From the Curry Coastal Pilot article:
Siple, who was walking his Airedale terrier Dusty when he found Scott lying next to her car on the beach, said he was praying to Njord, the god of the sea, while awaiting rescuers.
"I was just praying to him, 'hold the tide back a little bit longer so we can get Diane out of here,'" Siple said Friday.
Siple said he is a member of an old Germanic-Scandinavian religion called Asatru. "It's not a mainstream religion. It's being reconstructed from a thousand years ago. We're not naked dancing in the woods," he said.
Way to go Clifton!
]]>So in her article, mentally substitute "Norse" for "Greek", and the appropriate Norse God names for the Greek God names, and you will get the best intent.
]]>The separation between humankind and the gods made it possible for humans to complain to the gods without the guilt or fear of reprisal the deity of the Old Testament inspired. Mortals were free to speculate about the character and intentions of the gods. By allowing mortals to ask hard questions, Greek theology encouraged them to learn, to seek all the possible causes of events. Philosophy -- that characteristically Greek invention -- had its roots in such theological inquiry. As did science.
]]>Storyteller and performer Douglas A. (Dag) Rossman will help the campus observe Leif Erikson Day Tuesday when he speaks about ancient Nordic spirituality.
Rossman, from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, will discuss “Ancient Nordic Spirituality: The Northern Path to Wisdom and Balance,” at 7 p.m. in Minnesota State’s Wissink Hall 285.
Within the last 30 years, a lot of people have been trying to get back to their roots, to reconnect with what their ancestors believed and how they lived. One of the faiths that has sought to re-establish itself is Asatru.Asatru can best be defined as the revival of the ways, beliefs and customs of the ancient Germanic tribes of northern Europe which inhabited, at differing times in history, the modern nations of England, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, West Poland, Northern Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. These countries are currently seeing a revival of this very ancient pre-Christian faith.
Read the article for a few more paragraphs. Short, but nice intro to Asatru.
]]>Here is just a sampling of some of the recalls from February:
- Overheating Remote Controls: Best Buy recalled about 10,000 Isignia DVD Player remotes after it was found that improper battery placement in the remote could result in overheating and present a burn hazard.
- Lead Poisoning Hazard: 115,000 Claudia Jublot children’s rings, which were sold at Big Lots stores, were recalled because they contained dangerous levels of lead.
- Defective Lamps: Currey & Company of Georgia recalled about 2,600 Chinese-manufactured lamps that had defective light sockets, which could pose electrical shock and fire hazards.
- Lead Accessories: Kidsite jewelry sets, which were sold at Kmart stores across America, were recalled for containing high levels of lead.
- Toxic Jackets: Samara Brothers recalled thousands of its outwear jackets for children because the snap closures on the jackets contained excessive amounts of lead, which poses a lead poisoning hazard.
Of course, some of the blame goes to the U.S. companies who, through greed or poor management, let these sorts of things repeatedly happen. The list is much too long for these situations to be due to accident.
]]>With the backing of our Founding Fathers, Guest Voice to the Washington Post's On Faith column, noted author, and Steerswoman of the Troth Diana L. Paxson says:
America has always been noted for creativity, in religion as in all else. Each new faith, whether immigrant or homegrown, enriches our culture. Today, when Buddhist temples and Islamic mosques may be found in many parts of the U.S., one might wonder why the VA denied a Wiccan veteran the right to have a pentacle on his headstone for ten years, and the Army has still not hired a Pagan chaplain. Paganism does not seek to replace other religions, but Pagan perspectives can revitalize the ways in which we relate to our history, our ancestors, and especially, in this time of climate crisis, to the environment. Rather than resisting, America should welcome the Pagan contribution to our cultural diversity.
Diana Paxson will be speaking, in addition to representatives from Asatru Folk Assembly, Circle Sanctuary, The Troth, The Military Pagan Network, The ADF, Sacred Well Congregation, and the Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Have a Happy 4th of July!
Technorati Tags: academia, book, culture, living, religion, spirit, virginia
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A solstice occurs twice a year, whenever Earth's axis tilts the most toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to be farthest north or south at noon.
Note that this year about 20,000 people converged to celebrate this ancient, traditional holiday:
Thousands of modern-day druids, pagans and partygoers converged on Stonehenge early Thursday to cheer the dawn of the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - the summer solstice.
I hope this day sees you well.
]]>Speaking to Latin American bishops in Brazil on May 13, the Pope cited the 'rich religious traditions' of Indian people but added that their ancestors were 'silently longing' for Christ and seeking God 'without realizing it.' Pope Benedict further demonstrated his misunderstanding of history and the forced conversions of natives in North, Central and South America and of massacres and 'just wars' when he suggested that the Church did not impose itself on indigenous peoples and that Christianity had not been detrimental to them and their cultures. 'In effect, the proclamation of Jesus and of His Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture.' Benedict also added that a return to indigenous religions 'would be a step back.'
This is the same Pope who said that Hitler was not a Christian and that the Catholic Church did not have a hand in the Holocaust. In fact, Christianity had the same impact on the indigenous cultures and religions of Europe as in South America, with forced conversions, massacres, and "just wars".
And as with the South Americans, Christianity is not the native belief system of Europeans.
With that victory complete, it is now time to muster support for getting more religious symbols approved - a rally for such is being organized:
Celebrate Our Historic Victory with the Veterans' Pentacle Quest!
Advocate a Pagan Chaplain in the U.S. Armed Forces!
Keep the focus on the VA to accept Thor's Hammer of the Asatruar and the
Druids' Awen symbol!
Join us in front of The White House for a Pagan Religious Rights Rally and Ritual!Wednesday, July 4th, 2007!
Lafayette Square Park
Outside the White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, DC
Set-up between 10am and Noon
Speakers begin at Noon
Ritual begins at 2pm and transitions to Spirit Drum Circle until 5pm
Event ends at 5pm
Technorati Tags: religion
]]>At the time, I wondered if the Veterans Affairs office was doing this due to incompetence or maliciousness.
Evidently, they were being malicious.
From today's announcement: "Settlement in Americans United Lawsuit Comes after Discovery of a Pattern of Bias Against Minority Faith".
The Bush administration has conceded that Wiccans are entitled to have the pentacle, the symbol of their faith, inscribed on government-issued memorial markers for deceased veterans, Americans United for Separation of Church and State announced today.The settlement agreement, filed today with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, brings to a successful conclusion a lawsuit Americans United brought against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in November.
The litigation charged that denying a pentacle to deceased Wiccan service personnel, while granting religious symbols to those of other traditions, violated the U.S. Constitution.
It this case, the bias against this particular faith came straight from the top:
Americans United's attorneys uncovered evidence that the VA's refusal to recognize the Pentacle was motivated by bias toward the Wiccan faith. President George W. Bush, when he was governor of Texas, had opposed the right of Wiccans to meet at a military base in that state. Bush's opinion of Wiccans was taken into consideration when making decisions on whether to approve the Pentacle.
Sgt. Stewart and other government Wiccans can now have proper burials:
In addition, the VA will make markers bearing the pentacle---an encircled, intertwined five-pointed star---available to the families of Stewart, Birnbaum and others who request them.AU noted that the VA's list of 38 approved symbols for government gravestones, markers and plaques includes emblems for Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Hindus, Humanists and members of the Eckankar, Serbian Orthodox and United Moravian faiths.
Now, we just need to get the Hammer of Thor, Mjolnir, approved!
Technorati Tags: religion
]]>According to Steve Pavlina, there are several common reactions to these types of events:
Interpretations and reactions to such events are heavily culture-bound. In the USA the popular media typically encourages us to react roughly as follows:* Drop into a fear-based state of consciousness. "Oh my goodness. Would you look at that!"
* Feel shock, disgust, or outrage. "Somebody ought to do something about that."
* Experience reassurance the situation is being handled. "I see cars with flashing lights and people in uniformed clothing."
* Do nothing. "Glad that's over. What's on TV next?"
And I have already seen news articles from other countries saying that these types of events only happen in America, because of America's glorification of violence.
Even yahoos in this country have started coming out of the woodwork with finger pointing:
* Dr. Phil blames video games.
* Ken Hamm blames evolution and atheism for the school shooting.
* And some, of course, are questioning Virginia's "lax" gun control laws.
Unlike the first two, the gun control argument is not a joke. There are many people who feel that if there are no guns, then we will all be safe. In fact, it is now somewhat ironic, and very unfortunate, that Virginia Tech itself recently successfully lobbied to prevent the licensed concealed-carry of firearms on public college campuses in Virginia.
Virginia Tech alumni Aaron quotes Tech University spokesman Larry Hincker on the bill's defeat:
I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus.
I wonder if Larry now realizes the tragic and foolish consequences of defeating that bill. By not allowing citizens to lawfully be able to defend themselves against killers like Cho Seung-hui, events like Virginia Tech and Columbine will only proliferate, since the killers will have the weapons and know that their victims do not. Note that these mass-killing events occur in "gun-free" zones, such as schools and universities. In fact, reports say that Cho chained shut the doors of Norris Hall at Virginia Tech so that the students and faculty could not escape. Since he knew that no one else would have a gun, and thereby fight back, he could leisurely have his way with the victims.
From an editorial after last summer's shooting at Virginia Tech, graduate student Bradford Wiles comments in an editorial "Unarmed and Vulnerable" on not being armed during such an event:
On Aug. 21 at about 9:20 a.m., my graduate-level class was evacuated from the Squires Student Center. We were interrupted in class and not informed of anything other than the following words: "You need to get out of the building."Upon exiting the classroom, we were met at the doors leading outside by two armor-clad policemen with fully automatic weapons, plus their side arms. Once outside, there were several more officers with either fully automatic rifles and pump shotguns, and policemen running down the street, pistols drawn.
It was at this time that I realized that I had no viable means of protecting myself.
Finally, here is a great episode of Penn and Teller on Gun Control. Pay particular attention to the issue of gun-free zones at about 19 minutes.
There is also a segment of the community who says that you should not have guns also because if you need help, just call the police. After all, the police are there to help you. You also hear this sort of advice from "experts" about car-jackers ("just give them your keys"), hijackers ("just sit in your seat"), and rapists ("just lie there"). In other words, don't fight back.
Forensic psychologist Helen Smith comments on this phenomenon:
Have you noticed that most of the tips you get in recent years for how to survive a violent crime involve an accompanying psychological maneuver of first trying to make you feel impotent? And instead of suggesting remedies to overcome this impotence, these survival tips usually just tell you to give the criminal what they want. But what they typically don't say is that you can get killed using that approach also.
And as we saw with 9/11, and with the students and faculty at Virginia Tech, depending on "someone else" to show up and help you does not always work.
We cannot know what would have happened if someone had tried to fight back against Cho. But we see the result when we prevent the possibility of anyone fighting back. Draconian gun control will only remove the guns from the hands of law-abiding citizens---it will not prevent the Cho's of the world from having them and using them. Moreover, as we have seen at Virginia Tech, the results of preventing citizens from defending themselves and their loved ones will only be tragic.
Technorati Tags: academia, defense, guns, security, virginia
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has died.
While I was not a big fan of his writing style, he did influence a lot of people and was regarded as one of the greatest contemporary American novelists.
Here is a link to one of his award-winning short stories, "Harrison Bergeron".
Also, he had a great quote when interviewed by In These Times:
That said, do you have any ideas for a really scary reality TV show?]]>
"C students from Yale." It would stand your hair on end.