Clipmarks | wiccantexan's 'church' clips

People misunderstand what paganism is about

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:35:58 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

It takes a lot to surprise me when it comes to human nature, but last night I met a woman in her 60s at a coffee shop who warned the people at our table about a 'devil' that was going to be at Departure Bay today.

At first I thought she was joking but she said no, she was serious there was going to be a group of devil worshippers gathering there today. She said groups from all the churches were gathering to protest. I asked her if it was the Pagan Pride festival and when she said yes' I said, 'well, my daughter is Wicca and I'm proud of her."

She had nothing to say to that. I really thought that self-righteous people like her had disappeared in the era when witches were being burned.

It's religious fanatics like her who cause destruction in this world because of the fervour of the their beliefs.

I had one daughter become a Catholic and one daughter become Wicca and I'm proud of both of them for making choices that were right for them (I'm Anglican).

Tags: pagan, witch, witchcraft, church, wicca, religion, belief

Palin: Soldiers on a "task from God"

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:00:30 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: Crusades, anyone? Bush must be so proud. Oh, I'm sorry, I meant McCain.

Clip Source: firstread.msnbc.msn.com

As questions have been raised over how thoroughly Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign vetted Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for the V.P. slot, it seems the McCain campaign was unaware of a video -- available online -- in which Palin talks about God's role in U.S. military action overseas, according to a political operative familiar with the situation.

The video, first reported by the liberal blog HuffingtonPost.com, is from a June Palin speech to the graduating class of commission students at Palin's former church in Wasilla, Alaska. While describing her family, Palin told students about her oldest son, 19-year-old Track, who is set to be deployed to Iraq this month with the U.S. Army. She urged students to pray “that our leaders -- that our national leaders -- are sending [soldiers] out on a task that is from God.”

She added, “That's what we have to make sure that we are praying for: that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan.”

Tags: palin, god, war, religion, military

11 heads in Mexico burned in death ritual?

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:21:36 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The heads of 11 decapitated bodies discovered in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula last week may have been burned in a ritual, investigators said.

Police said they found an altar to the skeletal figure of the "Santa Muerte," an unofficial patron saint of death, in the home of two men arrested in connection with the slayings, while several scorched spots were discovered in a nearby clearing.

Police suspect the heads were burned in the clearing, according to a statement from the Public Safety Department. The department did not say what evidence it had to support that theory. Public Safety officials declined to give further details Monday, citing an ongoing investigation.

The Santa Muerte is one of several unofficial folk saints worshipped in Mexico. The cult has become popular among criminals in Mexico who appeal to the "saint" — not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church — to stay safe and out of jail. Law-abiding worshippers simply seek favors or intercession.

Tags: mexico, death, ritual, drugs, cult

Funeral no time for "altar call"

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:38:47 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: " A: The “altar call” is one of the most distinctive and controversial elements of evangelical Christianity. It was “invented” about 150 years ago by American evangelist Charles Finney and popularized by Dwight Moody and especially Billy Graham. The people who come to the altar say a sinner’s prayer and accept Jesus as their Lord and savior."

Clip Source: www.buffalonews.com

Q: I’ve attended two memorial services in two weeks, both at nondenominational Christian churches (I’m Catholic). Toward the end of each service, both of which were respectful and quite lovely, the minister announced an “altar call,” stating that Jesus was the only way to salvation, and that those who had not come to Jesus should do so at that very instant! This exercise lasted a good 10 minutes.

I’m a pluralist, so I don’t believe accepting Jesus is the only path to salvation, and I was very uncomfortable for my Jewish and Muslim friends in attendance. Is this a new trend? Is it appropriate? It seems as though the minister was taking advantage of a captive audience. However, no matter how offended anyone might have been personally, no one was going to be disrespectful by walking out.

Tags: religion, belief, christian, christianity, church, respect

Mexico church assailed for maligning miniskirt

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:36:11 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.mysanantonio.com

A Catholic priest's condemnation of miniskirts on an official church Web site is causing outrage among some Mexican women, who say the Roman Catholic Church is making it easier to justify sexual violence against women.

The Rev. Sergio G. Roman sounded the alarm against miniskirts in an online publication to prepare Catholics for a church family-values forum next year in Mexico City.

"When we show our body without prudence, without modesty, we are prostituting ourselves," wrote Roman, a Mexico City priest.

Women dressed in miniskirts and low-cut shirts have rallied at the doors of Mexico City's Cathedral during Sunday Mass, carrying signs that read: "Clothed and naked, I am the same."

Guadalupe Loaeza, a renowned Mexican social commentator, said she worries the priest's statements will be taken seriously and make it acceptable to blame the victim.

"It gives rapists permission to say, 'Well, she had on a miniskirt,'"

Tags: mexico, women, church, sexuality, rape, catholic

The Christian Presidency

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:29:24 GMT

clipped by: boniface

Clip Source: www.wildhunt.org

Any illusion one might have had that the race for America's chief executive is a secular affair was thoroughly shattered yesterday at the Saddleback Civil Forum on The Presidency. Evangelical superstar Rick "Purpose Driven Life" Warren got the two candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, to sit down individually in his church, submit to his questions, and expound on concerns most important to evangelical Christians.

"Some of the questions Pastor Warren posed crossed the line and promoted the fiction that the American people are electing a pastor-in-chief, rather than a commander-in-chief. Questions like 'What does it mean to trust in Christ?' create a religious test for public office and should have no place in the political discourse for a secular office. America is the most religiously diverse country in the world, and Christianity is only one of those faith traditions. Millions of voters who tuned in tonight will feel disenfranchised by some of the questions posed in this forum."

Groups Wants Atheists Included In DNC Interfaith Service

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:11:47 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.gazette.com

Democratic National Convention's Aug. 24 interfaith service in Denver is supposed to be about unity.

But to a Washington, D.C., coalition that supports nontheistic views, it's about division.

The Secular Coalition Group, a lobbying organization for church-and-state separation, is pushing to get an atheist on the speaker list, and contends the service is divisive because it alienates nonreligious Democrats at a time when the party needs to unite to support the presumptive nominee, Sen. Barack Obama.

"We can all hold different beliefs," said the group's executive director, Lori Lipman Brown, "but we can still come together as patriotic Americans."

Natalie Wyeth, a convention spokesperson, said Wednesday that everyone, regardless of belief, is welcome at the public service, but would not address if an atheist would be added to the speaker list.

Tags: democrats, obama, atheism, interfaith

Jews, Pagans Lived And Worshipped Together

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:02:37 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

An Israeli scientist says a Roman temple unearthed in the center of an ancient Jewish city in northern Israel shows pagans and Jews lived and worshipped together.

Hebrew University professor Zeev Weiss said Monday the 2nd century temple was found during excavations at Sepphoris, or Tzippori in Hebrew.

The city, the capital of Galilee, was a refuge for Jews who fled Jerusalem after the Romans pillaged the city and destroyed the Jewish temple in A.D. 70.

Weiss says the find sheds light on life during those times. "It shows that pagans who were a minority prayed in the center of the city and lived in harmony with the Jewish majority," he says.

He says a church was built on top of the temple in the 5th century.

Tags: pagan, jewish, jews, religion, belief, history

Controversial U.S. Church Group Stopped At Border

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:32:37 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.nationalpost.com

Residents rallied Thursday to protect the family of a young man murdered on a Greyhound bus last week from a posse of radical religious protesters planning to portray Tim McLean's death as God's wrath.

Earlier this week, the Westboro Baptist Church - an organization branded as a hate group and infamous for protesting the funerals of slain U.S. soldiers - announced they would picket Mr. McLean's funeral to let Canadians know that his decapitation was God's response to Canadian policies enabling abortion, homosexuality and adultery.

But Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of church's founder, Fred Phelps, said a small group of protesters was stopped at the Canada-U.S. border on Thursday afternoon.

The resistance to the planned funeral protest started on Facebook yesterday morning when Jim Cotton, a resident of Winnipeg Beach, launched a page asking city residents to help protect Mr. McLean's funeral.

Mr. Taylor's plan worked.

Tags: church, christian, hate, religion, god

Knights Templar Heirs In Legal Battle With The Pope

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:36:35 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The heirs of the Knights Templar have launched a legal battle in Spain to force the Pope to restore the reputation of the disgraced order which was accused of heresy and dissolved seven centuries ago.

The Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ, whose members claim to be descended from the legendary crusaders, have filed a lawsuit against Benedict XVI calling for him to recognise the seizure of assets worth 100 billion euros (£79 billion).

They claim that when the order was dissolved by his predecessor Pope Clement V in 1307, more than 9,000 properties as well as countless pastures, mills and other commercial ventures belonging to the knights were appropriated by the church.

But their motive is not to reclaim damages only to restore the "good name" of the Knights Templar.

Tags: church, catholic, pope, knights templar, lawsuit, religion

Religion Allowed In VA Care, Court Rules

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:34:52 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.greenbaypressgazette.com

Taxpayers cannot sue the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for incorporating religion into its health care programs for the nation’s veterans, an appeals court has ruled.

The group was trying to end the agency’s practice of asking patients about their religion in “spiritual assessments,” its use of chaplains to treat patients, and drug and alcohol treatment programs that incorporate religion. It claimed those practices violated the separation of church and state.

But the court ruled that federal taxpayers cannot challenge those expenditures. The court cited a U.S. Supreme Court decision from last year in which the same group was not allowed to sue over President Bush’s faith-based initiative.

In that case, the court ruled 5-4 the executive branch cannot be sued by taxpayers for expenses that allegedly promote religion. Cases can only be brought when the questionable expenditures are explicitly authorized in a Congressional spending bill, the court ruled.

Tags: religion, veterans, healthcare, lawsuit, legal, church, state, government

In marriage debate, divorce church from state

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:55:17 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.firstamendmentcenter.org

Suddenly this summer, the reality of same-sex couples lining up to get married in California has led some religious leaders to rethink their government role.

In a letter last month, Bishop Marc Handley Andrus of the Episcopal Diocese of California directed his clergy to “encourage all couples, regardless of orientation, to follow the pattern of first being married in a secular service and then being blessed in The Episcopal Church.”

The bishop’s missive illustrates what a tangled web we have woven when clergy intone “by the power invested in me by the state.”

Because the Episcopal Church doesn’t sanction same-sex marriage — but gives the option of blessing the union — the bishop appears to be seeking a way to bless all couples while distancing the church from legal arrangements sanctioned by the state.

“There are a lot of benefits in getting out of the legal marriage business,”

Tags: church, state, marriage, religion, legal, government

Westboro Baptist must pay taxes on truck

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:42:39 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.firstamendmentcenter.org

A Kansas court has ruled that Westboro Baptist Church has to pay taxes on the truck it uses to travel to protests.

The church frequently pickets military funerals, arguing that the deaths of U.S. troops overseas are part of God's punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

The Kansas Court of Appeals ruled on July 25 that the church's protests were a reflection of religious beliefs, but were also political and secular in nature. The ruling means the 2002 Ford F-150 truck used to drive to protests is taxable.

Taxes on a 2002 F-150 amount to about $130 a year, according to the Shawnee County appraiser's office. But Phelps-Roper said the case was about more than that amount.

But the county's Board of Tax Appeals found that 40% of the picket signs had no religious content, and that merely saying a particular group or individual was a homosexual or supported homosexuals did not constitute religious speech.

Tags: religion, homosexuality, church, legal, taxes, military

Gunman critically wounds 7 at Unitarian children's church play

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:55:41 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

An armed man opened fire on worshippers in a Unitarian church in Knoxville, Tennessee, during a children's play Sunday, critically wounding seven people, police and church members said.

"To our knowledge right now, he is the lone suspect in this case," Roehl said.

The man entered the church and began shooting during a children's production of the musical "Annie," said Steve Drevik, a church member who arrived after man's arrest.

"We have a lot of scared, traumatized children and they just don't know what to think," Drevik said. iReport.com: Are you there? Share photos, video, accounts

The suspect, whose identity was not immediately released, was taken into custody without a fight after police arrived, Roehl said. Drevik said the man did not appear to be a church member.

"We don't know this particular individual. We may never know why," Drevik said. "All of this will come out in the next couple of days."

Tags: religion, children, crime, guns, church, unitarian

Court: Exorcism is protected by law

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:43:31 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday threw out a jury award over injuries a 17-year-old girl suffered in an exorcism conducted by members of her old church, ruling that the case unconstitutionally entangled the court in religious matters.

In a 6-3 decision, the justices found that a lower court erred when it said the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God's First Amendment rights regarding freedom of religion did not prevent the church from being held liable for mental distress triggered by a "hyper-spiritualistic environment."

Laura Schubert testified in 2002 that she was cut and bruised and later experienced hallucinations after the church members' actions in 1996, when she was 17. Schubert said she was pinned to the floor for hours and received carpet burns during the exorcism, the Austin American-Statesman reported. She also said the incident led her to mutilate herself and attempt suicide. She eventually sought psychiatric help.

Tags: church, legal, religion, exorcism