tex Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 I guess paganism is as good a religion as any. TELEVISION, THE INTERNET, environmentalism and even feminism have all played a role in the resurgence, they say. Soaring Pagan numbers have churches worrying and calling for stricter controls on cult TV programs and films that celebrate sorcery like “Harry Potter,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” Record attendance is expected at dawn on Saturday morning at the mystical megaliths of Stonehenge, where Pagans have celebrated the summer solstice for thousands of years. The trend has worried some of the Protestant church’s more traditional elements. “The rise of interest in Paganism is damaging because it normalizes spiritual evil by presenting it as mere fantasy and fiction,” said Reverend Joel Edwards of the Evangelical Alliance, a grouping of some one million UK Christians. “The Evangelical Alliance calls on government and TV regulatory bodies to monitor programs which promote or glamorize Pagan issues,” he told Reuters. Thirty thousand are expected to dance in the sunrise on summer’s longest day at Stonehenge, says English Heritage, which manages the site — nearly four times the number in 1990, when it re-opened to the public after many years. Scholars believe the ring of 20-ton stones was built between 3,000 and 1,600 BC as a sacred temple. Many of the revelers will be there just to party, but among them will be druids, who believe in spiritual enlightenment through nature, and witches who practice Wicca — harnessing nature’s power as magic. At least 10,000 Pagan witches and 6,000 Pagan druids were practicing in Britain at the last estimate in 1996, said history professor Ronald Hutton at Bristol University. He too suggested the number was rising. ‘Traditional religions have so many prohibitions: Thou shalt not do this or that. But Paganism has a message of liberation combined with good citizenship.’ — RONALD HUTTON History professor at Bristol University “Both the witches and the druids were always heavily outnumbered by what I’d call non-attached Pagans,” he told Reuters. “There are perhaps 100,000 to 120,000 in Britain.” Paganism has been rising in the UK since the 1950s, Hutton said. “It’s a religion that meets modern needs,” he added. “Traditional religions have so many prohibitions: Thou shalt not do this or that. But Paganism has a message of liberation combined with good citizenship.” He pointed to the ancient Pagan motto: “An (if) it harm none, do what you will.” Matt McCabe of the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids (OBOD) said his order had grown from a few hundred in the late 1980s to 7,000 worldwide today. Much of the growth he put down to the appeal of remote learning via the World Wide Web. “People are very reassured by the structured learning we can offer via the Web,” he said. The 1970s environmental movement also had an impact, said McCabe, with a lot of environmentalists attracted to Paganism because of its veneration of nature. Hutton said feminism in the 1980s had a similar effect, with women drawn to the female god-figure that is also worshipped. Then in the 1990s came the TV programs “Buffy” and “Sabrina,” about teenagers with supernatural powers. “Anything that makes teenage girls feel powerful is bound to go down well,” joked OBOD’s McCabe. Kevin Carlyon, High Priest of British White Witches said “Harry Potter” in recent years had continued the trend, helping create what he called “the fastest growing belief system in the world.” But it was not all good, he added. Fresh back from a trip to Scotland to lift an old hex from the Loch Ness Monster, he warned teenagers against joining witch covens too young. “There are some bloody weird people out there,” he said. http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/928600.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddha Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennesseeCarl Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 He pointed to the ancient Pagan motto: “An (if) it harm none, do what you will.” Doesn't that sound pithy? And there's the rub....we can't agree on whether something harms or not. We had a spate of witchcraft-related murders not so long ago down here. It's not just harmless crap with a ouija board. Like everything else, there are folks who take it so seriously, they'll kill over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golgo-13 Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 It's just a bunch of Dungeons and Dragons geeks who want to try to get laid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funkyalligator Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 My friend is a pagan and she really seems to be into it, and she likes the whole religion because it isn't hypocritical like most of the other mainstream religions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golgo-13 Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 Originally posted by Funkyalligator My friend is a pagan and she really seems to be into it, and she likes the whole religion because it isn't hypocritical like most of the other mainstream religions. Any organization that involves humans in one form or another will be hypocritical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 I wonder what part all the Catholic sex scandals have had? We seem to have a pretty major story every few months now. At least they're still considered major stories... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 I dated a Wiccan once. There is alot made over nothing. They are no different than Cathloics or Muslims or any other religious group except they pray to nature rather than a single omnipowerful God. In their eyes, Christians et al are just as ridiculous as Wiccans are in the eyes of Christians...(a bunch of people that worship something or someone that there is absolutley no proof of.) Not that I agree with any of it, but just wanted to point out that there are 2 sides to every story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJWatson3 Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 agreed code, i have known a few wiccans too and they are great people... i think that it is easier to accept that nature exists than some all-powerful boogeyman. that is part of the draw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 Originally posted by AJWatson3 agreed code, i have known a few wiccans too and they are great people... i think that it is easier to accept that nature exists than some all-powerful boogeyman. that is part of the draw. Agreed!! I think a bunch of the misconceptions are pretty funny. Many people automatically assume that Wiccans are Devil Worshipers or Orgy participants... (not that there's anything wrong with that...) lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OURYEAR#56 Posted June 26, 2003 Share Posted June 26, 2003 Doesn't surprise me. Those Catholic Priest need to keep their hands to themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy-the-Greek Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 Originally posted by OURYEAR#56 Doesn't surprise me. Those Catholic Priest need to keep their hands to themselves. If they did they would have forearms like popeye.........:jerkoff: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 Picture Jeanene Garafalo with bug-eyed thick glasses chained to a tree holding a Harry Potter book in one hand, an Exorcist DVD in the other hand, and a Harvest Moon CD running in her organically powered CD player. Badda-bing, your prototypical wiccan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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