Clipmarks | wiccantexan's 'christian' clips

Would Garlic Protect Us From the Courts?

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:40:47 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: More insanity from Texas which seems to have more than its share. This superstitious stupidity really needs to end. This religious immunity from critical scrutiny has existed for too long. It's time to begin shinning a light on these barbaric practices practiced by this death cult.

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

Texas court approves traumatic exorcisms

Well now…if you've had a hankerin' to torture, abuse, and do who knows what else to people at your whim, here's what you do: move on down to Texas and set up a religion. The Texas Supreme Court just ruled on a case in which a young woman was subjected to extreme distress and restraint during a church-run exorcism

The court ruling basically says that because this church carries out this practice all the time, and because adherents of the religion accept it, it's OK to pin people to the floor and scream at them for a few hours.

"The laying of hands" and the presence of demons are part of the church's belief system and accepted as such by its adherents," the ruling said in part.

Hello, world. In the United States, it is not considered unusual to accuse teenagers of being possessed by demons, and we subject them to frightening magic rituals to cast out such satanic forces with some regularity.

Tags: religion, exorcism, superstition, fundamentalism, christian

Church and State Collide On the Highway

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:17:25 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: "More to the point: If your faith is so strong that it would inspire you to voluntarily stand in line at the DMV — and let’s face it, that’s strong — then why do you need it stamped in cold, hard metal on your vehicle’s ass?"

Clip Source: www.independent.com

This just in: Rational thought is backed up for miles along South Carolina’s roadways, where a serious traffic collision between Church and State has left our Constitution in critical condition.

The state recently approved a series of government-issued license plates bearing the words “I BELIEVE” and the image of a Christian cross in front of a stained-glass window. In addition to boasting their state-sanctioned love for square dancing, wild turkeys, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., South Carolina residents can now share their devotion to Jesus Christ with anyone lucky enough to be eating their dust.

The plate was proposed by Republican state Sen. Larry Grooms “to allow people of faith to have an expression of their belief.” Apparently ichthys fish and “God is my copilot” bumper stickers just weren’t converting heathens like they used to.

Critics, including the ACLU, say the state-issued plates are a government endorsement of religion.

Tags: church, state, cars, government, religion

Pagan Woman Accuses Shelter of Discrimination

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:24:22 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: If they accept federal funds, they cannot discriminate. This is from an article about the opening of the center:

"A grant from Access to Recovery-Idaho, a federally funded program that makes money available to traditional and faith-based recovery programs, is helping to pay the utilities at the house and for the administration."

Clip Source: www.kidk.com

A young lady seeking help from a faith-based temporary housing program in Idaho Falls is on the streets tonight, looking for shelter.

I spoke with Rachel "Raven" Litzau this afternoon after she was kicked out of the Ruth House. She tells me the organization is discriminating against her because of her beliefs.

Litzau came to the Ruth House two weeks ago with her 17-month-old son. She was trying to get away from her abusive husband and get back on her feet.

The Ruth House is a non-denominational christian housing center. They say they will accept anyone, but Litzau is pagan. And she tells me that quickly became a problem.

"It was along the lines of, 'Oh, well we've had a lot of complaints about this,' and then suddenly it was like she saw my ring for the first time, and said, 'Oh, and that's got to go that's satanic and your jewelry has to go,' and I said, 'I'm sorry I can't do that. It was really insulting because there's a big difference between satanism and paganism," says Litzau.

Tags: pagan, woman, religion, belief, faith

Marine removed from duty over Bible coin

Fri, 30 May 2008 23:45:12 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

A U.S. Marine in Iraq has been removed from duty amid complaints that he was handing out coins with Bible verses at an American checkpoint, the military said Thursday.

U.S. military regulations prohibit religious proselytizing.

At least one of the coins is stamped with the words "Where will you spend eternity?" according to a report published Thursday by McClatchy Newspapers.

The other side of the coin reportedly contains a verse from John 3:16 that reads, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

Several Falluja residents said they were given the coins over a two-day period and complained that U.S. troops, whom they consider foreign occupiers, were acting as Christian missionaries.

The reports stoked religious concerns in Iraq just weeks after Iraqi police discovered that a U.S. soldier had used the Quran, Islam's holy book, for target practice.

Tags: religion, belief, christian, christianity, islam, muslim, bible, prostelytizing, marines, military

Pagan tomb under St. Peter's Basilica reopened

Thu, 29 May 2008 04:01:16 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

The Vatican unveiled the largest and most luxurious of the pagan tombs in the necropolis under St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday after nearly a year of restoration work.

A family of former slaves built the Valeri Mausoleum during the second half of the second century, when Emperor Marcus Aurelius ruled. It is one of 22 pagan tombs in the grottoes under the basilica.

Emperor Constantine, a convert to Christianity, had the pagan burial grounds covered up in the fourth century so the basilica could be built over the site holding St. Peter's tomb.

The tomb tells the history of the family, particularly in bas reliefs, of a girl and a boy from the Caius Valerius Herma family. The children died young, possibly from plague. Such stuccoed objects as a quill pen and a skein of yarn tell the tale of daily life in the Valeri family. Reliefs of major gods and other pagan figures attest to their strong religious belief.

Tags: pagan, christian, vatican, tomb, history, ancient, god, religion, belief

McCain Rejects Pastor's Endorsement

Fri, 23 May 2008 04:41:57 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

Republican John McCain on Thursday rejected endorsements from two influential but controversial televangelists, saying there is no place for their incendiary criticisms of other faiths.

McCain rejected the months-old endorsement of Texas preacher John Hagee after an audio recording surfaced in which the preacher said God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land. McCain called the comment "crazy and unacceptable."

He later repudiated the support of Rod Parsley, an Ohio preacher who has sharply criticized Islam and called the religion inherently violent.

"Obviously, I find these remarks and others deeply offensive and indefensible, and I repudiate them. I did not know of them before Reverend Hagee's endorsement, and I feel I must reject his endorsement as well," he said.

Then in an interview with The Associated Press, McCain said he rejected Parsley's support, too.

Tags: politics, religion, mccain, christian

Televangelist John Hagee apologizes to Catholics

Wed, 14 May 2008 01:08:09 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: hosted.ap.org

John Hagee, an influential Texas televangelist who endorsed John McCain, apologized to Catholics Tuesday for his stinging criticism of the Roman Catholic Church and for having "emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholic and Protestant relations with the Jews."

In a letter to William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights, Hagee wrote: "Out of a desire to advance a greater unity among Catholics and evangelicals in promoting the common good, I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful."

Hagee has cited the Inquisition and the Crusades as evidence of anti-Semitism within the Catholic church and has suggested that Catholic anti-Semitism shaped Adolf Hitler's views of Jews.

Tags: religion, belief, controversy, christian, catholic, jewish

Vatican astronomer says it's okay to believe in extra-terrestrials

Wed, 14 May 2008 01:03:12 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.earthtimes.org

Belief in the existence of aliens from outer space is not necessarily at odds with being a Christian, according to the Vatican's top astronomy official. "It is possible to believe in God and in extra-terrestrials," Father Jose Gabriel Funes was quoted as saying in an interview published Tueday in the Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.

For Christians it is also possible "to admit the existence of other worlds and other forms of life, even those more evolved than ours, without necessarily questioning faith in the Creation, in the incarnation (of God as man through Jesus) and redemption" of mankind, said Funes.

Tags: vatican, catholic, aliens, space, astronomy, god, belief

Gay movement looks for welcoming church

Sun, 11 May 2008 16:00:32 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.mysanantonio.com

San Antonio mom Della Nagle thought it would be a simple task: Go to some of the nation's largest churches, visit with members and prove to them that she and her wife — yes, wife — can be part of a Christian family, too.

But with the first church visit scheduled today in Houston, Nagle and her lesbian partner, Ruth Pinkham, whom she married in Canada, are facing a rude awakening.

The movement was to continue until Father's Day, with gay families and their clergy supporters visiting megachurches throughout the country from California to Maryland to promote “meaningful dialogue” about homosexuality and Christianity.

the group was essentially asking churches: Can you show hospitality to strangers with whom you disagree?

But just getting a chance to talk has proven difficult.

“Pray these churches will be girded up, each member protected from unclean spirits and false doctrine,” states a council-written prayer.

Tags: gay, lesbian, marriage, church, christian

Wis. school district will allow religious expression in art

Sat, 03 May 2008 02:54:15 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.firstamendmentcenter.org

The Tomah School District has agreed to permit religious expression in student artwork in response to a federal lawsuit.

The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal advocacy group, sued the district in March on behalf of a Tomah High School student. ADF alleged an art teacher gave the student a zero on an assigned drawing of a landscape because the student included a cross and the words "John 3:16 A sign of love."

The teacher cited a class policy that prohibited any expressions of violence, blood, sex or religious beliefs in artwork. The lawsuit alleged the student was treated unfairly because of his religion.

Students still will be barred from including gang symbols, violence, blood and sex in their work. But they will be allowed to express their religious beliefs as long as it satisfies the assignment criteria.

Tags: art, artist, religion, public, school, christian, legal, policy, belief

Are the Quakers Going Pagan?

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:16:17 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.christianitytoday.com

The liberal end of the Society of Friends has long had members who denied God's existence or Jesus' divinity. Now hundreds of pagans call Quakerism home.

Even after Olive found his way back to Jesus, he retained some elements of paganism. While he upholds the standard traditions of his local Quaker meeting hall, he privately incorporates pagan ritual into his prayer.

He's part of a small but growing movement of Quakers who also identify as pagan — a trend that may or may not exist in other Christian traditions, but certainly not in such an organized, public fashion.

In the last decade, this dual faith has sprung up around the country, including Quaker-pagan gatherings, seminars, an extensive presence on the Internet, and even explicitly Quaker-pagan congregations. There may be only several hundred Quaker pagans, but among American Quakers, their presence can be distinctly felt.

Tags: religion, belief, pagan, quaker, jesus, faith

Modern black church shuns King's message

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:11:55 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

In a stinging passage from a "Letter from Birmingham City Jail," the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. condemned white churches for rejecting his pleas for support.

"In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churches stand on the sideline and merely mouth pious irrelevancies," King wrote from jail during the 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, demonstrations.

The contemporary white church has largely accepted King as a religious hero. Yet some observers say there is one religious community that continues to shun King -- the black church.

Forty years after his death, King remains a prophet without honor in the institution that nurtured him, black preachers and scholars say. King's "prophetic" model of ministry -- one that confronted political and economic institutions of power -- has been sidelined by the prosperity gospel.

"It's dangerous to be prophetic," said Wheeler, who is also president of the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Tags: black, history, mlk, church, community, society

Obama Suggests Jesus Christ Not the Only Way to Heaven

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:48:15 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.christianpost.com

While answering a question about his Christian faith, Obama said he believes that Jesus Christ died for his sins and through God’s grace and mercy he could have “everlasting life,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

But he also believes Jews and Muslims and non-believers who live moral lives are as much “children of God” as he is, according to The Associated Press.

As an example, he spoke about his late mother who was “not a believer.”

"[S]he was the kindest, most decent, generous person that I have ever known," Obama said, according to the Times. "I'm sure she is in heaven, even though she may not have subscribed to everything that I subscribe to."

Tags: politics, obama, christian, heaven, jews, muslim, god

The Burning Times

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:39:37 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: wicca.timerift.net

or the More Persecuted than Thou Syndrome

The Burning Times is a term referring to the witch persecutions in Europe during the late medieval and renaissance periods. According to Wikipedia, it was first coined by feminist Mary Daly in 1978, who depicted the witch-hunts as a persecution against women. However, the "burning times," without captitalization, does, in fact, appear in Gardner's Witchcraft Today, which predates Daly by about 20 years. Whatever the origin, Wiccans and some other Pagans have certainly adopted the term, and today the phrase generally refers to the theory that Christian witch-hunters were, in fact, attempting to root out practitioners of older pagan religions.

Not only is the myth of the Burning Times false, it's disrespectful to the real victims of the witch-persecutions who were, at first, heretics and then were generally Christians unfortunate enough to be swept up in a hysteria that swept half a continent.

Tags: wicca, pagan, history, witch, witchcraft, religion, christian

Yale Divinity Course Examines Theology in Harry Potter

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:52:25 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.christianpost.com

Most people agree that the wildly popular Harry Potter series has a religious following. But do the stories about a fictional boy wizard contain religion in them?

Danielle Tumminio, a Yale Divinity School graduate student who instructs a course called "Christian Theology and Harry Potter" at Yale would say, "Yes."

Her course uses all seven Potter books to examine Christian themes such as sin, evil and resurrection, a CNN feature story recently reported.

The resurrection theme is supposedly explored in J.K. Rowling's seventh installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” (Spoiler warning: Read no further if you don't want to find out what happens.)

Cat Terrell, a student in Yale's Harry Potter course, told CNN that "the lens of the Harry Potter books actually makes theology ... easier to understand."

Outside of Yale, a minority group of Christians have also attempted to justify "Pottermania."

Tags: religion, theology, harry potter, christian