The response to Sunday’s post on some right-wing Christians’ plans for “spiritual warfare” has been strong. But it has not been unanimous. A few have expressed some legitimate concerns (including two Pagan bloggers I greatly respect, one here and the other here) and I’d like to address them. What’s wrong with a bunch of Christians praying for America? Absolutely nothing. But these particular Christians aren’t praying for America – they’re praying to establish a theocracy. In their own words “we... Read more

Throughout history, when times have gotten tough, people have banded together in ever-tightening clans and blamed their problems on The Other: foreigners, Jews, heretics, witches… It is happening again. Times are tough, the future is uncertain and some in our society find it convenient to blame it all on Muslims, immigrants, gays, liberals, and of course, Pagans. On today’s Wild Hunt, Jason Pitzl-Waters shows two videos from groups who want to “take back” America and remake it in their image... Read more

Being an engineer is more than how I make my living – it’s part of who I am.  I’m never satisfied with simply knowing that something does work, I want to know how it works.  I read owners manuals and technical specifications.  I take things apart and put them back together.  For me the greatest question isn’t “why?” it’s “how?” So it should come as no surprise that I find theology fascinating.  Who are these gods and goddesses I’ve experienced? ... Read more

The Pantheon blog on the Patheos Pagan Portal has a new essay by Laura Patsouris titled “Restoring Our Pre-Conquest Mind.” It blames the ills of the contemporary Western world on the conquest of tribal societies by Christians. This, she says, replaced sustainable tribal values and practices with the values of conquest and empire. Her solution is to join with existing indigenous cultures and “reclaim our pre-conquest mind.” Despite missing a few large facts (conflict and conquest have been a part... Read more

Seven books. Eight movies. Now it’s over – now I’ve read and seen them all. I first heard of Harry Potter when a young woman who worked for me said she was going to a release party for a children’s book. The young woman was quite immature and totally unprepared for the business world – thankfully, she quit before I had to fire her. In my mind “Harry Potter” was associated with “children’s book” and “silly girl who needs to... Read more

How much of our religion should we share? When should we talk about our spiritual practices and when should we keep silent? What is helpful to discuss and what is not? Via Chas Clifton’s Letter From Hardscrabble Creek comes this from Sarah Lawless, the “Witch of Forest Grove” who complains about “Oversharing Witches.” Recalling a recent dinner discussion with other Pagans, she says: We were all flabbergasted by oversharing witches who feel the need to tell everyone who their gods... Read more

Here’s a link to an excellent essay on Huffington Post by Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism. Here is the gist of the piece: Americans are disenchanted with liberal religion because they crave religious passion, because they yearn for moments of religious ecstasy, and because they are disenchanted with religious institutions and leaders who spend too much time talking and who seem genuinely afraid of religious feeling. It is understandable that UUs and other religious... Read more

I remember the thrill of finding money as a kid: on a sidewalk, in a parking lot, and in that little slice of the Otherworld – between the cushions of the couch. It was a surprise, it was fun, and for a kid whose piggybank (actually, a small red box with a tiny lock) usually held less than $10, finding even a nickel was a financial windfall. As I got older and got used to handling more money, the thrill... Read more

The picture shown here is from an internet church sign generator, not a real church sign. But it was made by a real Unitarian Universalist and it expresses the feelings of many religious liberals: there is no such thing as Original Sin. I was born right the first time, thankyouverymuch. Anna Snoeyenbos, a UU living in Atlanta, has an excellent discussion of this on her blog Deep River Faith. Original Sin, for those of you who are Sunday School dropouts,... Read more

If you’re in the North Texas area, please join us on Saturday, July 16 from 1:00 till 5:00 for our “Introduction to Modern Pagan Religion” class.  We’ll cover the beliefs and practices of our ancient ancestors, the origins of Wicca and other modern Pagan religions (and the differences between them), basic concepts shared by most Pagans today, the structure of group rituals and how to lead them, and the essentials of personal spiritual practice.  This will be an update of... Read more