Merry Meet

A coven of witches in England rented out a hall for a Halloween ball. Then they were kicked out. It might sound discriminatory, until you learn that the hall they rented was parish property. (View the original source here at the Telegraph.)

Because of obvious differences in their belief systems, this seems to be a no-brainer. But what gives the witches the right to claim persecution? After all, isn’t it a bit odd that they’d rent a church hall to begin with? If anything, this story would be more controversial if the church HAD allowed them to keep the space.

The church is its own institution and has its own property. I don’t think it’s discriminatory if they give priority to members of their church (just like having a wedding in a church is less expensive for church members, who also have priority on dates) or if they decide not to support a social celebration of a religion that they feel conflicts with their beliefs.

I don’t necessarily agree with church principles in general, but they have a right to have them–and by claiming persecution here, this coven is actually infringing upon the church’s right to make its own choices. Continue Reading »

Going back to past discussions about ‘fluffy pagans’ and reconstructionism, I’m thinking of paganism in a more removed, academic way. While it’s completely impossible for me (or most people) to be objective about religion, it’s interesting to note that some make an extreme point to convey accuracy in ritual.

Recently, I spoke to a Catholic friend. While we have many religious differences, we both agree that the character of our traditions somehow feel more valid simply because they are old. Something as simple as thanking a deity for food or communion of any sort seems to feel more comfortable since it has been done for thousands of years. Continue Reading »