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Witches have returned to the German forests, dancing naked in groups under the full moon and calling to their gods. The covens vary in size and in how seriously they take their calling, but the numbers are rising, particularly amongst the young. Their religious ideas are described as "pagan" rather than Satanist, and many of the older practitioners have a history in the environmental movement, where they learnt a passionate love of nature. In some cases this has led on to a belief in the natural powers of the forests. The women are convinced they can work magic. "The witches'...

Over the past few weeks, rioting in Europe and the Middle East has been spawned by cartoons depicting Muhammad in an unpleasant, though possibly accurate, manner. Muslim extremists are outraged by this so-called blasphemous "idolatry" of others through caricatures, even though versions of the cartoons were published in Islamic media as well as those that appeared in the Danish press and in other European newspapers. A few questions immediately come to mind, however. If non-Muslims are "infidels," how can these extremists expect the rest of the world to act as if we were Muslim? How can the non-Muslim world be...

Jurate Cannara knew her daughter Laura was different when, as a toddler, she would stand out in the rain, her tiny hands outstretched toward the lightning. "Mama, I need energy," the little girl would tell her. As Laura Mikuseviciuje grew from toddler to child to teen to young woman, Cannara noticed that her daughter's eccentricities only increased with age. "I didn't understand my daughter," said Cannara, who lives in Verona, of her daughter's early expressions of intuition and odd, energetic behavior. According to some, Laura's tendencies are not odd at all; they even have a name. She and others like...

The San Antonio Current for August 21-27, 2003 has an unsettling article describing the Lilith Fund, a 501c3 and so-called 'reproductive equity' group, and their efforts to train abortion assistants. Lilith is a prominent figure in demonology and Jewish folklore. Is it demons and witches presiding over child sacrifices, or the 'right to choose', or both? The San Antonio Current for August 21-27, 2003 article stated, "The Lilith Fund, a non-profit, abortion assistance organization is holding volunteer training for its hotline today from 1-3pm and August 26 from 6:30-8:30pm at San Antonio Reproductive Services, 5838 Joiner Ave. Prospective volunteers need...

First of all I would like to add that I am a 13 year old girl and am not a parent. I have read all of the Harry Potter Books. With two parents that are devoted Christians I understand partially your view on the Harry Potter books but I respectfully disagree. To a young child the Harry Potter books are comforting. These people although portrayed as witches and wizards are well rounded people and little kids respect that. For instance if any of you have read the Harry Potter Books Hermoine Granger is a girl very dedicated to her school...

The pendulum swings both ways. Last year in Denver, it was Mayor John Hickenlooper proposing to replace the city's traditional "Merry Christmas" sign with one that said "Happy Holidays." The mayor wisely backed off in response to the public outcry, as did the Parade of Lights, this year, reversing its policy barring religious floats. Earlier this month, Speaker of the U.S. House Dennis Hastert, issued a directive instructing the architect of the Capitol to drop the name "Capitol Holiday Tree" - adopted in the late 1990s under the authority of no one who's now willing to admit to it -...

A convicted murderer who practices the Wiccan religion won the right Thursday to receive religious books and items while behind bars. The state Department of Corrections settled a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey on behalf of Patrick Pantusco, who was convicted of murder, aggravated assault and other offenses in Bergen County in 1998, and sent to East Jersey State Prison at Avenel. He began practicing Wicca in 2002, while serving a 30- to 50-year prison term. Wiccans say their religion is based on respect for the earth, nature and the cycle of the seasons....

PALM COAST -- It was close to midnight on Sunday and Jill Pagan -- who practices paganism and calls herself a witch -- was getting settled into bed when she heard a crash. It sounded like something might have fallen. Upon investigation, Pagan discovered that her home's white aluminum door had a large gash in it. And just to the right, a large chunk of concrete was sitting in a flowerpot with a note attached to it by rubber bands. She immediately recognized a handwritten note in an ancient language called Theban, which she said is used almost exclusively by...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, NOV. 26, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Witchcraft is moving into the mainstream in the Netherlands. A Dutch court has ruled that the costs of witchcraft lessons can be tax-deductible, the Associated Press reported Oct. 31. The previous month, the Leeuwarden District Court confirmed the legal right to write off the costs of schooling -- including in witchcraft -- against tax bills. The costs can be substantial, according to one witch interviewed for the article. Margarita Rongen runs the "Witches Homestead" in a northern province. Her workshops cost more than $200 a weekend, or more than $2,600 for a full course....

Why Some Christians Don't Celebrate Christmas Many feel that Christmas marks Christ's birthday and that it honors Him. After all, can 2 billion professing Christians be wrong? At the same time, some few Christians don't observe Christmas, believing that Jesus didn't sanction it and that it dishonors Him. Who is right—and why? by Jerold Aust One day, years ago, someone asked me why I kept Christmas. "The Bible says to keep it," I responded. "Somewhere in the Gospel of Luke, it speaks of the nativity scene. An angel told some shepherds that were keeping their sheep in the fields at...

If we are going to secularize the Calendar--i.e. remove any references to Christ, then I think that we should also secularize the names of the day of the week: Sunday is named after the Sun. The ancient pagan Greeks and Romans believed that the sun was the source of life on the planet and they gave it prime importance in their thinking--hence, the first day of the week. Monday is named for the Moon. If sun is honored on Sunday, it would be lunacy to not give the Moon a place of prominence on Monday. And, indeed, the word for...

"We at Wal-Mart believe this e-mail between a temporary associate and one of our valued customers was entirely inappropriate. Its contents in no way represent the policies, practices or views of our company. This associate, who was hired less than three weeks ago, is no longer employed by our company."

Wicca, the pagan temptation for youth increases followers By ALAN BRANCH Baptist Press Published September 8, 2005 I recently had the opportunity to meet with several youth ministers from Southern Baptist churches here in Missouri. Each impressed me as having a deep commitment to biblical authority and personal passion for Jesus Christ. As we discussed the challenges facing current youth ministers, a concern all shared was the fact that many youth, including youth in evangelical churches, are dabbling in Wicca. So, what is Wicca? The word “wicca” was an old English word which meant “shaman.” The word was reintroduced into...

GREAT FALLS, S.C. — Jesus no longer has a place in prayers that open Town Council meetings here. The long-standing practice in this old mill town, about 35 miles north of Columbia, was struck down last year in response to a lawsuit filed by a follower of Wicca, a pagan religion characterized by witchcraft and attention to earthly seasons. A federal judge — and then a federal appeals court — found the Town Council's prayers invoking Christ's name unconstitutional on grounds that they advanced one religion over others. "I don't like it one bit," Councilman J.C. Broom, a retired furniture...

NEW PORT RICHEY - Pagans are coming out of the closet. After years of being labeled as devil worshippers who sacrifice animals under a full moon, the modern-day followers of ancient beliefs want to be part of the community. In Pasco County, they're planning the first Pagan Pride Day in a popular city park. ``People think paganism is evil,'' said Robert Crom, regional coordinator for Pasco Pagans. ``Some people, especially among mainstream religions, feel threatened by us.'' Crom, 25, said he wants to clear up public misconceptions about pagan religions. The group, formed a couple of years ago by transplants...

A remake of the old TV show "Bewitched" will be in theaters Friday, a Hollywood version of that lovable sitcom from the '60s and '70s, where Elizabeth Montgomery's Samantha cast spells and twitched her nose to get her husband, Darren, out of jams. Ever wonder if witches really exist? Ever wonder if one lives next door? Pearl Essence and Syren Star are two suburban witches who have come out of the broom closet. A year ago, the pair started Gypsy Wagon, a pagan-friendly online group. "We do not worship any sort of god or goddess, we focus on the elemental...

It is almost impossible to overstate how radically different Old Testament thought was from the thought of the rest of its contemporary world. And it continues to be, given how few societies affirm Judeo-Christian values and how much opposition to them exists in American society, the society that has most incorporated these values. Among the most radical of these differences was the incredible declaration that God is outside of nature and is its creator. In every society on earth, people venerated nature and worshipped nature gods. There were gods of thunder and gods of rain. Mountains were worshipped, as were...

Recently Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona publicly expressed his Christian beliefs, provoking outrage from Hawaii's leftists. In a commentary on Wednesday, May 18, 2005, The Honolulu Advertiser columnist David Shapiro quoted Aiona as saying "Hawaii belongs to Jesus" ...

Burma rebuilding risks Pagan jewel By Andrew Harding BBC News, Burma Pagan's temples are one of Asia's most important cultural sites The sunsets are still spectacular - a golden glow brushing the curves of 2,000 ancient temples and pagodas clustered on the edge of the Irrawaddy River in central Burma. But today some of the world's leading experts have accused Burma's military regime of waging "archaeological blitzkrieg" against the legendary Buddhist treasures of Pagan. "They're ruining it," said Richard Engelhardt, regional advisor for the UN's cultural arm, Unesco. "It makes me feel hopeless and helpless and angry and disappointed," he...

While browsing through the ancient Persian history, I was struck and fascinated by another subject Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism has not only made a major contribution to the ancient philosophical thought but has also had a deep imprint on the Persian history and culture. Since ages, man has been striving to search for the meaning and purpose of life. Two ancient philosophies threw up answers to this eternal quest. One came out of the Vedic thought of re-incarnation (samsara) which believed in perpetual cycles of life, death and re-birth. It believed that soul (atma) finally got liberated (moksha) based on man's good...

"It is difficult to resist the conclusion that there is a death wish at work at the heart of our civilization... our theologians dismantle the structure of belief they exist to expound and promote."  –Malcolm Muggeridge, Eternity, April 1972 Muggeridge, a world-famous English journalist who became a Christian late in his life, was prophetic as he saw the coming remaking of the core of the Christian faith by its very leaders. We might wonder if he could have imagined how far the faith could be taken apart!The problem is this: many of our modern theologians, clergy and seminaries are remaking...

Witches have returned to the German forests, dancing naked in groups under the full moon and calling to their gods. The covens vary in size and in how seriously they take their calling, but the numbers are rising, particularly amongst the young. Their religious ideas are described as "pagan" rather than Satanist, and many of the older practitioners have a history in the environmental movement, where they learnt a passionate love of nature. In some cases this has led on to a belief in the natural powers of the forests. The women are convinced they can work magic. This is...

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said in 1974, “We live in a sensate age. We are no longer governed by Faith, we are no longer governed by reason. We are governed by feelings.” The outpouring of naked emotion at the death of Pope John Paul II proves these words true. It is expected that Catholics worldwide would grieve and pray for the departed Pontiff, as it is a fitting expression of filial piety. But the effusion over John Paul II was a good bit more. Cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and laity vied with each other to canonize him as “John Paul...

Harry Potter and the Paganization of Children's Culture The realm of human imagination is a God-given gift, a faculty of the mind that is intended to expand our understanding by enabling us to visualize invisible truths. In the modern era this zone of man's interior life has moved to the forefront of his experience. With the advent of film, television, and now the near-virtual reality of special-effects videos and other electronic entertainment, the screen of the imagination is stimulated to a degree (both in quantity and in kind) more than at any other period in history. This has prompted a...

The scent of sage fills the air as a light breeze blows through the leaves of nearby palm trees. Somewhere in the distance, a tractor is plowing a field. The chirp of an occasional bird breaks the calm hush for a moment. A bag of instruments is passed around, and a shrine with Neolithic goddess figurines, babushkas, photographs of goddess statues, and a ceramic plate painted with a spiral design is quietly constructed. Thirteen Israeli men and women are seated in a circle around the artifacts. The earth below is the archeological site of a civilization over 8,000 years old....

War of the black magic cults brings death to Nigeria's universities By Christian Allen Purefoy in Ekpoma (Filed: 20/04/2005) War of the black magic cults brings death to Nigeria's universities By Christian Allen Purefoy in Ekpoma (Filed: 20/04/2005) If students at British universities are "freshers" or "finalists", their counterparts in Nigeria are members of the "Black Bras", the "Black Axes" or the "Pyrates". But there the similarity ends. While British students are struggling to pay tuition fees, their Nigerian counterparts are risking death in violent clashes between rival university cults steeped in black magic. "They indulge in all sorts of...

CHICAGO An appeals court said a man can press a claim for emotional distress after learning a former lover had used his sperm to have a baby. But he can't claim theft, the ruling said, because the sperm were hers to keep. Dr. Richard O. Phillips' accuses Dr. Sharon Irons of a “calculated, profound personal betrayal'' after their affair six years ago, saying she secretly kept semen after they had oral sex, then used it to get pregnant. He said he didn't find out about the child for nearly two years, when Irons filed a paternity lawsuit. DNA tests confirmed...

They’re no fans of Christianity, but the followers of Gaia have discovered a funding stream through the Faith-Based and Community Initiative of President George W. Bush. Disciples of 21st-century Gaia believe that all living things on earth are interconnected (except man) and that to damage or destroy even the tiniest insect is the equivalent of wiping out an entire ecological system. In layman understanding: Don’t swat that fly hovering around the pablum you’re feeding the baby.

After applying and getting denied twice, the Boston University Nemeton Wicca Student Group was approved by the Religious Life Council as a new religious organization on campus Wednesday afternoon at Marsh Chapel. The RLC denied the group, which applied as a pagan organization the first two times, because paganism is not formally recognized as a religion. But, last semester the organization changed its affiliation to Wicca, which is considered a religion, changing its name to the Wicca Student Group this year. Nemeton President Aubrey Hooser said renaming the group was not an issue. "The majority of the group follows Wicca,...

Many parents have sought to protect their children from the behavior-modification programs that have taken the place of academic education in public schools. To escape the assault of Outcome-Based Education (OBE), multi-culturalism, and workforce training programs, parents in ever-increasing numbers are placing their children in private schools or are home-schooling. Public schools, and even some private schools, spend valuable classroom time engaged in "cooperative" learning (group learning) encounter sessions and discussion groups that employ pop psychology that teachers are simply not qualified to apply. These programs are designed for a very specific purpose–to change the attitudes, values and beliefs of...

Is homosexuality/lesbianism a sin according to the Bible?

Paganism is one of our fastest-growing religions. A druid explains why witchcraft appeals to 21st-century Britain The sky was already murky at 4 p.m. when I locked my bike outside Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street. Inside, it was even murkier: wood-panelled corridors stretched off into the gloom, men in grey suits were wedged together, smoking Bensons and drinking bitter. No one looked even slightly like an Arch Priest of the Council of British Druid Orders. At 4:10 I found a separate little bar near the back of the pub. As I walked in, a big man with round...

similar: Cops: Teacher accused of sexual assault 'wed' girl in pagan ritual http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-18/110209058626630.xml?grpress?NEG

Danielle Woodwyk says her pagan faith is about love, but worries others may draw darker conclusions from a criminal-sexual conduct case police say involved paganism. The Kentwood mother says nothing in her religion condones the sexual relationship and pagan marriage that authorities say teacher Elizabeth Miklosovic, 36, had with a 14-year-old former student. "We support bonds of love, whatever you feel is right for you, but you have laws to abide by," said Woodwyk, 24. Other members of West Michigan's small pagan community also condemned Miklosovic's alleged use of a pagan ceremony to initiate the abuse. "Paganism strives for responsibility,"...

SOUTH HAVEN -- The teacher accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old former student had developed such a trusting relationship that the two "married" in a pagan ritual, state police said Thursday. "They also participated in witchcraft together," Detective Sgt. Dianne Oppenheim said. Elizabeth Miklosovic, 36, of Grand Rapids, a teacher at South Haven's Baseline Middle School, was arraigned Thursday in South Haven District Court, charged with first-degree criminal-sexual conduct, a potential life offense. She was held on a $100,000 bond. Also on Thursday, the Kent County Prosecutor's office issued warrants on first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct charges, alleging Miklosovic...

Ok, I can understand the restlessness I've been feeling since yesterday. There's a lot riding on this election, and passions are running high on both sides, so naturally eceryone and their naked brother who has an ounce of Power and no clue about Shielding is leaking energy like a hair dryer in a bathtub. So it's Shields Up for me, but I'm still getting enough bleedover to make me jittery and a little manic if I don't concentrate. That's all to be expected. What wasn't expected was that once I filtered out all that background noise, I started hearing a...

A leading conservative Anglican minister in the United States says he is "deeply saddened and outraged" that a pagan Eucharist is being promoted by leaders of the Episcopal Church USA. Last week, Christianity Today reported that the ECUSA was promoting pagan religious rites directed toward pagan deities through its Office of Women's Ministries. The magazine noted that the office's website had featured a druid liturgy submitted by a female Episcopal minister from Pennsylvania, which urged women to make raisin cakes to the "Queen of Heaven." The article also called attention to the equally non-biblical "Liturgy for Divorce" featured on the...

Pennsylvania Episcopal Bishop Charles Bennison issues a press release on his diocese's two ordained pagans: Accusations against two local priests that they are practicing druids and in violation of their ordination vows are extremely serious and merit further inquiries to establish the facts, the Rt. Rev. Charles E. Bennison, Jr., Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, said Friday. At the same time, it’s imperative to ensure that the Revs. Glyn Ruppe-Melnyk and William Melnyk are treated fairly and not victims of a "where there’s smoke, there’s fire" mentality, he said. "I am extremely concerned by the charges made against...

Weblog: Episcopal Church Officially Promotes Idol Worship "Women's Eucharist" calls for worship of pagan deities specifically condemned in Scripture. Compiled by Ted Olsen | posted 10/26/2004 Imagine for one moment that you're a leader in the Episcopal Church USA. You know that within the next few days, a global commission is going to release a report on how the global Anglican Communion should respond to your church, and is likely to be critical of the ordination of an actively homosexual man as bishop. You know, and have said yourself, that the debate isn't just about sexuality: It's about how one...

What we don't know can hurt us What the press teaches about Islam and other religions is not nearly as important as what it leaves out of its reportingBy Marvin Olasky Last year WORLD examined the treatment of Christian conservatives in the press. This year, with the war in Iraq, the slant of stories about Saddam Hussein and the effort to stop him is significant. But it's even more important over the long run that our press educators alert us to the warlike propensities of a large chunk of Islam, not just an extremist faction. Christianity has had its...

The question ‘When did you stop beating your wife?’ is a well known rhetorical device to illustrate the impossible situation in which whatever answer someone gives traps them into an admission of guilt. Now the government appears to have updated this for the modern era with the question: ‘When did you stop getting beaten by your husband?’ For from next year, it is to instruct doctors and midwives to ask all pregnant women if they are being abused by their husbands or boyfriends. The implications of this are breathtaking. What kind of society presumes that all men are inherently bad?...

Just thought I'd test the waters here at FR's religion board. Any other Pagan Conservatives here?

Sorry for the caps - not angry at freepers just angry at Kerry for being so fay. Tell me am not the only one who thinks this way. http://freepers.zill.net/users/dennisw_fr/fr/kerry_buddhist_greet4.jpg WHAT'S UP WITH KERRY AND HIS WIFE ALWAYS GIVING THIS HINDU / BUDDHIST LIKE GREETING EVERYWHERE THEY GO? I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST PEOPLE IN INDIA SOUTH ASIA DOING THIS BUT KERRY? COME ON - HOW FAKE CAN YOU GET - THIS GUY IS A DOOFUS. I THOUGHT THE BUDDHIST GREETING IS DONE BY THE FOREHEAD. I DON'T WANT A HINDU NEW AGE TOUCHY FEELY WIMP AS MY PRESIDENT - I WANT...

Sunday morning Christian worship replaced with Wiccan Witchcraft Ritual Read about Trinity United Methodist Church (PDF), which defines itself as supporting  "Creation Spirituality."Excerpts from this news article: New voices emerge in pulpit swap SundayWiccans included in interfaith exchange marking Sept. 11 anniversaryBy Eileen E. FlynnAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFMonday, September 13, 2004It's almost 9 a.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church on Sunday, and Tom Davis, a Wiccan, is looking for the sun.  In a few moments, he will cast the circle, pointing to each direction and invoking the four elements:  earth, air, fire and water.  He starts by facing east."By the earth...

GREAT FALLS -- About a dozen pagans gathered at Town Hall on Monday to show support for Great Falls resident Darla Wynne. Last week, Wynne returned home from dinner with a friend and discovered one of her parrots had been beheaded and his heart cut out, she said. A note attached to the back of Little One, Wynne's 8-year-old African gray parrot, said, "You're next!" "I was frantic looking for his little head, and later I did find his heart," Wynne said tearfully. "They want me to leave this town. I feel so responsible for this. I shouldn't have gone...

How modern pagans are reviving the polytheistic religions of the ancient Greeks, Druids, Egyptians, and other civilizations. This year, Andrea Berman will watch the Olympics for the first time in her life. But she doesn't care who will jump the highest, run the farthest or swim the fastest. She'll be watching the games—being held this year in Greece, their ancestral home—for any mention of Zeus, Athena or Apollo. "I will watch it to see if anything even remotely resembles anything I would know as an ancient ritual and tradition," Berman said. "But I kind of have mixed feelings. On one...

A druid swordbearer appeared in court today charged with possessing an offensive weapon. Merlin Michael Williams, 26, of Edgell Road, Westbourne, Emsworth, Hants, was arrested on Friday, July 9, after he was stopped by a security guard in a branch of Wilkinson general stores with his sheathed 3ft ceremonial sword slung over his shoulder. He appeared before Portsmouth Magistrates today dressed in a green robe, blue cloak and with talismans around his neck. Acting as his legal adviser during the short hearing today was chief druid King Arthur Pendragon, swordbearer of Britain, who was dressed in white robes with a...

One of John Edwards' claims to fame in becoming such a wealthy trial lawyer was his ability to "channel", purportedly bringing his victims directly into touch with the juries he was trying to sway in big $$$ class action lawsuits. Channeling, of course, is a new-age phenom akin to spiritual mediums and the like, in which the newly nominated VP candidate, like the legacy of the legendary Pagan John Edwards, serves as an empty vessel for spirits of the dead to communicate with those of us in this material world. Imagine how beneficial that will be when he debates Dick...

When the Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his wife were crowned the "King and Queen of Peace" on March 23\super \nosupersub -- inside the Dirksen Senate Office Building with Members of Congress looking on -- few news outlets took notice. But in the months since Moon's March 23\super rd\nosupersub "coronation" as Messiah, a growing number of people are questioning the appropriateness of allowing a "coronation" to take place inside a government building. At a press conference on Wednesday, Jewish, Muslim and Christian representatives from the organization that sponsored Moon's coronation unapologetically defended the ceremony, its location, and Moon's Messiah declaration....

Scientists find traces of pagan and early Christian era settlements. Posted: 15/06/04 The Akhaltskhe expedition of the Georgian Archeological Center will finish the archeological excavations in two days in the village of Klde. The archeologists excavated two hundred meters’ distance, down to 8 meters’ depth, where they found traces of old settlements dating back to III-IV centuries A.D. In the cemetery they found an ex settlement and skeletons of the warriors, with the marks of scars on the bones, made with the iron weapons. Besides, golden earrings and a bronze ring, with the engraved cross, were found during the excavations....