12/31/00: HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Well, here we are at the end of an era, the 20th Century.
A lot has happened during the past hundred years that no one would have
believed at the end of the last century. While we didn't quite achieve
flying cars or time travel, we did find ways to communicate instantly with
each other all over the globe, transmitting voice and pictures by phone,
television and finally the internet. This last method has proved invaluable
in dispelling lies and misconceptions about Witchcraft and Paganism through
making factual information available to the general public, and in enabling
us to stand together and make our voices heard in individual cases of religious
discrimination, no matter where they occur.
What changes are in store for "the grove" in the year
2001? Beats me. I've been thinking about the turns this site has taken
since it's creation in October, 1998. Like far too many websites, this
one started out with no direction or purpose, other than as a personal
webspace mostly devoted to my long-defunct Dalnet chat channel, #OakGrove,
and was mostly a collection of links to other Pagan sites I liked around
the web. Additions such as the Parenting and Religious Rights sections
were an improvement, but like too many other sites, I tossed banner links
all over the place, and focused more on how many search engines I could
get listed with than with content. Thankfully, about the time Amber and
I were married I either outgrew or got bored with this approach, and began
to use this as my personal place to vent. Somewhere along the way it occurred
to me that there were many issues of importance to the Pagan community
that needed to be aired, and this "What's New" section was born.
So, what's new for 2001? Only time will tell. Stick around;
It's bound to be good, whatever it is!
And now the news:
Heather Miller to do time far away - Court doesn't want
her jailed close to husband she attempted to poison.
HAL MARCOVITZ - The Morning Call
Kevin Miller asked the judge to send his wife to a prison
close to home; instead, Heather Miller will likely be spending the next
4 to 10 years in a jail some 300 miles away.
The woman convicted of trying to kill her husband by
poisoning his potatoes asked Bucks County Judge David W. Heckler Thursday
to reconsider her sentence so that she could serve time in the Bucks County
Prison, just 20 miles from her Richlandtown home.
Heather Miller was convicted last September in a bizarre
plot to kill her husband that involved witchcraft and infidelity. Police
alleged that she attempted to poison her husband's shepherd's pie with
belladonna, an herb she believed to be lethal. Kevin Miller has always
stuck by his wife, though, claiming that she perpetrated the plot because
he had subjected her to mental abuse.
http://www.mcall.com:80/html/news/quaktwn/b_pg001_e2b1_2miller.htm
Pope to Receive Victims of Black Magic and Sects
Four Million Italian Families Affected
ROME, DEC. 22, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Tomorrow morning, the
Holy Father hold a special audience for the victims of black magic and
sects. The "Anti-Witchcraft Telephone" group calculates that in Italy alone
4 million families suffer from the influence of "false saviors."
The average age of victims is 45, and 58% are women.
Education statistics show 46% with elementary school education, 39% with
high school diplomas and 15% with college degrees.
In response to these statistics, volunteers for the group
are collecting signatures to reinstate a law making witchcraft a crime.
The previous law was repealed by the Constitutional Tribunal
in 1981. Their efforts are often met by derision and attack, but they maintain
that they are only trying to provide help and support for those who are
suffering under such influences.
[Well, so much for the "Papal Apology." - Oak]
http://ZENIT.org/english/archive/0012/ZE001222.htm#1638
ACLU sues California school district for pulling gay books
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- The American Civil
Liberties Union said Friday that it is suing an Anaheim, California, school
district for removing 10 biographies of prominent gays and lesbians from
the shelves of a junior high school library.
The suit, filed Thursday in a U.S. District Court in
Santa Ana, California, is intended to protect children's First Amendment
rights under the U.S. Constitution from "viewpoint-based censorship" imposed
by adults who disagree with homosexuality, ACLU attorney Martha Matthews
said.
According to the lawsuit, a school librarian at Orangeview
Junior High School in Anaheim, California, was unpacking some 300 new books
last September when she was told by a history teacher to remove a series
of 10 volumes titled "Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians," because he
thought them inappropriate.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/books/news/12/22/rights.books.reut/
12/18/00: Dress code fuels pentacle dispute
Scott Rochat - The Emporia Gazette
A 12-year-old Lowther North student claims the school
violated her freedom of religion when it confiscated her pentacle necklace
in November.
“I want to put the word out to my school it´s not
Satanism, it´s not gang-related, it´s nothing evil or bad,”
said Nicole Sumpter, a practitioner of Wicca. “Everyone has the freedom
to choose their religion.”
Pat Smiley, principal of Lowther North Intermediate School,
said she would not comment on a disciplinary action. She did say that the
pentacle, a five-pointed star surrounded by a circle, violated the school´s
dress code.
“I just followed the school rules, and that´s what
I did,” said Smiley. “There´s a lot more to this story than a pentacle
and I cannot comment on that.”
The school´s dress code states when students
dress in a manner “considered indecent or disruptive to school in the judgment
of counselors, teachers or principals, the student may be required to change
to appropriate clothing or alter the disruptive appearance.”
http://emporia.ksnews.com/emporia/daily_news/12-18pentacle.html
Want to help inform Principal Smiley about students' First
Amendment rights, or help her define the meaning of "disruptive?"
Here's how:
LOWTHER NORTH INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL
216 W. Sixth Ave.
Emporia, KS 66801
Tel: (316) 341-2350
Fax: (316) 341-2331
or contact the school Superintendent: Dr. John Heim at
jheim@usd253.org
[Much thanks to Wren Walker of The
Witches' Voice
for passing along this story! - Oak]
Hong Kong woman in bid to mend ozone layer
A Hong Kong woman is in southern Chile trying to close
the hole in the ozone layer by staring at the sun for 49 days.
Madam Yu Shuk Man, 58, is a self-styled miracle healer
who gave up her business and her life savings to travel to Punta Arenas.
She began her mission on December 6 and, wearing an anti-sunburn
robe that exposes only her eyes, she has set herself the task of staring
at the sun continuously for seven hours a day.
Hong Kong newspapers have mocked her, comparing her to
the mythological Chinese goddess, Nuwa, said to be the creator of mankind.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_147751.html
Judge dismisses state challenge of liquor ban on Yakama
Nation
SEATTLE -- (AP) -- A federal judge on Friday dismissed
the state's challenge of a reservation-wide liquor ban imposed by the Yakama
Nation, saying it had filed its complaint prematurely.
The state filed suit shortly after the ban took effect
on Sept. 16, seeking to prevent its enforcement against non-Indians. But
enforcement was not to begin until Jan. 4.
The 1.2-million-acre reservation in south-central Washington
is a patchwork of tribal and non-tribal land, with 20,000 non-tribal members
living on the reservation along with 5,000 tribal members. The Yakama Tribal
Council approved the ban last spring in a bid to fight alcoholism within
the tribe.
http://www.miamiherald.com/content/today/digdocs/105662.htm
12/14/00: Man asks high court to hear Friendship
Bell case
DON JACOBS - Scripps Howard News Service
Unsatisfied with rulings from two federal courts, an
Oak Ridge, Tenn., man now wants the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his contention
that Oak Ridge's International Friendship Bell is an unconstitutional religious
symbol.
A federal judge in Knoxville and the 6th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals in Cincinnati already have rejected Robert Brooks' argument
that the bell is a Buddhist symbol and violates the First Amendment. And
on Sept. 14 the appellate court refused to reconsider its July ruling.
Brooks has asked his attorney to take the case to the
U.S. Supreme Court.
http://www.knoxnews.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=FRIENDSHIPBELL-12-13-00&cat=LR
12/11/00: Keeping the Faith(s)
Anneli Rufus - myprimetime.com
Remember all those old jokes in which a priest, a rabbi
and a Buddhist monk are waiting side by side for a bus, sharing a lifeboat,
or jumping off a cliff? Well, they aren't funny anymore.
At least not so funny.
Tradition has it that leaders of different religions
keep to themselves and their flocks follow suit. Yet, and not a minute
too soon, a worldwide movement is afoot to get them together and keep them
together — at least long enough to talk.
http://www.myprimetime.com/play/self/content/interfaith/index.shtml
12/10/00: A world of faith online
Web connects cultures and creeds and is slowly changing
face of religion
MARY LOUISE SCHUMACHER and TOM HEINEN - Journal Sentinel
staff
The phone rang. It was crushing news. Her 10-year-old
nephew had run into the road and been smacked by an oncoming car.
Ruthi Norman was in Ohio. Her nephew Nathan was comatose
miles - states - away. Her body shook. She sat stunned. She paced. She
felt helpless, wishing she could do something.
Then, she prayed.
Then she asked the world to pray.
With moist palms, her fingers slipped over the keyboard
at her computer in the kitchen, key by key, typing: "Please pray . . .
Nathan was hit by a car . . . several attempts to arouse him have been
unsuccessful."
In moments, dozens of people from around the world responded
to the plea posted at the Beliefnet.com Web site.
"My heart aches for you," said one person with the screen
name "goldie."
"God, lift Nathan and his family up with your loving
hands . . ." messaged "frances."
"I am a mother . . . I believe the souls of mothers and
children are eternallyconnected . . . I pour my heart into my prayers for
your little one," wrote "Bethany."
And then one day, there, in the stream of comforting
postings came yet another shock: the prayers of a woman identifying herself
as a pagan and a druid.
"She said she believed in witchcraft," said Norman, 46,
a Christian. "I thought, 'Oh, my God, I don't understand this. How do I
deal with this?' "
In the weeks that followed, young Nathan recovered, beating
the odds. And Norman shed her fears about the pagan woman. She treasured
everyone who "screamed to God for help" with her, regardless of their creeds.
"It has caused me to be a lot more open," she said. "These
were all beautiful thoughts. Now I can see that."
http://www.jsonline.com/lifestyle/people/dec00/efaith10120700.asp
Catholics cry foul over DIA intercom rule
Tillie Fong - Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
A Catholic civil rights organization blasted Denver International
Airport officials Friday as "cowardly and offensive" for halting announcements
of times for Mass over the public address system.
"DIA officials have delivered a 'compromise' which compromises
no one's rights, save Catholics," said William Donohue, president of the
Catholic League.
"Since it was only Catholic services that were being
announced, the decision to neuter this information by going with a generic
substitute is both cowardly and offensive."
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/1209mass1.shtml
Musician drums up support for music therapy
NEW YORK (CNN) -- For a year, Mickey Hart's grandmother
didn't speak his name. She was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease,
an affliction that kills brain
cells causing dementia, memory loss and other neurological problems.
But one day the former drummer for the Grateful Dead
played for his grandmother. Her fog lifted briefly, and he became convinced
of the healing power of music.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/08/wb.healing/index.html
12/8/00: Christian group plans mailing
'Jesus' film will be sent to thousands in Shawnee County
The Associated Press
Topeka — Residents of Shawnee County can expect
to receive a free video about Jesus Christ in the mail, just in time for
Christmas 2001. A few months later, they'll be asked by telephone if they
have seen the video and if they wish to become Christians.
However, some religious leaders in Topeka expressed
concern about mailing the video to all households, saying doing so doesn't
take into consideration the religious preferences of others.
http://www.ljworld.com/section/stateregional/story/35539
Bah Humbug
Lawyer Wants to Bar Christmas as Federal Holiday
John Nolan - The Associated Press
A federal appeals court is considering arguments that
Christmas should no longer be observed as a national legal holiday.
During today’s hearing, a federal appeals judge asked
Christmas opponent Richard Ganulin show how nonbelievers are harmed by
the holiday. Philosophical or religious objections aren’t enough to support
a lawsuit to scrap the holiday observance, Judge Boyce Martin Jr. said.
“You don’t have to celebrate Christmas. You can ignore
it,” Martin told Ganulin during a hearing in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals. “Sometimes, we must accept those tenets of others that
we don’t necessarily agree with, in order to live in peace,” he said.
http://www.ljworld.com/section/stateregional/story/35539
Same-sex unions on Presbyterian’s agenda
Allison Williams - Ashville Citizen-Times
Presbyterians from southeastern North Carolina will gather
in Fayetteville today to discuss whether their ministers should be allowed
to bless the commitments of same-sex couples.
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
voted this summer to prohibit such ceremonies. Now, the denomination’s
173 presbyteries must decide. If a majority agrees with the General Assembly,
the prohibition becomes part of the Book of Order, the constitution for
the Presbyterian church.
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/foto/news/content/2000/tx00dec/n07presb.htm
12/7/00: City Christmas tree ban smolders
SCOTT MABEN - The Register-Guard
Eugene's Christmas tree hullabaloo is showing no signs
of waning, much to the chagrin of city officials.
City firefighters vowed Tuesday to wage a long legal
battle if necessary to overturn the ban on religious holiday decorations.
Christmas trees are a tradition in fire stations, and their absence will
be a disappointment for employees, they said.
At the same time, officials are trying to clear up confusion
about the policy and quell a rumor that they may cancel employees' Christmas
holiday altogether. The city also has had more than 300 phone calls, e-mail
messages and letters from people upset about the ban.
http://www.registerguard.com/news/20001206/1a.treefolo.1206.html
Trial to test Utah's 104-year-old ban on polygamy
High-profile case part of a statewide crackdown on practice
Associated Press
NEPHI, Utah – They live in a remote desert outpost near
the Nevada border, in a collection of 30 mobile homes christened "The Farm."
And every night before bed, Tom Green picks up a Harry Potter book and
reads to the youngest of his 28 children while his five wives tend to other
household tasks.
"We're a family like any other," the 52-year-old Mr.
Green insists, "only a little larger."
He is the modern-day poster child for polygamy, an outspoken
advocate who's taken his zeal for multiple marriage on national television
shows ranging from Jerry Springer and Judge Judy to Dateline NBC.
In January, he goes on trial for bigamy in a rare test
of Utah's 104-year-old ban on plural marriage.
http://www.dallasnews.com/religion/223552_utahdog_26nat..html
11/30/00: Herbal products recalled because of kidney
damage risk
WASHINGTON (AP) -- An Oregon company is recalling two
brands of Chinese herbs because they may pose a serious health hazard:
They were contaminated with a chemical that can destroy the kidneys.
East Earth Herb Inc. of Eugene, Oregon, said it has detected
the chemical, called aristolochic acid, in certain batches of the following
products: Jade Pharmacy brand Meridian Circulation tablets and liquid extract,
and Jade Pharmacy brand Quell Fire tablets.
Do not consume the recalled products, which may be returned
to the place of purchase for a refund, East Earth said. Consumers with
questions may call the company at 1-800-827-4372.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/alternative/11/29/herb.recall.ap/index.html
Woman charged with child's stabbing
Sharon E. Crawford - The Macon Telegraph
CRISP COUNTY - A Cordele woman told her neighbors that
God told her to stab her 2-year-old daughter Monday night on the front
steps of her church, the neighbors said.
It was the second time in less than three years a member
of Sharon Cross Gray's family has been charged with attacking her own child.
http://www.macontelegraph.com/content/macon/2000/11/29/local/1129stabbing.htm
Tree that was protester's home for two years cut by chainsaw
STAFFORD, California (AP) -- A thousand-year-old redwood
tree which served as a pulpit for environmentalist activist Julia "Butterfly"
Hill has been cut by a chainsaw, authorities said.
Hill drew worldwide attention for two years as she perched
on top of the tree she called Luna -- 18 stories high -- to protest timber
logging. She descended last December after its owners, Pacific Lumber,
agreed to spare the tree and a surrounding buffer zone.
One of Hill's supporters discovered the damage over the
Thanksgiving weekend. Humboldt County sheriff's deputies said the chainsaw
had cut a quarter of the way through the trunk.
The tree is still standing, but Hill's organization,
Circle of Life Foundation, said the cut had left Luna vulnerable to windstorms.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/NATURE/11/28/butterflys.tree.ap/index.html
11/25/00: Spiritual at heart: Outside organized
religion, parents develop ways to teach
values to their kids
Susan Hogan/Albach / The Dallas Morning News
Michael Ball was 5 years old when images of the Federal
Building bombing in Oklahoma City flashed across a television screen. He
absorbed everything – the rubble, the carnage, the tear-streaked faces
of grief.
When a tornado rumbled near his Texas home that night,
Michael asked his mom, "Is it a bomb?" He became terrified of death, to
the point of crying when flowers wilted. He wanted to know, "What happens
when we die?"
Linda Ball of Garland didn't rely on the answers given
by the world's religions to help her son. She's part of a burgeoning segment
of the U.S. population that defines itself as "spiritual but not religious."
http://www.dallasnews.com/religion/222893_spirituality_2.html
Indianapolis Baptist Temple protest still calm
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- The scene at the Indianapolis Baptist
Temple remained peaceful Thursday and supporters remained steadfast as
they celebrated Thanksgiving with a meal and a service.
"I'm thankful for all these individuals who are here
today to eat Thanksgiving dinner with us," the Rev. Greg A. Dixon told
Indianapolis television station WTHR. "And I am glad that we could be a
blessing to them because they have been a blessing to us."
The church -- which owes $6 million in taxes -- was supposed
to be seized by federal marshals on Nov. 14. That didn't happen, and church
members and their supporters have staged a round-the-clock vigil at the
temple since then.
http://www.starnews.com/news/articles/temple1124.html
11/19/00: ACLU plans prayer lawsuit
Houston Chronicle News Services
The Louisiana affiliate of the American Civil Liberties
Union plans a federal lawsuit against the Beauregard Parish school board
for allowing certain student-led prayers.
The district sent letters to parents asking permission
for children to participate in the "Partners in Prayer for Schools" program,
in which churches adopt classrooms and pray for their students. The ACLU
responded when a parent objected.
The school board has also voted unanimously to allow
"nonsectarian, no-proselytizing, student-initiated voluntary prayer" at
school-related events. Many residents support public school prayer and
have opposed previous ACLU efforts.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/religion/748943
Christian Coalition: Group admits guide mistake
CHUCK ERVIN World Capitol Bureau
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma Christian Coalition admitted
Friday that it was mistaken when it accused Sen. Lewis Long, D-Glenpool,
in its Voter Guide of voting to repeal laws against sodomy and bestiality.
Long narrowly lost his bid for re- election to Republican
Nancy Riley of Tulsa in last week's general election.
The veteran senator believes the erroneous Voter Guide
prepared by the Christian Coalition and distributed by local churches may
have cost him the election.
"I only lost by about 270 votes, so I would only have
had to turn less than 150 around to win," he said.
He also said he has no intention of dropping a libel
suit he has filed against the Oklahoma Christian Coalition.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=001118_Ne_a1group
Sacred calling
Former tribal chief gives tourists a sense of Indian
spirit and culture
Colleen O'Connor / Special Contributor to The Dallas
Morning News
SEDONA, Ariz. – Early one autumn morning, a small group
follows in the footsteps of Uqualla, a full-blooded Havasupai Indian, as
his moccasins whisper down paths in the crimson bluffs of Boynton Canyon.
"This is the most powerful healing canyon with native
peoples," he explains, gesturing toward a wilderness of red-rock canyons
nearly 65 million years old, dotted with ancient ruins of Native American
cliff dwellings. Revered by the Apache as the birthplace of their tribe,
the panoramic Boynton Canyon is the site of sacred rituals held by the
tribes for centuries – secret ceremonies that Uqualla, grandson of a Havasupai
medicine man, attended each year as a boy.
"All the four-legged people found sanctuary here," he
instructs, pointing to a roving band of javelinas. "And all the two-legged
people were given great blessing to be part of that. In this great harmony,
all is one. This is the Indian garden of Eden."
http://www.dallasnews.com/religion/217354_native_18rel.A.html
11/18/00: Temple occupiers come and go as sides
seek way out
Terry Horne - Indianapolis Star
As the waiting game stretched into a fourth day, a few
more supporters trickled Friday into the Indianapolis Baptist Temple.
And some who had left, like Ed Gish, a 52-year-old horse
rancher from Missouri, returned.
A group ranging at times from 60 to
120 people kept vigil Friday evening at the fundamentalist church in defiance
of a federal judge's orders to vacate.
U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker has ordered the
U.S. Marshals Service to take possession of the buildings so they can be
sold to satisfy a $6 million tax judgment.
Some expected the quick arrival of federal agents after
church representatives said they had reached an understanding Thursday
with U.S. Marshal Frank Anderson for a peaceful end to the situation.
http://www.starnews.com/news/articles/temple1118.html
Judge promises prompt 'blessed day' ruling
Gregory Weaver - Indianapolis Star
A federal judge conducted a six-hour hearing Thursday
to determine whether an Indianapolis employer can prohibit a worker from
wishing people a "blessed day" while on the job.
U.S. District Court Judge John Tinder said he will
decide with "deliberate speed" whether to issue a preliminary injunction
against USF Logistics, a shipping and warehousing firm based in Illinois.
But he noted that such injunctions are rare in employment
law cases.
http://www.starnews.com/business/articles/bless1117.html
Native effort underway in Mounds
Nora K. Froeschle World Staff Writer
Nigiel Bigpond co-founded Two Rivers Native American
Training Center and is pastor of Morning Star Evangelistic Center.
NORA K. FROESCHLE / Tulsa World
MOUNDS -- Historically, Christian missionaries do not
have a great reputation with American Indians.
"Their mission was to train people in moral standards
and give them an education. Unfortunately, they attacked their culture
and language," said Nigiel Bigpond, co-founder of Two Rivers Native American
Training Center and pastor of Morning Star Evangelistic Center.
"We call our church the church of all nations. This is
not a Native American church per se - all are welcome," he said.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/CommunitySouthStory.asp?ID=001115_Co_so1nativ
11/16/00: Worker asks judge's approval for 'blessed
day' greeting
Greg Weaver - The Indianapolis Star
Liz Anderson testified for three hours this morning as
she attempted to persuade a federal judge that she should be allowed to
wish people a "blessed day" while at work. She is seeking a preliminary
injunction against her Indianapolis employer, USF Logistics, which has
prohibited her from using the phrase and threatened her with termination
if she persists.
Anderson told U.S. District Court Judge John Tinder
that using the phrase is a religious practice and "part of her relationship
with Jesus."
"It just means I am trying to live a Christian life in
my walking and in my talking," [said] Anderson.
USF attorney Nina Stillman questioned, however,
whether it is a true religious practice or merely a personal expression.
She noted in her questioning that Anderson had previously told reporters
that the practice was "not that religious" and was the equivalent of wishing
folks a "happy day."
http://www.starnews.com/business/articles/blessedpm1116.html
Satanist's companion sentenced to 16 years for church
arsons
INDIANAPOLIS (CNN) -- The female traveling companion
of a serial church arsonist was sentenced to 16 years in prison Wednesday
for her role in a string of church fires in several states.
Angela Wood, 25, of Athens, Georgia, was sentenced in
Indianapolis by the same federal judge who Tuesday sentenced avowed devil
worshipper Jay Scott Ballinger to 42 years in prison for setting 26 church
fires in eight states.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/LAW/11/15/church.arson/index.html
Temple backers call in support from the right flank
Terry Horne - Indianapolis Star
Forty-eight hours after their eviction deadline,
the members of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple still had their church.
There was no sign at noon today of federal marshals coming to remove them
for failing to pay taxes.
The occupiers of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple settled
in, hoping for a prolonged standoff. The fundamentalist church's refusal
to obey a federal judge's eviction order has brought together radical right-wing
activists from Patriot Movement leaders such as James "Bo" Gritz to anti-abortionist
Bruce Murch.
Both sent out calls Wednesday for their followers to
descend on Indianapolis.
http://www.starnews.com/news/articles/temple1116.html
Second Mexican 'faith healer' arrested
KERRI GINIS - Scripps-McClatchy Western Service
FRESNO, Calif. - Kings County sheriff's deputies arrested
another self-proclaimed Mexican faith healer late Tuesday night on suspicion
of having sex with a 17-year-old girl so he could remove evil spirits from
her body.
Jose Angel Carranza Ojeda, 46, of Coalinga is being held
in the Kings County Jail on two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse through
fear and fraudulent means and one count of conspiracy. His bail is set
at $40,000.
http://www.knoxnews.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=FAITHHEALER-11-14-00&cat=LR
Flame-broiled indeed: Priest 'excommunicates' hamburgers
Peggy Polk - Religion News Service
ROME -- A Roman Catholic priest from Tuscany has added
fuel to the fires of Italy's debate over fast food by condemning the hamburger,
french fries and Coke as "the fruit of a Protestant culture."
"Fast food reflects the individualistic relation between
man and God introduced by Luther," the Rev. Massimo Salani said in a full-page
interview published Wednesday in the Catholic daily newspaper Avvenire.
With Italians deeply divided over the arrival of McDonald's
and other fast food chains in a country that takes its three-hour lunches
more seriously than it does politics and religion and almost as seriously
as soccer, other newspapers leapt on the story with obvious glee.
"Theologian Excommunicates the Hamburger," said a headline
in the Rome daily Il Messaggero Thursday. "The Hamburger Is Not for Catholics,"
the Milan newspaper Corriere della Sera declared.
[But, what about "Fillet o'Fish" on Fridays? - Oak]
http://www.tcpalm.com/faith/11shambu.shtml
11/14/00: Church signs on school grounds sparks
separation debate
Janet Jones - OnlineAthens Staff Writer
Ronny Barnes never thought he would spark a debate over
the separation of church and state. But when the Baptist minister
and his church members hammered a 3-by-5 foot banner into the ground on
the campus of a Clarke County school last month, they sparked questions
among Clarke County Board of Education members and the community regarding
the issue.
Barnes and members of his Second Baptist Church congregation
have been using Whit Davis Elementary School as a place of worship every
Sunday for two months -- the church is fairly new and has no building of
its own. To make community members aware of their presence, the church
had a professional printer make five 10-inch by 12-inch-signs reading,
''Second Baptist Church meets here.''
Members initially put the signs on the right-of-way in
front of the school. However, after being warned by a community member
that placing signs in the right-of-way violated a county ordinance, the
church began placing the signs on school property.
http://onlineathens.com/stories/111100/new_1111000011.shtml
Scientists experiment with ancient Egyptian art of mummification
Ben Nuckols, Associated Press
BALTIMORE -- A glass-top coffin allowed a filtered view
of the plain white linen keeping the mummy preserved.
A small crowd was assembled around the coffin and curious
to learn about the creation of this modern-day King Tut, a corpse named
Mumab that was treated with preservation techniques reserved for pharoahs
and their families.
The mummy was embalmed in 1994 by Ronald S. Wade of the
University of Maryland Medical Center and Bob Brier of Long Island University.
It was the first mummy in at least 2,800 years to be made using the tools
and techniques of ancient Egypt. It was on display recently while Wade
conducted a seminar at the annual convention of the National Funeral Directors
Association.
[Note to the squeamish: This one gets a bit graphic.
- Oak]
http://www.knoxnews.com/science/18280.shtml
Photographer now world's ambassador to sacred sites
Martin Gray travels globe, taking images of holy places
Liz Stevens - KNIGHT RIDDER NEWS SERVICE
FORT WORTH, Texas Martin Gray speaks to the Earth through
his camera lens, and the Earth speaks back in kind. The conversations are
thunderous and dramatic sometimes, subtle and delicate at others. On occasion,
they can be frightening.
But they are nearly always awe-inspiring.
For 17 years, Gray has journeyed to the most remote as
well as the most visited sacred sites on the globe more than 1,000 in some
70 countries. He travels to these spots as a spiritual pilgrim, a student
of religion, a devotee of archaeology and, lucky for us, a photographer
of the most incredible endeavors known to humankind.
http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/111100/faithdocs/sacred_sites11.htm
[Martin Gray's images can be found at his website, http://www.sacredsites.com]
11/11/00: School Board challenges ACLU with decision
on school prayer
The Associated Press
DeRIDDER -- The Beauregard Parish School Board voted
to allow certain types of student-led prayers in its schools, an action
that the American Civil Liberties Union said will be challenged in federal
court.
School officials said they were on solid legal ground
in making their decision.
But a lawsuit was being prepared Friday and will be mailed
to the federal District Court in Lake Charles, said Joe Cook, executive
director of the Louisiana ACLU.
http://www.theadvocate.com/news/story.asp?StoryID=17467
Group seeking unity among diverse religions finds words
often divide
PATRICIA C. STUMB - Times Staff Writer
We're all God's children: That's a nice, inclusive statement
- unless it's said at a dinner table with a Buddhist and a couple of Muslims.
When John Haley said that to his dinner companions at
Thursday's reorganization of One Huntsville, he did it to let them know
he considered them his brethren. Then, Sharelle Haqq, a Muslim, told him
believing that God begot children is blasphemous.
And Steve Jaekle, a former Episcopalian who has been
a Buddhist for 27 years, said "God" isn't what he puts his faith in. Instead,
it is "the universal law."
How much hope can there be for religious understanding
when people who have made a public stand to embrace diversity can't even
agree on creation?
http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/Nov2000/11-e19075.html
11/9/00: Filtering programs block candidate sites
A conservative Republican changes his stand on software
filters after his political site is blocked.
Lisa M. Bowman, ZDNet News
Congressional candidate Jeffery Pollock used to advocate
Internet filters.
Then he learned that popular blocking software Cyber
Patrol has been banning some people from visiting his campaign site.
It turns out that folks who enabled Cyber Patrol's blocking
of "Full Nudity," "Partial Nudity," and "Sexual Acts/Texts" may not have
been able to get to the site -- a revelation that floored the conservative
Christian candidate.
"I was quite baffled," said Pollock, a Republican who
waged an unsuccessful campaign for the 3rd Congressional District seat
in Oregon. "Now to find out that a lot of schools may have filtered out
my Web site is very disturbing to me."
[Well, well, well... So, Jeffery, filtering software
is only a good thing when it blocks somebody else's website,
huh? - Oak]
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2651471,00.html
11/8/00: Another ring on the tree
Guess what? Today's my birthday! Ol' Oak turned 44 today,
amid all the confusion and frustration of the still-undecided 2000 Presidential
election. Someone asked me if I planned to stop counting birthdays now.
Naw... I've gotten this far, I might as well see how many I can rack up!
The kids presented me with some wonderful cards they cranked out using
a publishing program we have, and Amberflame gave me my present last week,
a new camcorder so I could tape the kids' performances in Sleeping Beauty.
She said she has another surprise for me but I have to wait until the kids
are in bed before she can give it to me. (Hmm... I'm guessing, perhaps,
powertools?)
And now the news:
Judge's order abruptly alters Missouri River operations
BISMARCK, North Dakota (AP) -- A federal judge has ordered
that water levels at a key reservoir be maintained because of a tribal
lawsuit over eroding gravesites, a decision that experts say threatens
Missouri River dam and reservoir operations.
The temporary restraining order was issued in response
to a lawsuit filed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which contends erosion
from water releases on the river has exposed as many as 100 American Indian
graves.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/LAW/11/08/indiangraves.ap/index.html
Court watchers consider future of U.S. Supreme Court
(CNN) -- The makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court has become
an issue in this year's presidential campaign, with Vice President Al Gore
telling voters that the next president could appoint as many as four new
members to the court.
Both Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush have said that
they will not use any litmus tests to select nominees.
In the first presidential debate, Bush said he would
appoint "people who will strictly interpret the Constitution and will not
use the bench to write social policy." He said his nominees would be similar
to Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
Gore said that was "code" for saying Bush would appoint
people who would overturn the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
Gore said his appointees would "very likely" uphold it.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/LAW/11/06/election.intro/index.html
CBS shoves Dr. Laura into late night slots, or dumps her
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Citing low ratings, CBS told its
stations Tuesday to move the syndicated television series "Dr. Laura" to
a less desirable time slot or replace it altogether.
"The program got off to a slow start when it premiered
nine weeks ago, and has since seen further ratings erosion," a CBS statement
said, adding that it wants its stations to make the change by Monday.
Gay-rights groups had pushed for the show's cancellation
because host has called gays and lesbians "deviants" and "biological errors"
on her radio show.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/07/dr.laura/index.html
Clinton orders better cooperation between agencies, tribes
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Clinton ordered federal
agencies Monday to work more closely with American Indian tribal governments
and give tribes "the maximum administrative discretion possible" in enforcing
federal law and regulations.
The order also prohibits federal agencies from proposing
legislation that would hurt tribal governments, and requires agencies to
designate an official to handle relations with tribes. Agencies would have
to consult with tribes early in the rule-making process and detail the
financial effect of agency decisions on tribal governments.
"We must continue to engage in partnership, so that the
first Americans can reach their full potential," Clinton said in a statement.
"We must respect Native Americans' rights to choose for themselves their
own way of life on their own lands according to their honored cultures
and traditions."
http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/11/06/tribes.agencies.ap/index.html
Spiritual healing noted
Medical schools across the United States are recognizing
the importance of spirituality in the healing process, according to Rabbi
Samuel Karff, the main speaker at Temple Israel's Scholar's Weekend.
Five years ago, he said, three or four U.S. medical schools
had programs dealing with spirituality -- Harvard University was the first
-- and now there are 62 such programs.
Karff founded the human spirit initiative at the University
of Texas Health Science Center in Houston a year and a half ago, and is
an adjunct professor in the program.
"The purpose of the program," he said, "is to help future
doctors, nurses, dentists and other health workers understand that the
healing process involves more than just high-tech medicine."
"It requires connecting with the person -- entering their
world of faith and belief; their yearnings, and fears and hopes."
"It's the spiritual dimension of healing."
http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=001106_Ne_a15spiri
11/5/00:
New high school group focuses on reducing hate
Juanita Crawford Muiga - World Staff Writer
A new club at Sapulpa High School aims to build tolerance
among people of diverse backgrounds and stop the hate.
Organized by two students who believe education is the
key to eliminating hate in the world, a new group called Teaching Hate
is Not Okay, addresses issues that people usually don't like to think about.
"We believe the more knowledge someone has, the less
likely they are to discriminate against someone else," said Senior Anne
Nelsen who established the club with Junior Mary Beth Allen.
An excerpt from the club's statement of objective reads:
"We seek to break down the barriers of stereotypes formed from ignorance
and make a difference in the world around us."
http://www.tulsaworld.com/CommunityWestStory.asp?ID=001031_Co_we1newhi
Desert quest, survival test
Woman goes it alone for 40 days
Jeannine F. Hunter, News-Sentinel staff writer
Six years ago Debi Holmes-Binney entered the Great Salt
Lake Desert with rice, lentils and 64 gallons of water.
Then 31 years old and seeking refuge from what she described
as a stifling marriage, she camped for 40 days and nights alone in the
desert, emerging with an account that showcases the tenacity of the human
spirit.
The free-lance writer departed with hundreds of journal
pages filled with her engaging account. The result was her first book,
"Desert Sojourn: A Woman's Forty Days and Nights Alone."
http://www.knoxnews.com/homefamily/religion/17627.shtml
Faith healer arrested on sex charges
KERRI GINIS - Scripps-McClatchy Western Service
AVENAL, Calif. - An Avenal man who called himself a Mexican
faith healer, or "curandero," was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of having
sex with at least two juveniles, claiming he could remove evil spirits
from their bodies.
Fernando Magdalano Flores, 54, is in jail on a $100,000
bail. He is charged with one count of unlawful sexual intercourse and five
counts of unlawful sexual intercourse through fear and fraudulent means.
http://www.knoxnews.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=SEXCHARGE-11-02-00&cat=LR
Quarter of world has religious freedom
Religion News Service
About 75 percent of the world's population is subjected
to restrictions and violations of their religious freedom, according to
a survey released last week by the Freedom House's Center for Religious
Freedom. Some 36 percent of people live in countries in which religious
liberties are "fundamentally violated," while 39 percent practice their
faith under constraints, declared the global survey. The report cited Burma,
Turkmenistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, North Korea and Tibet as countries
with the broadest and most systematic violations.
http://www.dallasnews.com/religion/206037_fiveplug_04rel.html
11/1/00: Ft. Hood Samhain Altar Desecrated
Ft. Hood Open Circle (TX) was the center of controversy
last year after Wiccans on base attracted media attention by holding open
worship services. This year, on the eve of Samhain, one of the most sacred
Pagan holidays, the Ft. Hood group found their sacred space desecrated
and their altar destroyed, according to the following letter dated October
28, 2000:
"I am writing this letter to ask for positive energy
from the Pagan community. We here at the Ft Hood Open Circle have had a
terrible thing happen to us. We have our circle at a camp ground on the
Ft Hood military installation and this year for Samhain we decided to have
a Haunted Forest.
When we got to camp yesterday
to get ready for it we found that someone had been in there and had messed
with our props. We called the MPs and reported it and thought that was
the end of it. Tonight when we went out, we found our altar smashed to
pieces and our quarters gone and all of our props destroyed and thrown
in the dumpster. Our altar was made out of a 4' by 4' foot, 1' foot thick
solid piece of stone. It took a lot of hate to smash it.
But I am happy to say that at
this moment the circle has come together to do our Samhain ritual anyway.
We set up a temporary circle. We will be stronger because of this. The
pain will be with us binding us together, not tearing us apart. Please
send us energy to make us stronger to bear this. And hopefully we can all
be a little stronger because of this.
Blessed Be
Carol Powers"
[Carol Powers may be contacted at angel@seacove.net]
10/31/00: Blessed Samhain, everyone!
Amberflame's setting out the Dumb Supper for departed
friends and relatives, and the kids are in bed. Silverwing and Willow didn't
get to go trick-or-treating this year because of rehearsal for their roles
in the local Missoula Children's Theatre performance of "Sleeping Beauty."
That's okay, because in this house it's always been a
tradition that on Halloween night the kids set their cauldrons by the hearth,
where Witches (yeah, real ones!) fill 'em with candy while they sleep.
(It's sort of like when Santa comes at Christmas..)
The kids are really excited this year because they both
got good parts: Willow will be on-stage most of the play, and has some
lines, while Silverwing earned a title role as the young "Sleeping Beauty"
(before the enchantment.)
So with that from a "proud papa," on with the news for
October 31:
Update on Brandi Blackbear: School Board to Fight Lawsuit
The Tulsa Union School Board issued their response
Tuesday to the allegations saying that they did nothing wrong when they
suspended Brandi Blackbear, 15.
The School Board members said that they do not suspend
students for their religious beliefs and that they will fight the lawsuit.
http://www.channeloklahoma.com/okl/news/stories/news-20001031-165425.html
New Witch Book Provides Perspective
MARK PRATT, Associated Press Writer
BOSTON (AP) - The voices behind the Salem witch trials
have come alive, but they aren't meant to conjure up a Halloween
haunting.
British author Frances Hill has written a book that provides
a genuine historical perspective on the witch hunt by using first-person
accounts from the infamous 17th century trials that led to 20 people being
executed and hundreds of others sent to prison.
Hill also discusses the fears of white settlers in the
Massachusetts Bay colony that led to the trials, and she examines their
impact on pop culture.
``The point of this book is that people can read all
the texts for themselves and decide for themselves what the truth is,''
Hill said.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001030/en/witch_trials_book_1.html
Herbs for prostate cancer?
PC-SPES shows promise in advanced cases
An estimated 10,000 men take PC-SPES, a mixture of Chinese
herbs thought to battle prostate cancer.
Robert Bazell - NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT
An herbal remedy for prostate cancer called PC-SPES appears
to help patients with advanced cases of the disease. But some researchers
are raising questions about the safety of the popular supplement.
[Advanced cases? You mean the ones that are considered
terminal??
Yeah, we sure don't want anyone trying something "unsafe" at that point,
do we? - Oak]
http://www.msnbc.com/news/483233.asp
Potter Halloween mania draws warnings of Satanism
Rebecca Harrison
LONDON (Reuters) - Harry Potter mania has prompted children
across the world to swap their devil's horns for a pair of broken spectacles
this Halloween, but for some the craze for the fictional boy wizard proves
that Satan is in our midst.
Campaigns against the smash-hit tales of fantastical
adventures are gaining momentum as Potter fans prepare to wield their magic
wands to mark Tuesday's pagan festival.
"The Harry Potter Books are...recruiting tools for witchcraft
and the occult," American Christian group Freedom Village USA said on their
Web site.
[Yeah, I had one too, but the wheels fell off... - Oak]
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/001030/80/ansu7.html
Godsmack's 'Awake' Arrives In Time For Halloween
The new album by Godsmack, Awake, is appropriately released
today (Halloween, October 31), given that the founder and leader of the
band, Sully Erna, is a Wiccan. Those who believe in the pagan religion
celebrate Halloween as a symbolic nod to the end of life and rebirth and
the end of summer. With tunes like "Black Magic" and "Vampires," the album
is certainly a worthy Halloween treat.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/lc/20001031/en/godsmack_s_awake_arrives_in_time_for_halloween_1.html
10/29/00: Happy Halloween!
Yeah, it's still a couple few days away, but we recently
held a Halloween party for a dozen or so of Silverwing and Willow's friends
and classmates. The house was decorated from the "graveyard" next to the
front walk all the way down to the "haunted basement," and the kids had
a great time!
The best part of the party was the food, however (IMHO!):
Baked babboon brain cookies, wizard punch (with severed hands and vampire
eyeballs,) "meathead" and monster pizzas were all big hits with the kids.
We've gotten lots of requests for the recipes that went
into the party menu, so it's now posted along with several other recipes
in the latest update to the Pagan
Parenting page.
We hope you'll enjoy it, too!
And now the news:
Are Christian scaremongers making it 'Helloween'?
DAVID WATERS - Scripps Howard News Service
- BOO!
Did that scare you? Didn't think so.
Maybe this will.
"Purchase a meat product that closely resembles pieces
of a baby."
That's an instruction for setting up an exhibit depicting
an aborted fetus. It's from a Hell House Outreach Manual, published by
a church in Colorado.
[Does this mean that one can assume that they all pretty
much know what "pieces of a baby" look like? This is just plain sick! -
Oak]
http://www.knoxnews.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=FAITH-FAITH-10-26-00&cat=LR
A World of Fright A World of Fright
Eduardo Verdugo - The Associated Press
A street vendor sells Halloween masks and skeletons Wednesday
in Mexico City. Halloween has been catching on in Mexico for at least a
decade, but it has yet to supplant and never will, many Mexicans vow, the
centuries-old All Souls' Day.
Ng Han Guan - The Associated Press
In Singapore, a store manager dresses up a mannequin
at a costume rental store along Liang Seah Street. As an American export,
Halloween is taking root around the world.
More from around the world...
http://web.philly.com/content/myrtlebeach/2000/10/29/Money/D01-2069301.htm
Correction: The email address listed below for contacting
Brandi Blackbear has been returning mail marked "recipient unknown." I've
been in contact with a spokesperson for Brandi's attorney and should have
a corrected address (or an explanation) by Monday evening.
Meanwhile, you can still leave messages for Brandi via
snail-mail, phone or Fax:
Brandi Blackbear c/o
John M. Butler , OBA #1377
Aundrea R. Smith , OBA #18470
6846 South Canton, Suite 150
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74136
Phone: (918) 494-9595
Fax: (918) 494-5046
10/27/00: Parents sue Union over alleged `witch
hunt' of daughter
BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
The ACLU says religion, speech rights were violated.
A 15-year-old girl who was suspended from Union Public
Schools last year after she allegedly was accused of being a witch and
putting a hex on a teacher filed a federal lawsuit against the district
and several officials Thursday, claiming that they violated her civil rights.
Brandi Blackbear and her parents, Tim and Toni Blackbear,
are being represented by an American Civil Liberties Union attorney in
the lawsuit and have asked for a jury trial.
"It's hard for me to believe that in the year 2000 I
am walking into court to defend my daughter against charges of witchcraft,"
Tim Blackbear said.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=001027_Ne_a17paren
[A couple of notes: NBC's The Today Show
is planning to do a live segment on this case on Monday morning, October
30. Check your local listings for broadcast times in your area.
Also, anyone wishing to email Brandi Blackbear may do
so through her attorney, who will see that she receives a copy. To send
words of encouragement to Brandi, email her care of johnbutlerlaw@aol.com.
- Oak]
Many heads bowed on football nights
JASEN CORNS World Staff Writer
Field of Prayers
FORT GIBSON -- It's going to take more than the Supreme
Court to separate God and high school football in Fort Gibson.
Under the Friday night lights in this small eastern Oklahoma
town, more and more students are turning a weekly sports tradition into
an evening of worship.
From a popular pregame prayer service to a halftime show
of Christian music to a church-sponsored post- game party, Fort Gibson
has joined the congregation of Southern schools that are cleverly circumventing
the Supreme Court's recent ban on school-facilitated prayer at football
games.
Fort Gibson takes to its home field Friday night against
Okmulgee.
For years, Tiger home football games were preceded by
a school-led prayer over the stadium's loudspeakers. But when the nation's
highest court ruled in June that public schools cannot let students say
prayers over public address systems at high school football games, Fort
Gibson students weren't ready to obey.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/NewsStory.asp?ID=001026_Ne_a17field
Christians and Witches Face Off in Historic Salem
Halloween is a time of tension between Christian pastors
and Wiccan pilgrims to witchy Salem.
SALEM, Mass., Oct. 25 (RNS)--On the surface, Halloween
season in this city of witch fame appears to mean little more than a ghoulish
good time for 500,000 tourists and $42 million worth of serious fun
for the retailers who sell to them.
But witch-emblazoned T-shirts and signs for "eerie events"
mask the genuine October tension here between Wiccan pilgrims and Christian
pastors who see them as ambassadors of something insidious, even evil.
A few thousand of those who flock to Salem every year
at this time are self-proclaimed witches. Local witches, who count themselves
at 2,000-plus in this city of 39,000, say their counterparts come from
around the world to gather in circles, communicate with the dead, and pay
homage to the 20 alleged witches who died nearby in the Witch Trials of
1692.
"It's safe for someone to be a witch in Salem," said
witch and spiritual counselor Therese Pendragon. "That's why Salem is a
witch mecca."
The Rev. Kenneth Steigler also knows Salem is a witch
mecca. He came here in 1991 not only to pastor Wesley United Methodist
Church but also to use his expertise in cults to expose what he sees as
dangers of witchcraft.
http://belief.net/story/48/story_4879_1.html
10/26/00: Student accuses school of rights
violations
DANNY M. BOYD, Associated Press Writer
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A 15-year-old high school student
allegedly accused of being a witch and casting a spell on a teacher filed
a federal lawsuit Thursday against public school officials who suspended
her last year.
Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union
of Oklahoma say school officials also violated Brandi Blackbear's rights
over an earlier suspension in which a short story with a reference to an
armed student was taken from her.
“This little girl has suffered tremendously emotionally,”
attorney John Mack Butler said. “Her constitutional rights have been trampled
on.”
Defendants include the Union Public Schools, which encompasses
part of the city of Tulsa, and nine school board members, principals and
counselors.
The lawsuit claims violations of the first, fourth,
fifth, ninth and 14 amendments to the U.S. Constitution and various breaches
of the Civil Rights Act.
[Not to mention the school district's own policy
manual, which specifically states that "Individuals shall not be required
to disclose their personal religious preferences nor that of their family
members," and that "The school may educate about religions, but may not
promote or denigrate any one religion or religion in general." (Section
1850) - Oak]
http://teamtulsa.com/news/tulsanews/55570.shtml
Related story:
Civil rights lawsuit filed against Union Public Schools
A 15-year-old girl filed a federal lawsuit against
Union Public Schools and several officials Thursday, accusing them of violating
her civil rights when they suspended her last year for allegedly casting
a spell on a teacher and writing about a fictional story about a school
bus shooting.
Brandi Blackbear, represented by American Civil Liberties
Union attorneys, said she was treated as an outcast after Union Eighth
Grade Center officials suspended her for 19 days in April, 1999, for writing
a fictional short story about a shooting on a school bus.
Officials, acting on rumors, found the short story while
searching Brandi's locker and backpack, which contained several pieces
of creative writing, the lawsuit states. The suspension came on the heels
of the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado.
In December 1999, at Union Intermediate High School,
Brandi was suspended for 15 days after she was accused by officials of
practicing the pagan religion Wicca and putting a hex on one of her teachers
who had become ill, according to the lawsuit.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/BreakingNewsStory.asp?ID=001026_Br_break1
To express your opinion, contact:
Union Public Schools
5656 South 129th East Avenue
Tulsa, OK 74134
Phone: (918) 459-5432
WB
Brews Midseason 'Sabrina' Spinoff
Michael Schneider
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - The WB has conjured up a new pot
of witch's brew: the network plans to introduce a potential ''Sabrina,
the Teenage Witch'' spinoff later this season.
The ``Sabrina'' spinoff's conceit will be introduced
in the 15th episode and will revolve around a bad witch who's sent off
to a school for mischievous witches and warlocks.
In the episode, Sabrina's bad witch cousin is sent by
the ''powers that be'' of another realm to stay with Sabrina's aunt. The
aunt can't control the witch, who is sent off to the boarding school, which
is led by two teachers -- one mortal, the other not.
[There's that word "warlock" again... Sheesh! Haven't
they learned anything since the old Bewitched series?
- Oak]
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001020/re/television_sabrina_dc_1.html
Halloween Treat!
Discovery.com's Halloween Central offers more holiday
tips, tricks and treats than you can shake a broomstick at!
To discover for yourself, visit:
http://www.discovery.com/guides/special/halloween.html
10/24/00: Complaint lodged about prayers at football
games
ALAN SAYRE - The Associated Press
Student-led prayers at public school football
games, a practice ruled unconstitutional nationwide this year by the U.S.
Supreme Court, have led to a parent's complaint against Natchitoches Parish
schools and a threat of a lawsuit.
The Louisiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties
Union, in a letter dated Monday and faxed to the school system, asks that
the school district stop the practice within 10 days, or a lawsuit will
be filed.
Through a spokeswoman, Superintendent Elwanda Murphy
said: "We will abide by the law."
http://www.nolalive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?n1702_BC_LA--StudentPrayers-Fo&&news&newsflash-louisiana
Santa Fe ISD denies religious discrimination
School officials were unaware a Jewish student was the
target of threats and jeers because of his religion, according to documents
filed by lawyers for the Santa Fe Independent School District.
Eric and Donna Nevelow filed suit against the school
district in August, claiming it did nothing to discourage their 14-year-old
son, Phillip, from being harassed by fellow students.
The family is seeking $5 million in damages for the suffering
Phillip allegedly endured for two years.
But school district officials have denied the family's
claims, saying they couldn't respond because they didn't know anything
was amiss.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/726776
Spirituality taking on new, more personal forms
Lexington Herald-Reader
I know a retired couple in Iowa on a little hobby farm
living what some would say is a bizarre lifestyle. What most people do
not realize about this couple is that they are on the hunt for energy
spiritual energy that will make them feel better and allow them greater
productivity.
Several times a week, they walk to their labyrinth, a
large circle with intricate paths in the woods on the edge of their property.
Inside the glen of oaks and maples, they walk slowly for an hour or more.
Occasionally, they will stop when they feel energy drain from their bodies
or when they feel a surge of healing coming from the earth. Then they continue
on the sacred paths again, meandering around the circle until they are
filled with a life-giving force.
http://www.kentuckyconnect.com/heraldleader/news/102100/faithdocs/morphew21.htm
10/23/00: Hate-crime foes aim to light fire
BRYON COPPENS - South Bend Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND -- Brandon Slabach couldn't help but think
this was a fire waiting to happen.
He and about 50 other people in attendance Sunday evening
at the Candlelight Vigil for Hate Crimes and Domestic Violence on the IUSB
campus, stood with lighted candles in their hands amid a healthy scattering
of dried maple leaves.
"I thought about how easy it would be to drop a candle
and set all these leaves on fire," Slabach said. "And that's exactly what
needs to happen."
Slabach and other speakers at the vigil, sponsored by
OUT IUSB and the Office of Campus Diversity, encouraged others to be adamant
and vocal opponents of hate crimes and domestic violence in their communities.
"So that wherever we are, other people will catch on
to our flames," Slabach said.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2000/10/23/local.20001023-sbt-MARS-C1-Hate_crime_foes_aim_.sto
Public prayer sends wrong message to those of other faiths
Ina Hughs - Knoxville News-Sentinel
Sometimes it helps to step back and look at emotional
issues from a different perspective. Take for example the issue of prayer
in the schools -- most specifically, the public prayer chains Christians
at Roane County High School in Kingston have insisted on performing at
their football games.
Arguing against prayer, making illegal and unconstitutional
for one to talk to her or his God -- well, right there you've painted
yourself in a corner. What evil lurks in the mind of anyone who would hush
up your prayers?
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/hughs/ih10182000.shtml
10/13/00: Friday the 13th superstitions rooted in
ancient cultures
Gary Massaro
Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
If you're reading this, chances are that Friday the 13th
is off to a good start. You're alive.
So pull your spouse from under the bedcovers and take
off that wreath of garlic. Just don't throw any rocks at mirrors or walk
under a ladder.
For many people, at least those who give great superstitious
significance to a day like today, Friday the 13th can be downright spooky.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/1013th5.shtml
Alabama Judge Roy "Ten Commandments" Moore is running
for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. This is his website: http://www.judgemoore.org/
Adam Butler created a World Wide Web site that appears
to link Moore with the Unification Church of Rev. Sun Myung Moon. This
is HIS website:
http://www.judgemoore.com/
NOW: Guess which one Moore's supporters posted a link
to recently in a mass fundraising e-mail?
Story: http://www.gadsdentimes.com/roy1013.html
Scouts' policy on gays divides communities nationwide
NEW YORK (AP) -- For 90 years, the Boy Scouts have helped
foster togetherness and civic pride. Over the past few months, in communities
across America, they have become a catalyst for conflict.
In June, the Supreme Court upheld the Scouts' ban on
gay Scout leaders. Denouncing that policy as discriminatory, numerous school
boards, city councils, corporations and charities have halted or reduced
support for the Scouts.
Yet this fall there is increasing evidence of a backlash
against that backlash. Parents, business executives and conservative political
groups are speaking out against those who are retaliating against the Scouts.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/LAW/10/13/boyscoutbacklash.ap/index.html
Dallas City Council Invocation - A Photo Essay
Professional photographer Nicholas Wright captured some
great pictures of the history-making event in Dallas when Wiccan minister
Brian Lankford gave the invocation for the City Council meeting. These
never-before published photos can be seen at his website,http://celt.drak.net/nwright/DallasInvocation/1.htm
New Products: Halloween stuff galore
Maureen Bavdek
NEW YORK, Oct 10 (Reuters) - There is no question that
Halloween has become one of the most popular ``holidays'' in the United
States, not only for candy lovers, but for those who like to go all out
in their costumes and decorating.
Even craft queen Martha Stewart has gotten into the act.
She has created a special edition of her magazine, Martha
Stewart Holiday -- Halloween, in which she is featured on the cover in
full Black Widow makeup.
[Amberflame just got her copy in the mail, and it's fantastic!
Recipes for Lady Fingers (and Man Toes) that look like the real things,
"blood-rimmed" glasses for Pina Ghouladas, incredible "no-sew" costumes
and "Pumpkin Carving 101" are just a few of this year's Halloween offerings
from the "High Priestess of Homemaking."
Hmm. Do you suppose that ol' Martha just might be..??
Naw! - Oak]
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/001010/n1064791.html
10/10/00: Couple Needs Help After House Fire
[An appeal to the Pagan community, from my e-mail]
"Jay and Alice Lynch of Newnan, GA, members of the South
Eastern Asatru community, and regular attendees of Moondance, FallFling,
and Church of the Spiral Tree events, completely lost their entire home
and all contents to a devastating fire on October 5, 2000. Alice is pregnant
and is currently on bed-rest only. She is due the first week of December.
They have a daughter age 13 and a son age 11. Temporary shelter has been
provided by Alice's parents who are heathen/pagan supportive but can only
do so much. So, we have already begun a drive to find furniture and appliances
of all types. If you would like to help monetarily, please make checks
or money orders out to:
Jay and Alice Lynch
and mail to:
Carol Thompson (AKA Stormsdottir/Stormy)
PO Box 3651
Auburn, AL 36831-3651
Needless to say if anyone in the S.E. has anything in
the way of household furnishings, bedding, blankets, kitchen utensils,
pots, pans, small or large appliances, furniture, beds mattresses please
let me know. I will arrange pick up and delivery to them. If anyone has
a unused TV, radio, clock CD player, computer etc, those too would be appreciated.
This is a heathen/pagan family who really need and deserve
everything we can do to help. Cards and letters of support encouragement
and care would also be appreciated, and can be mailed to the above address."
Ivory Coast Finds Solace in Craft
TIM SULLIVAN, Associated Press Writer
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) - The talisman's power is strong,
she insists, smiling through eyes tinged a milky yellow by malaria. The
cost is just a reflection of its quality.
Counting on one hand, Adike Abiaty then ticks off her
payment for the protective charm: $65, a sheep, a bottle of gin and three
large squares of fabric. It's an astronomical sum by the standards of the
working class Abidjan neighborhood where she has her small office, more
than most people earn in months.
But the customers are lining up.
In a country caught at the nexus of military, economic
and political turmoil, where soldiers mutiny over unpaid bonuses, commodity
prices bounce around near record lows and residents worry that an upcoming
announcement on who can run in Oct. 22 presidential elections could bring
widespread unrest, an ancient craft is booming: the making of protective
talismans.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20001006/wl/magical_solace_1.html
10/5/00: An update to the Dallas City Council stories.
(From my friend Charlayne, reprinted with permission)
Bryan Lankford DID give the invocation today. We had
gotten word there would be protests from evangelicals.
There were 4 protesters there, one of whom was escorted
from the chambers after trying to disrupt the invocation.
One woman called the pagans "Nazis" (she's the president
of the Texas Eagle Forum--Phillis Schafly's group). Talk about getting
the mirror pointed at yourself!!!
In other words--the protesters made themselves look REAL
foolish.
Our community had over 25 present, many of them having
left jobs to come and stand with Bryan.
One observation from one of our pagans there at the event:
from Maeven Eller at Betwixt & Between
The [Pagan] invocation [at the Dallas City Council] was
a huge success. [Dallas] Mayor Kirk even said he was very moved by the
invocation. We had some who tried to shout over Bryan, well one. The mayor
silenced him though. We had several who signed up on the agenda to speak
against it, one lady even brought a class room full of Baptist children
in uniforms.
With the Texas state star hanging over the chambers,
resembling the pentacle hanging from our necks, we stood and listened to
Bryan's invocation. How appropriate that this happened here in Dallas.
During the Pledge of Allegiance many broke into tears
of relief and realization of what we were experiencing first hand..
Then three who were on the agenda to express their indifference
to our 'prayer' spoke.. When they were through the mayor said, and I paraphrase,
he and the city council are not in the business of choosing religions.
He [Mayor Kirk] said he hopes to see us back in the future
and that he was very moved by the invocation.
Everything feels changed today.
We [Pagans] claimed our rights to equal representation.
We held our ground with dignity and justice for all. We were magick.
All major media was represented.
Here is the invocation that will be heard around the
world again.
What a blessing this day has been.
Blessed be this harvest season.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Invocation by HP Bryan Lankford
Mother Goddess, Father God: we thank you for life
and the world we share.
We ask that you bless this council and the mayor with
the wisdom to lead this city into our tomorrow's, that it may flourish
in harmony and prosperity.
We ask this city be transformed with the harmony and
balance that faith in a greater power brings.
Just as the ancient alchemists felt the elements of life
were air, fire, water and earth, the elements of spiritual alchemy are
Honesty, Love, Compassion, and Faith.
We pray that our words and deeds be open and honest,
without malice or deceit, so others will always be able to trust our actions,
believe our words, and see that our motivations are pure.
For honesty breeds trust, and without trust all our actions
are suspect.
May our souls be lit with the light of love which shines
into the dark corners of our being, removing the darkness of hatred, anger
and prejudice, so no one ever need fear for their safety or be made to
feel shame for their race, religion or lifestyle.
For where love shines, darkness cannot find hold.
May we show compassion for those whose lives are not
as easy as our own.
Let our hearts see that the spirit inside each of us
comes from the same divine source and is, therefore, deserving of dignity
and respect no matter what the body's present condition.
For only with self respect can one find the strength
to improve their condition.
We pray that our lives are grounded in faith because
faith in something greater than ourselves gives us the power to aspire
to be more than we are, reaching beyond our human limitations to propel
the human spirit to new levels.
Faith brings us the comfort of divine planning, letting
us understand all that happens, happens for a reason, a purpose which we,
from our limited perspective, may have trouble seeing, but the Divine sees
the outcome of every event and knows why each event must occur.
We pray for Honesty, Love, Compassion, and Faith, that
our spirits be transformed into golden spirits, shining with the light
of the Divine.
We ask this of deity in whatever form each of us perceives
it.
So may it be
Bryan Lankford
Interfaith Director
Betwixt & Between
----------------------------------------------------------------
I encourage you all to remember the concept
of 'together we can do everything', it is not mere words, it is the proof
that this harvest is based on.
Begin building your community centers. Today proves this
works.
Maeven Eller
Parents demonize mascot, want new one
Acadiana bureau
VILLE PLATTE - A group of Bayou Chicot residents urged
the Evangeline Parish School Board on Wednesday to change Bayou Chicot
High School’s mascot, a demon.
The crowd was split in their support or opposition to
the mascot, which has been around since the school was built in 1937.
The board took no action on the issue.
The Rev. Jerry Fitch, pastor of Christ Cathedral of Praise
in Ville Platte, said the demon is an evil spirit.
http://www.theadvocate.com/news/story.asp?StoryID=16652
Artisan Tries To Repeat Blair Witch Internet Magic
Amy Doan - Forbes.com
Whether moviegoers loved The Blair Witch Project or left
the theater feeling used, it's hard to find fault with the movie's stealthy
use of the Internet.
A deliberately underground-looking Web site and legions
of paid online promoters were
used to convince people that they had discovered the
movie for themselves, and that the
story of three missing filmmakers was true.
Artisan Entertainment was smart enough to make $140 million
from a movie it bought for $1 million and marketed for about $10 million.
It's not dumb enough to think that it can replicate that kind of success
with the sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, which opens on Oct. 27.
Artisan isn't holding back. The three-day Web event will
let visitors chat with genuine Wiccans, prisoners who use possession to
defend themselves, and the game developers who created the Blair Witch
PC games. There will be contests tied in with the movie's soundtrack and
even ``scheduled Pagan rituals.''
http://biz.yahoo.com/fo/001004/mu3576.html
10/4/00: School alters prayer policy
Mesquite High coaches to quit leading team prayers
Terri Williams / The Dallas Morning News
MESQUITE – When Mesquite High School football player
Kirk Lannoye was asked by his coach to pray last week after the game against
South Garland High School, he felt uneasy.
Kirk, a 15-year-old freshman, is an atheist, and he says
most of the boys on the team know that.
"I felt a little uncomfortable," Kirk said of the prayer
Thursday night. And it wasn't the first time that the coach, Todd Ritter,
had asked the team to pray, often leading the boys before and after games,
Kirk said.
http://www.dallasnews.com/metro/183991_prayer_04gar.A.html
10/3/00: Indians vow 'vigorous' protests
AIM leaders charge Columbus Day parade planned for Saturday
'another broken treaty'
John C. Ensslin - Denver Rocky Mountain News
American Indian leaders see Saturday's Columbus Day parade
as "another broken treaty" and vow vigorous protests.
The American Indian Movement and its supporters Monday
decried the collapse last week of an agreement with Italian-American organizers
that would have kept Christopher Columbus' name out of this weekend's parade
in Denver.
"We're terribly and deeply disappointed and saddened
for the city of Denver as well as for ourselves that this agreement has
been violated," said Glen Morris, a member of the AIM leadership council.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/1003aim1.shtml
New Charge Against Kids Soccer League
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Reuters) - A Connecticut children's
soccer league has fallen foul of the Anti-Defamation League for the second
time in four days, as the Jewish organization learned on Monday of a new
event coinciding with a Jewish holiday.
"We just heard that there's a girls' finals tournament
scheduled for Yom Kippur,'' said David Waren, regional director of the
Anti-Defamation League in New Haven, Connecticut.
Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, the holiest Jewish
holiday, falls on Sunday and Monday, Oct. 8 and 9.
http://dailynews.netscape.com/mynsnews/story.tmpl?table=n&cat=50900&id=200010030847000230198
10/2/00: A city sparks scrutiny of ties to Scouts
A number of communities are reviewing their ties to the
Boy Scouts; it all began in Wilton Manors, with Florida's only gay-majority
government.
THOMAS C. TOBIN - St. Petersburg Times
WILTON MANORS -- John R. Fiore stops his blue Honda Accord
in front of the modest Florida ranch home where he grew up. His mother
and father still live inside, surrounded by the lawn he hated to cut as
a boy.
But their son and the neighborhood around them have come
a long way since then.
From the Honda's front seat, Fiore's hand sweeps in a
circle to describe the well-integrated block: "Straight, straight, straight,
gay, straight, gay, straight, gay, straight." At 47, he has come to know
the sexual orientation at each address. As well he should.
In March, he was elected mayor of Wilton Manors with
58 percent of the vote, bringing about a political rarity: Fiore and two
other men constitute only the second openly gay majority to lead a local
government in the United States, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory
Fund.
http://www.sptimes.com/News/100100/State/A_city_sparks_scrutin.shtml
Soccer Team Forfeits for Jewish Holiday
Junior Soccer Coach Refused to Reschedule Game
The Associated Press
F A I R F I E L D, Conn., Sept. 29 — A clash between
religion and sports is creating something of a soccer controversy.
A youth soccer team’s refusal to reschedule a game that
was to be played on Rosh Hashanah has earned the team a forfeit victory,
and the condemnation of the Anti-Defamation League.
The Fairfield team from the Connecticut Junior Soccer
Association was to play a team from Avon Saturday in the State Cup tournament.
But several members of the Avon team are Jewish, and
can’t play on the holiday. So their coach asked that the game be rescheduled.
But Don Houston, who coaches the team of mostly 10-year-old
players in Fairfield, refused. As a result, Avon decided to forfeit the
game, and their chance to win the tournament.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/sports/DailyNews/soccerholiday000929.html
Sign size does not change 'In God We Trust' lawsuit
TOPEKA, Kansas (AP) -- The sign has gotten bigger and
the word "God" has shrunk, but Shawnee County Treasurer Rita Cline still
faces a lawsuit over a sign at her office proclaiming, "In God We Trust."
The American Civil Liberties Union last month filed a
petition in U.S. District Court in Topeka, asking the court to force Cline
to take down the sign.
In the petition, the ACLU accused Cline of inappropriately
using her office to push her religion on many occasions.
http://www.cnn.com/2000/LAW/civil/09/27/religionbriefs.ap/index.html