Australian Capital Territory
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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 14184
[Pagan]
Date Posted:
10/23/2005
11:59:21 am EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 8,597
RSS: 20,160
Comments: 14
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Having a spell with witchcraft proves popular for women
Author: Barney Zwartz Source: The Sun-Herald
Title: Having a spell with witchcraft proves popular for women
Witches and charismatic Christians are leading religious growth in Australia with many women turning to witchcraft or paganism as a reaction against the patriarchal nature of traditional Christianity.
Dr Philip Hughes of the Christian Research Association said the numbers of people participating in nature religions - mostly witchcraft and paganism - rose by 140 per cent between 1996 and 2001. Agnostics were on the rise too, he said.
For many, nature religions were seen as environmentally friendly.
But Dr Hughes said their numbers remained small, with fewer than 25,000 adherents in Australia.
"They are never going to be really numerous as it is largely a protest movement."
Leading witch Caroline Tully says witchcraft is a religion for the weak and oppressed, especially women.
"Actually, I'm surprised the guys haven't taken advantage because there are so many single women," she said.
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Community Thoughts: There are 14 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Seems To Me | Oct 25th. at 12:30:52 pm EDT
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Titania (Smallville, New York) - Email Me
that most men I have encountered in the Pagan community are married--and happily so, from what they have said. I also see a fairly balanced number of men and women who post on forums such as the Nest. It may be a varifiable fact that there are more women in the Pagan community then men, but I have read statistics that show the same for Christianity--more Christian women attend church then men. As for cruising chicks, as another poster put it, I have often heard it suggested that men should go to chruch to met women, perhaps because there are more women at church.
Weak and oprressed? Oh, puhleeze! Most of us are on this path because we won't be oppressed by religion, because we think and have come to the informed decision that we can no longer follow lock step with a faith we find to be contradictory and illogical. Much of what I have read about Paganism indicates that most Pagans are well educated, hardly what I would consider weak and oppressed.
A protest movement? Maybe for some teens who are looking for shock value or rebelling against The Man in some way, but they usually fall by the wayside or get what it is really about and go deeper.
As my nine-year-old daughter would say, the author is just sick and wrong.
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| GEE, I WONDER WHY....! | Oct 24th. at 4:50:38 am EDT
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Whitewolf (Schenectady, New York) - Email Me
It's getting so popular, especially among my fellow women - because the "big 3" (chrsistianity, judisiam & islam....) have only been crapping on women for 4000-plus years. it's time they took a good look at and revamped THEIR attitude toward half the world population!
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| Protest Movement | Oct 23rd. at 8:14:02 pm EDT
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Lora (Leominster, Massachusetts) - Email Me
*cackles heartily*
Yes, because we all know the Samhain chants, right?
"Hey hey! Ho ho! Christianity's got to go! Hey hey! Ho ho!"
Although I do quite like the idea of singing, "We Shall Overcome," Pagan-style.
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| This Is A Joke- Right? | Oct 23rd. at 5:34:53 pm EDT
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
I don't recall grabbing a sign to protest., and although I'm single, i'm not that needy. And to suggest that men could take advantage of this is really insulting to all Pagans-- especially the guys. This one badly needs to review facts.
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| Not So In My Area...... | Oct 23rd. at 2:24:51 pm EDT
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Richard Brownbear (North Wilkesboro, North Carolina) - Email Me
We are not "impoverished and downtrodden" or whatever, at least not in my corner of the 'verse. Shoot, one of my Pagan freinds is a VP for a fairly large company.
About 80% of the Pagans and Witches around here that I know are men, but I guess that may not mean much because some may keep their spirituality private.
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| HUH???? | Oct 23rd. at 1:42:09 pm EDT
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Aidan Odinson (Collingdale, Pennsylvania) - Email Me
Where is this author coming from?
There is hardly a sentence in the article that I can't debate with - strongly.
Article says: "They are never going to be really numerous as it is largely a protest movement."
I say: A protest movement? Only in that many of us came here after being abused by Christianity as it is currently practiced. Between "God's Will," "God's Time," "God's Higher Plan," and an occasional dose of "Jesus is punishing you," it's no wonder that so many (including me) felt that there had to be another way. But we would not stay so long if the only thing we were doing was protesting.
Article says: "Leading witch Caroline Tully says witchcraft is a religion for the weak and oppressed, especially women."
I say: huh? It is true that some of us came here because we were kicked too many times. But you are not going to be a Witch if you are really weak, and you won't stay if you insist on being opressed. For those who insist upon being weak and oppressed, I would suggest the more Pentacostal of the Protestant denominations, where you can suffer God's Will for the duration of God's Time.
Article says: "Actually, I'm surprised the guys haven't taken advantage because there are so many single women," she said."
I say: I doubt that any of the single women would be interested in any guy who shows up just because of the women. It makes even less sense than someone who becomes a Roman Catholic in hopes of getting their hands on the communion wine.
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| You'd Think... | Oct 23rd. at 1:31:08 pm EDT
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NightLad (Toronto, Ontario) - Email Me
that they'd spend more time talking to... oh I dont know... the actual Witch. Oh well. Not a horrible article, even considering the "protest movement" comment. What the heck is that about?
Find More info -- HERE
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| Protest March | Oct 23rd. at 1:28:06 pm EDT
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Ahr-Ohn (Bridgeport, Connecticut) - Email Me
I can understand how an Appologist might denigrate Wiccans as a Protest Movement, given the attitude of many Wiccans towards Christians, but I'm puzzled as to how he'd do so with the Charismatics.
"Actually, I'm surprised the guys haven't taken advantage because there are so many single women," she said.
"There aren't many men, and a lot of them aren't particularly appealing."
The Men who show up, due to the pressure of the Many Women, aren't allowed to hit on the appealing ones.
One Twit Pro,
Another Twit Con,
This article to Ballance Bond,
Twixt whom the author'd know.
At least they made the effort, to research a Press Release, and that's more than I've seen in this country.
Arawn
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