Camp for Nude Witches Fights Closing

Reuters ^ | 11-28-2001

[Cagey]

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (Reuters) - A Kansas retreat that caters to witches and pagan rituals is fighting for survival amid community talk that naked witches may be weaving magical spells in the moonlight.

The owners of the Gaea Retreat Center, a 168-acre camp west of Kansas City that is home to such annual events as the Gaea Goddess Gathering and a "Heartland Pagan Spiritual event" filed suit on Monday in Leavenworth County District Court after county commissioners effectively put the retreat out of business by denying it a renewal of its land use permit.

"They say they're afraid of us, what we do here, the sound of drums. ... They don't know how lucky they are to have us as their neighbors," caretaker Wanda Roths said. "We're very quiet, very peaceful. There has never been any trouble out here."

The Leavenworth County commissioners denied the renewal for the permit, issued six years ago, in late October after a community petition raised accusations that the retreat fostered public nudity, pedophilia, and illegal drug and alcohol use. Neighbors also expressed concern about devil worship.

The suit claims the commissioners' denial is illegal and unconstitutional, as well as violating laws protecting freedom of religious expression and practice.

Lawyers for the county declined to comment.

The retreat denies any illegal activity, and county officials say there is no evidence of any.

Roths said there are "clothing optional" locations on the retreat grounds, and witches, Wiccans and other pagans do sometimes hold nighttime meetings around bonfires. But the retreat at times also attracts more traditional religious followers, she said.

Gaea, which means "Mother Earth," offers sanctuary to a variety of alternative religions and lifestyles, according to Roths. "We accept anybody," she said.

Before its current incarnation, the sprawling site was a church camp.

[BlueLancer]

Camp for Nude Witch Fights Closing?

I'm sorry, I never knew that nude witches fought. Is that something like mud or jello wrestling? (PAUSE)

Ohhh... Camp for Nude Witches Fights Closing.
Never mind.

[mark_interrupted]

I think Wanda was the good witch.

[biblewonk]

If gay people want to get together at bathhouses and have sex, why would you want to stop them? You would want to strike at the freedom that's the very essence of this country.

Ofcourse you would say that. We all know what GW stands for. Why not defend porn and kiddie porn with the 1st ammendment now?

[biblewonk]

:-D

Very good!

[Wm Bach]

If one was a witch, would you really want to, um, sit on a broom upon which another naked witch was just sitting without the benefit of any cloth or moisture barrier between the broom's handle and their, uh, *ahem* seat-area parts which have a proclivity towards persperation and, *cough* leakage?

[clamper1797]

Oh no there go my summer vacation plans if they close the camp

[biblewonk]

You will never believe the fact that I love gays more than most people who defend them.

[biblewonk]

yer momma.

[Zeroisanumber]

So I have to sit back and watch my schools and libraries and media and countryside be taken over by queers and witches and sit by and applaud. I also should applaud everytime the ACLU kicks out some vestage or hint that a person named Jesus Christ ever walked the earth from every place in my town except the closed doors of churches and houses? To do would be less than American. Well, I'm a Christian, it is my highest title, then comes husband then comes father of 8, then comes American somewhere else after that.

Earlier you stated that when the fundamental constitutional rights of others are violated you would "...look the other way". Yet you creech about the ACLU.

sigh

I am an athiest, and I really don't care what superstition you wish to follow. I think that they're the psychological and philosophical equivalents of security blankets. I will, however, defend to the death your right to believe what you will and worship as you will. I do that because I live in this country and happend to believe strongly in the right of people to assemble and do whatever the hell they want in their private lives. I also believe that if we ever lost that right myself and my fellow athiests would be some of the first against the wall.

These pagans aren't hurting anyone, and I fail to see why you object so strongly to their right to assemble and worship as they will in private.

Your kind of "I'm a Christian before I'm an American" pap is what makes me think that the ACLU might not be wrong in keeping religion out of public life.

[newgeezer]

And here, all this time, I, the Church, and artists throughout history have been under the impression nudity in art was to celebrate the human form. Now we have you to inform us we were only appreciating pre-expulsion from the garden images and as such they were historically accurate.

YOU mentioned God and Adam, and the fact that Adam is nude in the painting. THAT's what I quoted and responded to.

Ignorant prude...

Self-righteous, slack-jawed blowhard.

[biblewonk]

208 was for you but I missed.

[TopQuark]

caters to witches and pagan rituals is fighting for survival amid community talk that naked witches may be weaving magical spells in the moonlight.

The reporter is confused: since the Clintons left, we no longer have such things in the White House...

[Ward Smythe]

Have you ever read the bible?

Daily.

For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man. - Mark 7:21-23 (NAS)

And while I get what you're trying to imply being a "fool for Christ" as in:

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV)

That's a far cry from Christians being a "foolish" people.

fool-ish adj.. 1. Lacking or exhibiting a lack of good sense or judgment; silly. 2. Resulting from stupidity or misinformation; unwise. 3. Arousing laughter; absurd or ridiculous. 4. Immoderate or subborn; unreasonable. 5. Embarrassed, abashed. 6 Insignificant; trivial.
American Heritage College Dictionary, Third Edition.

It's a word game. But your use of the word made it sound like we're supposed to be stupid.

[The Green Goblin]

If you believe that biblewonk was merely "quoting from the article", then it is you who has problems with reading comprehension. I refer you to post #21 by biblewonk:

public nudity, pedophilia, and illegal drugs
"There is nothing wrong with any of these things to a witch."

Yep, he's really quoting form the article there!

[biblewonk]

OK so I'm just talking to myself.

[Cyber Liberty]

"Glad to see you're still around, my friend ;)"

I, myself, find that hard to believe as well (The part about my still being here).

[biblewonk]

Kids think they are hated when they are not allowed to do what they want to do.