It appears that the controversial move by Canadian Public Safety Minister Vic Toews to retract a paid position for a Wiccan prison chaplain was merely a harbinger of much bigger things. The CBC reports that Toews, who oversees Canada’s penitentiaries, has eliminated all paid part-time chaplain services, effectively making government prison chaplaincy a Christian-only affair."Inmates of other faiths, such as Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jews, will be expected to turn to Christian prison chaplains for religious counsel and guidance, according to the office of Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, who is also responsible for Canada’s penitentiaries. [...] Toews' office says that as a result of … [Read more...]
Being a Religious Minority (in Public Schools)
October 4, 2012 by
What's it like to be a religious minority in a Christian-dominated culture? Jews on First has published a must-read in-depth exploration of what it's like for Jewish students going to public schools in the South, consistently exposed to peer pressure and conversion attempts by their Christian classmates, behavior often (directly and indirectly) supported by faculty."It can be the little stuff, like my classmates wishing me to have a 'blessed day'. I know that really means that Jesus blesses you," says Jane. "I have a friend who introduces me as her 'Jewish friend, Jane'. It's always in your face. Not a day goes by that I'm not reminded that I'm a Jew." [..] One parent relates how his … [Read more...]
What Does the Growth of Unitarian Universalism Mean?
October 3, 2012 by
There's a certain truism that's been adopted by commentators and analyzers of religion in the United States (and more broadly in the West), that liberal Protestant Christianity is in a demographic death spiral, and thus liberal forms of Christianity itself are in danger of winking out of existence. Conservative columnist Ross Douthat, author of "Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics," made waves this past Summer by asking if liberal Christianity could be saved. "...if conservative Christianity has often been compromised, liberal Christianity has simply collapsed. Practically every denomination — Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian — that has tried to adapt itself to contemporary lib … [Read more...]
Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)
September 28, 2012 by
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.The Somerset Guardian reports on a Clutton History Society meeting, featuring a talk from historian Ronald Hutton, author of "The Triumph of the Moon:A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft." Quote: "After the summer break Clutton History Society resumed its monthly programme of talks in September with a visit from Professor Ronald Hutton, of Bristol University's History Department, who gave a talk entitled Village Witchcraft. Appropriately the audience were spell bound with … [Read more...]
