The Reason for the Season?

Winter Solstice Buddha Painting by Cherie Glasco

Oh, we're knee deep in the holiday season now, aren't we? Hanukkah has passed. The Winter Solstice is upon us, and Christmas and Kwanzaa are coming up this weekend. Of course, it wouldn't be December without claims that there is a War on Christmas (history), debates over whether to use "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays," arguments over the holiday's Pagan/Heathen roots (and even calls to return to the holiday's pagan roots), atheist appeals to reason, astronomical explanations for the Winter Solstice, crying over "Xmas" as crossing Christ out of Christmas, and all sorts of other nonsense.

Are you feeling the holiday warmth now?

30 days of Advocacy against Witch-Hunts in Africa

The South African Pagan Rights Alliance would like to request you to support an annual 30 day advocacy campaign against witch-hunts in Africa from March 29 through April 27, 2010. For more information on the campaign, a list of hunting incidents that have occurred just this year, and a collection of advocacy links, go to the Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=274505543709 Sign up, sign the petition, and spread the word.

(Separation of) Church & State for May 2009

The May 2009 edition of Church & State, the monthly publication from Americans United for Separation of Church and State, is now online. Top stories include:

• Special Delivery: Letters From AU’s Legal Department Solve Church-State Problems In Public Schools Without Going To Court
• A+ Arizona: State Supreme Court Flunks Voucher Subsidies For Religious And Other Private Schools
• Power Struggle: With James Dobson Inching Toward Retirement And Others Off The Scene, Many Wonder Who Will Fill The Religious Right’s Bully Pulpit
• Texas Two-Step: State School Board Takes One Step Forward On Science Standards – And Two Steps Back

Visit now: http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cs_2009_05

Church & State for April 2009

The April 2009 edition of Church & State, the monthly publication from Americans United for Separation of Church and State, is now online. Top stories include:

• Touchdown At The Supreme Court
• Fighting ‘Faith-Based’ Bias
• High Court Commandment
• Senate Voucher Victory

Visit now: http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cs_2009_04

Blaze of Glory

I'm blogging this article for two reasons:

1. It mentions Ásatrú.
2. It concerns a matter of religious freedom/choice.

Hindus In Britain Demand Traditional Cremation

More:

• wikipedia entry on "Cremation"
• Death in Banaras (scholarly treatise on why Hindus cremate their dead)
• Internet Cremation Society
• Cremation versus Burial (Mainly concerned with Jewish/Christian burial at ReligiousTolerance.org)
• "Beowulf" and Cremation

Ignoring the Seeress

Ancient Greek Play has Lessons for Peak Oil Discussion An Archdruid draws some interesting correlations between the doomed daughter of Priam (Cassandra from Aeschylus’ play Agamemnon) and a recent ASPO (Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas) event. Sneak peak:

...In terms of the original tale, though, the whole cast of Cassandra’s story was present and accounted for at the ASPO conference last week. The event took place in an expensive hotel across the street from the California state capitol, with skyscrapers filling in for the fabled towers of Troy, and King Priam played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who did not attend the conference but prefers a penthouse suite in the same hotel to the less private comforts of the governor’s mansion up the street. Lunches, finger food for breaks, and hors d’oeuvres for the evening receptions all tended toward the overly precious, and the uniformed hotel staff bustled about like servants at a Bronze Age royal court.

In this setting, the presentations and talk at the conference took on a surreal quality, as though the global civilization we were discussing – the one running out of cheap and easily available fossil fuels – was on some other planet. I’m not at all sure how many of the attendees took the time to connect the energy that provided climate-controlled air, fluorescent lighting, PowerPoint slideshows and overabundant snacks for the conference with the sinking lines on graphs that tracked our world’s rapidly depleting oil, coal, and natural gas reserves. I’m even less sure how many of them traced out those graphs to their logical conclusions and thought through the likely impacts on their own lives; even in peak oil circles, this is surprisingly uncommon...

Read the whole thing: Energy Bulletin: Cassandra's View by John Michael Greer

Palin and the Kenyan Witchhunter

I'm sure there were stranger news stories about Sarah Palin or even Kenya this week. Certainly, there are more important news stories what with the financial fall-out occurring this week. But I just have to post this piece from the Times Online because, if there is only the slightest bit of truth to it, I find it highly disturbing. And it's one more reason for me to vote against the rise of the Theocratic Party (read: GOP) this November.

Palin Linked Electoral Success to Prayer of Kenyan Witchhunter (September 16, 2008)

The pastor whose prayer Sarah Palin says helped her to become governor of Alaska founded his ministry with a witchhunt against a Kenyan woman who he accused of causing car accidents through demonic spells.

At a speech at the Wasilla Assembly of God on June 8 this year, Mrs Palin described how Thomas Muthee had laid his hands on her when he visited the church as a guest preacher in late 2005, prior to her successful gubernatorial bid.

In video footage of the speech, she is seen saying: “As I was mayor and Pastor Muthee was here and he was praying over me, and you know how he speaks and he’s so bold. And he was praying “Lord make a way, Lord make a way.”

“And I’m thinking, this guy’s really bold, he doesn’t even know what I’m going to do, he doesn’t know what my plans are. And he’s praying not “oh Lord if it be your will may she become governor,” no, he just prayed for it. He said “Lord make a way and let her do this next step. And that’s exactly what happened.”

She then adds: “So, again, very very powerful, coming from this church,” before the presiding pastor comments on the “prophetic power” of the event.

An African evangelist, Pastor Muthee has given guest sermons at the Wasilla Assembly of God on at least 10 occasions in his role as the founder of the Word of Faith Church, also known as the Prayer Cave.

Pastor Muthee founded the Prayer Cave in 1989 in Kiambu, Kenya after “God spoke” to him and his late wife Margaret and called him to the country, according to the church’s website.

The pastor speaks of his offensive against a demonic presence in the town in a trailer for the evangelical video “Transformations”, made by Sentinel Group, a Christian research and information agency.

“We prayed, we fasted, the Lord showed us a spirit of witchcraft resting over the place,” Pastor Muthee says.

After the spirit was broken, the crime rate dropped to almost zero and there was “explosive church growth” while almost every bar in the town closed down, the video says.

The full Transformations video featuring Pastor Muthee’s story has recently been removed from YouTube but the rest of the story is detailed in a 1999 article in the Christian Science Monitor, as well as on numerous evangelical websites.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, six months of fervent prayer and research identified the source of the witchcraft as a local woman called Mama Jane, who ran a “divination” centre called the Emmanuel Clinic.

Her alleged involvement in fortune-telling and the fact that she lived near the site of a number of fatal car accidents led Pastor Muthee to publicly declare her a witch responsible for the town’s ills, and order her to offer her up her soul for salvation or leave Kiambu.

Says the Monitor, “Muthee held a crusade that “brought about 200 people to Christ”.” They set up round-the-clock prayer intercession in the basement of a grocery store and eventually, says the pastor “the demonic influence – the ‘principality’ over Kiambu –was broken”, and Mama Jane fled the town.

According to accounts of the witchhunt circulated on evangelical websites such as Prayer Links Ministries, after Pastor Muthee declared Mama Jane a witch, the townspeople became suspicious and began to turn on her, demanding that she be stoned. Public outrage eventually led the police to raid her home, where they fired gunshots, killing a pet python which they believed to be a demon.

After Mama Jane was questioned by police – and released – she decided it was time to leave town, the account says.

Pastor Muthee has frequently referred to this witchhunt in his sermons as an example of the power of “spiritual warfare”. In October 2005, he delivered ten sermons at the Wasilla Assembly of God, the audio of which was available on the church’s website until it was removed around the time Mrs Palin’s candidacy was announced. The blog Irregular Times has listings and screen grabs of the sermons.

It was during that these sermons that Mrs Palin, who was then preparing for her gubernatorial run, was anointed by Pastor Muthee. His intercession, she says, was “awesome”.

Her June 8 speech was to mark the graduation of students from the Wasilla Assembly of God’s Masters’ Commission, which, as Pastor Ed Kalins explains, believes Alaska will be the refuge for American evangelicals upon the coming “End of Days”. After her speech, Mrs Palin was presented with an honorary Masters’ Commission diploma.

Posted at 12:15 PM in Sarah Palin | Permalink

This Is Your Brain On ...

OK. First, we had performance enhancing drugs hit the world of professional athletes. And judging from all the hoopla and controversy (e.g., Roger Clemens, Floyd Landis, and Marion Jones, just to name a few), people seem to genuinely feel that it's no laughing matter. Then came the TV commercials for Southwest Airlines in which an office worker was accused of using "productivity enhancers." Ha ha. Funny, right? Now, here comes a slightly more serious story. According to an online poll, 20 Percent of Scientists Admit Using Brain-Enhancing Drugs (source Wired.com). And we're not talking about caffeine. A majority of the respondents are using Ritalin and Provigil to boost their brain performance. A smaller group has admitted that they take beta blockers like propranolol. What kind of sick society are we living in when people have gone beyond vitamins and minerals and good diet and have turned to pharmaceuticals to get an edge in their careers? Yes, I imbibe coffee once or twice a day. I also take vitamins because, frankly, I know this society's mega-manufactured food supply is lacking in many regards. But I cannot bring myself to see brain and blood doping as anything but tragic. It speaks to the serious disconnect our society has from natural cycles and our bodies. Comments? [Oh, and yes, this post's title is a blatant steal from the old "This is your brain on drugs" commercials.]

Real ID Poses Real Problems for Religious Minorities

If you currently hold a non-photo driver's license or other form of ID, and your objection to the photograph was based on religious conviction, you could be faced with some serious decisions in the next few months -- such as whether your religion is more important than the ability to board an airplane. That's no joke. The deadline for adopting Real ID standards looms large this May 11. And the new rules have uncomfortable ramifications for members of "religious groups including some Amish, Old Order Mennonites, Muslims, members of Native American faiths, and fundamentalist Christians" who "object to identification cards bearing their photographs--or, in some cases, even showing their unshrouded faces in public." And this is only the beginning of privacy and religious freedom issues that plague the National ID debate. Article: Religious minorities face Real ID crackdown

The Yezidi

"The Yezidi of Celle are one of the largest groups of their sect outside the homeland of Kurdish Iraq. There may be 7,000 in this small town. Yezidi across the world number between 400,000 and 800,000."

So wrote Sean Thomas in the Sunday Telegraph earlier this week. The Yezidi are an interesting "cult" that have been accused of -- and persecuted for -- devil worship. Some speculate that they worship "The Devil" (something that holds meaning only for monotheists), under the name Melek Taus. This Melek Taus is hard to pin down as either good or evil, according to Uta Tolle, a German scholar of Yezidism: "He is both [good and evil]. Like fire. Flames can cook but they can also burn. The world is good and bad." Setting aside the sensationalist nature of the title, Sean Thomas' The Devil Worshippers of Iraq is an interesting read.

THE DEVIL WORSHIPPERS OF IRAQ by Sean Thomas, Sunday Telegraph Last Updated: 4:01am BST 20/08/2007 "Ours is the oldest religion in the world. Older than Islam; older than Christianity." I'm in a community hall, on the outskirts of Celle, a north German town. On the walls are pictures of dark blue peacocks. Sitting at various tables around the room are dozens of Devil worshippers. At least, that's what some people call them. Though we don't know it yet, right now several suicide bombs are going off near Mosul in Iraq, killing maybe 400. The victims belong to the same faith as those gathered here today. They are Yezidi. And I'm here to unearth the reality of their fascinating religion. Why do they have such troubled relations with outsiders? Do they really worship the Devil? [ Full Story ]

Time and Perspective

Oh, what a difference a little time can have on a person's perspective. Case in point: Dick Cheney in 1994 and Dick Cheney post-2001. In a CSPAN interview dated April 1994--shortly after the conclusion of Desert Storm--Mr. Cheney defended the first President Bush's choice to not invade Iraq. In the interview, he provided a litany of things that would have gone wrong had the U.S. pursued Saddam Hussein and overthrown his government after pushing his troops out of Kuwait. Recently, a video clip from that CSPAN interview was rebroadcast on Countdown with Keith Olbermann. The clip, archived at MSNBC here, does have Cheney's original comments on Iraq, Baghdad, and Saddam Hussein, but it is over seven minutes long! There is, of course, a commerical (hey, it's a free video folks) before getting into the actual clip. Once the clip does start, it moves from the Countdown intro/montage right into Olbermann musing on how a surgical change in heart might lead to a behavioral/attitudinal change heart -- i.e., replacing the heart with machinery might make a person "heartless" in more ways than one. From that interesting theory, we move into the Cheney bit. After that, we have Olbermann's always entertaining editorializing and an analysis/discussion with guest commentator, John Nichols of The Nation, who discusses what might have caused Cheney's change of heart. If you don't want all of that media fluff, and just want to see/hear Cheney's comments so that you can judge them for yourself, you can find several briefer, more succinct, versions of the CSPAN clip over on YouTube. This one is only 1:23 long and it has not been hit with countless comments. A quick search on YouTube will turn up a number of creative showcases and responses to this historical gem. Watch the Cheney clip and think about what has happened since March of 2003. No matter what your politics, you have to admit that it's pretty chilling.

LOVE TARA March

From TaraWatch.org

LOVE TARA March - Dublin - July 21 2007 at 1.00pm

Please help us promote our LOVE TARA march which will take place on Saturday July 21 in Dublin at 1.00pm. We will march from the Garden of Remembrance to the Department of the Environment, Custom House Quay, where we will hand in 50,000 petition signatures. Please email your contacts, post a natice on your favorite message boards, write a letter to the newspapers, call your local radio station, contact celebrities, political parties, etc... This may be last chance for the public to have their say.

SIGN THE SAVE TARA PETITION

Irish Times - TaraWatch steps up M3 protests Irish Examiner - Ireland facing EU fines over environmental failures Irish Independent - Tara protester threatens new court action to halt motorway Sunday Business Post - Commission issues fourth warning over landfill pollution

Tara activists picket Irish embassies

Irish Times - Last Updated: 13/07/2007 14:32

Campaigners opposed to the M3 motorway running through the historic Tara Valley have started to hold a series of demonstrations in three different countiries today.

TaraWatch held protests outside Leinster House in Dublin and the Irish Embassy in London earlier.

There will be protests later in New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles.

A protest march will also be held in Dublin on Saturday, July 21st at 1pm, which will go from the Garden of Remembrance to Custom House, the headquarters of the Department of the Environment.

Campaigners have said they are "inflamed" by what they describe as the Green Party's election pact with Fianna Fáil to agree to the M3 motorway project and today's announcement by Environment Minister John Gormley that the Government will not re-route the road despite Euopean criticism.

The demonstrations come as Minister for the Environment John Gormley holds talks today with European Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas in Brussels.

Campaigners claim international support has grown rapidly since the World Monuments Fund designated Tara one of the World's 100 Most Endangered sites.

Darren Delahunty, one of the organisers of the London protest, said: "Irish people in the UK are outraged at the refusal of the Irish authorities to try and proceed with the road, even when the public are so against it."

A "Love Tara" march will be held on Saturday, July 21st, in Dublin.

In Their Own Words

I heard about this site while listening to a talk show last month, and I am only now getting around to posting about them... TheirOwnWords.com "features constantly-updated examples of statements by religious extremists concerning the United States, Western Civilization, Israel and Christianity." What does that mean exactly? It means they are taking video, audio, and press clips directly from Islamic extremists and trying to present the material in context. The site's purpose is to provide Americans with material that somehow seems to be muted or ignored by most media outlets in this country. TheirOwnWords.com is independent, privately funded, and definitely not-for-profit. If you go to the site, you won't be pressed to buy a coffee mug or t-shirt or something (but there is a link if you want to donate). All you will get is information, news and commentary. And lest you think they are completely biased against muslims, they also feature a separate link that is pro-Islam: Islam is Not the Enemy. (According to the guy interviewed on the talk show, this section might be spun out into its own site). So, take a gander and let me know what you think. Personally, I think these guys are doing a good job of presenting material that is not readily available to American citizens. And it's material that needs to be seen and heard. Plus, I have to admit I am happy with their attempts at being objective and at providing material from moderate muslims.

Don't Ask, Don't Yell

Well, the Bush Administration has one more side issue to deal with in the press this week. There's bound to be all sorts of hoopla over the fact that a Top general calls homosexuality 'immoral' [Chicago Tribune | Free Registration Required]. Here is the money quote at the center of this story:

"I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts," Pace said in a wide-ranging discussion with Tribune editors and reporters in Chicago. "I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way. "As an individual, I would not want [acceptance of gay behavior] to be our policy, just like I would not want it to be our policy that if we were to find out that so-and-so was sleeping with somebody else's wife, that we would just look the other way, which we do not. We prosecute that kind of immoral behavior," Pace said.

For those of you who don't want to -- or don't have time to -- register for an account with the Tribune, here is the full text of the story (but you should know that there is video footage over at the Tribune as well):

Top General Calls Homosexuality 'Immoral' By Aamer Madhani Tribune national correspondent Published March 12, 2007, 10:47 PM CDT Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday that he supports the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays serving in the military because homosexual acts "are immoral," akin to a member of the armed forces conducting an adulterous affair with the spouse of another service member. Responding to a question about a Clinton-era policy that is coming under renewed scrutiny amid fears of future U.S. troop shortages, Pace said the Pentagon should not "condone" immoral behavior by allowing gay soldiers to serve openly. He said his views were based on his personal "upbringing," in which he was taught that certain types of conduct are immoral. "I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts," Pace said in a wide-ranging discussion with Tribune editors and reporters in Chicago. "I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way. "As an individual, I would not want [acceptance of gay behavior] to be our policy, just like I would not want it to be our policy that if we were to find out that so-and-so was sleeping with somebody else's wife, that we would just look the other way, which we do not. We prosecute that kind of immoral behavior," Pace said. The "don't ask, don't tell" policy caused an uproar in the military when signed into law by President Clinton in 1993. At the time, supporters of the policy inside and outside the military argued that it was essential for the cohesion of combat units, not a question of morality. Under the policy, gays and lesbians may serve only if they keep their sexual orientation private and do not engage in homosexual acts. Their commanders may not ask about their orientation. Charles Moskos, a military sociologist at Northwestern University who was instrumental in helping the Pentagon craft the "don't ask, don't tell" law, said it is unusual for a top commander to use morality as a justification for the policy. But he said he has repeatedly heard enlisted members use that reasoning when opposing gays in the military. "With the enlisted, it's a question of cohesion, but morality is something they always bring up," said Moskos, who declined to comment specifically on Pace's remarks... [ Continued in the COMMENTS ]

How will this play out in the media this week? Will the General's attitude lead to difficulties in recruitment? Is this a matter of free speach? Your Prophet and Madman is monitoring the situation...

Who is Buried in Jesus' Tomb?

If you haven't heard by now (and I don't see how that is possible), James Cameron's latest documentary is about a collection of tombs believed to hold the remains of Jesus ... and his family. 

Slated to air on the Discovery Channel this coming Sunday, The Lost Tomb of Jesus purports to present evidence that a tomb uncovered by a construction crew in Talpiot, Jerusalem, in March of 1980, contains 10 ossuaries (limestone bone boxes). And that five of those ossuaries contain the remains of key figures in the New Testament (Jesus, Mary, Matthew, Joseph and Mary Magdalene) and that another one holds "Judah Son of Jesus." 

 As expected, Biblical scholars and experts are questioning -- if not altogether rejecting -- the documentary's claims. And there is all sorts of chatter about the event on the blogosphere and mailing lists. One of the better responses to the story comes from the skeptical Smijer, who reminds us all of what skepticism isn't while pointing out truly skeptical responses to the film. I'm not jumping on any bandwagon either for or against the documentary. But I will probably watch the documentary, if I am home that evening, and only to give it a fair shake. Besides, I already blogged about Jesus' tomb back in December of 2004 -- only this one is in Japan, where local tradition claims Christ died as a humble garlic farmer.

Operation: Pat Robertson Freedom!

Background Info: I believe that most folks are familiar with avengelist Pat Robertson's prayer campaign against the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). In case you are unaware of the program, I'll provide a few details here, and you can also check out CBN's page for Operation Supreme Court Justice. Now Pat Robertson started requesting prayers for certain Supreme Court Justices as far back as 1996, but the actual campaign did not officially kick off until July 2003. Shortly after Robertson's announcement, People for the American Way released their own press release, critical of the cleric's plan. An Interfaith Campaign: I propose an Interfaith campaign to counter-balance Robertson's naive extremism. Hey, it's all freedom of speech, right? Maybe I'll work on an actual home page for the campaign, and it will be a send-up of Pat's own site. In the meanwhile, check out this nifty banner ("loosely" based on the header graphic for the page describing Robertson's own -- and in my opinion, misguided -- prayer request):

And remember:

People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them. --Dave Barry, author and columnist (1947- )

Fightin' Falwell Forewarns Foes!

Not wanting to let Pat Robertson get too far ahead in the nutjob polls, radical christian cleric Jerry Falwell has taken off his kid gloves and launched the "Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign." From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Evangelical Christian pastor Jerry Falwell has a message for Americans when it comes to celebrating Christmas this year: You're either with us, or you're against us.

Falwell has put the power of his 24,000-member congregation behind the "Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign," an effort led by the conservative legal organization Liberty Counsel. The group promises to file suit against anyone who spreads what it sees as misinformation about how Christmas can be celebrated in schools and public spaces.

They've got a fleet of lawyers on standby, just waiting for a school teacher to prevent third-graders from singing Christmas carols. Another group of lawyers is serving as part of The Christmas Project, whose slogan is, "Merry Christmas ... It's OK to say it." Apparently, these folks believe that the ACLU and Target stores are leading the charge in a grinch-like attack whose purpose is to secularize Oh my gods. If you want to see the other side of holiday holy wars, The WildHunt Blog points to this story which debunks the myth of an ongoing "secular humanist" campaign out to rid the world (or at least America) of all things Christmas. And, you know, all these folks who are trying to "save Christmas" don't realize that they are actually defending a thoroughly non-christian holiday (as I pointed out and Boondocks hinted at almost a year ago). Maybe I'll start a campaign of my own. One that will raise money to buy Falwell and his cronies a muzzle.