❝❝If we weren't better than this, this wouldn't bother so many people.❞❞

— NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ better than this ∙ cross posted

❝❝When someone starts offering two and only two alternatives, that's the cue to look for the fourth, fifth, and sixth choices.❞❞

— NeoWayland NeoNote — Abortion is not about women's rights

Tags: maxims ∙ two and only two ∙ cross posted

““Organized Religion and Organized Crime are two sides to the same coin. They both want to control you and they do it through fear. Organized crime threatens you with death of yourself and your loved ones; organized religion threatens you with eternal damnation.””

— Kalinysta

Tags: cross posted ∙ Kalinysta ∙ Technopagan Yearnings ∙ organized religion ∙ organized crime ∙ fear

Biochar: A better start to rain forest restoration

““An indigenous farming technique that’s been around for thousands of years provides the basis for restoring rain forests stripped clear of trees by gold mining and other threats.

A carbon-based soil amendment called biochar is a cheap and effective way to support tree seedling survival during reforestation efforts in the Amazon rain forest, according to new research from Wake Forest University’s Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation (CINCIA).

Restoring and recovering rain forests has become increasingly important for combatting climate change, since these wide swaths of trees can absorb billions of tons of carbon dioxide each year. The problem is particularly acute in areas mined for alluvial gold deposits, which devastate not only rain forest trees but also soils. High costs can be a huge barrier to replanting, fertilizing and nurturing trees to replace those lost in the rain forest.

The scientists found that using biochar combined with fertilizer significantly improved height and diameter growth of tree seedlings while also increasing the number of leaves the seedlings developed. The experiment, based in a Peruvian Amazon region called Madre de Dios, the heart of illegal gold mining trade in that country, used two tropical tree species: the fast-growing Guazuma crinita and Terminalia amazonia, a late successional tree often used as timber.””
     — Alicia Roberts

Tags: clipping ∙ guest content ∙ Alicia Roberts ∙ Alicia Roberts ∙ biochar ∙ ecology ∙ CINCIA ∙ rain forest ∙ Amazon ∙ Wake Forest University ∙ cross posted ∙ Technopagan Yearnings

❝❝Neo-paganism has nothing to do with devaluing human life. The term neo-pagan is a recent invention and has nothing to do with morality.

Honestly, Mrs. Bookworm, have you ever known me to devalue human life? Have you ever seen me treat anyone disrespectfully unless they disrespected me or someone else first? Yet I am a neopagan under the scholarly definition. I greet the sunrise. I dance naked under the full Moon. I've written and spoken against war, blood sacrifice, and coercion.

The fact is there is no monolithic morality among neopagans. Even most neopagans can't agree what the term means except in the broadest terms.

Neopagan and pagan are not slur words. I'd be happy to answer any general questions I can, or find you someone who can if I can't. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, I'd appreciate it if I could expect the same.

---

That may be true. But using pagan or neopagan as a way to describe low morality is unacceptable. Mrs. Bookworm and others here would not accept a slur like this against Jews or Christians.

I'm not asking anyone to participate. I'm just asking for the same respect that they themselves expect.

---

For what it is worth, I'd say that modern pagans are less tolerant of others who insist that their faith/belief system/rule set must dominate.

Sometimes the trick is convincing them that the nasty ole conservative Christians aren't always or even usually the enemy.

---

There we get into "no True Scottsman."

Just as an example, I can promise you that the first century Christian was a considerably different creature than his sixth century counterpart. Just as the eighteenth century version was very different. And how the early twentieth century version differed from the late twentieth, or even the twenty-first century incarnation. And that doesn't even allow for all the various sects.

The way I see it, faith is between you and the Divine. No one else.

❝I call myself pagan because I don't have a better term. I'm polytheistic and pantheistic. On alternate Thursdays and every third Tuesday I might admit to an animism bent as well. On the 13th of the month, I'll tell you (truthfully) that the label isn't really all that important, only the manifestation.❞

By most modern standards, I'm pagan. Certainly in the sense that I look for Divine manifestation outside of an official Book. Some of my stuff came by way of the new age fluffiness, sure. Some of it also came from gnosticism and the silence of a desert dawn. Does that make it less valid for me than yours is for you?

I'm not something less. I'm something else.

---

But is it better than being a gun toting redneck?

See, people today like to forget, but pagans invented civilization. And trade. And philosophy.

The Visigoths weren't intent on destroying civilization as much as they were controlling it.

---

The problem with the Visigoths wasn't that they were pagan. The problem is that they wanted to control others. We have the same kind of people today, and they are just as destructive. The issue isn't paganism, it's politics. Just as it is for certain Christians today.

BTW, my mother was born in Louisiana, my maternal grandfather was born in Tennessee, and my stepdad's family is from Arkansas. I'd put my redneck bona-fides up against any one else's.

---

For those interested in conspiracy theory, the Merovingian dynasty was the "Holy Grail" proposed by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln. That is, the bloodline supposedly descended from Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. If this sounds familiar, Dan Brown lifted it for The Da Vinci Code. This may be the justification of the divine right of the European royals, although there is a (disputed) theory about a sacred king being a sacrifice.

This gets murky real fast, especially since many non-Western royals also trace their descent from gods.

Anyway, I've confuzzled things enough for now.

---

Not to mention that it wasn't unusual for the same sacred sites to be reused again and again and again, which raises the question of who or what was originally worshipped. And so on, and so forth…

Getting back to your point though, yes the Visigoths were pretty civilized. And yes they were pagan only in the sense that they weren't part of the Officially Approved variant faith at the time.

Traditionally, before someone goes after another faith, they always stomp out their own heresies. It's about the politics and who gets to call the shots, not about the purity of faith.

And of course that never happens in pagan faiths.

*ahem*

I might have set off the exaggeration alarm there.❞❞

— comments from No. 4 Bookworm Room Podcast: The Second Amendment, Morality, and Kindness

Tags: cross posted ∙ Bookworm ∙ pagan ∙ neopagans ∙ slur words

““One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present.””

— Golda Meir

Tags: Golda Meir ∙ past ∙ present ∙ cross posted

Cross posted at www.teknopagan.com/files/Thorium190619.html

Tags: guest content ∙ video ∙ ColdFusion ∙ thorium ∙ nuclear power ∙ cross posted

❝❝I also greet the sunrise every day that I can. That's something I learned from my Baptist deacon grandfather. Granted, I do it with a bit more ceremony than he ever did. He was content to do it from the front porch with a cup of coffee.

Oh, and I've been known to dance naked in the light of a full Moon.

You can't embarrass me for following rites and rituals, anymore than you can embarrass a Christian for taking communion or an orthodox Jew for keeping kosher. My faith isn't my politics, and it doesn't matter to me what others think about it. It's between me and the Divine.❞❞

— NeoWayland

Tags: cross posted ∙ maxims ∙ sunrise ∙ grandfather ∙ Baptist ∙ ceremonial ∙ dance naked ∙ full Moon ∙ rites and rituals ∙ Christian ∙ communion ∙ Jew ∙ kosher ∙ faith ∙ Divine

““Be so good they can't ignore you.””

— Steve Martin

Tags: Steve Martin ∙ good ∙ ignore ∙ cross posted

““Sex. In America an obsession. In other parts of the world a fact.””

— Marlene Dietrich

Tags: Marlene Dietrich ∙ America ∙ cross posted ∙ sex ∙ obession ∙ fact

Basically they didn't want another church telling their church what to do.

Tags: religious freedom ∙ American ∙ Christians ∙ tweeted ∙ English ∙ Protestant ∙ church ∙ compromise ∙ America ∙ UK ∙ Universal Declaration of Human Rights ∙ cross posted

❝❝Personally I'd be willing to live and let live with Christians. But that works two ways. If my beliefs don't control the actions and beliefs of monotheists, then theirs don't control mine. That means that the law must treat every faith (and even no faith) equally. Neither help nor hinder. No special consideration or privilege. But at the same time, some Christians act as if their religion must be raised above all others, even by those who do not practice it. Freedom of religion does not mean putting Christianity first. It means choice, even if that choice is one you do not agree with.❞❞

— NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ Christians ∙ monotheism ∙ uniform rule of law ∙ neither help nor hinder ∙ freedom of religion ∙ live & let live ∙ cross posted

❝❝Kudos for not mentioning the shooter's name.

The shooter had absolutely nothing to do with Heathenry or pagan beliefs. I don't understand why any group should change their language, practices, customs or actions when the shooter was not part of the group or the community.

Guns are not the problem. There are many more responsible gun owners than crazy people. The people who pay attention to gun laws are not the ones you should worry about. I say this as a reluctant gun advocate. I hate guns and I would ban them if I could eliminate every gun.

This tragedy does not reflect on Heathens. I understand that you have issues with how some Heathens speak and act. I respect that and I expect that you should speak your conscience. This terrible event should not justify wholesale changes in Heathenry just to satisfy your political desires.❞❞

— comments from Column: After Christchurch, Declarations or Deeds?

Tags: maxims ∙ cross posted ∙ damnatio memoriae ∙ Heathenry ∙ pagan ∙ language ∙ practices ∙ customs ∙ actions ∙ shooter ∙ community ∙ guns ∙ reluctant advocate ∙ conscience ∙ Christchurch ∙ New Zealand

❝❝There is nothing that prevents people from following religious law. But there is nothing that demands others follow those same religious laws.❞❞

— NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ religion ∙ cross posted ∙ Jews ∙ Christianity ∙ Buddhist ∙ faith ∙ Divine ∙ pagan garb ∙ Decalogue ∙ imposed ∙ Ethic of Reciprocity ∙ Story ∙ Journey ∙ pagan ∙ neopagans ∙ vodun ∙ blood sacrific ∙ sexual ∙ consent

❝❝I know people don't want to hear this, but I am posting it anyway.

Maybe the fault isn't in the "Right" or "Left," but in the idea that other people's behavior must be controlled For Their Own Good and For the Good of Society. Rather than teaching people that freedom comes with responsibility, we condition people to obey the duly delegated Proper Authority for the sake of perpetuating the institution.

Politicos want problems they can stage-manage.

Personally I find progressives more intolerant than conservatives. Conservatives, once they accept the idea, are willing to live and let live even if they don't approve.

It's not conservatives telling me I can't watch a pretty girl. It's not conservatives telling me that I have to get permission before I can touch another. It's not conservatives who tell me my every personal interaction is subject to approval, ex post facto if political advantage can be had.

I know you personally don't think politics should be separated from faith, but when do I get to practice my faith without being subject to politics? Do I really need to consider the intersectional implications when I greet the dawn? When I see people whimpering in their safe spaces, why can't I tell them about the strong ones who gained power overcoming adversity? Do we really have to examine the psycho-sexual implications of a cup and dagger before using it?

---

I probably wasn't clear. When I was speaking of 'live and let live," I did not include the "leadership." I was talking about the people on the street. That's not to say that I don't encounter plenty of Christian conservatives who are determined to control everyone else because "God told them so." It's just that these days, there are more progressives convinced that they know what is best.

It's one reason why I annoy conservatives and progressives both. I don't accept that either has the Wisdom of the Ages and I don't think people should be controlled For Their Own Good.

On this site I tend to be more critical of liberal ideas because that's mostly who is here. I could point out that Wilson was responsible for the drug wars, that Obama took the surveillance state far beyond what his predecessor did, and that certain high profile politicos and celebrities (most of them Democrat) took sexual advantage while claiming to be feminist allies.

Or I could just point out that power corrupts, just as freedom without responsibility does, and that it's in our best interest to make sure that government and the self-appointed elites have as little power over us as possible. No matter how much we agree with the politico of the day, government power will be used against us.

If you can't trust your worst enemy with government power, why in the name of all the gods do you think you can trust your best friend?❞❞

Tags: maxims ∙ for your own good ∙ intersectional ∙ psycho-sexual ∙ for the greater good ∙ intolerance ∙ progressives ∙ conservatives ∙ cross posted ∙ live & let live ∙ safe spaces ∙ tweeted

““Perfect is the enemy of good.””

— attributed to Voltaire

Tags: Voltaire ∙ good ∙ perfection ∙ enemy ∙ cross posted ∙ attributed

““Give them the third best to go on with; the second best comes too late, the best never comes.””

— Robert Watson-Watt

Tags: Robert Watson-Watt ∙ best ∙ second best ∙ third best ∙ cross posted

❝❝We don't have a perfect solution. But we don't need one. We just have to make today better than yesterday.❞❞

— NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ perfection ∙ solution ∙ today ∙ yesterday ∙ cross posted

““My theory is it’s possible to become very successful in a given field by applying the prevailing orthodoxy and doing exactly as everyone expects without the slightest deviation. Like this, you can become very competent in your chosen subject – until someone chucks a curveball at you and it becomes clear you’ve had no practice in dealing with dissenting opinions.””

— Tim Newman, Into-the-box thinking

Tags: Tim Newman ∙ cross posted ∙ sucessful ∙ orthodoxy ∙ everyone expects ∙ deviation ∙ competent ∙ curveball ∙ dissent

There is a distinct difference between healthcare and health insurance.

Tags: sex ∙ rape ∙ rape culture ∙ #MeToo ∙ America ∙ Europe ∙ pagan ∙ heathen ∙ cross posted

Headlines that don't merit their own entry

Tags: clipping ∙ guest content ∙ Russell McLendon ∙ redwood ∙ trees ∙ clones ∙ Presidio ∙ San Francisco ∙ Archangel Ancient Tree Archive ∙ cross posted

So does that mean that the Decalogue has no value?

Tags: Christianity ∙ individual ∙ people ∙ pagans ∙ atheist ∙ secret of life ∙ Satanists ∙ force ∙ coercive power ∙ vice ∙ virtue ∙ Christian ∙ Jewish ∙ cross posted ∙ rules ∙ laws ∙ Divine ∙ Decalogue ∙ Nature ∙ World ∙ humanity ∙ colony ∙ organism ∙ cooperation ∙ Chas S. Clifton ∙ label

❝❝Some monotheists think that their religion belongs on top and take offense when you disagree.❞❞

 — NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ monotheism ∙ religion ∙ disagree ∙ cross posted

This is the problem.

Tags: Shawn Herles ∙ World ∙ us vs them ∙ division ∙ dehumanizes ∙ Christian ∙ Druids ∙ Satanists ∙ religious justifications ∙ dualistic ∙ good ∙ evil ∙ religion ∙ cross posted

❝❝And there are those of us who ask why is it OK to bind Republicans but it wasn't OK to bind Democrats.❞❞
     — NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ cross posted ∙ online ritual ∙ binding spell ∙ Brett Kavanaugh ∙ tarot

❝❝Okay, time number three. We've been through this twice before.

For something with no moral relativism, there's an awful lot or relative morality going on. Of course there's the Catholic Church mess going on in Pittsburg right now. Granted, that was priests breaking the laws of "God" and man. But there are plenty of other examples.

Child labor used to be not only allowed, but justified by people quoting the Bible. Women were denied property rights and the right to vote. Slavery was justified and encouraged before some good people decided that not only was it wrong but it should be abolished.

You cite the Decalogue, but number one on that list denies any other religion or faith system. Using that, at best non-Christians (okay, non-Abrahamics) exist only at the sufferance of their "betters," to be indulged as children and tolerated for their misunderstanding.

If there is one thing I wish I could literally pound into Christian heads, it's this: Christianity is not the source of all that is good and righteous in our society. Other cultures and other faiths have contributed heavily. It's amazing that I even have to mention this where one house of the national legislature is called the Senate and the other has a ceremonial fasces. Syncretism happens and we're better for it.

We're not measured by our faith, but how we treat others. There is this urge particularly among evangelical Christians to meddle in the lives of others. You yourself cite "the" Native American experience. It wasn't "the," different tribes and groups were treated differently. Usually that led to stealing land, women, and children. Not to mention Indian wars, relocation, and reservations. How is that higher morality? Yet the American treatment of "Indians" was usually justified by Bible quotes.

I could go on and on but I won't. The vice or virtue is in the individual, not the label. By pagan lights, monotheisms have their own sins which they seldom answer for.

Yet there is hope. The "Golden Rule" is the true keystone of Western civilization. It exists in many faiths and cultures. Arguably it is core of the best ethical civilizations. Applied correctly, it can do everything that your Judeo-Christian values can. And we won't be arguing over whose morality should be "in charge."❞❞

Tags: Bookworm ∙ monotheism ∙ Christianity ∙ Decalogue ∙ Catholic Church ∙ child labor ∙ women ∙ rights ∙ Amerindians ∙ non-Christian ∙ good ∙ righteous ∙ Golden Rule ∙ cross posted

“How do you remove the memory of a particularly bad emperor from the history books? Or what if your brother is just so annoying that you can't stand the sight of him anymore, and don't want to share power? You perform a damnatio memoriae, erase all inscriptions, destroy all public images, and pretend as if he never existed.”

Tags: video ∙ guest content ∙ latintutorial ∙ damnatio memoriae ∙ history ∙ cross posted

❝❝It's only shame if I accept the premise.

As I see it, the vice or virtue isn't in the label. It's in how you touch the lives of others. The honor is in giving truth when needed, helping when you can, and leaving the World a little better than how you found it.❞❞
     — NeoWayland, comments from Column: What of the Christians?

Tags: morality ∙ shame ∙ vice ∙ virtue ∙ label ∙ touch ∙ honor ∙ truth ∙ better ∙ cross posted ∙ maxims ∙ Christians

❝❝If you wish to ban me, it is your site and your choice.

I'm also the one who says "not all men" when I am told in uncertain terms that America is a rape society. And I am the one who says "not all Christians" when I am told that "religious freedom" is a code word for dominionism. And I am the guy who politely and upfront told you and your readers I am a trouble maker, even if it is in the cause of truth and liberty.

Mr. McCain, you and I have had some epic disagreements. We've also had some epic agreements. If you checked, you would see that I seldom disagree with you about the individuals you single out. I just disagree with attacking a label and a class of people.

So, I hope I can stay around. I will not stop saying "not all …" when I think it applies. And now, I have at least one more comment to answer before I am banished.

---

Maybe it's because my experience with feminism didn't start with loud People Who Want To Be Noticed and write books.

Maybe it's because when I had my first direct experience of the Divine, She was just a mite put out that it had taken me so long to notice. I still look for the Divine in every woman I meet. I don't always find it but I always look.

Maybe it's because I knew my first strong woman from before I was born. When her contemporaries were out protesting, she was busy making her part of the World just a little better. All while not claiming the feminist label or accepting anything less than the respect she had earned.

Maybe it's because I learned early on that while words matter, actions matter more and intentions don't.

And maybe I am just too damn stubborn.❞❞

Tags: cross posted ∙ not all ∙ feminist ∙ Divine ∙ People Who Want To Be Noticed ∙ strong woman

❝❝You know, in this day and age the term philosopher is disparaged. There are a bunch of academics debating the works of people long dead, trying to stretch writings and sayings to fit their own worldview. They argue over punctuation and the implication of what was not said in which edition. Most of the people called philosophers today are little better than research librarians. They don't think about the practical application, you see.❞❞
     — NeoWayland

Tags: maxims ∙ cross posted ∙ philosophy ∙ research librarians ∙ philosopher

When government is "responsible" for something, regular people stop paying attention.

Tags: cross posted ∙ power with vs power over ∙ Somebody Else's Problem ∙ Douglas Adams ∙ EPA ∙ Obama Administration ∙ Silent Spring ∙ Superfund

““Hope for the best, prepare for the worst and meanwhile, do everything you can to make things better.””
     — Jim O'Neil

Tags: Jim O'Neil ∙ Golden Rule ∙ Silver Rule ∙ Iron Rule ∙ Platnium Rule ∙ hope ∙ prepare ∙ make things better ∙ cross posted

❝❝Faith is a personal choice. It has to be, or it has no meaning.❞❞
     — NeoWayland

Tags: faith ∙ maxims ∙ cross posted

““Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.””
     — C.S. Lewis

Tags: C.S. Lewis ∙ knights ∙ children ∙ enemy ∙ memes ∙ brave ∙ heroic ∙ courage ∙ destiny ∙ cross posted

““I have a problem with this assumption "at the moment the general reaction seems to be to disbelieve abuse survivors." I do not find it to be accurate. Mostly because of what group is being examined to provide the baseline for the general reaction, which I've rarely seen explained.

Every time I see this idea come up, it is used as a weapon against those who desire to have an examined and rational discussion without having to say "I believe." as if withholding belief was a moral crime. That idea that there is a culture of disbelief has been weaponized and used to silence those who ask uncomfortable and disquieting questions.””
     — Isabella LeCour, comment on Accusations of abuse surface against ADF founder Isaac Bonewits

Tags: Isabella LeCour ∙ The Wild Hunt ∙ abuse ∙ survivors ∙ cross posted

❝❝Pardon, I don't think anyone is capable of judging what is and is not a "real" religion. I can't tell you how many times certain Christians have told me that my faith isn't real.

Pauline Christianity is something completely different that what Yeshua Ben Yosef preached. Gnostic Christianity is something completely different yet again. Which is true? Who knows? Who am I to judge what happens between someone else and the Divine?

I think these are the wrong questions. Christians are much nicer when they aren't the only game around. From what little I've seen, the same applies to Muslims.

I think what matters is how we treat others, especially others who do not share our faith and culture. Ramming it down other's throat by force will cause resentment. That's where some monotheists go wrong. It's not that they have the True Faith™, its that no other faith can be allowed. Because of their Greater Understanding and enlightenment, they can break society's rule for the Greater Good. Thou shalt not dissent.

Climate change alarmists stole the game lock, stock, and barrel. It's common for some of the radical feminists too. If anything, I think it indicates a weakness in the argument. Their faith isn't strong enough, they can't convince others, so it must be forced.

Getting back to Christianity, how much would history have changed if Constantine hadn't made it the state faith? How would it have developed if it had stayed one faith among many? How much of the Official® was really about politics and controlling the populace?

Could it be that control is really the issue?❞❞

Tags: cross posted ∙ Christian ∙ Christianity ∙ Christians ∙ Christian bash ∙ Gnostic Christianity ∙ Constantine ∙ Muslims ∙ thou shalt not dissent ∙ enlightenment ∙ radical feminists ∙ climate change alarmists ∙ Yeshua Ben Yosef ∙ Pauline Christianity

❝❝Ah, somebody finally said the C word. And that means I can say not all Christians.

I can say something else too. For all of the evidence of Christian bigotry, there's tolerance and pluralism right there beside it. America is the probably the only nation where it could happen. Religious diversity made it happen. And it goes right back to the Civil War. While there were plenty saying (with reason) that the Bible justified slavery, there were others making the case that a human was a human no matter what the color skin. The ones fighting hardest against slavery took their best arguments from their faith. That continued through the woman's rights movement, through the civil rights movement, and on through the gay rights movement. Without Christians speaking and fighting, those movements would have stalled.

As a newbie back in the 80s, I had a lot of baggage. I spoke and wrote against Christians with the best of them. Some of my stuff is probably still floating around there. But I discovered that I didn't like who I was. There were other things too, I was not a nice person. After some serious soul searching and couple of Divine thumps on the head, I came back to a very simple idea. In magickal terms, the energy you put out is the energy you get back. It's the Ethic of Reciprocity, Christians call it the Golden Rule. It's probably the cornerstone of Western civilization. Long story short, if you look for the negative in others, that is precisely what you will find. And that is precisely what you will allow to shape your own life.

But if you look for the positive, "catch them doing right," there will be enough good to overcome the bad.

Christians made marriage legal in the first place. But do you honestly think there would be legal gay marriage without a whole lot of Christians saying, wait, we have to fix this to be fair to everyone.

Because not every Christian, you see. Sometimes in the places you least expect and from the people you'd never consider, there is tolerance and acceptance and even encouragement. Not everyone wraps themselves in the fire and brimstone of the OT. Some really do believe that their god is love.

We need those people badly.

So, not every Christian.❞❞

Tags: Christian ∙ Christians ∙ Christianity ∙ bigotry ∙ tolerance ∙ pluralism ∙ Ethic of Reciprocity ∙ Golden Rule ∙ Western Civilization ∙ cross posted

You don't demand that others submit to your religion. If I can object when the Islamists do it, if I can object when the climate change crowd does it, I can damn well object when a theocratic Republican passes it off as religious freedom and tells tales of his "oppression" because of his faith.

Tags: Roy Moore ∙ Decalogue ∙ freedom of religion ∙ public space ∙ cross posted ∙ Watch List

Tags: ☆ ∙ Charlottesville ∙ violence ∙ speech wars ∙ cross posted ∙ Noam Chomsky

We pagans have become the worst that we saw in the People of the Book.

Tags: pagan news ∙ cross posted ∙ Donald Trump ∙ virtue signaling ∙ binding spell ∙ witchcraft ∙ Democrats ∙ Republicans ∙ Barack Obama ∙ Hillary Clinton ∙ Chas. S. Clifton

Sex without the emotional connection is masturbation

Tags: guilt ∙ political correctness ∙ power through guilt ∙ Heritage Foundation ∙ victimhood ∙ identity politics ∙ cross posted

““In some ancient polytheistic societies, the worst punishment that could be meted out was to erase a person’s existence by no longer speaking or writing their name and erasing any reference to them. It was thought this also negatively affected them in the afterlife. As a matter of personal policy, follow this concept and this is why I have not named the shooter in this article. However, The Honored Dead do deserve to be known…””
     — Cara Schulz, Facing Violence in Chattanooga: Two Heathens Share their Experience

Tags: cross posted ∙ shooting ∙ The Wild Hunt ∙ mass shootings ∙ Cara Schulz ∙ Chattanooga

❝❝You want to impress me, come up with something more than "the Bible told me so.” Don't make threats about judgement and eternal flame. Don't tell me about the changes it's made in your life. Don’t tell me how it’s “saved you.” Don’t tell me how you have the hotline to the “Almighty." 

And don’t tell me “it’s God’s judgement” when you’re the one spouting the words.

Tell me about the changes your faith makes in the world around you. Tell me what you do that makes the world better than when you got here.  Tell me how your faith manifests through you. 

Tell me about how you pass it on.

If that "Living Word" exists, it has to be in the hearts and souls of those people who have really embraced it. It's not in a dusty book. The verses don't matter except to show you the way. Tell me what lives behind those printed words. Tell me how you turned your sacrifice into a blessing.

Tell me about love. Tell me about the love you showed today.

Your actions show that. 

Your next choice starts now.❞❞
     — from the private journal of NeoWayland

Tags: Christianity ∙ wisdom ∙ be careful what you wish for ∙ Bible ∙ love ∙ cross posted ∙ commenting

Rhyd Wildermuth has shown me his character.

Tags: cross posted ∙ division of labor ∙ Rhyd Wildermuth ∙ Watch List

The only worthy faiths and beliefs are those freely chosen

Tags: Original Vigil ∙ Pagan ∙ reciprocity ∙ religion ∙ classic ∙ favorites ∙ cross posted