News briefs from the sick lady.
These are reprinted in the news briefs Jan 18-25 entry.
TITLE:Harry Potter Vs. Laura Mallory Part 2
LINK:http://blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2007/01/harry_potter_vs_laura_mallory.html
EXCERPT:Now, without going so far as calling her an idiot (oh wait) it certainly shows a high level of ignorance to believe that a book you haven't read is capable of converting people to a religion you know little about. Beyond the flawed logic though, Ms. Mallory's dogmatic persistence may actually end up driving more children to read Harry Potter. In a time when faith is mired by extremism and reading is at an all time low, perhaps she feels the only way to teach the concepts of poetic justice and the dangers of close-minded fanaticism, is through a polemic gesture. If not, she is demonstrating a line of thinking that makes The Salem Witch Trials seem almost rational.
Kat's comment: I usually avoid considering blog posts as "news" but this was interesting. I actually think the writer's spite makes it seem like the woman in question is less of a scary thing than she is. Radical anti-secularism is scary. It bombs buildings and nightclubs, assassinates doctors and gay politicians.
TITLE:Muslim student’s opposition to construction of a chapel is uncalled for
LINK:http://www.spcm.org/Journal/spip.php?article5732
EXCERPT:Construction of mosques, temples and churches in educational institution may rather come as classical example of inter-faith harmony. Forman Christian College in the eastern city of Lahore offers wonderful example of interfaith harmony since it has it on its campus some three mosques and a chapel.
Comment: This contains some of the wording of the religious tolerance laws of Pakistan.
TITLE:Evangelical LGBT congregation snaps up extra elbowroom
LINK:http://www.pridesource.com/article.shtml?article=22937
EXCERPT:"Most of the so-called clobber passages used to beat up on our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters are actually talking about pagan temple worship," he said. "In the ancient pagan fertility worship, part of that process was sexual relationships with temple prostitutes both male and female."
Comment: It's like a hilights magazine for anthropologists, only, instead of spotting the pail in the apple tree, it's the errors in the above statement and others.
TITLE:My Prima Donna Swamp Princess: 36. RASA
LINK:http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/17175/
EXCERPT:Wouldn’t you know it, but we tracked down the pagan group Romuva just as its members were preparing to celebrate Rasa, or summer solstice. The Latvians call it Ligo, but regardless of the name, it is generally a time to sing ditties, burn pine boles, imprecate the enemy and generally behave like a pagan sybarite.
Honestly, I was looking forward to it. After all these miles, stuck in the same car with the 600-year-old princess, I was ready for oblivion.
TITLE:Book Article Denies the Existence of a Historical Jesus Figure (Book review)
LINK:http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/12694/
EXCERPT: The book, published by Authorhouse, contains a series of articles by popular authors such as Tom Harpur, Dr. Robert Lomas, Peter Marshall, Michael Cremo, Robert G. Bauval, Ahmed Osman, Archie Eschborn and Philip Ball. The book also includes additional work by private writers and researchers from around the world. The articles explore a wide range of topics such as Archaeoastronomy, religion, ancient symbols, philosophy, ancient mathematics and is a creation of U.K.-based Astraea Magazine and Web Radio - a free Internet talk show hosted by former BBC announcer Guy Leigh. The show is rapidly growing in popularity and has attracted some of the most prestigious scholars, scientists, historians and filmmakers in the world.
TITLE:Pagans count selves among the faithful
LINK:http://www.newsregister.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=217445
EXCERPT:A profusion of steeples, spires and crosses reach for the sky in McMinnville, but these symbols of our nation's dominant Christian faith do not reflect the full range of spirituality among the county's population.
That range includes Earth-centered faiths that first began to reach the public eye in the 1960s under labels like New Age, Pagan and Neo-Pagan.
TITLE:Creationists, Evolutionists Join Forces
LINK:http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=516662
EXCERPT:Leaders from the creationist Christian community and evolutionary biologists called on President Bush Wednesday to recognize the imminent threat that current fossil fuel use and climate change pose to the environment.
Issuing a “call to action,” the coalition, which includes Harvard scientists and evangelical leaders, held a press conference in Washington D.C. this week. The unlikely pairing came about after a meeting of the two groups in November.
TITLE: 'A Magickal Life: Jeff Mcbride' to Air on Canada's Vision TV
LINK:http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2007/1/emw497839.htm
EXCERPT: Las Vegas, NV (PRWeb) January 18, 2007 -- Las Vegas magician Jeff McBride, last seen on the Strip headlining in "The World's Greatest Magic Show," is featured as the subject of "A Magickal Life: Jeff McBride," one of the first episodes of the new documentary series Enigma on Canada's Vision TV. The show will first air on the evening of January 24 at 9pm, or 10pm PST. Repeats air on Saturdays, starting Jan. 13 at 10 p.m. ET, and on Mondays, starting Jan. 15, 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. ET.
The documentary begins with a teen-aged Jeff McBride performing his magic at the Orange County Fair in upstate New York. By his twenties, McBride was opening for rock bands like Cheap Trick, touring with Diana Ross and headlining at The Hilton in Las Vegas. But at the height of his success, this young illusionist was overcome by the urge to explore new territory. So began his search for the source of real magic: a journey to the mythological roots of this art form that would lead deep into the worlds of neo-paganism, drum circles and fire rituals. He would return a changed man. In this documentary, McBride tells of what he learned on his quest, and reveals how even the simplest magician's trick can hold layer upon layer of meaning. "Magic is about transformation," he says. "It reminds us that everything changes - including ourselves."
TITLE:Having faith in a more tolerant future
LINK:http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/features/2007/01/19/5ee3f480-53c5-4982-b37a-b0e1c8e05edf.lpf
EXCERPT:Sunday is World Religion Day - but why does faith continue to play such a central role in our lives?