Newsbriefs: 23-Feb-2007
TITLE:Army Boots Wiccan Chaplain (Blog,opinion, follow-up of previous 'brief)
LINK:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/army-boots-wiccan-chaplai_b_41781.html
EXCERPT:Don Larsen was, by all reports, an excellent Army Chaplain. When he was a Pentecostal Christian, that is. His superior while he was in Iraq, Chaplain Kevin L. McGhee, called Larsen "the best" out of the 26 chaplains he supervised. But then Larsen applied to change his religious affiliation to Wicca, and the Army railroaded him out of Iraq and out of the Army.
TITLE:BAPTIST IDENTITY: Dockery, George
call for renewed study of Baptist historyLINK:http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=25025
EXCERPT:“The ultimate danger to the Gospel lies not in the nuances of our differences, but in the rising tides of liberalism, neo-paganism and postmodernism that threaten to swamp Southern Baptist identity in cultural accommodation,” the university president added.
TITLE:Renowned journalist denounces anti-Christian lobby
LINK:http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=124&id=8117&t=Renowned+journalist+denounces+anti-Christian+lobby
EXCERPT:In an interview with the Italian daily “La Stampa,” journalist and writer Vittorio Messori recently denounced the World Health Organization (WHO), certain Masonic groups, gay rights organizations, pharmaceutical corporations, and powerful ecological organizations as anti-Catholic “lobbies” that “hate Christianity out of nostalgia for paganism.”
TITLE:I'll Follow The Sun (Blog, opinion)
LINK:http://www.progressiveu.org/002604-ill-follow-the-sun
EXCERPT:It occurred to me that following the sun, or some manifestation of a “pagan” Sun God as did primitive man, at least makes some logical sense. The sun obviously exists; no one can deny it and you don’t have to rely on faith to prove its existence. Moreover, the sun interacts with day-to-day living in a variety of readily apparent ways. That’s more than can be said for the Judeo-Christian God.
TITLE:‘… And the Christian Oscar Goes To …'
LINK:http://www.nysun.com/article/49179?page_no=2
EXCERPT:This week, on its Web site, Movieguide recommended the PG-rated drama "Bridge to Terabithia" thanks to its "strong Christian worldview" and "positive references to Jesus." Meanwhile, site reviewers cautioned against the PG-13-rated romantic comedy "Music and Lyrics," for its "mixed pagan worldview with some pagan sexual content."
Comment: And the random use of Pagan for the week award goes to...
TITLE:An Altar of Earth: Reflections on Jews, Goddesses and the Zohar
LINK:http://www.zeek.net/spirit_0407.shtml
EXCERPT:For many years, as I sat in synagogues, someone on the bimah would make an off-handed reference to the evils of idolatry. Many Jews who would never think of condemning the religious practices of Australian aborigines, Peruvian shamans or Buddhist nuns, and who might even enjoy the art in a Catholic church, give sermons about how worshipping images or praying to multiple deities is the root of all evil.
TITLE:When kites turn lethal
LINK:http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/21/opinion/edahmed.php
TITLE:Basant's kite flying may have promoted social harmony and moderate society in the past. Unfortunately it does just the opposite today.
Over the past decade, Basant has been hijacked by kite-flying fanatics. Cut-throat kite flyers have been using metal twine. The aim: to cut opponents' kite wires. The collateral damage: hundreds of slit throats.
A beautiful cultural tradition has degenerated into a murderous sport. Reports say that hundreds have been killed or wounded when their throats were cut by razor-sharp kite twine.
TITLE:Southern Baptist Convention warns Christians about teachings of Mormonism
LINK:http://www.spcm.org/Journal/spip.php?article6558
EXCERPT:For example, Bowman notes, "In 15 short years, [Mormon Church founder] Joseph Smith went from being a thoroughgoing monotheist, a believer in one god, to a thoroughgoing polytheist, teaching the existence of many gods."
Comment: I think some types of Christians get bored reading. Polygimist becomes "polytheist" "judge not" becomes judge.
TITLE:Egyptian necropolis the cemetery of choice for longer than previously thought
LINK:http://reports.discoverychannel.ca/servlet/an/discovery/1/20070221/070219_discovery_egyptian_necropolis_older/20070221?hub=DiscoveryReport
EXCERPT:Sakkara - an ancient Egyptian necropolis located south of Cairo - remained popular for the ancient ruling elite long after the Old Kingdom period for which the area gained worldwide attention, according to Egypt's chief archaeologist.
Older excerpts below the cut.
TITLE:Cafe battles image
LINK:http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2007/02/21/news/lake_life/lakelife01.txt
EXCERPT:Don't let the name fool you - a pagan persuasion is not necessary to enjoy the food and coffee of Witches Brew in downtown Auburn.
TITLE:Modern magic
LINK:http://spectrum.buffalo.edu/article.php?id=31172
EXCERPT:"The Pagan group holds information sessions on subjects such as the witch trials, mythology and controlling energy. They've provided activities, like Tarot card reading, at Halloween events on campus. "
Comment: The MacMorgans, both UB alumns, would like to point out that the UB Pagan student association is not well-regarded in part because of its continued insistance that divination=Wicca. For every student in the PSA, we know 5-10 Pagan students who are either no longer involved or don't want to be involved just for this reason. This is made especially sad because UB has a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE (I think I just invoked Fucillo!) Asatru community, and the PSA seems to go out of their way to offend them, often.
TITLE:Holy Smokes What a Hubbub
LINK:http://www.duxburyclipper.com/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=2007-02-21&-token.story=62780.112114&-token.subpub=
EXCERPT:As I write, I haven't seen the Learning Channel's episode of "My Unique Family," the one they called "The Witches Next Door." I've heard quite a bit of buzz about it, but I have little knowledge of the finished product.
Oh, wait a minute. I'm in it. That's me with the clunky drum set, the "take seventeen" on-the-fly interview, and the beard that glows in the dark. But then, I may have ended up on the cutting room floor.
TITLE:My, What A Big Boomstick You Have: 'Bullet Witch' Hands-On Preview
LINK:http://xbox360.themanroom.com/news.php?id=1414EXCERPT:Looking back at the history of witchcraft, I couldn’t exactly tell you where flying broomsticks came into play, but it definitely had an impact on what we expect to see when we hear the term “witch.” In reality, Wicca is focused more on the elements and nature than on turning your loved ones into frogs, which makes Atari’s upcoming Xbox 360 game ‘Bullet Witch’ an interesting amalgam of technology and nature.
TITLE:Kashmir Archives gets award for preserving Gilgit Manuscripts
LINK:http://www.kashmirnewz.com/n000121.html
EXCERPT:Regarded as among the oldest manuscripts in the world and the oldest collection surviving in India, the Government of India has nominated it for inclusion in UNESCO's World Register in 2006-07 along with the Rig Veda.
TITLE:Radical Christians
LINK:http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/2007/001/2.7.html
EXCERPT:Christians in Gaul remembered St. Martin of Tours for ripping his cloak in two and giving half to a naked beggar. Born to pagan parents, Martin served as a soldier until his growing Christian convictions led him seek release from the army from the pagan emperor Julian, saying, "I am Christ's soldier; I am not allowed to fight." To prove his courage he volunteered to stand on the frontline of the battle with no weapon but a cross. After studying theology under Bishop Hilary in Poitiers, Martin traveled to the Balkans as a missionary but returned to Gaul to build monasteries.
Comment: A very interesting discussion of Christianity as a minority religion. I included the excerpt above because those who know me know I have held St. Martin of Tours up as an example of a Christian that "walked the talk."
TITLE:Idolatry and Christianity
LINK:http://desicritics.org/2007/02/20/094717.php
EXCERPT:The cross was an instrument of execution in the Roman world; a mode of execution that the Greeks borrowed from the Persians and later the Romans borrowed from the Greeks. But the fact that the original Greek word 'stauros' used in the canonical gospels hardly means a crux in Latin or its English equivalent cross, but a stake or an upright pole on which slaves and non-Romans were impaled, not crucified, makes this skepticism completely justifiable.
Comment:Fascinating little article.