One of the greatest obstacles to social change is often the impression that there's either nothing that we can do or that social issues have no relevance to us. But is that really true? This week we take a look at issues of social justice as they relate to people in general and the Pagan community specifically. Join us as we take a look at the relationship between oppression and magic, read a piece about how social justice fuels one Pagan's spiritual practice, and investigate the religious roots of American terrorism. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

What does racism and the Confederate flag have to do with Paganism? Ashevillewitch discusses the issue of race in the American South and why combating hatred takes more than just gestures.

In the online debate about sexism in the media, message board 4chan has earned a widespread reputation for virulent misogyny and trolling. Recently, the website tried to troll feminists by creating the fictitious "FemCon 2015" as a scam. The effort, however, appears to have blown up in their faces.

Body image is a difficult issue for many to deal with. It can be compounded, however, by feelings of shame and guilt stemming from religion. Over at The Guardian, Sarah Galo discusses how her religious upbringing made her feel ashamed to display her body for much of her youth.

Few things make people more passionate than social issues or religion. Is it natural then that people who are attracted t one are necessarily attracted to the other? Darcy Totten explains why a passion for social justice is an integral part of her Pagan religion.

Of course, there's a darker side to such passions. This article at The Daily Beast examines how the "Christian identity" movement and the American white supremacist movement were, for much of their history, deeply entwined.


Top image by `avivi