Free Republic

Witches, Druids and pagans rejoice! The Air Force Academy in Colorado is about to recognize its first Wiccan prayer circle, a Stonehenge on the Rockies that will serve as an outdoor place of worship for the academy's neo-pagans.

Earth Religions Get Worship Area At AF Academy By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer DENVER – The Air Force Academy has set aside an outdoor worship area for Pagans, Wiccans, Druids and other Earth-centered believers, school officials said Monday. A double circle of stones atop a hill on the campus near Colorado Springs has been designated for the group, which previously met indoors. "Being with nature and connecting with it is kind of the whole point," said Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, who sponsors the group and describes himself as a Pagan. "It will dramatically improve that atmosphere, the mindset and...

A coven of witches is accusing the Roman Catholic church of religious persecution after being banned from using a parish social centre for a Halloween gathering. Sandra Davis, High Priestess at the Crystal Cauldron Sandra Davis, the "high priestess" of Crystal Cauldron group in Stockport, Greater Manchester, said she was shocked to be told that the pagan group was not considered to be compatible with the church's "ethos". Mrs Davis, 61, booked Our Lady's Social Club in Shaw Heath, Stockport, for the group's annual "Witches Ball" due to be held in October. She hoped to attract up to 150 people...

For many Westerners, “witchcraft” may seem a “benign form of New Age spirituality,” said John L. Allen in the U.S.’s National Catholic Reporter. The chaplain’s handbook for the U.S. military even recognizes Wicca, a modern form of witchcraft, as a “legitimate religious practice.” But in Africa, witchcraft is an evil that continues to flourish with devastating consequences. In Angola and Congo, seriously ill or orphaned children are often accused of sorcery and abused or killed. Secretive cults on Nigeria’s university campuses, with names such as “Black Axes” and “Pyrates,” often practice juju (black magic) to terrify their rivals. Hundreds have...

A reporter for The Nation magazine reported today that the President Barack Hussein Obama support group Code Pink held a witchcraft ceremony to 'cleanse' the White House on President Bush's last full day in office.One of Code Pink's leaders, Jodie Evans, was an early financial supporter of Obama's, serving as a bundler for his campaign and donating the maximum to his primary and general election campaigns, as well as thousands of dollars to the Obama Victory Fund. Code Pink also organized get out the vote efforts for Obama.Code Pink's affiliation with witchcraft was present at its creation--a Wiccan who calls...

While Senator Barack Obama struggles to keep the public in the dark about the nature of his pro-U.N. Global Poverty Act, a recent "Bay Area Interfaith Leaders' Luncheon" was held to lobby for Senate passage of the bill, whose cost has been estimated at $845 billion. An actual witch who spoke at a "Pagan Pride" festival in San Francisco was one of the listed participants. The witch, known as the "Elder Donald Frew" of the "Wiccan Community," was interviewed by the Reverend Don Lewis of "Witch School International" for a "reality" show called "Magick TV" and is shown talking about...

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- A Wiccan pentacle has joined a controversial nativity scene at Green Bay's City Hall. The manger scene was put up by City Council President Chad Fradette, who wanted to defy an anti-religious group that was protesting another nativity scene in a nearby town. However, the Wiccans said that was an abuse of power and requested that the Wiccan symbol go up next to the nativity. "I want to see all those other faiths that we don't get an opportunity to see in Green Bay, Wis., because we are sometimes relegated to that," said Wiccan Kelly Winters....

A common gripe of the Left in general and the DUmmies in particular is that conservatives are a bunch of ignorant, superstitious, rightwing fundamentalists. They like to portray themselves as rational humanists who are somehow above religious "superstition." However, if you scratch a DUmmie, you will often find that, below the surface, there exists a bunch of groupthink ignoramuses who swallow outlandish cult rantings without question. As evidence I present this DUmmie THREAD titled, "I'm thinking of leaving my coven/school." Right away, the fact that DUmmie MorningGlow uses the word "coven" seriously is a clear tell of her irrational...

MADISON, Wis. (April 24) - The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemeteries and on goverment-issued headstones of fallen soldiers, according to a settlement announced Monday. A settlement between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Wiccans adds the five-pointed star to the list of "emblems of belief" allowed on VA grave markers. "I am glad this has ended in success in time to get markers for Memorial Day," said Wiccan priestess Selena Fox. Eleven families nationwide are waiting for grave markers with the pentacle, said Selena Fox, a Wiccan high priestess with...

Religion News Solstice rite held early at Stonehenge Dec 22, 2006 LONDON, England (UPI) -- Around 60 people turned up to celebrate the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge Thursday - on the wrong day. After negotiating with site managers, the crowd performed traditional solstice activities and left peacefully. One reveller, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'We formed a ring and held hands, and touched the stones. The man with the green cloak was there. But there were an awful lot of red faces,' she said. The Pagan Winter Solstice celebration is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world....

With an estimated 400,000 members nationwide, and a high-profile fight with the federal government over veterans' grave markers, Wiccans are moving into a more prominent place in the religious landscape. Selena Fox is leading the way. A Wiccan priestess and founder of Circle Sanctuary, a 200-acre nature center in the Wisconsin woods about 30 miles west of Madison, Fox battles for acceptance of the so-called neo-pagan religion. Though they are often equated with witches, many Wiccans reject the label because of the baggage it brings. Fox, whose graying hair flows midway down her purple dress and matching cape, exudes more...

NEO-PAGAN Wiccans in the United States have gone to court to force the US military to accept their five-pointed star-in-a-circle symbol on tombstones in military cemeteries, a civil liberties group said today. The American Civil Liberties Union said the Wiccans want to have their symbol recognised for use in the official veterans' graveyards in the same way that Christian crosses, the Jewish Star of David and symbols for Muslims, Sikhs and adherents of other religions - 38 in all - are used.

“Your son and daughter might be the next Hansel and Gretel,” should have been the warning label on the Guide to Paganism supplied to British prison governors by the Pagan Federation. Michael Spurr, director of operations of the Prison Service, approved the new norms, which allow pagan British inmates possession of incenses and an amulet, the services of pagan “chaplains,” and the practice of rites and chants in their cells, London’s Times reported on October 17th of last year.  Pretence of Antiquity Witchcraft and paganism have been growing worldwide, especially the practice of Wicca, for which courses one can now...

I am a retired university administrator and faculty member, a lifelong Methodist (now United Methodist), a clergy wife, a mother and a grandmother. At this age I had imagined that I would be happily treasuring traditional Christian views, following the well-worn path to the church, and participating in all the usual “keep-’em-busy-and-involved” church activities. Here I am at 78 raising more questions about the Christian faith than ever before. I am offended by the continued use of sexist language and bored by the endless rehearsal of our ancient doctrines. I can no longer think like a first century Christian, the...

DUXBURY - She doesn’t always wear the robe and the cloak, but the Rev. Kendra Vaughan Hovey is never without her priest’s collar. As the elder high priestess of the First Church of Wicca in Duxbury, the white collar is more than a symbol of her beliefs. She says it provides an opportunity to educate others about those beliefs. Sitting in her home office, where she prepares sermons, answers e-mail and prays at the altar neatly set in the corner beneath a window, Hovey recalls a recent interaction at her daughter’s dance recital. ‘‘One of the other mothers said she’d...

The Catholic chaplain of St Andrew's University in Scotland has defended the institution's decision to officially recognise Wiccans. St Andrews University, whose graduates include Prince William, has decided to allocate an area for followers of the alternative religion to hold festivals and rituals after university bosses feared they could be prosecuted under human rights legislation. Now pagan or wiccans as they prefer to be called, will be allowed to use campus buildings and outdoor space for festivals, providing they do not utter incantations or spells that might harm others. Nor may not raise spirits or to call up dark forces,...

Tallahassee, FL – Liberty Counsel filed a brief with the Florida Supreme Court defending a state law that exempts Bibles, religious publications and ceremonial items from sales tax. The lawsuit was filed by The Wiccan Religious Cooperative of Florida, Inc. (“Wiccan”) against the Department of Revenue. Wiccan says it paid sales tax on the purchase of the Satanic Bible and the Witch’s Bible Compleat. Instead of seeking a refund, Wiccan filed suit, claiming Florida Statute 212.06(9) violates the Establishment Clause. Florida law exempts from sales tax “the use, sale, or distribution of religious publications, Bibles, hymn books, prayer books, vestments,...

Scared of Halloween The Objectivist Center & Atlas Society ^ | October 31, 2005 | Edward Hudgins Posted on 10/31/2005 10:00:31 AM PST by Ed Hudgins Scared of Halloween By Edward Hudgins Exective Director The Objectivist Center & Atlas Society ehudgins@objectivistcenter.org October 31, 2005 Halloween has its origins in superstition and sadly, it invokes old and new superstitions still. Halloween, from "All Hallows Eve," was the evening before the Catholic All Saints Day and was supposed to be haunted by demons jealous of the holy day to follow. It also had roots in prehistoric Celtic mythology. But in modern times...

Scared of Halloween By Edward Hudgins Exective Director The Objectivist Center & Atlas Society ehudgins@objectivistcenter.org October 31, 2005 Halloween has its origins in superstition and sadly, it invokes old and new superstitions still. Halloween, from "All Hallows Eve," was the evening before the Catholic All Saints Day and was supposed to be haunted by demons jealous of the holy day to follow. It also had roots in prehistoric Celtic mythology. But in modern times it's developed into a fun day where children dress in ghoulish or cute costumes and canvass the neighborhood for candy while adults at masquerade parties imbibe...

Toronto School Board Warns Against Offending Wiccans at Halloween Calls Halloween “religious day of significance for Wiccans” which “should be treated respectfully” TORONTO, October 28, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Toronto School Board warned its schools that Halloween as it is traditionally celebrated may offend Wiccans, even suggesting that to a Wiccan unuse to the event, it might be experienced as a “traumatic shock.”In a memo to teachers and principals, the board claimed, “Many recently arrived students in our schools share absolutely none of the background cultural knowledge that is necessary to view ‘trick or treating,’ the commercialization of death, the...