Clipmarks | wiccantexan's 'wicca' clips

Bob Barr wins Libertarian presidential nod

Mon, 26 May 2008 00:27:00 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: This is the fellow who tried to actively put forth legislation in 1999 to ban Wicca from military bases.

Clip Source: politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com

(CNN) — Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr is now the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee — and a potential headache for John McCain, as he reaches out to conservative voters who might otherwise vote for the GOP nominee in November.

The former Georgia congressman — who left the Republican Party two years ago, citing differences over fiscal policy and concerns over civil liberties — was nominated on the sixth ballot at the party’s convention in Denver. The vote on the sixth ballot was 324 for Barr, and 276 for Mary Ruwart, the last remaining candidate out of 14 originally seeking the Libertarian nomination.

Tags: politics, pagan, wicca, libertarian

The Portrayal Of Paganism In The Media

Sun, 25 May 2008 04:43:18 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.informativepost.com

Hi. I'm a Pagan. Yes, you heard me right. What image jumps into your head right now? Is it a person dressed all in black, with large pentacles, dragons and ankhs hanging around their necks? Did you picture me as a hippie who can't seem to escape the Swinging 60s?

Guess what? I'm a normal person. I wear jeans and t-shirts, I have a 9-5 job, and I'm studying to achieve my high school diploma at a mature-age level.

The media has done a fantastic job at portraying Pagans (including Wiccans and Witches) as these ugly women with long fingernails, warts and green skin, tall pointy hats and all dressed in black. Look at the popular film, 'The Craft' - it's portrayal of young witches, all in black, with supernatural powers. What about 'The Wicker Man'? Makes us all out to be lovers of sacrifice, huh?

In all actuality, we're normal people, and my personal mission (as I've come to discover) is to break down this stereotype of modern Pagans. So let's start with the basics...

Tags: pagan, faith, religion, media, wicca, witchcraft, witch

Greece Sued Over Sectarian Prayer

Wed, 14 May 2008 01:19:46 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: Note: Greece here is a town in the United States, not the country.

Clip Source: www.democratandchronicle.com

In just a few seconds' time during the April Town Board meeting, Jennifer Zarpentine made Greece history.

Zarpentine, a Wiccan, delivered the first-ever pagan prayer to open a meeting of the Greece Town Board.

Her hands raised to the sky, she called upon Greek deities Athena and Apollo to "help the board make the right informed decisions for the benefit and greater good of the community."

Greece is embroiled in a legal battle over the prayers delivered before the meetings. In March, national church-state watchdog group Americans United for Separation of Church and State, filed suit against the town in state Supreme Court.

their

The suit claims the practice of allowing explicitly religious prayers — regardless of the religion — during the public meetings is a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Tags: religion, belief, legal, wicca, prayer

Pagan Weddings Attract More Than A Cult Following

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:08:08 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.modbee.com

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

My first YouTube video

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:33:43 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: My first attempt at making a video using my digital camera. Somewhat grainy, but we have to play with iMovies to see how we can get the quality higher while still remaining within the upload limit.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: youtube, video, wicca, pagan

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

Wicca Finally Proven to Be a Hoax

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 04:23:13 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.thespoof.com

New documents have surfaced in the world of religion. Specifically, the Wicca religion. The chronicles in question, shed some light on the formation of the "world's oldest religion".

Taking a first initiative, President George Bush, in a new faith based initiative, located the resting place in Tunisia of the reputed cult's leader, and had his body exhumed last month in an effort to settle the question of the would-be cultist's death. "These Wickers are a threat to the security of the United States, and intelligence reports that they may have weapons of mass destruction." Bush said at a White House press conference. "They have been using spells and fortune-casting to reveal national security secrets to the Islamic Jihad. Just like Helen Duncan, who in 1944 was using séances to spy on allied troops, we need to stop this threat before we have another 9/11.

What Mrs. Rice and her taskforce found was a surprise, even to faithful Wiccans.

Tags: wicca, pagan, spoof, satire, humor, religion

Neighbors blame Wiccans for bringing plague of pests

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:37:54 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.chron.com

A nasty brew of cross-allegations has engulfed a New York neighborhood where a family that practices a witchcraft religion is at odds with neighbors who complain that the family's penchant for feeding stray cats is attracting rats and pigeons.

Ivy Colmer Vanderborgh and her mother, Marlene Colmer, say their adherence to Wicca made them a target.

People who live near them on Oceanview Avenue in Staten Island's Annadale section dispute that. They maintain their concern is that food left out for cats has brought scavenger critters to the neighborhood.

"It's a situation whereby one neighbor's actions or behaviors are clearly aggravating other people on the block. However, it does not appear that these behaviors are in violation of the law, nor does it appear that the religious practices of the family have anything to do with the neighbors' frustrations with the family," said Capt. Richard F. Gutch, commander of the 123rd Precinct.

Tags: wicca, faith, religion, neighborhood, law, animals

The Christian Church and Wicca

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 01:05:16 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: wicca.timerift.net

Q: How many Pagans does it take to change a light bulb? A: Six. One to change it and five to sit around and complain that light bulbs never burned out before those damned Christians came along.

Wicca is NOT about confronting or combating Christianity. Rebuking their beliefs or soiling their historical legacy is not our purpose, nor should it be the purpose of any religion. Those who are turning to Wicca simply because they wish to leave Christianity, or they object to Christianity, or they just want to shock their Christian family should look elsewhere. Religion, ANY religion, is about belief, not negating another's belief.

The "We're Better than Them" theory.

The Purpose of Christianity or Get Over Yourselves

The Theft of Pagan Holidays

We've replaced these people's pagan gods with Folgers Crystals. Let's see if they notice.

Tags: wicca, pagan, christian, christianity, church, religion, history, belief

'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

Alderman Asks Mayor To Remove Nativity

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:57:37 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.postcrescent.com

An alderman who helped install a controversial nativity scene on a City Hall ledge, but later changed tack, has asked Mayor Jim Schmitt to order the display removed.

City Council Vice President Chris Wery submitted a letter to the mayor's office asking that the display come down to help restore peace over the issue and to give the city the chance to avoid a lawsuit and develop a policy for future displays.

"I am hopeful in the spirit of the season, should the display be removed, that all talk of lawsuits will end," Wery wrote. "Neither side wants to divide our community."

Schmitt was out of the office on city business Thursday but issued an open letter to the residents of Green Bay in which he expressed confidence that the city's display "will pass constitutional muster.

Tags: government, religion, christmas, wicca, christian, display, city

Pentacle Wreath No Longer Welcome In Green Bay But Nativity Stays

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 03:02:44 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: bbsnews.net

Late yesterday afternoon, Rev. Selena Fox, Senior Minister of Circle Sanctuary, met by phone with Jim Schmitt, Mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin, a city that continues to be embroiled in a growing controversy over the display of religious holiday imagery at its City Hall.

"I am glad that the Mayor called me and we were able to talk directly. I told him that I requested our meeting in the spirit of peace, reconciliation, and understanding that is an important part of the religious observances of both Winter Solstice and Christmas," said Fox. "'Tis the season to make peace and I sought to do this."

The Mayor cast the deciding vote in the City Council meeting last night which only permitted the nativity scene to stay at City Hall out of consideration for Christians celebrating Christmas in the community and which denied other symbols including the Yuletide pentacle wreath.

Tags: religion, government, wicca, christian, christmas, faith, rights

Shift Of Nativity Scene Defuses Debate

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:10:22 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.buffalonews.com

The battle of the Nativity — and the pentacle — came to an end in Olean on Tuesday, at least for now.

A day after the large lavender and silver wooden pentacle sign was driven over and later stood back up — a hole in the front and tire tracks notwithstanding — the adjacent Nativity scene was moved a block down the street from the City Hall lawn to the front of a Baptist church.

Later Wednesday afternoon, John Garlow went to City Hall and removed the pentacle he and his wife, April, had placed there as a Wiccan response to the Nativity scene.

“If they moved [the Nativity scene], we were going to move the pentacle onto private property,” Garlow said. The pentacle had been

up for three days.

The decisions by the owners of the Nativity scene and the Garlows brought some closure to what at times had become an ugly situation, pitting friends against friends.

Tags: religion, church, state, wicca, christian, city

Wiccan Symbol At Nativity Scene Damaged By Vehicle

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:00:51 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.newsday.com

Police are investigating vandalism aimed at a symbol of the Wiccan religion set up next to a Nativity scene in front of city hall.

Officials in this city 60 miles south of Buffalo say someone in a pickup truck backed over the Wiccan pentacle around 10:15 p.m. Monday, then sped off.

The pentacle, a pentagram within a circle, was placed last weekend near the Nativity scene Olean Mayor David Carucci allowed to be set up outside city hall last month.

Some Olean residents complained that placing the Nativity scene on government property raised issues over the separation of church and state. Carucci responded by allowing members of other faiths to display their symbols on city property during special times of celebration.

The pentacle was then set up by April Garlow, a Wiccan.

Tags: wicca, pagan, religion, government, city, church, state