Wiccan’s spouting official nonsense

I have no sympathy for Charles Jaynes. He’s a convicted child murderer and corpse rapists. The bastard needs to rot, nameless and forgotten, in some dank prison cell. The thing is, Jaynes wants to change his name because he’s adopted the Wiccan faith in an attempt at spiritual development and healing, and it seems the Wiccans don’t want him.

“The Covenant of the Goddess, a public not-for-profit organization representing Witches and Wiccans for 37 years, in no way views the actions of Charles Jaynes as being even remotely related to the religion that we recognize as Wicca,” said Heather Greene, National Public Information Officer for Covenant of the Goddess, in a statement on Tuesday. “Nor do we, as a religion, have any tenet that mandates a legal change of name for any reason.”

Read more: Convicted child killer pleads for name change, victim’s father calls him the ‘face of evil’

A made up religion is rejecting a murderer for crimes committed in 1997 because, well… they don’t like what he did. I thought the whole thing with religion was about spiritual transformation, rebirth, and atonement? A metamorphosis from who you were to who you are meant to be (under whatever faith you aspire too). Wicca is no different. They simply don’t want an evil manipulative and unrepentant murderer linked to Wicca. Go figure.

Let’s break it down:

“The Covenant of the Goddess, a public not-for-profit organization representing Witches and Wiccans for 37 years, in no way views the actions of Charles Jaynes as being even remotely related to the religion that we recognize as Wicca,”

Jaynes was not a Wiccan in 1997 when he brutally murdered a 10-year-old boy and then raped the corpse. Today, Jaynes is a transformed warlock looking for a little Wiccan love. The Covenant of the Goddess is using his past crimes to judge him today as if there were not transformation. Who are they to judge? Is this the way it works for all who convert? The is some kind of acceptable person test? What is the acceptable threshold for past crimes. If you murder a child but don’t rape his corpse, is that okay? If you rape but don’t murder, is that ok? I mean seriously now, there must be standards or people will think that the Wiccan faith is simply making this stuff up as it goes along.

Nor do we, as a religion, have any tenet that mandates a legal change of name for any reason.”

This is a just a technicality. I don’t know a Wiccan who does not go by their Wiccan name. Be it Malachite Rayne Ravynne, or Dandelion Fearless, or whatever bullshit made-up name practitioners adopt. I know a Wiccan named Carol who insists I call her Spider Faerie. The fact that The Covenant of the Goddess does not have a tenet supporting mandatory names changes is meaningless. The reason your organization does not call for mandatory name changes is that it is too burdensome to do so and you prefer secrecy, thus secret Wiccan names. Your faith encourages Wiccan names. At least be honest about it.

How can you be honest about something that is a complete work of fiction? Every word is a lie, even if you believe it to be true. When you try to apply standards of belief on others, it shows your faith in a bad light, don’t Wiccans see that?

Technorati Tags: Wicca,Charles Jaynes,Truth,Murder,Rape

Man arrested for practicing witchcraft.

I have so many problems with this story that it makes make my head hurt. Yogendra Pathak was arrested for promising to conjure up spirits to help solve marital and personal problems. He’s been charged with fraud. Presumably because the service he offered did not deliver on its promise. The police said:

"We really don't care if you want to practise witchcraft, as long as you don't allegedly defraud people," Peel Sgt. Zahir Shah said.

So it would be ok if Pathak were successful? Was he arrested because the result did not meet expectations? How is this different from a pastor who promises heaven in return for your membership tithe? We have no proof of heaven, it’s all just a scam to keep pastors employed anyway.

It really a crime to take money from an idiot? If somebody comes to me for the secret atheist cure to poverty and I tell them to get a job that pays more money, is it my fault that they remain poor? .Have committed a crime too? (BTW – that’s not the secret. Send $100 to my PayPal account and I will send the secret directly to you). These people are idiots. Who goes to a witch for a cure to your husband cheating on you? Good grief. Why is this a crime?

The police also said this:

He also urged people who sought advice from the suspect to contact investigators.

Since when is it wrong to offer bad advice? We get bad advice every day. Advice is advice, it’s meant to be acted on only if you have enough gray matter to make good choices.

What about fortune tellers and card readers? That’s all crap too. How is this different? Is it because he’s a witch? Is this a Wiccan issue?

Canada, what the hell?

Technorati Tags: Wicca,Witchcraft

The fall of the witch hunter

I read a few Wiccan blogs, just like a read few Christian and Islamic blogs. There are a few voices out there who are authentic and if I give them a chance, influence the way I think about the faithful. The Wild Hunt is a one of these blogs.

Since launching “The Wild Hunt” in 2004, Jason Pitzl-Waters has become one of the leading voices for analysis and insight into how modern Pagan faiths are represented within the mainstream media. In addition, “The Wild Hunt” has also conducted in-depth interviews with prominent figures within modern Paganism, academia, and religion journalism. Jason wants to raise the level of discourse and journalism on important issues within the modern Pagan and Heathen communities, while advocating a broader commitment to encouraging religious multiplicity and solidarity (where appropriate) with surviving indigenous and non-monotheistic faith groups.

The wild hunt posted an article about a witch hating youth pastor named Andrew L. Thomas. He’s on trial for allegedly raping a 16-year-old boy.

For while Thomas was allegedly abusing young boys, he was also leading an anti-Pagan crusade in order to drive Witch School out of Rossville, Illinois.

Drop in and give it a read.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Wicca

A murderous Wiccan

It’s spring and time for Wiccans to sacrifice unsuspecting males to celebrate Beltane. Angela Sanford killed Joel Leyva with her special silver Wiccan dagger… 13 times.

A woman who claims she was going to perform a Wiccan celebration of spring is accused of using a ritualistic dagger to kill a man she invited to the ceremony

Survival rule #1: Never go drinking on a solstice with a self-proclaimed witch. Especially if she always carries her ritualistic Wiccan dagger.

The Wiccans are distancing themselves

"The Wiccan community has come out on local media outlets stating they do no such things like kill anything or anyone."

So when a Wiccan kills somebody she’s not really a Wiccan… Sound familiar?

Technorati Tags: Wiccan,Murder

Wiccan refuses to sing

Burn the witch, burn her, burn her… No wait, wrong era.

Wiccan Katarina Keen refuses to sing “Silent Night” or “Listen to the Stars” at her Christmas concert at Borger High School. I think it’s pissed a few Texans off.

Students began preparing in October for the concert in Borger, and Katarina said Miller had planned for the choir to sing Christian songs. She and her mother, Jean Keen, told Miller she couldn't sing those songs because she's Wiccan.

The Keens also have raised concerns this year about prayers in class and a prayer board posted in the choir room.

Miller said he gave students permission to lead prayers in class Mondays, at their request. The prayer board was a student-led activity, he said. Miller revamped the concert to include a wider variety of secular songs for the holiday season.

Common sense says don’t make the Wiccan kid sing Christian Christmas songs. Of course common sense also says have an inclusive holiday concert, prohibit prayers in the classroom, and do away with the “Prayer Board.” But common sense is missing in Texas, it has been missing for a long time.

Choir directory Johnny Miller doing his best to teach the Christian origins of choir, but those damn Wiccans keep interfering.

"Choral music has its roots in the church. In order to teach it accurately, you have to teach it from whence it came," Miller said. "I teach the foundation or the building blocks so these students can go out with a well-rounded foundation in choral music."

Really? you must teach about religion in order to teach kids to sing? Are you being honest?

Some school districts have staged concerts that mirror a church service, while others have excluded religious content entirely, Haynes said. Either scenario can result in conflict, the former creating a potential issue with the First Amendment and the latter producing a community backlash.

So if you sing secular songs the Christians protest and if you sing Christian songs, the ACLU gets involved? What happens when you include interfaith music? Oh wait… I’m pretty sure you don’t do that.

The better solution is to make a "good-faith attempt" to teach religious material in the context of discussing cultures and traditions, being careful not to promote a particular theology, Haynes said. Schools also should provide a reasonable, limited opt-out policy that is specific to certain songs or a lesson, he said.

Children get our your bibles. We are going to have a good faith discussion on the origin of Silent Night. Oh hell…  you don’t need the bible to tell that story unless you are trying to teach what the song is about? Do you do that? Do you teach what Silent Night is about? What about Jingle Bells?

Make no mistake, Johnny Miller is a Baptist fundie. I picked this jewel off his choir’s myspace page.

(Johnny Miller) is saddened again today. Get ready Borger, Christmas is soon going to be Xmas! Christians AWAKE and put on the whole armor of God cause satan is rid'n high. We must tolerate other ideologies, but when it comes to our faith, there is no toleration. Ironic since it was our faith and belief in God that allowed others to do their thing under "freedon[sic] of religion."

How can Katarina expect a level playing field in an environment where her choir director is a raving fundie? What if Katarina were an atheist?

As usual, the comments are gold.

…I hear no mention in the story of the fathers feelings on this matter, only that of the mom and daughter. That is where the photo should have casted shot of, rather than dragging those poor children into it and dismissing the thoughts of how this story might impact their lives once AGN broke this. SHAME ON YOU AGN!

Who contacted the press anyhow? If you did Mrs. Keen, well shame on you for your lack of compassion towards the remaining children. You must realize the harmful affects your actions would have on your family? Seriously, there is no way they can hide now. I just pray there are compassionate school psychologists on alert, ready to take action and help your children work through the abuse that is about to be unleashed from other children. It is not possible for them to escape this unscathed.

Oh… think of the children!

Other than being disappointed with this family, I am extremly disappointed with the Globe News giving this "story"? front page space.

Maybe this girl will be (one of the virgins) for a martyr someday...

If she won’t sing we kill her!

AspenEmerald. . . . . This is a Free Country. Live wherever you chose BUT don't push your beliefs on me. I am a God Fearing Christian and I believe in the Power,Grace,Mercy and Love of God and I would be more than willing to share my thoughts/experiences on the matter and though I would hope that you would want to join me in my beliefs but if you can't find your way to join me I would do as God tells me to do . . .Stomp the dust from my feet and Move On. On the other hand I would be willing to listen to what you have to say in what you believe but DON'T push your beliefs on me. . . . .Stomp the dust from your feet and Move On,which is something I find rarely happens from those trying to convince me to convert to their way of thinking. These people tend to be like a Pit Bull and won't let me Move On!

How dare she not sing! How dare she push her faith on me! I’m Christian damn you! Now get out of my town!

Those poor girls... they think they are not satan worshipers.. Just another way that satan deceives people! I hope they find the true God before they die or they are going to be very very surprised!

Yep, if you look closely, that dad of hers looks awful Satan like.

I can go on and on. The Texas pan handle appears to be overrun with intolerant nutball fundies. If she were my child I would push to make sure the Christian choir director did not foist his religious beliefs off on her. So, hurray for the underdog and good luck. Of course, you can just opt so close your mouth while everyone else sings. That will work too.

Technorati Tags: Wicca,Christian Intolerance,War on Christmas

Wiccans convicted in abuse case

Joseph Scott Craig and Joy Johnson were each sentenced on reduced misdemeanor charges stemming from a July 2008 arrest for  second-degree rape and kidnapping. The press reported the 60-day jail sentence as Durham Couple Sentenced in Satanism Abuse Case, which represented the Christian bias of the prosecutor, Mark McCullough. The couple are Wiccan, which has nothing to do with Satanism. There still qualify as religious nutballs though.

Please elect Dan Halloran

Dan Halloran is a  conservative republican and pagan who is running for City Council in Bayside. If you promise to elect him, I promise to make him the poster boy for pagan silliness. Imagine the fun we could have!

Dan Halloran, the Republican candidate for a City Council seat in northeastern Queens, actively practices Theodism, a neo-pagan faith which attempts to reconstruct the pre-Christian tribal religions of the European Germanic people.

Theodism is focused on the lore, beliefs and social structure of various specific Germanic tribes. The last time I looked into it was in 2007. What I read at the time lead me to believe it was in decline. I guess a couple of hardcore nutters are trying to keep it alive.  Dan Halloran fancies himself the king.

Halloran is the "First Atheling," or King, of Normandy, a branch of the Theod faith of pre-Christian Heathen religions assembled in the Greater New York area. A group of dedicated fellow pagans swear their allegiance to him through oaths of fidelity, allowing luck from a series of ancient gods - specifically the "Norse" or "Germanic" gods Odin, Tyr and Freyr - to pass through the King to his kinsmen.

Halloran is a little odd, that’s ok as long as he’s not eating babies, right? Lots of people have come out to support him. He appears to be good guy if you can get by all the pagan playacting.

Although the Tribune's story had no hint of derision for Halloran's religious affiliation, the newspaper was immediately attacked for its perceived ties to Halloran's Democratic opponent. Other publications were quick to defend the Republican lawyer, some sounding offended that a candidate's religion, however unusual, should become a news story during an election.

If Halloran had ran as an Atheist these same people would be calling for his head. Supporters are unconcerned that he dresses in costumes, carries a sword, and plays at being king. Heck, all he needs to do next is come out as a libertarian to qualify as a nutball. However, if he came out as an Atheist, the world would not be so kind.

The real question comes down to is his current self-deception any more significant than his historic Christian/Catholic self-deception. I don’t see a difference, so why worry about it?

Disclaimer: Back in the day, I donned armor, a padded long sword, and a customer made battle helm to fight the King of the Inland Empire for the the right to lead our small band of enthusiasts. It was the SCA and I got my ass whipped. As I recall, our king looked like Charles Manson and fought  like a demon on speed. I never had a chance.

Random Thought: I’m pretty sure most of the people from my SCA days are now part of the Pagan/Wiccan movement.

Technorati Tags: Paganism

More gods I don’t believe in

I don’t know why I follow Wicca, perhaps it is for comic relief. Or perhaps it is because the practitioners  remind me so much of my youth and the hours I wasted on Dungeons & Dragons. There was a certain type of person who played back in the day. A cross between a hippie, stoner, and science fiction geek. I bet they all ended up like Michigan’s Tatum Chandler, who among other things, maintains the online version of the Wiccan Monster Manual. I wonder how many hit points Badbh has?

Technorati Tags: Wicca,Fantasy

I also have a magical name

I spit diet soda out my nose while watching the incept chick flick, He's Just Not That Into You. Beth Bartlett (Jennifer Aniston) was on the rebound after a breakup with boyfriend Neil Jones (Ben Affleck). While attending the wedding of her sister, she is setup with a single wedding guest, Dan the Wiccan (John Ross Bowie). The clip is my archetypal depiction of the nutball wiccan. It’s perfect. A normal looking and acting person, says the line, “I’m actually a wiccan… So I also have a magical name, Brother Phoenix East Horse.”

I snort, I laugh, diet coke drips from my nose.

I spent the rest of the movie watching Anna Taylor(Scarlett Johansson) dance across the screen.

Technorati tags: Wicca, Movies

A Wicca child custody issue

If the courts can remove a child from her mother because of the belief system of the mother, then the courts can remove a child from a person with no metaphysical beliefs at all. In this case, the woman was Wiccan. Judge Robert Vittitow remove her custody in part because of his ignorance concerning the practice of Wicca.  Vittitow officially expressed concern about her beliefs.

Finally, he stated his concern over her testimony regarding the Wicca religion, stating she probably was more involved in it than she led the court to believe.

Upon appeal, the case was returned without a hearing. Judge Hart dissented. His opinion was perfect.

...As I stated in my dissent, even if it were proven that the appellant was a practicing Wiccan, that conclusion can have no bearing on the decision to change custody. The majority makes a clear mistake of fact because there is absolutely no evidence that practicing Wicca was in any way harmful to the child or even that there were any practices conducted in the child’s presence. Accordingly, this cannot be a reason for changing custody.

In my mind, I replace the word Wiccan with the word Atheist and shudder. If the courts can make this type of uniformed error with regard to Wicca, then we all need to worry. I hope it is appealed. It sets a bad precedent.

Technorati tags: Wicca, Atheism

Fellow wiccans please help, how do I tell if it's curse?

People ask why I make fun of Wiccans. Thanks to the good people at Reddit, I now have a great example. This was posted on Yahoo Answers.

Fellow wiccans please help, how do I tell if it's cursed? A self proclaimed wiccan gave me a necklace, we do not get along so I was taken by surprise when she handed it to me, I am wondering how to tell if she did place a curse on it or a charm or spell, I am wiccan but my expertise lays more in the energy fields and spiritual world, thank you for any answers, Blessed Be!

Additional Details

it's beaded, metal beads, i feel uneasy with the energy but I wish to know what her motives were, it's black magick so she'll already get it back but I'm curious to what it's cursed with

As I read the answers, my first thought was, "Wow, it's like tech support for Wiccans". Then I laughed my ass off.

You'll have to cast "Detect Magic" or "Read Magic" on it. Both are 1st level spells, so it should be fairly simple.

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It was cursed, with charm of public humiliation, it worked. Post the wiccans myspace and she will get it back three fold.

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It is indeed cursed. When the goblins show up (and they will!), draw your vorpal sword and roll a 20 to slay.

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Take it to a Catholic priest to have to "Cleansed" they are like level 70 elites!!!

The best response came from the reality based community.

What's the difference between a "cursed" necklace, and one that isn't? Does it weigh more or less? Does it look different? Does its chemical composition change; or can we detect any radiation emanating from it?

The answer to all these things is, of course, no. There is no way to tell if something is cursed, because there is no such thing. The necklace is just a physical object. The idea of "cursing" is simply a belief you hold: that some person may, because of malicious intent, speak magical words, and then somehow, your life will be detrimentally affected by wearing it.

We are everywhere!

Technorati tags: Wicca, Yahoo Answers, Nutballs, Humor

Wiccan stab thyself

I do not make this stuff up.

So these Wiccans snuck into the Oak Hill Cemetery in Lebanon around midnight to perform some kind of  luck ceremony. While performing this nonsensical ceremony, Katherine Gunther stabbed herself in the foot with a sword.

Ha ha...

Oak Hills is home to a historically famous murder victim, Sylvia Likens.

This cemetery holds the remains of Sylvia Likens, a sixteen year old girl who was slowly tortured and beaten to death over a period of months in 1965. Sylvia and her younger sister had been staying at the home of Gertrude Baniszewski at the time of her death. Left in the care of Gertrude by her carnie father, Sylvia became the victim of gradually worsening abuse by Gertrude, her children and other children from the neighborhood who were encouraged to harm her.

I wonder if there is a connection?

Technorati tags: Wicca, Katherine Gunther

Wiccan "Pastor" accused of rape

I don't know what to call the guy. Is he a Wiccan priest, a Wiccan pastor, or just an accused rapist.  Joseph Scott Craig has some explaining to do. His wife, Joy Johnson, stands accused of aiding and abetting. Mrs. Johnson is a minor Democratic party worker. She's a third vice-chairwoman of the Durham County Democratic Party. In an election year, this is big news. Those crazy Wiccan democrats!

Joy Johnson, 30, a third vice-chairwoman of the Durham County Democratic Party and vice chairwoman of the Young Democrats, was charged Friday with two counts of aiding and abetting.

Her husband, Joseph Scott Craig, 25, was charged with second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon for an incident in January and another in May.

Source: newsobserver.com | Durham Democratic Party official accused in rituals

The local assistant district attorney, Mark McCullough, confused the Johnson's Wiccan activity with Satanism. He asked for their bond to be increased because of the "...allegations are that Satanic worship is part of this case." I can just see the angry Wiccan hordes descending on Durham county in protest.

The allegation sound like something people pay good money for at a whore house. Well, maybe not the withholding food part anyway. I would be pissed it I paid $500 to be debased in a Wiccan domination ritual (is there such a thing?) and did not get a good steak out of the deal.

Allegations that a local Democratic official and her husband were involved in Satanic rituals that included shackling people to beds, caging them and depriving them of food and water have horrified county party leaders.

I checked their website. The services offered do not include rape, bondage, or caging,  You can buy oils and candles, herbal tea ,and spiritual attunement (at $55 per hour). My spider sense tells me rape charges will be dropped when people figure out that the victims where paying customers looking for a spiritual tune up.

Wonkette has a cute post on this story.

Technorati tags: Wiccans, Jay Johnson, Joseph Craig, rape

My life has these moments

So I went to the initial Buena Park Meetup for Atheists United. We met in a mobile home park's community center. It reminded me of visiting my grandparents back in the day.

I arrived early. The place was locked. As I waited, I kept running through the reasons why I don't like to meet people who claim to be Libertarians (they are all nuts as far as I can tell), and Atheists (I've had some bad experiences with odd people).

I few minutes after the meeting was supposed to start, I tried the doors again. They were still locked. But though the window I saw an odd site. The man pictured above. He was dressed in a bed sheet decorated to look like a holy gown of some sort with a macrame hat. Dennis Owens, Shaman Knight and Spiritual Humanist stunned me stupid. I literally exclaimed "Oh fuck" as he opened the door.

Dennis Owens is actually a nice guy. A little odd. The homemade shaman outfit was a bit over the top. His explanation for why he calls himself a shaman was a tad bizarre. He's died before, so now his is called a shaman. Right...

His words and stories were cloaked in mystical and spiritual references. A little probing on my part brought forth some interesting information. Dennis is part of something called Her Realmian Way. It's like a wicca cult, only it has no members. Dennis made it up back in 1975.

The big secret here is that his group is a dominatrix based non-religious cult. His wife is the head hominatrix. She will perform a Elysian Surrender Ritual for you. So what are you waiting for? If you would like a 70-year-old dominatrix to beat the crap out of you in the name of spiritual humanism, then drop me a note. I can hook you up with a discount.

I'll post on the meeting later.

Technorati tags: Atheism, oddness, Dennis Owens, Nutballs

So what is the difference?

A scary man named Johnathan Pinney bit a police office while in mental hospital. He was convicted of aggravated battery and sentenced to time served (890 days). Pinney practices Wicca.

In the past, Pinney has stated he is a practitioner of magic and the Wicca religion who casts spells and embraces evil. He often wore dark eye makeup to court. On Friday, his face was bare and he was wearing orange and white jail clothes.

Source: COURT WATCH: Pinney released after 890 days

It is the dark eye makeup that scares me.

Pinney was in a mental hospital. I wonder if it was because he is some dark Wicca priest who uses his imaginary powers to frighten children, the police and healthcare workers? Would it have made a difference if he had proclaimed that he worshiped Jesus Christ and prayed for Armageddon (while keeping the dark eye makeup)? Or what if he had proclaimed himself an atheist and declared there were no Gods? My bet is that Court Watch would have passed on the whole Christian angle, while emphasizing the amoral nature of dark eye makeup wearing atheists.

And one other thing. Don't they have a diminished capacity defense in Canada? Pinney bit a police office while in a mental hospital. Down here in the states Pinney would never have seen a charge. Any defense attorney worth his salt would have the case thrown out before it even made its way to the preliminary hearing. Canada is a strange place, eh?

So what is the difference? Would Pinney have been treated differently if he had ben a Christian, an Atheist, or just a normal emo nutjob?

Technorati tags: Wicca, Atheism, Christianity, Canada, Justice

Pagan Pizza

I read many more articles than I can find to post about. I'm fascinated by fringe religions, so I tend to read more articles on this subject than anything else. I've noticed a trend with Wicca. Newspapers are doing "it's ok to be a Wiccan" stories in increasing numbers. The basic story goes something like this. Wiccans are a member of a legitimate religion just like you and me. Only... they worship nature, or the moon, or moon goddess, or some such nature oriented deity. Wiccans don't worship the devil. He's not even invited to their ceremonies. Wiccans perform odd candle and incense oriented rituals called "spells" that have about the same affect as prayer, which is to say, you might as well do the setups because thinking about loosing weight just don't work.

If you would like to see a typical Wiccan feel good article, please read this snipit.

However the group may feel about appearing in a column dedicated to the weird, they are very comfortable with their own choices of path. Many of the group chose Paganism at an early age. Marlene discovered her path when she was twelve, and ran outside to dance under the full moon. Another attendee spent her childhood attending Catholic school, and found that something was lacking. She’s never understood the purpose of building a church or building for worship. After all, she told me, “Nature is the house of God.” And that really is the common thread amongst the pagans: a true appreciation for the wonder of nature. Many are ecologically minded, and judging by the choices of pizza toppings, many are also vegetarians. The moon, the earth, the stars, and animals seem to function as very important symbols for almost all pagans. 

Source: The Santa Barbara Independent Pagan Pizza

I don't feel good about Wiccans after reading this puff piece.  Wiccans scare me. They make it up as they go along. It's like they are attending a Renaissance festival all year long, except the can't leave it at the festival like the rest of us.

And please don't tell me I'm a hater. Wiccans are a new manifestation of religious self delusion that I find boggling. Everything they believe, everything they have, it is all been made up over the last 50 years or so. It's like an extended D&D session where the people actually believe all the crap they are making up. I don't get it. But Wiccan girls are still hot.

Technorati tags: Wicca, Wiccans, nutballs

Is Wicca America's fastest growing religion?

I hope not. I really hope not. Wicca is like D&D come to life. It is totally made up. How can this be true?

According to many figures, Wicca is the fastest growing religion in the United States by percentage. With many people attracted to its communion with nature, the number of adherents is doubling about every 30 months, and the following grew from 8,000 in 1990 to 134,000 in 2001. The online store site, unlike some Wiccan shops that are more insular, will provide useful information about this Pagan religion for people looking to learn more. Willow Grove Magickal Shoppe was founded by Anna Maples and Shannon Hansen, both of whom have extensive knowledge of the products from years of studying and practicing Wicca.

Source:  PR-USA.net - Willow Grove Magickal Shoppe Announces Opening of Online Store Selling Items for Wiccan Rituals

Not that I have a problem with Wiccans. They are almost like this generations hippie. Plus they apparently like to bake. How can you dislike tattooed earthy women who like to bake?

Technorati tags: Wicca, Religion, America

Saying "bless you" instead of "thank you"

It is the little things that piss me off - like running into a fundie hell bent on injecting a little of his or her religion into my day.  My response when a clerk offers a "have a blessed day" is a scowl, and then I complain to the management.

A friend on the other team sent me this tidbit from a Christian Forum.

It seems that more and more cashiers and clerks are saying "have a blessed day" instead of "thank you" when you check out at a retail store.

I was wondering if this was a trend that some youth pastor had started as a program to get people to think about Jesus in their everyday life, and simple way to express faith without having some feel you are preaching to them.

I think most people without faith think when someone says "have a blessed day" that the person is just saying "have a nice day" in another way but they still stop and think about the reason the person choose to say "have a blessed day".

So, has anyone seen, be invovled [sic] or heard of a program like this? I was wondering so I could try to have some background info to talk to my ground about it such as what to say if someone reacts negatively.

Source: Saying "bless you" instead of "thank you" - Christianforums.com Forums

Note to fundies: Saying "have a blessed day"  instead of "thank you" or "have a nice day" is offensive to me. In fact, I hate it. I'll do my best to be a good American by looking a clerk in the eye and say "have a good day". When a clerk fires a "have a blessed day", my response is often "keep your religion to yourself". I don't tell random people to "have a god free day", why should I listen to your blatant religions pandering.?

Now, if you are a hot Wiccan, preferably adorned with tattoos, I'll take a "Blessed be" with a smile.

Technorati tags: Christians, politeness, greetings, fundies

Bunky to open a school for witches

Elwood "Bunky" Barlet must of read the Harry Potter series. The Wiccan celebrity wants to open his own Hogwarts.

Wiccan high priest Elwood "Bunky" Bartlett, who won an estimated $49 million in the Maryland lottery last month, intends to use his money to set up a school for witches -- a real-life Hogwarts.

Bartlett, who formerly operated a bookkeeping service, says the winning ticket came to him after he promised "the powers that be" that he would use his winnings to quit his job and teach full-time.

He told the Associated Press that his school will teach not just about Wicca but also about multiple spiritual traditions, as well as offering training in practical skills like financial management.

It is an odd story reported without commentary. A lottery winner wants to teach about Witchcraft and financial management. One does not need formal training to become a Wiccan high priest, nor does one need a specialized degree to teach people how to pick lotto numbers. As P.T. Barnum said "There's a sucker born every minute".

Technorati tags: Wicca, Bunky Barlet, Lottery

Pagan Pride Day

Woohoo! Pagan Pride Day. Sign me up. Why don't they have Pagan Pride Day in LA? I would so go (wait... They had one). Not that I'm a Wiccan or anything even remotely similar. Being around Wiccan's is like hanging out with the people who run Renaissance Fair. The have all kinds of unusual things to see and do, and most of the people are interesting characters I would have fun just taking pictures.

Jacksonville has all the fun.

Statistics are hard to come by, but many pagans - adherents of modern or ancient forms of nature-based spirituality - are becoming more organized.

Jacksonville resident, college student, mom and pagan Elizabeth Ziemba said the trend derives from a need for the strength that comes in numbers.

"It's so ... we can have equality in society and have our religion recognized legally," Ziemba said.

One step in that direction is being taken today, when pagans of all varieties convene for Pagan Pride Day 2007 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville.

Source: Jacksonville.com: Metro: Story: Pagan Pride Day honors spirituality

The answer to this question made me laugh. How did you become a pagan?

I was raised Southern Baptist and I went to a Catholic high school. So in my teens, I saw hypocrisy between those two faiths. ... I really started searching for something that felt more comfortable.

So... what? You just kind of made something up?

Technorati tags: Wicca, Spirituality, Witchcraft