Free Republic

Over the past few weeks, rioting in Europe and the Middle East has been spawned by cartoons depicting Muhammad in an unpleasant, though possibly accurate, manner. Muslim extremists are outraged by this so-called blasphemous "idolatry" of others through caricatures, even though versions of the cartoons were published in Islamic media as well as those that appeared in the Danish press and in other European newspapers. A few questions immediately come to mind, however. If non-Muslims are "infidels," how can these extremists expect the rest of the world to act as if we were Muslim? How can the non-Muslim world be...

Jurate Cannara knew her daughter Laura was different when, as a toddler, she would stand out in the rain, her tiny hands outstretched toward the lightning. "Mama, I need energy," the little girl would tell her. As Laura Mikuseviciuje grew from toddler to child to teen to young woman, Cannara noticed that her daughter's eccentricities only increased with age. "I didn't understand my daughter," said Cannara, who lives in Verona, of her daughter's early expressions of intuition and odd, energetic behavior. According to some, Laura's tendencies are not odd at all; they even have a name. She and others like...

The San Antonio Current for August 21-27, 2003 has an unsettling article describing the Lilith Fund, a 501c3 and so-called 'reproductive equity' group, and their efforts to train abortion assistants. Lilith is a prominent figure in demonology and Jewish folklore. Is it demons and witches presiding over child sacrifices, or the 'right to choose', or both? The San Antonio Current for August 21-27, 2003 article stated, "The Lilith Fund, a non-profit, abortion assistance organization is holding volunteer training for its hotline today from 1-3pm and August 26 from 6:30-8:30pm at San Antonio Reproductive Services, 5838 Joiner Ave. Prospective volunteers need...

First of all I would like to add that I am a 13 year old girl and am not a parent. I have read all of the Harry Potter Books. With two parents that are devoted Christians I understand partially your view on the Harry Potter books but I respectfully disagree. To a young child the Harry Potter books are comforting. These people although portrayed as witches and wizards are well rounded people and little kids respect that. For instance if any of you have read the Harry Potter Books Hermoine Granger is a girl very dedicated to her school...

The pendulum swings both ways. Last year in Denver, it was Mayor John Hickenlooper proposing to replace the city's traditional "Merry Christmas" sign with one that said "Happy Holidays." The mayor wisely backed off in response to the public outcry, as did the Parade of Lights, this year, reversing its policy barring religious floats. Earlier this month, Speaker of the U.S. House Dennis Hastert, issued a directive instructing the architect of the Capitol to drop the name "Capitol Holiday Tree" - adopted in the late 1990s under the authority of no one who's now willing to admit to it -...

A convicted murderer who practices the Wiccan religion won the right Thursday to receive religious books and items while behind bars. The state Department of Corrections settled a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey on behalf of Patrick Pantusco, who was convicted of murder, aggravated assault and other offenses in Bergen County in 1998, and sent to East Jersey State Prison at Avenel. He began practicing Wicca in 2002, while serving a 30- to 50-year prison term. Wiccans say their religion is based on respect for the earth, nature and the cycle of the seasons....

PALM COAST -- It was close to midnight on Sunday and Jill Pagan -- who practices paganism and calls herself a witch -- was getting settled into bed when she heard a crash. It sounded like something might have fallen. Upon investigation, Pagan discovered that her home's white aluminum door had a large gash in it. And just to the right, a large chunk of concrete was sitting in a flowerpot with a note attached to it by rubber bands. She immediately recognized a handwritten note in an ancient language called Theban, which she said is used almost exclusively by...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, NOV. 26, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Witchcraft is moving into the mainstream in the Netherlands. A Dutch court has ruled that the costs of witchcraft lessons can be tax-deductible, the Associated Press reported Oct. 31. The previous month, the Leeuwarden District Court confirmed the legal right to write off the costs of schooling -- including in witchcraft -- against tax bills. The costs can be substantial, according to one witch interviewed for the article. Margarita Rongen runs the "Witches Homestead" in a northern province. Her workshops cost more than $200 a weekend, or more than $2,600 for a full course....

Why Some Christians Don't Celebrate Christmas Many feel that Christmas marks Christ's birthday and that it honors Him. After all, can 2 billion professing Christians be wrong? At the same time, some few Christians don't observe Christmas, believing that Jesus didn't sanction it and that it dishonors Him. Who is right—and why? by Jerold Aust One day, years ago, someone asked me why I kept Christmas. "The Bible says to keep it," I responded. "Somewhere in the Gospel of Luke, it speaks of the nativity scene. An angel told some shepherds that were keeping their sheep in the fields at...

If we are going to secularize the Calendar--i.e. remove any references to Christ, then I think that we should also secularize the names of the day of the week: Sunday is named after the Sun. The ancient pagan Greeks and Romans believed that the sun was the source of life on the planet and they gave it prime importance in their thinking--hence, the first day of the week. Monday is named for the Moon. If sun is honored on Sunday, it would be lunacy to not give the Moon a place of prominence on Monday. And, indeed, the word for...

"We at Wal-Mart believe this e-mail between a temporary associate and one of our valued customers was entirely inappropriate. Its contents in no way represent the policies, practices or views of our company. This associate, who was hired less than three weeks ago, is no longer employed by our company."

Wicca, the pagan temptation for youth increases followers By ALAN BRANCH Baptist Press Published September 8, 2005 I recently had the opportunity to meet with several youth ministers from Southern Baptist churches here in Missouri. Each impressed me as having a deep commitment to biblical authority and personal passion for Jesus Christ. As we discussed the challenges facing current youth ministers, a concern all shared was the fact that many youth, including youth in evangelical churches, are dabbling in Wicca. So, what is Wicca? The word “wicca” was an old English word which meant “shaman.” The word was reintroduced into...

GREAT FALLS, S.C. — Jesus no longer has a place in prayers that open Town Council meetings here. The long-standing practice in this old mill town, about 35 miles north of Columbia, was struck down last year in response to a lawsuit filed by a follower of Wicca, a pagan religion characterized by witchcraft and attention to earthly seasons. A federal judge — and then a federal appeals court — found the Town Council's prayers invoking Christ's name unconstitutional on grounds that they advanced one religion over others. "I don't like it one bit," Councilman J.C. Broom, a retired furniture...

NEW PORT RICHEY - Pagans are coming out of the closet. After years of being labeled as devil worshippers who sacrifice animals under a full moon, the modern-day followers of ancient beliefs want to be part of the community. In Pasco County, they're planning the first Pagan Pride Day in a popular city park. ``People think paganism is evil,'' said Robert Crom, regional coordinator for Pasco Pagans. ``Some people, especially among mainstream religions, feel threatened by us.'' Crom, 25, said he wants to clear up public misconceptions about pagan religions. The group, formed a couple of years ago by transplants...

A remake of the old TV show "Bewitched" will be in theaters Friday, a Hollywood version of that lovable sitcom from the '60s and '70s, where Elizabeth Montgomery's Samantha cast spells and twitched her nose to get her husband, Darren, out of jams. Ever wonder if witches really exist? Ever wonder if one lives next door? Pearl Essence and Syren Star are two suburban witches who have come out of the broom closet. A year ago, the pair started Gypsy Wagon, a pagan-friendly online group. "We do not worship any sort of god or goddess, we focus on the elemental...

It is almost impossible to overstate how radically different Old Testament thought was from the thought of the rest of its contemporary world. And it continues to be, given how few societies affirm Judeo-Christian values and how much opposition to them exists in American society, the society that has most incorporated these values. Among the most radical of these differences was the incredible declaration that God is outside of nature and is its creator. In every society on earth, people venerated nature and worshipped nature gods. There were gods of thunder and gods of rain. Mountains were worshipped, as were...

Recently Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona publicly expressed his Christian beliefs, provoking outrage from Hawaii's leftists. In a commentary on Wednesday, May 18, 2005, The Honolulu Advertiser columnist David Shapiro quoted Aiona as saying "Hawaii belongs to Jesus" ...

Burma rebuilding risks Pagan jewel By Andrew Harding BBC News, Burma Pagan's temples are one of Asia's most important cultural sites The sunsets are still spectacular - a golden glow brushing the curves of 2,000 ancient temples and pagodas clustered on the edge of the Irrawaddy River in central Burma. But today some of the world's leading experts have accused Burma's military regime of waging "archaeological blitzkrieg" against the legendary Buddhist treasures of Pagan. "They're ruining it," said Richard Engelhardt, regional advisor for the UN's cultural arm, Unesco. "It makes me feel hopeless and helpless and angry and disappointed," he...

While browsing through the ancient Persian history, I was struck and fascinated by another subject Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism has not only made a major contribution to the ancient philosophical thought but has also had a deep imprint on the Persian history and culture. Since ages, man has been striving to search for the meaning and purpose of life. Two ancient philosophies threw up answers to this eternal quest. One came out of the Vedic thought of re-incarnation (samsara) which believed in perpetual cycles of life, death and re-birth. It believed that soul (atma) finally got liberated (moksha) based on man's good...

"It is difficult to resist the conclusion that there is a death wish at work at the heart of our civilization... our theologians dismantle the structure of belief they exist to expound and promote."  –Malcolm Muggeridge, Eternity, April 1972 Muggeridge, a world-famous English journalist who became a Christian late in his life, was prophetic as he saw the coming remaking of the core of the Christian faith by its very leaders. We might wonder if he could have imagined how far the faith could be taken apart!The problem is this: many of our modern theologians, clergy and seminaries are remaking...