Should we link our politics and our faith? This is a question that is beginning to be asked in our community. Some of that has to do with the stir that Gods & Radicals has created, especially the recent controversy.
I try to stay out of online bickering, and when I feel I must get involved I try to do it in the form of a column so that we can have a mature, intelligent debate rather than a bunch of back-biting, pot-stirring and name-calling, with the usual wake of vultures showing up to cannibalize whomever looks weakest for their own self-glorification through gossip. Hard experience has taught me that wading in to the mix while the shit is still flying is never helpful. But even I was drawn partway into this one. I guess it’s because it’s such an emotional issue for me. It’s a button-pusher, and my buttons were pushed.
A manuscript detailing Isaac Newton's alchemical pursuits is revealed. Controversy erupts in the Pagan community over political activism. And we take a look at how coloring has taken over as a hobby among Pagans. It's Watery Wednesday, our weekly segment on news about the Pagan community! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
So are you sick of politics? Tired of the election coverage? For a political junkie like me, this election cycle has been one of the most amazing things I’ve ever witnessed and I just can’t wait to see what happens next! I thank all of the deities that I am not only alive to witness this but that I’m old enough to truly appreciate it. So what does this have to do with being a Solitary Pagan? Actually, a fair amount.
This is part of my continuing series called “Blurring the Lines of Community”. My point with these articles is that as Solitaries, we often find it difficult to worship with others or even to find others who worship in any way similar to ourselves. So how can Solitaries be part of Community when we are often seen as “loners”, “anti-social”, or even “not real Pagans”? Well, notwithstanding the ideas I’ve put forward in other articles for becoming part of the Greater Pagan Community, there is another aspect to “Community” that I think is at least as important, if not even more important.
A Pagan tackles one of the most popular ideas about St. Patrick's Day. A heathen talks about Loki's "roads." And we take a look at modern Greek polytheism. It's Watery Wednesday, our weekly segment on news about the Pagan community. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
Sexuality is an indomitable force, one that has the power to shape our life, identity, and destiny. It is literally a dark force as it touches the very depths of our souls.
Yesterday Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper of the Conservative Party dropped the writ to announce the beginning of an eleven-week election campaign. It will be one of the longest campaigns in Canadian history. Without getting into a very long litany of what I believe to be the sins of the Canadian federal Conservative Party, I will say that for the first time in my life, I am working as a volunteer in a political campaign. I have given my support to the party most likely to defeat the Conservative party in my riding. I have volunteered to cold-call people on the phone; something I have to work up considerable courage to do. I have volunteered to write press releases. I have folded little paper fans as promotional materials. I am doing this because I am angry and because I believe that supporting the party I've chosen to is our best chance for change.
In the meantime, I have also pleaded with Athena for the victory of my chosen party, and I am lending my magickal skills to the task.
Welcome back to Faithful Friday! This week we've done something a bit unusual and have gathered several stories about the irreligious, rather than the faithful. Follow below to read about the rising number of atheist politicians, the blow dealt to lawmakers concerned with religious law by Obergefell v. Hodges, and the impact of "nones" (the religiously unaffiliated) on the modern Republican Party of the United States. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
Erin Lale
Fellow faculty at Harvard Divinity School posted an open letter to Wolpe in response to his article. It's available on this page, below the call for p...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. The Wild Hunt has a roundup of numerous responses on its site, but it carried this one as a separate article. It is an accoun...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. This one is by a scholar of paganism. It's unfortunately a Facebook post so this link goes to Facebook. She posted the text o...