Posts Tagged ‘Native American’

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News & Submissions 10/22/2010

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

Psychic fair this weekend at Andromeda’s Alley in Mansfield
Mansfield — Those seeking a glimpse in to the future, an introduction to the Wiccan religion, or unique jewelry including crystals, gemstones and rune symbols can find all this and more at Andromeda’s Alley on North Main Street in Mansfield. Read full story from wickedlocal.com

Pagan Pride Day desgined to educated the public
Las Cruces— Ginette Novello, a retired schoolteacher, is saddened that some people consider pagans to be “godless.”

“In the ancient religions, there is usually a belief in one, monotheistic god that is mysterious, beyond knowing, that cannot be defined by any single belief,” Novello said. “And then there are a diverse number of gods or goddesses that are manifestations of that one god.” Read full story from lcsun-news.com

NARF to celebrate 40 years
BOULDER, Colo. – Once upon a time in this country, tribes only mixed with attorneys during legal proceedings where something was taken. Today, that has changed, said John Echohawk, one of the founding attorneys of the Native American Rights Fund.

“Indian law is big business. And most tribes have gotten back on their feet and can retain attorneys, thanks to Indian enterprise.” Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Cherokee Nation excluded from watershed-damage litigation
DENVER – The Cherokee Nation has unsuccessfully attempted to intervene in a dispute between the State of Oklahoma and poultry enterprises charged with contaminating a watershed, much of it within Cherokee boundaries, with practices that produce “hundreds of thousands of tons of poultry waste each year.” Read full story from indiacountrytoday.com

Punk rock prof explains ‘Anarchy Evolution’
In his book Anarchy Evolution: Faith, Science, and Bad Religion in a World Without God, Greg Graffin says, “For me, the existence or nonexistence of God is a non-issue.”

He’s a naturalist, the lead singer of a the punk rock band Bad Religion.

The notorious punk riot at the El Portal Theater in Los Angles on December 29, 1990 made his band infamous – CNN covered it – but Graffin wasn’t involved in it. Read full story from cnn.com

Do You Believe in Vampires, Witch’s and Ghosts?
Note this, Vampires and Witch’s have been around forever, including ghosts. I met a ghost once and she was murdered and she talked to me. I solved the murder case, found her mother walking one day and spoke to her softly and asked the mother of the deceased daughter, if she was the mother, name withheld, and she told me yes, that indeed she was. Read full story from modernghana.com

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News & Submissions 10/18/2010

Monday, October 18th, 2010

An interview with Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone by Bernadette Montana
Today’s interview is with Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone.  The contributions that they have given to the pagan community over these many years, are too numerous for me to mention here.  I would suggest printing out this interview for future use as a teaching aid, or as adjunct to the course that both Janet and Gavin teach, here at Sacred Mists.  Enjoy! Read full story from sacredmistsblog.com

Expanding the pagan tent of worshippers
Paul Larson doesn’t celebrate Halloween. Instead, he spends Oct. 31 in a worship service that’s a ritual feast with offerings of sweet cakes and ale to the ancestors.

For many pagans such as Larson, Oct. 31 is the autumnal new year called Samhain, a time when the veil between the spiritual world and the world as we know it is the thinnest and it’s possible to contact those who have passed away. Read full story from chicagotribune.com

Call for law on Witchcraft and Human Rights
A former Chairman of the National Commission on Culture, Professor George Hagan has called for a legislation to make it a criminal offence for people who infringe on the rights of innocent Ghanaians particularly old women and accuse them of witchcraft. Read full story from gbcghana.com

‘Evangelical Atheists:’ Pushing For What?
Last Friday, a New York Times headline declared: “Atheists Debate How Pushy to Be.” This ongoing debate among atheists — “Just how much should we confront the religious?” — is nowhere near resolution.

Last year when I visited Minnesota to spend the winter holidays with my family, I spoke with a Christian friend about my budding efforts as an atheist promoting religious tolerance and interfaith work. She too was excited about the idea of bringing people together around shared values in spite of religious differences, but near the end of our conversation she asked me a pointed question: “I’m a little confused. Isn’t part of being an atheist trying to talk people out of their faith?” Read full story from huffingtonpost.com

Group says prayers to protect Native American burial ground
The Native American community from the surrounding area came together in a ceremonial gathering and prayer vigil Saturday at the Glen Cove shellmound in Vallejo.The noon event was a part of their ongoing effort to protect the sacred Native America burial site from the city’s development plan.

Standing in the middle of the prayer circle, Wounded Knee Deocampo of the Sacred Sites Protection and Rights of Indigenous Tribes encouraged the crowd to join the battle against the Greater Vallejo Recreation District to preserve the site. Read full story from timesheraldonline.com

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News & Submissions 10/14/2010

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

Shamanism: Spirits in the valley
The cultural heritage of pre-Islamic philosophy and mythology is so interwoven into the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan that strands of it survive to this day. Religions born of their environments, the influence of centuries of Shamanism, Buddhism, Baoism and Zartosht are seen most clearly in their interaction with nature, where the word worship can be interchanged with respect for and love of. Read full story from tribune.com.pk

Media needs to stop enabling stigmas
The Senate is on the verge of change as 37 of the 100 Senate seats are up for election in November. However, one candidate for the senate in Delaware is causing quite a stir. Tea party favored Christine O’Donnell caused an upset when she became the GOP Senate candidate after the primaries. Though I disagree with everything the tea party stands for, my issue with O’Donnell does not revolve around her party affiliations, but rather her idiotic comments. Read full story from understatesman.com

State wants death in trial
Two women charged with first-degree murder in the death in 2004 of a Winston-Salem woman plotted via e-mail to kill her, a prosecutor said yesterday in Forsyth Superior Court.

Katherine Hofmann, 45, and Kim Stout, 55, were charged last year in the death of Sharon Snow on Feb. 1, 2004. Read full story from journalnow.com

Red Power activist Madonna Thunder Hawk going strong at 70
“I  was kind of a radical from day one,” said Lakota activist Madonna Thunder Hawk, a veteran of many of the battles of the Red Power movement, from the occupation of Alcatraz and Mount Rushmore to Wounded Knee. Now a 70-year-old grandmother, Thunder Hawk remains politically active, just as her grandmother before her. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Indian vets score a win in Congress
WASHINGTON – Legislation supporting Indian veterans and their survivors has made it through both branches of Congress, and will soon be signed by President Barack Obama into law.

The Senate moved Sept. 28 to pass the Indian Veterans Housing Opportunity Act, which remedies a problem that has seen Indian veterans who receive federal disability and survivor benefits being denied support under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Happy Halloween Month, San Diego
If San Diego (and I don’t think we’re alone) can take Halloween as a month-long theme, why not me? And why not here? I don’t think the chamber of commerce has adopted the once-pagan holiday as an official 30-day refrain but many businesses certainly have. My favorite (mentioned last column) is the Crypt on Park at University. How this display designer managed to incorporate childlike, playful fun into leather, whips, chains, blood, rats, spiders, and general imagery of punishment and humiliation, is, I think, remarkable. But then, we’re a can-do kinda town. Read full story from sandiegoreader.com

Florence mosque defaced with bacon
FLORENCE, SC (WMBF) – A national Muslim civil rights and advocacy group is calling on the FBI to investigate a message written in bacon at mosque in Florence.

Three chair members of the Islamic Center in Florence discovered the words “pig” and “chump” written in strips of bacon on the walkway along the mosque Sunday afternoon. Read full story from wmbfnews.com

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News & Submissions 10/12/2010

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

A Jacksonville witch explains what witches are – and aren’t
Delaware’s U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell created a stir by declaring, in a televised political ad, that she is not a witch.

While meant to ease the concerns of evangelicals over reports of her interest in witchcraft many years ago, the ad has offended real witches by implying they are evil, says Jacksonville’s Judith “Holly” Charland. Read full story from jacksonville.com

EPA tells town on Wind River Indian Reservation: Don’t drink the water
PAVILLION, Wyo. – The residents of Pavillion, a rural community on the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming have been told by federal agencies not to drink their water and to use fans and ventilation while bathing or washing clothes to avoid the risk of explosion. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

National Guard wants Native recruits
WASHINGTON – Leaders with the U.S. National Guard are making a renewed push to let Native Americans know about opportunities to serve within the reserve military force.

“I am extremely interested in getting the message out to the Native American communities,” said Col. Rob Porter, a director in the National Guard who focuses on recruitment efforts. Read full story from indiancountrytoday

Does Islam and Shariah Have More In Common With Nazi Ideology Than With Religion?
Since the atrocities committed on 9/11/01 by Middle Eastern Muslim terrorists in the name of Islam, people in the U.S. and West have debated whether Islam is “a religion of peace” or more of an all-encompassing totalitarian ideology cloaked in religious garb. Unfortunately, it appears that the Qur’an, Shariah, and the Islamic terrorist attacks of the last thirty years, indicate that Islam is indeed a totalitarian ideology engaged in an effort of world-wide conquest much like Nazism. The major difference being that Nazism was based on racial affiliation while Islam is based on religious affiliation. Read full story from canadafreepress.com

Mormon leader’s remarks spark outcry on same-sex issues
Twice a year, members of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints convene for a general conference during which the LDS Church leadership addresses the Mormon faithful.

Broadcast via satellite to millions of Mormons across the globe, and speaking in front of the more than 20,000 LDS Church members who flock to the enormous conference center in Salt Lake City, Utah, the leaders offer insights on doctrine and guidance to church adherents. Read full story from cnn.com

The Pagan Alliance connects to nature
The word Pagan comes from Latin; it means “country dweller.” The term was used derogatorily during the Christian conversion period of ancient Rome to refer to the people in the countryside who still adhered to the old traditions of polytheism, said freshman Kassie Cressall, president of the USU Pagan Alliance president. Read full story from usustatesman.com

Does yoga bend Christian faith?
TYLER, TX (KLTV) - Does practicing yoga compromise your Christian faith? That question is at the center of a debate made by the Southern Baptist Seminary president. Christians that practice yoga say two have little to do with each other. Read full story from kltv.com

Coming out as HIV positive to church (Source cnn.com)

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News & Submissions 10/6/2010

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

Shamans and sorcerors booted off Russian TV
Having a sixth sense will no longer be enough to advertise legally – from now on only a license will allow fortune tellers, faith healers, magicians and shamans to practice.

Anyone who wants to use their traditional or occult gifts to promote a business will be forced to get a licence – and it’s up to the media to check out the credentials of their clients. Read full story from mn.ru

Jenice Armstrong: O’Donnell ad irks witches
GRAB YOUR broomsticks and go find yourself a black cat while you’re at it. Because even if you’ve never given a second thought to the notion that Delaware’s Republican Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell was ever a witch, you might now. Read full story from philly.com

Jury to begin deliberating in case of alleged synagogue bomb plot
New York (CNN) — Jury deliberations are expected to begin Wednesday in the trial of one of four men charged with plotting to bomb a synagogue and a Jewish community center. Read full story from cnn.com

Why Sunday morning remains America’s most segregated hour
“Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of Christian America.”

That declaration, which has been attributed to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., used to startle listeners. Now it’s virtually become a cliché. For years, various academic studies and news articles have reported what many churchgoers already know: most American congregations are segregated. Read full story from cnn.com

Head of religious sect arrested in Siberia
Nikolai Rudnev, 43, who reportedly calls himself “a being from Sirius”, was arrested on rape charges after two former female members of the cult testified against him. Read full story from en.rian.ru

Cherokee chief opens Highland Games in Scotland
The orange flag with yellow stars symbolizing the seven Cherokee clans swayed brightly among swinging kilts and skirling bagpipes at the Highland Games in Nethy Bridge, Scotland. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Court denies Onondaga land rights lawsuit
ALBANY, N.Y. – A federal court has dismissed the Onondaga Nation’s land rights lawsuit in a ruling that follows recent precedent-setting cases depriving other Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy nations of their lands. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

My Take: Atheists not so smart after all
The U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life went viral last week.

According to Luis Lugo, the Pew Forum’s director, over a million people have taken the online quiz associated with the survey, and the Forum “has had unprecedented Web traffic since the survey was launched, nearly crashing its servers on the day of release.” Read full story from cnn.com

Anti-gay church, grieving father square off over free speech, privacy (Source cnn.com)

Cancer patient: I see Jesus in my MRI (Source cnn.com)

Integration on Sunday Morning (Source cnn.com)

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News & Submissions9/30/2010

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Justice Department debuts streamlined tribal grants
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded a round of new funding under the “Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation Grants” banner to hundreds of tribes with the intent of improving the safety of tribal citizens. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Pagan beliefs differ, share common ground
When asked exactly what Paganism is, Jenny Nguyen ’14 of the Vassar Pagan Circle (VPC) sits in awkward silence, then says, “I don’t really know what Paganism is, but whenever I think about it I think of like a ritual circle and a fire.” Members of the VPC have only a slightly clearer understanding of what Paganism is. “That’s a question that no one can answer…The closest thing we can do is tell you what we aren’t,” Aaron Fagan ’11 laughs. Paganism is not Abrahamic [Judeochristian], and most branches are polytheistic. Some modern religions have aspects in common with Paganism, but they are not considered Pagan because they do not view themselves as such. A common theme in Paganism is an oppressed or largely extinguished viewpoint, such as Greco-Roman religion or Druidism, being revived in a modern context. As such, there is a tendency for Pagan or neo-Pagan religions to be ostracized from mainstream society and viewed as archaic. These are all the general facts that can be summed up about Paganism in general, as the numerous branches vary widely. For such a small group, Vassar’s Pagan Circle-or VPO, the O standing in for a pentacle, or star inscribed by a circle-represents a surprisingly diverse array of viewpoints. Erin Clarke ’11 and David March ’14 are two Wiccans with radically different opinions on almost every issue; Fagan follows a Celtic tradition dedicated to the goddess Brighid, and Lilu is an atheist who has joined nearly every religious group on campus while considering a correlate sequence in religious studies. Read full story from miscellaneousnews.com

Trivia kings, but bad thinkers: understanding over facts
Is knowledge of religion important? Why?

As a boutique belief system in the United States, atheism has a good many advantages. There are so few atheists and agnostics that they do not run all the risks of a populist movement. Not for them is the burden of dealing with the masses of a global population, their idiosyncrasies, worries and all. Read full story from washingtonpost.com

Owners, supporters make pleas to re-open Yorktown Memorial Hospital
Eernisse is a member of Victoria Investigative Paranormal Research, and the Yorktown Hospital is reportedly a hotbed of paranormal activity. Read full story from victoriaadvocate.com

Cork set to host 10th annual Ghost Convention
The twilight world beyond the grave, fairies and the dead, haunting and possessions, the whispering spirit, and the ancient, ghostly Guardian of Self Defence. Read full story from irishcen\tral.com

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News & Submissions 9/29/2010

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

Accuser’s message for Bishop Eddie Long: ‘You are a monster’
(CNN) — One of the young men who has accused a Georgia pastor of sexual coercion told Atlanta television station WAGA that he wanted to send a message to Bishop Eddie Long: “You are not a man. You are a monster.” Read full story from cnn.com

Pagan pride
AUGUSTA, GA – Augusta’s second annual Pagan Pride Day will afford Pagans and non-Pagans alike an opportunity to learn about this fast-growing religion. Read full story from metrospirit.com

Lights back on for tribal energy prospects
WASHINGTON – For a good chunk of this year, tribal energy prospects seemed dim in D.C., as politicians turned their minds to other issues, including re-election. But a couple new developments show promise.

First, in the Obama administration, the establishment of a tribal energy office within the U.S. Department of Energy is closer than ever, according to sources familiar with the situation. A firm date has not been announced, but one is anticipated shortly. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Amazon Road Workers Find Ancient Earth Carvings
Road workers in Brazil were preparing to pave a highway through the Amazon rainforest recently, when they made an important archeological discovery — a series of enormous earth carvings, barely perceptible from the ground. Known as geoglyphs by researchers, these complex geometric designs are thought to have been crafted by ancient civilizations centuries earlier, though their purpose, to this day, remains a mystery. Read full story from treehugger.com

Local Wiccans Disavow Christine O’Donnell at Pagan Pride Day
There was no Satanic altar. There was no blood. There was no animal sacrifice. And as far as I could tell from talking to people at the Pagan Pride Day Celebration Picnic, held this weekend at the at Unitarian Universalist Church in Fort Lauderdale, there was nobody who believed anything Christine O’Donnell, the Delaware Republican candidate for Senate, had to say about “witchcraft.” Read full story from browardpalmbeach.com

Obama questioned on abortion, why he is a Christian

Albuquerque, New Mexico (CNN) — An event billed as a discussion on the economy turned personal Tuesday when a woman asked President Barack Obama about his Christian faith and views on abortion. Read full story from cnn.com

Faith vs. Religious Knowledge

In case you missed it: Belief Blog’s Stephen Prothero on American Morning

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News & Submissions 7/1/2010

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Wall of Separation
A Texas-based Christian group is arguing in a California court on behalf of the California Department of Corrections that the First Amendment to the US Constitution protects only major religions beliefs, but offers no protection for minority religions. Read full story from auburnjournal.com

Somali radio station defies Islamist ban on music
(CNN) — Somalis in Mogadishu could once again hear songs coming from their radios Thursday, as one of the city’s biggest independent stations resumed playing music. Read full story from cnn.com

Religious intolerance ‘the new racism’
RELIGIOUS intolerance is “the new racism” and one of the main causes of persecution of minorities across the world, according to the annual Minority Rights Group International report published today. Read full story from heraldsun.co.au

My Take: New York’s schools should observe Muslim holidays
I was recently eating dinner at a restaurant with a friend near Times Square when it became time for me to pray. Muslims pray five times a day and this particular prayer, called Maghrib, is performed at sunset. Read full story from cnn.com

Pastor Outs Coach for Being Gay
Steve Gaines doesn’t like gay people. He banned a woman from coaching in his church’s softball league because she admitted to being gay: Read full story from unreasonablefaith.com

Gathering strength through the water
LITTLE PRESQUE ISLE POINT, Mich. – As if emerging from the icy depths of Lake Superior, the fiery yellowish-orange sun rose the morning of June 19 to greet American Indians and non-Natives praying during the “Honoring Our Water” ceremony by Ojibwa women and gave them the strength to continue battling an international mining company that is desecrating sacred Eagle Rock on the nearby Yellow Dog Plains in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

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News & submissions 6/30/2010

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Is Italy right to fight for crucifixes in classrooms?
Tons of comments coming in on Italy’s decision to fight to keep crucifixes in classrooms in the face of a European court ruling that such symbols violate students’ religious freedom rights. Here’s one that applaud’s Italy’s effort: Read full story from cnn.com

Annual fairy congress draws diverse crowd
CARLTON — A few have seen fairies. Others have heard them. And many more are hoping, one day, to connect with their realm.

The three kinds of humans made their way to the 10th Annual Fairy & Human Relations Congress west of Carlton over the weekend. Read full story from wenatcheeworld.com

Statues of chiefs and peace park envisioned near Zion
ST. GEORGE, Utah – A peace park featuring a collection of sculptures that represent a grand council of famous chiefs from across Indian country is envisioned near Zion National Park by Four Winds, a group working to bring the idea to reality. The park is to serve as a center of Native wisdom and cross-cultural healing. Read full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Concern over Long Man ‘desecration’
THE LONG Man of Wilmington has had a phallus painted on it and efforts are being made to remove the heavy-duty paint as soon as possible.

The addition appeared on Friday morning (June 18) and was spotted by many dog walkers and motorists driving along the A27.
While it raised a smile and giggle among some passers-by, others have been upset by the vandalism and the Sussex Archaeolo gical Society, which is responsible for the historical site, is now working to remove the outline. Read full story from eastbourneherald.co.uk

Michelangelo hid brain image in chapel, scientists say
The great Italian Renaissance artist dissected cadavers to familiarize himself with the human body, so he could better paint it. And, according to a new analysis, he included a representation of the brainstem in his representation of God on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which he painted from 1508 to 1512. Read full story from cnn.com

Protest at Brighton Centre as doctors vote to ban homeopathy on NHS
Scores of pro-homeopathy supporters demonstrated outside the Brighton Centre today ahead of doctors voting on whether homeopathic remedies should be banned on the NHS. Read full story from theargus.co.uk

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News & Submissions 5/26/2010

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Native woman recognized as a pioneer in the aviation field
SAN MANUEL, Ariz. – On a sunny spring day in April a small crowd of people gathered at the San Manuel Airport outside of Tucson. They traveled from as far as Colorado and California to attend the two-day Gyrocopter “Fly-in” event.

In attendance was a woman known as the “Gyrocopter Queen,” 81-year-old Marion Springer, a Choctaw pioneer in the rotorcraft – or rotary wing aircraft – industry. The first female certified flight instructor, she has been flying gyrocopters since the late 1960s. REad full story from indiancountrytoday.com

Hertfordshire Constabulary recruit two Humanist advisors
In the same week as Pagan police officers were officially recognised by the home office, Hertfordshire police have recruited two Humanist advisors to help support their staff. Read full story from watfordobserver.co.uk

Listening to Signs from Nature
We are used to thinking about nature as sending “messages” with big things like weather and earthquakes–though we often scoff at the idea as superstition. But there is a whole tradition around the world of looking at the little signs from nature and examining the personal messages that may be there for us. Read full story from huffingtonpost.com

Christian group enters rosary case
A Michigan-based attorney representing the American Center for Law and Justice said he visited Raymond Hosier’s house on Monday to prepare a case against the Schenectady City School District for suspending Raymond from Oneida Middle School because he wore the rosary. Read full story from timesunion.com

The Dalai Lama is wrong
Like the Dalai Lama, who writes of how he was influenced by Thomas Merton, I believe we can learn greatly from other religions. I too hope for tolerance and harmony in our interreligious interactions. I am convinced, however, that true tolerance and lasting harmony must be built on reality, not fantasy. Religious exclusivism is dangerous and naïve. But so too is pretend pluralism. The cause of religious harmony is not advanced in the least by the shibboleth that all religions are different paths up the same mountain. Read full story from cnn.com

Prosecutors: Witchcraft-fueled murder was premeditated
EVERETT — Prosecutors believe modern witchcraft drove a Gold Bar man to kill his girlfriend, dismember her body and scatter her remains around Snohomish County. Read full story from seattlepi.com

Two centuries of non-conformist history go online
The names and details of half a million UK radicals and religious dissenters covering a period of 225 years are available online for the first time. Read full story from guardian.co.uk

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