Arts & Entertainment:

‘With this broom, I thee wed’: offbeat family inspires play
‘I now pronounce you wife and wife.”

Canadian singer-songwriter David Hein, 36, heard those words about 18 years ago when his divorced mom married her lesbian partner. At the time, same-sex marriage wasn’t legal, but the pair have since made it official.

Hein’s mom came out as a lesbian when he was a teenager. Around the same time, she recommitted to her Jewish faith. Her bride, though, was a Wiccan — a modern-day pagan.

So the non-traditional ceremony in the musical romantic comedy My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding is straight from life, says Hein. He co-wrote the warm-hearted show with his wife, Irene Sankoff, to salute his offbeat family and celebrate the idea that love knows no gender or religion.

“There were Jewish elements of the wedding, and Wiccan elements,” he says. “They stood under a chuppah and they smashed a glass, but they also had their hands bound… and jumped over a broom and a cauldron of water.” Read full story from winnipegfreepress.com

News:

More ways social issues and religion will shape 2012 election (besides same-sex marriage)

(CNN) – Everyone knows the 2012 presidential race is about jobs and the economy. As likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney said a couple weeks ago: “It’s still about the economy, and we’re not stupid.”

But have you noticed how the culture wars keep intruding into this it’s-all-about-the-economy election?

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama voiced personal support for same-sex marriage, launching a new wave of national debate around the issue. A day earlier, North Carolinians voted to amend their constitution to ban gay marriage and other legal arrangements for gay couples.

It’s a one-two punch of reminders that social issues with deep religious reverberations still matter. Read full story from cnn.com

Legalizing gay marriage is good for public health, studies show
President Obama said Wednesday that he now supports gay marriage. In an interview with Robin Roberts of ABC News, he explained that for him, it’s an issue of fairness: “It’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated.”

But studies show there’s another reason to favor gay marriage – it’s good for public health.

A study published in February by the American Journal of Public Health found that gay men in Massachusetts were in better physical and mental health after that state became the first to recognize same-sex marriage in 2003. Researchers examined the medical records of 1,211 gay and bisexual men who went to “a large, community-based health clinic” in a “large metropolitan city” and compared the patients’ use of medical services before and after the law went into effect. Read full story from latimes.com

How the Olympics were born
Approximately 28 centuries ago, a festival emerged in the ancient Greek district of Elis (the northwestern area of the Peloponnesian peninsula). Quite how it developed is not entirely clear. It may have had something to do with funeral ceremonies; or perhaps it was the result of increasing political competitiveness (and a touch of neighbour envy) among early Greek city-states.

Media:

Obama: Christ and the Golden Rule informed support of same-sex marriage (Source: washingtonpost.com)
President Obama threw his support behind same-sex marriage Wednesday after years of “evolution” on the issue, and invoked Christ and the Golden Rule in detailing how he has changed.In an interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts, the president painted his endorsement of same-sex marriage as an outgrowth of his Christian beliefs:

Teresa MacBain on CNN ‘Faces of Faith’ with Randi Kaye (Source: YouTube – TheClergyProject)

Paranormal spirits put twist on Boston pole dancer’s classes (Source: bostonherald.com)

Blogspot:

• Capital Witch – Welcome to the Capital Witching Hour
• Fern’s Fronds – Earth Religions
• Unreasonable Faith - Amendment Two
• The Wild Hunt – The Closing of a Pagan Community Center

Feel free to leave comments regarding the articles posted.

If you’re interested in guest blogging or would like to submit an article or event, contact me at pagansworld.org@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all, have a great day!

Lisa