Clipmarks | wiccantexan's 'religion' clips

W.Va. Inmate Says He's Denied Religious Rights

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:26:33 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

The state Supreme Court is considering whether to hear a case involving an inmate who says he's being denied the right to freely practice his Native American religion.

Bobby Eugene Roddy wants the court to order the Division of Corrections to provide him with a sweat lodge to use one day a week for a ceremony.

He also insists on two prayer pipe ceremonies per week. The Mount Olive Correctional Complex inmate also wants to grow his hair long and be allowed to wear moccasins and other Native American garments.

The 42-year-old Roddy goes by the spiritual name "Running Cougar.''

Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein says no inmate is prohibited from practicing religion. But he says certain requests must be denied for security concerns.

Tags: religion, rights, legal, prison

University gets attention for pagan recognition

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:28:23 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: "House, while not a pagan himself, said it is essential for his friends who share these beliefs to get the same respect as followers of other faiths."

Clip Source: media.www.marshallparthenon.com

Marshall University's recognition of Paganism has garnered media attention on a national level and abroad.

Paganism is a religious movement that consists of many different religions such as Wicca, the mystical traditions of Kabbalism, Native American shamanistic traditions and religions from the African Diaspora like Voodoo. Last year, Marshall recognized pagan holidays as a reason for excused absences, producing a great deal of interest.

"I conducted a search a few weeks after the articles hit and found that while there was some small negative response, the overwhelming response was very positive from people of all religions and none," said Marty Laubach, professor of sociology and faculty advisor to the Marshall University Pagan Association said. "The story was picked up internationally. It was seen as an example of American openness and religious pluralism."

"I think it's kind of strange, all the attention it's gotten,"

Tags: university, pagan, religion, belief, wicca, holiday

Theocrats to Pray for McCain's Death

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:55:10 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.talk2action.org

The more theocratic elements of the Religious Right have a disturbing habit, (more like a practice) of invoking "imprecatory prayer" -- a call for God to literally pour his wrath down on those they consider to be his enemies.

The most recent target of theoractic imprecations is none other than Republican presidential candidate John McCain. They hope that an act of God will make Sarah Palin president.

Well, that is quite a standard, and one that is arguably prone to abuse. That said, at least two people have written in recent days that hope that McCain/Palin are elected so that they can pray for God to crush John McCain and to elevate Sarah Palin to her rendevous with destiny.

Tags: mccain, palin, politics, religion, god

People misunderstand what paganism is about

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:35:58 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.canada.com

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

Pagans pray to Athena to protect Acropolis

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 05:00:32 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

In what organizers said was the first such ceremony performed amid the Acropolis ruins in Athens since the ancient Greek religion was outlawed in the fourth century, dozens of Greek pagans huddled near the Parthenon in a downpour Sunday to worship in protest of the new museum being built at the foot of the site. They gathered before the temple’s east wing and prayed to Athena, goddess of wisdom and patron of Athens, to protect the Parthenon from further destruction.

The Greek Culture Ministry forbids ceremonies of any sort at archaeological sites, but the small band of pagan revivalists entered the Acropolis’s heavily guarded grounds as tourists and then persuaded guards to allow the 15-minute rite. It was organized by Ellinais, an Athens group that recently won a court battle for state recognition of the ancient religion.

Tags: pagan, greece, history, culture, belief, religion

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

5 Most Ridiculously Unjust Religious Afterlives

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:36:37 GMT

clipped by: dulios

Clip Source: www.cracked.com

The 5 Most Ridiculously Unjust Religious Afterlives

Zoroastrians: Judged by Their Bridge-Crossing Ability

Judgement is decreed by the individual's ability to cross the Bridge of Chinvat, the account keeper (a St. Peter type person). Cross the bridge and you're in paradise, sitting on your golden stool in Mazda's house of songs. Fall off and you're dropping to hell.

The Aztecs: It All Depends on How You Die

There was, however, more to Aztec religion than just gods who demanded the regular offing of children. According to experts, the Aztecs believed there were three different afterlives, one hell-like realm called Mictlan and two places which are quite nice, Tlalocan, and Tonatiuh.

Rastafarians: If You're Good, You Go To Ethiopia

Are you familiar with Ethiopia at all?

Tribal Ancestor Worship: It's All About Your Skull

Ancient Egyptians: Basically Based on How Nice Your Funeral Was

Tags: religion, afterlife

Alleged FLDS Teen Bride Removed; Back in Foster Care

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:37:57 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.ksat.com

A 14-year-old girl allegedly married to jailed polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs with her parents' blessing at age 12 was removed from her family's home in Converse on Tuesday after a judge ordered her back into foster care.

District Judge Barbara Walther said that there was "uncontroverted evidence of the underage marriage" and that the girl's mother, Barbara Jessop, refused to guarantee the girl's safety. The girl, shown in photographs submitted to the court kissing Jeffs, was taken into custody by Child Protective Services.

In the case of the 14-year-old allegedly married to Jeffs, Walther said she felt she had to place the girl in foster care because Jessop "was unable to provide assurances that she'd be able to protect the child in the future."

On Monday, Jessop, 55, refused to answer roughly 50 questions asked by attorneys for Child Protective Services, including the names of her children, what constituted abuse and whether a parent had an obligation to protect her children.

Tags: flds, polygamy, minor, marriage, religion, belief, teens

Doctors Can't Deny Lesbians Care on Religious Grounds

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:56:45 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

The California Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that doctors cannot cite their religious beliefs as grounds to deny gay and lesbian patients medical care.

Justice Joyce Kennard ruled that two Christian fertility doctors who refused to artificially inseminate a lesbian couple cannot claim a free speech or religious exemption from California's anti-discrimination law.

The ruling extends a state law barring sexual orientation-based discrimination to the medical profession.

In 1999, after a year of surgeries and hormone treatments — all covered by insurance — Benitez was finally ready to get pregnant. But at the crucial moment, her doctor refused to do the procedure for "religious" reasons.

Benitez is a lesbian and sued her doctors under California's civil rights laws, charging that they discriminated against her because of her sexual orientation.

Tags: medical, gay, lesbian, religion, belief, discrimination

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

Inmate can't keep Old Testament hairstyle

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:05:45 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.firstamendmentcenter.org

Prison officials did not violate an inmate’s rights when they disciplined him for refusing to cut his hair and beard, which he said would go against his Old Testament-based religious beliefs, a federal appeals panel ruled this week.

Michael Fegans sued over the Arkansas Department of Correction’s policy that says male prisoners must keep their hair trimmed above their ears and keep their facial hair trimmed. Fegans, a follower of the Assemblies of Yahweh, was at times placed in administrative segregation, with occasional stays in punitive isolation or solitary confinement. He claims the punishments prevented him from earning good time, which would have reduced his sentence.

the prison’s grooming policy was “reasonably related” to the state’s safety and security interests. Long hair or shaggy beards can allow inmates to hide contraband or disguise their appearance, presenting safety issues, the court noted.

Tags: religion, belief, prison, rights, bible

Bush: No One Should Fear Religious Freedom

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:31:27 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: I'm sorry, I could barely get through this without choking on the hypocrisy.

Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

U.S. President George W. Bush said Sunday that no country should "fear the influence" of religious freedom, in a clear reference to China's tight control of churches.

His comments came with added punch as he delivered them in the heart of the Chinese capital during Beijing's Olympic moment.

China allows worship only in officially approved churches such as the one Bush visited Sunday with his wife, so millions of people pray privately in house churches to avoid detection.

"It just goes to show that God is universal," Bush said. "No state, man or woman should fear the influence of loving religion."

Tags: religion, freedom, united states, china

Thailand revives worship of the Rice Goddess

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:27:59 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.monstersandcritics.com

Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist country, has revived ceremonial worship of the Rice Goddess to commemorate the queen's upcoming birthday and boost the morale of the country's 3.7 million rice-farming families, news reports said Sunday.

The Ministry of Agriculture on Saturday held a ritual to worship Mae Phosop, or the Rice Goddess, at a demonstration farm in Ang Thong province, the Bangkok Post reported.

Although the dominant religion in Thailand is Buddhism, which shuns idolatry and rituals, there is a strong undercurrent of Hindu and animism that suffuses Thailand's traditional belief system and ceremonies.

Worship of Mae Phosop was once common among Thai rice farmers, but the practice has waned in recent years as Thailand's rural population has become more modern and educated.

He said the ceremony's revival will help boost the morale of rice farmers nationwide.

Tags: thailand, goddess, buddhism

Religion continues to be part of Olympics

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:00:10 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: "Since then, religion - for good or ill - has continued to touch the modern Olympics movement. "

Clip Source: www.sltrib.com

Religion has been an integral part of the Olympics since athletes met in a stadium southwest of Athens to honor Zeus.

In ancient Greece, there was no such thing as "secular athletics," said David Romano, senior research scientist at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. "Feats of prowess and agility were meant to please Zeus, who picked the most worthy athlete to be the victor."

Eventually, it was competition that put an end to Olympic Games in A.D. 393 after more than 1,000 years: Christianity vs. paganism.

The games were the most "conspicuous and popular aspect at pagan festivals, attracting tens of thousands of people," Romano said this week, "so Holy Roman Emperor Theodosius abolished them."

It took another 15 centuries for the Olympic ideals to resurface.

In 1894, a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin resurrected the Olympic Games, complete with symbolic fire, music, and pageantry that echoed its ancient past.

Tags: olympics, religion, history