There are lots of articles and essays of interest to modern Pagans out there, sometimes more than I can write about in-depth in any given week. So The Wild Hunt must unleash the hounds in order to round them all up.According to a Gallup poll, confidence in organized religion has reached an all-time low in the United States. Only 44% of those polled had a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in "the church or organized religion" today. Quote: "Two major findings apparent in Gallup's confidence in the church and organized religion trend are, first, the long-term decline in Americans' confidence in this societal institution since 1973, and second, the suppressed confidence among … [Read more...]
“Religious Freedom” Laws, Inspirational Messages, and Religious Minorities
March 28, 2012 by
The idea of the United States as a pluralistic, secular, society where no single religious expression is enshrined has always gotten push-back, and experienced robust dissent over the years. To many, America is a "Christian" nation (sometimes a "Judeo-Christian" nation), and all others live here under their sufferance. The Rev. Dennis Terry's recent comments at a Rick Santorum presidential rally typify the more vituperative side of this particular sentiment. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2emBxDOY7g“I don’t care what the naysayers say. This nation was founded as a Christian nation. The god of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. There is only one God. There is only one Go … [Read more...]
Quick Notes: Congregational Paganism, Pagan Metal, and a Pagan Millionaire
March 14, 2012 by
A few quick Pagan news notes for you on this Wednesday.Congregational Paganism in Arizona: The East Valley Tribune spotlights the Sacred Spiral Pagan Church of Arizona, who recently received their 501(c)3 status, and explores why they abandoned the small-group coven model for a congregational model.High Priestess Rosemary Szymanski disbanded her coven in favor of the Sacred Spiral Pagan Church of Arizona in 2007, having gained 501(c)3 status, which means that the federal government recognizes the group as a tax-exempt church. The whole process of becoming a church took about two years, but the wait was mostly because of paperwork, Szymanski said. In the years since abandoning the … [Read more...]
Away at FaerieCon West (Plus Some News Links)
February 10, 2012 by
I'm in Seattle, Washington this weekend, part of the team that's putting on FaerieCon West, a transformational celebration of music, myth, fantasy, and, of course, faerie. While FaerieCon West, and events like it, are not explicitly Pagan, the openness and embrace of Pagan culture can’t be missed by anyone whose eyes are open to it.While there are many presentations and performances I'm looking forward to, I'm perhaps most excited about participating in a panel discussion with Jeet Kei Leung, who's writing a book entitled “Dancing Together into The Great Shift: Transformational Festivals & The New Evolutionary Culture”, and once again getting to interview famed urban fantasy autho … [Read more...]
