned down two weeks ago (just before Halloween) in downtown Everett. The store "Moonflower Magicks" was the center for the Pagan community in Everett, and the owner suspects foul play.

"When a fire two weeks ago closed the purple gilded New Age shop at the corner of Colby Avenue and California Street, word of the loss shot through the communities that called it home. "It's pretty much a hub of the neo-pagan community," said Willow Moon, an Italian witch and Wiccan high priestess from Everett. "It's been a big loss." The arched ceiling is charred black. Temperatures up to 900 degrees melted the shop's light fixtures. Investigators said the cause of the fire has not been determined. Shop owner Jana "Moonflower" Benson, 63, said she suspects arson."

From the article is sounds like Benson was the victim of arson, she even received a gloating phone-call after the fire.

Tags: pagans, pagan community, religion, violence

Bush Apologizes For Snubbing War Widow

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 19:14:29 GMT

clipped by: DizzyDezzi
clipper's remarks: Kudos to the president for doing the right thing.

(This is a follow-up to yesterday's clip)

Clip Source: www.upi.com

Bush apologizes to Wiccan widow

U.S. President George Bush apologized to a Nevada Wiccan who was left out of a presidential meeting with relatives of soldiers killed in combat.

Rebecca Stewart, who sued to have the Wiccan symbol placed on her husband’s grave marker in a military cemetery, told The Washington Post the president called her to apologize. She said she explained to Bush the faith she and her husband shared.

Sgt. Patrick Stewart was killed in Afghanistan in 2005.

Stewart said she heard about the private meeting from her mother-in-law, who was invited. The president visited Nevada to speak at the American Legion convention.

Tags: current events, military, religion, war, wicca, widow, george bush

Wiccan Lottery Winner!

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 02:46:30 GMT

clipped by: boniface

Clip Source: ap.google.com

Wicca Teacher Claims 1 Mega Ticket

NOTTINGHAM, Md. (AP) — Elwood "Bunky" Bartlett says a New Age book store made it possible for him to become an overnight multimillionaire.

He and his wife, Denise, were on their way to the shop where he occasionally teaches Wicca and Reiki (RAY'kee) healing when they stopped at a liquor store and bought two $5 Mega Millions tickets for Friday night's estimated $330 million jackpot. On Sunday, he said one ticket was a winner.

"If it wasn't for this place I wouldn't have won the lottery," Bartlett said Sunday at Mystickal Voyage, the New Age shop.

Tags: wicca, wiccan, lottery, mega, winner

Beware the Wiccans Bearing Lawsuits

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:50:41 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern
clipper's remarks: Representative votes against Head Start, because they would not let him put in a measure that would have allowed religious organizations to exclude candidates who were not of that religion.

Clip Source: www.dailykos.com

Republican Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan's 7th District, running a tight race against Democrat Mark Schauer, was the only member of the House Education Labor and Committee to vote against reauthorizing Head Start.

Considering there are 43 members of the committee, this is rather significant. So naturally, more than a few people were peeved:

[Video]

In other words, say a Baptist or a Catholic church wanted to continue to offer its Head Start program and a Muslim or "a Wiccan from a coven in Ann Arbor" wanted to apply for a job to teach there, now it couldn't discriminate based on religious grounds anymore, or vice versa.

He said he offered an amendment that would have made that change, but it didn't get any traction.

It would also open all of them to lawsuits, because the Wiccan, or the Catholic or the Muslim who wasn't hired, could say it was because of their religious beliefs, he said.

Tags: head start, religion

Woman injured by sword in Wiccan ceremony

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:47:23 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.jconline.com

A woman accidentally stabbed herself in the foot with a 3-foot-long sword while performing a Wiccan good luck ritual at a central Indiana cemetery.

Katherine Gunther, 36, of Lebanon, pierced her left foot with the sword while performing the rite at Oak Hill Cemetery, police said.

Gunther said she was performing the ceremony to give thanks for a recent run of good luck. The ceremony involves the use of candles, incense and driving swords into the ground during the full moon.

Gunther said was aiming to put the sword in the ground, but hit her foot instead.

"It wasn't the first time I performed the ritual, but it was the first time I put a sword through my foot," she said.

No charges were filed, police said. The Wiccans were warned that being in the cemetery in the city about 20 miles northwest of Indianapolis after posted visiting hours constitutes trespassing.

Tags: religion, wicca, pagan, humor, ceremony, ritual

Pagan veterans rally for right to show faith

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 02:57:56 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.startribune.com

Wiccans and pagans gathered in St. Paul to get the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department to use the pentacle on military gravestones.

Hensel, 53, of Minneapolis, who served in the Marine Corps from 1971 to 1973, was among about 150 pagans and Wiccans who rallied Saturday to urge the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to add the Wiccan pentacle to the list of 38 religious symbols approved for use on military-cemetery gravestones and other markers. Participants -- women and men, old and young -- came from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.

"We have served our country, too, and everyone should have the right to have their religious symbol on their gravestone," said Hensel, who follows the Wiccan faith, a set of traditions that is in turn part of the diverse and eclectic Earth-based spiritual tradition called paganism. "This is my church, and I love it."

The armed services do recognize the Wiccan religion and permit its listing on soldiers' dog tags, participants pointed out.

Tags: pagan, military, wicca, usa, religion

Wisc. woman charged after chanting around fire

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:06:58 GMT

clipped by: Hawkeye_84

Clip Source: www.startribune.com

A 42-year-old woman who describes herself as a Wiccan faces charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after neighbors complained she was disturbing them with chants around a bonfire she had built 10 feet from her home.

Brenna K. Barney of Waukesha told police they were infringing on her religious beliefs since she was performing a ritual under the new moon.

Barney refused to cooperate with police and was belligerent

Wicca is a nature-based religion based on respect for the earth, nature and the cycle of the seasons.

Tags: wisconsin, wiccan, chants, bonfire

She's Baaack!

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 15:28:10 GMT

clipped by: boniface
clipper's remarks: A publisher couldn't ask for better publicity than a protest against your books. People will want to read the books for themselves and see what all the hub-bub is about, which amounts to more sales!

Clip Source: blog.washingtonpost.com

She's Back! Laura Mallory, OFF/beat's 2006 Idiot of the Year, appears undeterred in her quest to banish Harry Potter books from school libraries. The suburban-Atlanta mother announced, Wednesday, that she plans to appeal a Georgia court's dismissal of her contention that the best-selling novels are "evil" propaganda aimed at indoctrinating youngsters into witchcraft. Despite having never read the books herself, Ms. Mallory persistently maintains that she is "tak[ing] a stand for truth."

Now, without going so far as calling her an idiot (oh wait), it certainly shows a high level of ignorance to believe that a book you haven't even read is capable of converting people to a religion you know little about. Beyond the flawed logic though, Ms. Mallory's dogmatic persistence may actually end up driving more children to read Harry Potter. In a time when faith is mired by extremism, and reading is at an all time low, perhaps she feels the only way to teach the concepts of poetic justice and the dangers of close-minded fanaticism is through a polemic gesture. If not, she is demonstrating a line of thinking that makes the Salem Witch Trials seem almost rational.

Tags: wicca, wiccan, witchcraft, witch, pagan, harry, potter, idiot, moron

Wiccan symbol OK for soldiers' graves

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 03:35:15 GMT

clipped by: CrazyRedHead

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Wiccan symbol OK for soldiers' graves

Story Highlights

• VA settles dispute with 11 Wiccan families
• Families can display Wiccan symbol, a pentacle, on soldiers' graves
• Five-pointed star joins 38 other approved symbols
• Wiccans hope to get markers ready by Memorial Day

The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemeteries and on government-issued headstones of fallen soldiers, according to a settlement announced Monday.

A settlement between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Wiccans adds the five-pointed star to the list of "emblems of belief" allowed on VA grave markers.

Eleven families nationwide are waiting for grave markers with the pentacle, said Selena Fox, a Wiccan high priestess with Circle Sanctuary in Barneveld, Wisconsin, a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

the pentacle, whose five points represent earth, air, fire, water and spirit, to be placed on grave markers within 14 days for those who have pending requests with the VA.

Tags: religion