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The Catholic chaplain of St Andrew's University in Scotland has defended the institution's decision to officially recognise Wiccans. St Andrews University, whose graduates include Prince William, has decided to allocate an area for followers of the alternative religion to hold festivals and rituals after university bosses feared they could be prosecuted under human rights legislation. Now pagan or wiccans as they prefer to be called, will be allowed to use campus buildings and outdoor space for festivals, providing they do not utter incantations or spells that might harm others. Nor may not raise spirits or to call up dark forces,...

Scout's admission of being Wiccan leads to turmoil http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006605090308 http://tinyurl.com/klgp8 Article published May 9, 2006 By Melanie Crownover Special to The Town Talk ANACOCO -- The camp is going well so far. Boy Scouts have gathered from around the area in khaki button-ups and red scarves, eager to earn their God and Country badge. The leader in a room of about 20 Scouts decides to break the ice by showing how religiously diverse the gathering is. By a showing of hands, he asks who belongs to the Baptist Church, the Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, continuing on until two boys...

A former Episcopalian priest claims reading Harry Potter during a mid-life crisis led him to eventually decide to become a Wiccan priest...Haney is now a practicing minister of the Sacred Birch Society, a Wiccan group that meets regularly in the Lapeer Michigan area. Claiming that he does not proselytize, Haney hopes nonetheless to be a resource for enquirers into his new found faith. Wiccans claim that their system of beliefs is compatible with other religions, even while they deny Christian teachings as to the identity of Jesus Christ.   According to the Battle Creek Enquirer, Haney says that it was...

Witches have returned to the German forests, dancing naked in groups under the full moon and calling to their gods. The covens vary in size and in how seriously they take their calling, but the numbers are rising, particularly amongst the young. Their religious ideas are described as "pagan" rather than Satanist, and many of the older practitioners have a history in the environmental movement, where they learnt a passionate love of nature. In some cases this has led on to a belief in the natural powers of the forests. The women are convinced they can work magic. "The witches'...

Tallahassee, FL – Liberty Counsel filed a brief with the Florida Supreme Court defending a state law that exempts Bibles, religious publications and ceremonial items from sales tax. The lawsuit was filed by The Wiccan Religious Cooperative of Florida, Inc. (“Wiccan”) against the Department of Revenue. Wiccan says it paid sales tax on the purchase of the Satanic Bible and the Witch’s Bible Compleat. Instead of seeking a refund, Wiccan filed suit, claiming Florida Statute 212.06(9) violates the Establishment Clause. Florida law exempts from sales tax “the use, sale, or distribution of religious publications, Bibles, hymn books, prayer books, vestments,...

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....

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....

Wiccan beliefs and sexual preferences will take center stage in the trial of a North Carolina man accused of killing his wife, unless the defendant has his way before the start of his trial on Halloween. ADVERTISEMENT Earlier this week, Robert James Petrick asked a Durham County Superior Court judge to keep all references to his neo-pagan religion and "sexual habits" out of his first-degree murder trial for the death of his wife, Janine Sutphen, a cellist with the Durham Symphony Orchestra, in January 2003. Judge Orlando Hudson is expected to rule on the motions before jury selection begins Monday...

Wal-Mart goes Wicca By Judi McLeod The five and dime department store of the past is where your mother treated you to balloons and lollipops. Now you can buy books at the five and dime that teach you how to cast a spell on mother. Wal-Mart, the company that put Dead Peasant Life Insurance on the map, is going Wicca. Dead Peasant Life Insurance is the loathsome practice of taking life insurance on people without their knowledge and callously cashing in on the policy at the time of their death. Wal-Mart was defendant in five putative class-action lawsuits because of...

GREAT FALLS, S.C. -- The town of Great Falls plans to comply with an order to pay the lawyer of a Wiccan priestess who successfully sued the town over mentioning Jesus Christ's name in council prayers. The town will not appeal a court order to pay Darla Wynne's lawyer, Herbert Buhl, about $53,000. But town attorney Michael Hemlepp said officials aren't sure where they'll get the money. Hemlepp said the town can't simply afford to write a check. The town's annual budget is $870,000. Buhl said he's given the town an extension to pay without a specific deadline. But he...

A practicing witch who sought to have her prayers heard at government meetings in a Richmond, Va., suburb had no magic before the U.S. Supreme Court. Justices rejected an appeal by Cyndi Simpson, a Wiccan priestess and member of the Broom Riders Association, who wanted to offer a generalized prayer to the "creator of the universe" in Chesterfield County, Va. "I wasn't going to talk about the goddess," Simpson said previous to today's decision. "I was going to call the elements, maybe offer up an invocation to the highest being." Simpson had argued that Christians and members of other faiths...

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...

INDIANAPOLIS - A judge who ordered two Wicca believers to shield their son from their "non-mainstream" faith overstepped his authority, an appeals court said Wednesday in dismissing the order. The Indiana Court of Appeals said state law gave a custodial parent the authority to determine a child's upbringing, including religious training. A judge could find that certain limitations were needed to protect a child from physical or emotional harm. The parents' appeal, brought by the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, claimed among other issues that the decree was unconstitutionally vague because it did not define mainstream religion. But the appeals court...

As well as being extraordinarily popular, the [Harry Potter] books have encouraged millions of children to start reading for the first time.... For those who have a problem with the idea of fantasy and alternative universes alongside ours, we need to recognize that almost all children play imaginative games in their minds starting at a very young age and have no difficulty whatsoever in distinguishing between fantasy and reality.... Additionally, the Harry Potter books send a strong message about moral order. There are beautiful and enjoyable human relationships among the characters, and there is a depth of commitment and service...

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...

What is Religion? Mark RobertsA recent article in the local paper details an interview with several members of a pagan religion, Wicca. After the celebration of the Spring Solstice they were asked about the nature of their beliefs and faith. “Tell me if this is true,” said the interviewer. “You pick what you like from other religions and throw the pieces together. You might be absolutely wrong, and you know that. But this religion seems true to you, so you believe it is. Is that right?” To the amazement of the article’s author, “the pagans were delighted. They cheered and...

INDIANAPOLIS — A Wiccan activist and his ex-wife are challenging a court order that they must protect their 9-year-old son from what the divorce decree terms their "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals." Thomas E. Jones and Tammy Bristol of Indianapolis are fighting a Marion Superior Court stipulation that they shelter the boy from their religion. The Indiana Civil Liberties Union has taken on the case, appealing the December decree to the Indiana Court of Appeals. Jones, a Wiccan activist who has coordinated Pagan Pride Day in Indianapolis for the past six years, said he and his ex-wife were stunned when...