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Pagan Weddings Attract More Than A Cult Following

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:08:08 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Supporters and critics of pagan weddings -- like Kemper's -- often describe the ceremonies as beautiful, mystical, bizarre and even evil, all descriptions Kemper has heard. But, according to some experts, there is one word they can no longer use: uncommon.

A 2001 survey by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York found that the number of followers of Wicca, one of the many religions that fall beneath the pagan umbrella, increased from 8,000 in 1990 to 134,000 in 2001, making it the fastest-growing religion in America in terms of percentage increase.

Marty Laubach, a sociology professor at Marshall University, says the number of followers of pagan religions is even higher now, citing a 2008 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey that put the estimate at 1.2 million.

Tags: religion, marriage, pagan, mainstream, wedding, wicca

The All-White Elephant in the Room

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:05:29 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

BORED by those endless replays of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright? If so, go directly to YouTube, search for “John Hagee Roman Church Hitler,” and be recharged by a fresh jolt of clerical jive.

What you’ll find is a white televangelist, the Rev. John Hagee, lecturing in front of an enormous diorama. Wielding a pointer, he pokes at the image of a woman with Pamela Anderson-sized breasts, her hand raising a golden chalice. The woman is “the Great Whore,” Mr. Hagee explains, and she is drinking “the blood of the Jewish people.” That’s because the Great Whore represents “the Roman Church,” which, in his view, has thirsted for Jewish blood throughout history, from the Crusades to the Holocaust.

Mr. Hagee is not a fringe kook but the pastor of a Texas megachurch. On Feb. 27, he stood with John McCain and endorsed him over the religious conservatives’ favorite, Mike Huckabee, who was then still in the race.

Tags: politics, religion, mccain, church, television, televangelist, texas, conservative

McCartney and Starr to reunite?

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:02:37 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.woai.com

Beatles fans have been sent into a frenzy over rumours Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are set to reunite on stage in an historic performance.

To celebrate the city being named 2008's Capital of Culture, the Fab Four's hometown of Liverpool, England is hosting the Sound City music festival, where McCartney is set to take to the stage.

And after Liverpool City Council granted McCartney's production company $3.4 million to stage the event, fans are now speculating the singer is secretly planning a special gig - with his former bandmate Starr.

Tags: music, beatles, reunion, mccartney, england