Comments on: Who Are Teaching the (Catholic) Youth

By: The Wild Hunt » The Smearing of Assisi

The Wild Hunt » The Smearing of Assisi — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:53:52 +0000

[...] meetings, setting back progress on relations between the Catholic Church and non-Christian faiths (incidents like this don’t happen in a vacuum). Meanwhile, the rest of the world’s religions have moved on, the Parliament of the [...]

By: The Wild Hunt » The Mainstreaming of Exorcisms

The Wild Hunt » The Mainstreaming of Exorcisms — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 11:03:03 +0000

[...] now we have a simmering pot of assumptions, prejudices, conspiracy theories, and demonization that only occasionally bubbles up into something truly worrisome; but as economic hard times continue to drag on, and fringe ideas about spiritual warfare and [...]

By: The Wild Hunt » The Handcuffed Demons Within You

The Wild Hunt » The Handcuffed Demons Within You — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:02:06 +0000

[...] Obviously not all Catholics are demon-haunted like Father Euteneuer, my father’s a staunch Catholic and I don’t think he believes I’m being controlled by various devils (right dad?), nor do most rank-and-file believers seem to be lining up for exorcisms because their teenager is reading “Twilight” or dabbling in Wicca. But this new zeal for exorcisms among certain priests and believers is troublesome, especially since Euteneur isn’t the first exorcist to list modern Paganism as a symptom of possession. Further, their zeal for occult battle is vindicated when prominent Bishops fear a looming “esoteric religiosity” due to the evils of secularism, and their Pope warns of “subjugation to occult powers” in his encyclical on love. When your religion isn’t merely criticized, or found to be in error, but actively demonized, seen as a pure evil to be cast out, there can be no real conversation or understanding. It sparks a dehumanizing process that can lead to violent outbursts against those who are “other”. [...]

By: mark and sopka

mark and sopka — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 12:55:00 +0000

When you read enough articles one willows out the truth out here in the heartland. After last Winter solstice hysteria about Christmas it was decided to de-demonize Halloween and shove christ in it. So what we unbelievers where accused of doing last year to christmas the church in its myriad of incarnations decided to do to Halloween this year. In describing why they had to take back halloweeen and force children to listen to a sermon on a more less secular holiday for most american families was the demonization of Celtic history and folklore and folkmagic the rhetoric used is not nice or pretty. I hear it also happened in england concerted effort to santifiy and pastuerize Halloween. Of course when doing so one make the old ways look bad and the pepole of those ways pagans less than lest a good christian child be attracted to paganinsm. When young people get a scent of a disapproved minority they can’t help venting hormonal angst and rage at a convenient scapegoat

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 13:11:00 +0000

Thanks for the heads-up to my blog!With regard to this:>One involved an abusive exchange of words in a local shop, which the owner found offensive and led to police intervention. Because of this, the person involved in this was not allowed to register at our retreat. I should think the owner did find it offensive, given that she was called a whore and asked how she’d like the young man’s fist up her ass. All this was captured on CCTV…The sister of the shop owner is, by the way, an Anglican vicar. So it’s not as though she goes out of her way to avoid Christians. The retreat has been cancelled for next year, and many of the local pagan community, including myself, feel that this is a shame. Glastonbury is an ancient seat of Christianity as well as of paganism (its Christian past is actually rather more concretely established than its pagan past, in fact). Many of those young people have now been deprived of a valuable spiritual experience because of the actions of a few.I’ve written to Fr Knox-Lecky to invite him down to the shop and see what we actually do. My partner is from a Wiccan background but is also a Druid, as am I. There’s no conflict between Druidry and Christianity. But there’s no room for intolerance and bigotry, either.

By: Daven

Daven — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 13:58:00 +0000

Hopefully this will restore the peaceful equilibrium between local Christians and Pagans (both groups consider Glastonbury a holy place). Would that the Jews, Christians and Muslims act with the same decorum and consideration in regards to Jerusalem. It might solve a lot of problems.

By: Jenn93

Jenn93 — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 19:18:00 +0000

It is interesting. When I went to high school, a great deal of people (not all) who wore a crucifix around their neck were the same people who put kittens on the car engine, closed the hood, and ran the car engine(no joke.) Many of these people attacked anyone who wore dark clothing and verbally or physically attacked Pagans. On the other hand there were a great many Christian people I sat and talked to who didn’t put words in my mouth, take what I say out of context, lie, make assumptions, or call me names (some did). These people were interesting and I loved their company. Unfortunatly, many of them stopped being my friend as soon as they realized that despite their kindness and honesty, I simply do not believe in their god, practices, and cosmology, and was not going to convert. I suppose they were frusterated because they figured if they treat me like a human being (which everyone is suppost to do anyway) then I will abandon my honest belifs and expiriences and go with them. Meanwhile, the kindest, most level headed, loving people I ever met are Pagans. I’m not saying one group is more loving than the other. I’m saying the opposite. No one group has a monopoly on love. Pagans and other religions expirience Divine Love as well, and until people except that, they are going to be very frusterated. Christians believe you cannot be saved unless you accept Jesus. No exceptions. Whether they are loving or dangerous, many Pagans who know in their heart, head, body and soul that they are on the right path are not going to give it up. That must be terribly frusterating for them.