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Undermining Christian hegemony
I think it’s important to challenge the hegemony of Christianity in our culture and promote tolerance of all religions that want to live in harmony with each other and with atheists. The way to get to that point is not by insisting that we should all read the Bible so we can use it to…
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Liberty for some
Sarah Zang hoped to escape her highly controlled home life in 2006.She enrolled as a student at Liberty University in Virginia. She looked forward to making her own decisions, free of her parents’ strict rules. Liberty University, a Christian college, seemed like the perfect haven, promising safety and a community that shared her values. —…
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State funding removed from Norwegian JWs
In Norway, subject to rules about not being coercive or oppressive, all religious groups can apply for state funding. Due to the JWs’ practice of disfellowshipping and shunning people who leave, including children, the Norwegian government has removed their funding. Friendly Atheist: Norwegian court upholds ban on state funding of Jehovah’s Witnesses
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Women, LGBT+ people and the churches
This is old news, but interesting nonetheless. BRIN (British Religion In Numbers) collated a number of datasets and research results from a variety of sources in 2017, including data on women and LGBT+ people in churches, both of which would go a long way towards explaining why people are leaving churches in droves.
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LGBTQ+ religious trauma
Religious trauma still haunts millions of LGBTQ Americans. Some mental health experts are advocating for religious trauma to be considered an official disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Religious trauma occurs when an individual’s religious upbringing has lasting adverse effects on their physical, mental or emotional well-being, according to the Religious…
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Review: The Book of Mormon
We went to see the stage show of The Book of Mormon at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. I haven’t laughed so much for ages. It was hilarious. It’s also making some serious points about religion. In the interval, I was amused to overhear someone saying “There’s a lot of swearing in it.”…
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Reverting to your old path
A helpful article from John Beckett on the type of people who revert out of Pagan traditions and back to their original path. John urges compassion and empathy for people who leave Pagan paths for another religion, and offers suggestions for deepening your understanding of Pagan ideas so that you can avoid reverting.
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Still second class citizens
So the Pope has offered the blessing of same sex relationships—while still saying that same sex relationships are sinful. You can’t bless something with one hand and condemn it with the other. This is more of the same homophobia with a slightly better public relations spin on it. A turd augmented with glitter.
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We need to talk about miracles
There are many wonderful things that we could classify as miracles: the capacity for love, the beauty of a sunny morning, dew on roses, the ability to paint or compose a masterpiece, and many other natural wonders. Many Pagans believe in healing energies and such; but we tend to regard them as supplementary to conventional…
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What’s your focus?
Esoteric versus exoteric religions Esoteric religions are ones that locate the primary source of religious or spiritual authority in the human heart, the conscience, or the higher self. Teachers are seen more as guides than as authority figures. They are only an authority on the topic of the particular path, as they are further along…
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An alternative “10 commandments”
The “Ten Commandments” of Solon (as recorded in Diogenes Laertius’ “Lives of Eminent Philosophers”, 1.60), are as follows: Trust good character more than promises. Do not speak falsely. Do good things. Do not be hasty in making friends, but do not abandon them once made. Learn to obey before you command. When giving advice, do…
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Religious trauma workbook
I’m excited to see that Gillian Jenkinson’s book is out! Gillian Jenkinson is a therapist with extensive experience in helping people break free of harmful beliefs dinned into them by cults. I quoted her work in Changing Paths (my book) and I’ve been looking forward to her book coming out. It’s also very reasonably priced,…
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Folk witches and dual faith
Polish Folk Witch (on instagram and Patreon) has an excellent article on dual faith practice and syncretism among folk witches: Dual Faith: the elephant in the room of the witchcraft community. The topic of dual faith keeps returning on a regular basis in the broader witchcraft community online, especially on the intersection of folk magic,…
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The exclusive Plymouth Brethren
This blog post was originally written in 2006 and posted on my old blog Nemeton. Some friends had asked why I tended to make statements about the awfulness of Christianity. Don’t be fooled by the cranky exterior of the Exclusive Brethren. They’re the religious equivalent of Vogons. I know because I was brought up in…
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In The Magick Kitchen
Check out my conversation with the wonderful Elyse Wells (writer and podcast host) on The Magick Kitchen podcast, series 5, episode 9.
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Evangelicals harming uncontacted tribes
Sign the petition: pledge to support uncontacted tribes
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Religions evolve
Oh dear: the evangelicals are spouting rubbish about Paganism again — ably debunked by John Beckett. The idea of evangelicals claiming that Paganisms don’t have continuity with ancient paganisms is hilarious when you consider the lack of continuity between evangelical Christianity and early Christianity.
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Where I am now
Changing Paths challenge day 31 — where I am now Nowadays I am fairly and squarely a Pagan and an inclusive polytheist Wiccan, but one who has been enriched by my wobble. I gained many good friends, sorted out my anger and fears, and learned new spiritual techniques and concepts. I’ve written four books (All…
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Paul (2011)
One of my favourite movies — it’s nerdy, it’s cute, it’s hilarious and a fundamentalist Christian gets exposed to the vastness of the universe and learns to swear.
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Reflections
Changing Paths challenge day 30 — reflections. The most amazing autobiography I have ever read was Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl Gustav Jung. It discusses how he arrived at his psychoanalytical theory — but the bits I found most fascinating were about his childhood and his occult experiences.
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Review: The Devil May Care
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Escape to freedom
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Healing through reclaiming
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Made up Christian doctrines
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Ways of talking about faith
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Tenth anniversary edition of All acts
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Meditation is powerful
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DARVO
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Do you fear death?
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Discerning good theology
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