A Hindu festival in Nepal turns down animal sacrifice. Racists gather in Germany to attack refugee asylums. And debates continue about the complex intersection of laws protecting same-sex couples from discrimination and religious liberty laws. That's right, it's Fiery Tuesday, our weekly take on political issues that affect the Pagan community. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
Ever since the Oberfegell v. Hodges ruling earlier this year the debate over same-sex marriage has shifted dramatically from one about whether or not same-sex marriage is legal (it is now, without question) to one about whether or not certain groups have the right to isolate themselves from and ignore it. This article from The Atlantic Monthly covers the complex legal battle ensuing and what it could mean for both LGBT rights and religious liberty.
For millennia, animal sacrifice has been a prominent part of many religions, including traditional Hinduism. But now many people, including some Hindus, believe the practice is outdated and work is being done to end one of the largest mass sacrifices in the world, the annual ritual sacrifice by Nepali Hindus the goddess Gadhimai, which last occurred last year.
How do you respond to religious violence? For many, the answer is with more religious violence. But for thousands of Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East, the answer is more peaceful: to gather together in demonstrations calling for an end to violence and the celebration of mutual principles of peace shared between both Judaism and Islam (as well as Christianity). You can read more about the story here.
Sectarian violence isn't limited to just the Middle East however. In Germany there has been an alarming rise in racially motivated violence among anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-foreigner groups, who view the influx of refugees and immigrants from abroad as an existential threat. German magazine Der Spiegel covers the troubling development in this article.
Are religious women seen as inferior to secular women in modern feminism? That's the question being put forth by Jennifer Zobair, a writer for The Huffington Post who argues that secular feminists often look their noses down at their religious comrades, even as both fight to secure a world where women are fully regarded and treated as equals by their male counterparts.
Top image by Kalispera Dell