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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 19201
[Crime]
Date Posted:
1/9/2008
1:09:12 pm EST
Wvox Stats
Views: 8,921
RSS: 13,920
Comments: 28
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Sioux City Stepfather Describes Himself As Pagan
Author: Ellen Serr Source: KSFY (IA)
Title: SIOUX CITY STEPFATHER DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS PAGAN
The mother of two Sioux City girls who were killed allegedly at the hands of their stepfather says he described himself as a pagan and practiced spells to keep those around him healthy and happy.
Marla Harris told The Des Moines Register that her husband, Lawrence Harris Senior, told her at the police department that he was trying to help them.
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Community Thoughts: There are 28 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| How Come | Jan 11th. at 9:32:53 am EST
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armand (shreveport, Indiana) - Email Me
Why is it that when someone kills in the name of a Christian God, then people say oh well he/she was crazy and out of thier mind. But if some nut does something and uses wichcraft as an excuse then OH YEAH its the Pagan in them its EVIL. I just hate double standards. There is evil and good in all.
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| The Reality Of It All... | Jan 10th. at 5:13:34 pm EST
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MoorDragon (Atlanta, Georgia) - Email Me
...is that no matter how upset we in the Pagan community may be about this murderer and his claims, the media and it's coverage, the Fundies and their call to wage war on us and the mundanes who think we're all like this guy...there's not a whole lot we can really do about it beyond educating those who are actually willing to listen to reason...and they seem to be in short supply in this extremely paranoid society we live in.
Because the majority of Americans claim to be Christian and the fact that Christianity has been the dominant faith in this country for a couple hundred years, their thinking and opinions about Witchcraft is well engrained in them.
We get upset that so much attention is being paid to the Witchcraft aspect of this story, but, really, what do you expect them to do? Witchcraft is still a very very big deal to them and their pastors and priests decry from the pulpit every Sunday about evil and we, as Witches and Pagans, fall into that category in their addled minds.
It would be like trying to convince the Nazis that Jews were okay and not a threat to their way of life. Their hatred, distrust and fear of the Jews was too inflamed for them to listen to any reasonable argument against their beliefs.
I really don't think Christians are going to change their opinions of us either. Their bible states, albeit erroneously, that they are not to suffer a witch to live.
They really believe in that crap and given the chance, they'd take us out.
So I'm not at all surprised by the hoopla being generated in the media over this killing. Hopefully it won't get totally out of hand and people start getting hurt.
Maybe Oprah should do a show about Witchcraft and invite some of our most articulate and intelligent members to speak. Her show has a huge audience and would reach alot of people.
MoorDragon
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| A Call To Action: My Response To Speaking Out. | Jan 10th. at 3:27:58 pm EST
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Rhiannon Dragonraine (St. Robert, Colorado) - Email Me
I have written this and posted this on a couple of sites that I am on that have mixed backgrounds, it isn't much but it my way of doing something; as we all know change can start small and so I am taking what means I have at my disposal to do what I can.
"I am MADDER than hell! I recently read a headline in the news that has set me off: "WitchCraft blamed in murder of Souix City Girls" there are various other articles that follow up on this story such as "There were hints of "creepy" or "weird" activity pastor says" and "Souix City step-father describes himself as Pagan"- First off I want to say that this TRAGEDY is horrible and should happen to no one; that being said I simply must address my inflamed temper and outrage.
The bodies of two girls were found in the house after the fire department was called. The girls were in various stages of undress, and had been stabbed and strangled, the house then being set on fire. Upon being arrested as a suspect the step-father of these poor girls told police that it happened due to a "spell gone bad".My heart goes out to the family that has to try to struggle through this atrocity and find some form of coping; that being said...
I am outraged; this is obviously a mentally disturbed man, who committed a horrendous crime and is looking for an "out" or an "excuse" either way my temper is set off by the fact that he chooses to label himself as Pagan or Witch. This label, given to the news media is tantamount to David Koresh and the Branch Davidians calling themselves "Christian"- when the Waco debauchle occurred they maligned the Seventh Day Adventists in a similar way to how pagans are slandered on a regualr basis, and the reason is very similar; it all stems from mental illness or just down right selfish reasons.
I was recently on a pagan site; which led me to writing this blog. Those of us who are pagan can hardly afford to remain in the shadows any longer. There was once a time for us to hide to protect our own lives and that time is no more. Only by coming out of the damned broom closet ( a term used for those who do not feel comfortable openly practicing their beliefs and so usually hide many of their symbols and do not speak their opinnions; we in the pagan community jokingly call this being in the "Broom Closet" and finally telling people you are a witch as "Coming out of the broom closet") many of my fellow pagans are so fond of can we separate ourselves from the whackos who want to claim to be one of us.
I am Pagan; I call myself a Witch, and I am a normal everyday person. I believe in the sanctity of life and have a fondness/affinity for nature. I believe that by observing nature I can learn many lessons,understanding myself and those around me better. I hold myself to a high moral standard; that bears no resemblance to anything this man claims as his beliefs. *Now I must point out that I am using "I" Statements for a specific purpose: Beliefs and the following of diety varies from Witch to Witch: however the "Norm" within the Pagan community is that actions like this; crimes against man and nature are NEVER condoned.
At this point I can not say whether the suspect did or didn't perpetrate this crime; we do live in a society that states that every peron is "innocent until PROVEN guilty" and at this time a court of law has not decreed whether he is innocent or guilty, however it seems fairly clear given his alleged confession and "excuse" that it was a "Spell gone wrong", that he admits to killing the girls and setting the house on fire.
Now within this story there are several twists and turns that to me point out past abuse such as an older sibling that is a registered sex offender at the age of 13 years old, and the fact that the two girls when found for either completely unclothed or partially (one being completely naked and the other being partially) -This is an atrocity that saddly enough happens.
What angers me is that the media jumps on the fact that the man accused cries "Witch", and is trying to portray himself as pagan, while pagan is indeed a broad term encompassing many different roads of belief, it is used here to describe those who practice Witchcraft, Wicca, or eco-spirituality. This being said I wish to pose one question that authorities seem to be avoiding: How is it that it can be believed he was following a nature centric religion, when said religion places a high value on ALL living and even inanimate creations?
Only by distancing ourselves from the shadow realms of secrecy can we help authorities and the populace in general understand that this sort of action is not the "norm" within our belief system. Only by standing up and denouncing those who use our name to cover horrendous crimes can we make the public see that we are nothing to be afraid of. Now I am not saying you have to describe your personal rituals in great detail, hardly. However I am saying that by being public ourselves by openly and proudly claiming the words "witch", "Pagan", "Wiccan" "Druid" etc., and letting those around us see that we are normal human beings, living our lives and practicing our religion just as the Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Baptists...so on and so forth down the street, can we even begin to undo the effect such public barbarity causes.
Too many times on pagan sites have I seen the outcry within the community; but where is it to the general public? We (as a community; not me personally per se) Complain that we are misunderstood, maligned and cast in a bad light that we don't deserve, never seeking to attempt to change the public view. I am at a point where while having been open and changing people's view on a personal one on one basis, can no more stand by and watch whackos that commit crimes sully a label I proudly wear.
And so I seek to change opinnions on this topic, no more will I remove my pentacle; whether it is in the company of my in-laws,within the various communities that I am part of or at any public venue. I will openly and honestly answer questions, I will do what I can in my own small corner of the world to let it be known that MY beliefs, MY morals and those of my friends, relatives and associates are not something to be feared and are not the workings of imbalanced minds that seek to create chaos and harm.
I have friends that are Christian and Pagan alike and I openly accept anyone who is different than myself; diversity gives us a chance to grow and to learn, there is more than one way. I think as a society (both pagan and in general) we need to make it understood that actions such as this; tragedies, really, the twisted deeds of twisted individuals, are NOT accepted nor tolerated. Society as a whole needs to speak out about domestic violence, shootings and murders in home situations have been on the rise as have that of public violence i.e. school shootings,church shootings etc. and NONE of it should be allowed to slide. We look for reasons why.
Suspects like this one who give flimsy reasons ("Spell gone bad") allow the general public to breathe a sigh of relief and say"Oh it's only a misguided soul; a witch" and that is not the truth.
Pagans in general (at least as far as I have seen) are intellectual people who value knowledge, life and self respondsibility and control over all else. I will admit there are those who are ineed misguided seeing within the Rede* (which reads in full "An it harm NONE; Do what thou Wilt") a license to do whatever they please completely ignoring the "An it harm none" these are the people who would find rationalization within ANY belief system for the actions they wish to perpetrate.
This is not the NORM for Pagans any more than Koresh was the norm for Christians or Bin Laden is for the Muslims,or the "Trench Coat Mafia" is for teenagers or even "Pedophilic Priests" are for the Catholics, or "Prophets and polygamists" are for Mormons. All groups and cultures will have their bad seeds which create dangerous situations;sometimes ending in the appalling and heartbreaking loss of life, respect or humanity in others. I charge those that are pagan to speak up against this slander, and those that are not to not judge everyone by the sensationalized mentally and criminally disturbed who perpetuate these detestful and dastardly acts.
We live in a time when we must stand up against these crimes, too many times we watch the news and blow off murder, rape, domestic violence as something that has nothing to do with us, too many times people see crimes but don't come forward because they just don't want to get involved, this must end. Society complains about the crime rate, and the world in which we live, I ask if we do not openly seek to change this denounce the actions and seek to avoid the occurence and becoming openly alert and respondsible for ourselves and the well being of those around us it will never change.
There are many ways to do this, get to know your neighbors, join the neighborhood watch, volunteer with CASA, step up and report crimes you see, be willing to tell the police what you have seen and to testify to it; it is your place if you witnessed it, it is your respondsibility as a human being. Only by coming together as a society and no longer letting feeble excuses like" it was a spell gone wrong" stand up or let us breathe a sigh of relief that it was just some "freak", or let labels like Pagan, Christian, Muslim, Black, White, Hispanic divide us,can we even begin to battle crime or intolerance. If you ask me the two go hand in hand.
Pagans shouldn't be afraid to let their religion be known, we shoudn't have to tell our children to not talk about their religious beliefs in public for fear that we will be investigated by the authorities because our name is associated with people such as this suspect.
So, I put this out there for all to see, perhaps to make them stop and think the next time they see a headline similar to this one. Crime isn't solely allocated to "strange" beliefs it is a human illness that must be addressed by all humans. It doesn't just reside in the counter cultures or the small communities, or the cities;it is everywhere and within every belief system and back ground; perhaps the more society views it as such the less the media will sensationalize the non-christian belief system and will start to focus solely on the action commited and the less confident criminals will be to offend. We can no longer turn a blind eye to crime or to the slander and libel of those that don't fit the "ideal" of society.
We have as much right to our beliefs as anyone else so long as we do NOT harm anyone else. This is a basic for all religions/spiritual paths. Crimes are commited by all walks of life, but are only made out to be worse when attached to a specific group and it needs to stop
*The Wiccan Rede is the axiom used my many to sum up our respondsibilty and belief it is the one overall moral "rule" that many Pagans and witches hold themselves to. It is at the end of a poem of the same name written by Doreen Valiente; though there is some disagreement as to the actual factual history of this poem it's wisdom isn't any less regarded and so there fore it stands despite debates on it's roots.
This is an entry in my blog on myspace that I felt compelled to share with as many people as possible; it addresses an issue that I feel strongly about and wish to speak out on the topic. I hope that those of you who read it will share it, I am not concerned with punctuation or typos, solely with my message being spread. I would however love to hear your own commentary on the situation. I am more than willing to answer any questions that anyone has on my personal beliefs so long as they are respectful in tone; I will no longer abide being preached to or condemned for what I believe, if you have a question please feel free to leave it I will respond so long as I do not get comments like:"You are going to hell and haven't you found jesus." I thank everyone that takes the time to read this and even more to those of you who are willing to comment. "
i hope it will encourage people to think and to ask questions and start conversations that will lead to greater understanding and perhaps move onto acceptance though tolerance and understanding at this point are indeed needed and the stepping stones to acceptance.
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| Not Enough Information Re Murderer Or Frosts | Jan 10th. at 11:11:21 am EST
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karrie9 (Kenosha, Wisconsin) - Email Me - Web
True, there is not enough information about this (probably child rape and) murder case and we have a he said, she said, they said melee, public ignorance about Paganism rearing up...and it's all now mixed in the wife's 'oh yeah, he was corresponding with Satanists.' [Web LINK] [1.9.2008] The link that discussed the wife’s last revelation has now been taken offline after being up for what…only hours maybe?
Couldn't be messier, no, wait...let's throw in the confusion here about the Frosts via the specter of A.J. Drew!? Oh. My. Gawds. A bit about the Frosts, A.J. Drew, and keeping communities safe here: [Web LINK]
For those of you who don't want my interpretation of A.J. Drew's trollish behavior, you can witness how A.J. Drew was received by a host of more credible parties here: [Web LINK] (Note: You'll want to read both comment threads for this The Wild Hunt Blog entry and you'll probably have to look a few things up too.)
Anyway!
While all of that may be interesting, let's not loose a fierce focus on keeping kids and communities safe (I also made a previous comment here with many pragmatic helpful links to help do just that) .
We may not have control over all people, media, institutions, and things but there are many things we can do with a great amount of clarity!
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| Havent We Missed Something? | Jan 10th. at 6:42:00 am EST
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Errapel (Lowestoft, England) - Email Me
"The mother of two Sioux City girls who were killed allegedly at the hands of their stepfather says he described himself as a pagan and practiced spells to keep those around him healthy and happy. "
The mother said this, not him. 'he says/she says' doesnt hold up that well, who knows what he actualy said. This woman is in shock, and is grieving for her children, who knows what she might blame for their death.
And for those who say ALL pagans are against rape, incest, harm of children etc... this link might be of interest to you:
[Web LINK]
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| This May Be A Xian Exorcism | Jan 10th. at 3:52:57 am EST
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Shadow Dragon (nashville, Tennessee) - Email Me
A pagan named Isaac Bonewits on coast to coastAM the other night, said that the first article was vague. The man kill his two daughters in a blotch ritual. that’s all. He said this may have been a bad exorcism. The other news sites claimed it was pagan. Its was all based on this one article.
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| Innocent Until PROVEN Guilty | Jan 9th. at 11:13:38 pm EST
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Baldur (lima, Ohio) - Email Me
Have we forgotten about “Innocent until PROVEN guilty?”…I think the key words in those two paragraph’s are… alleged and accused….I have only read what was on KSFY… the link from witchvox…. Ya the event that went down sounds mucked up… we’ll see how it plays out…
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| This Guy Is Only Doing Harm. | Jan 9th. at 11:05:04 pm EST
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Sunpyro (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) - Email Me
This guy is doing a lot of harm to everyone, first he murders two little girls then he says it was magic gone wrong. The magic gone wrong part hurts us in the Pagan community, exspicaly touse of us near Souix Citiy ( I live an hour and a half away.) because the midwest is full of people who will only see the "witchcraft/murder" part of the story.
This guy seems like a sicko who needed an excuse, so he goes with "witchcraft gone wrong". I hope this gets a death sentance.
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| I Don't Care If There Are Pagan Religions . . . | Jan 9th. at 10:46:52 pm EST
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Shadowbear (Hillsboro, Oregon) - Email Me
that believe in human sacrifice, that does not cut it these days. No killing people. This, I am afraid is where I draw the line at religious freedom. Otherwise we would have to say it is ok for the christians to kill their kids to get rid of the demons - and we keep saying they can't do that. Torture and killing of people is right out. Torture of animals is too. Killing, in an appropriate manner, of animals as a sacrifice is usually followed by eating the animal as part of a feast - I don't do it for my ceremonies but that is me, it plays as a religious ceremony - and since I eat meat, it is probably more respectful than the slaughter house and butcher.
The people of whatever religious persuasion who use their religion as an excuse or justification for murder or rape are the same kind of sickos who do it without giving an excuse. This guy's "spell went wrong" excuse is lamer than most but it may not be what he said anyway.
The reason they seldom mention that a christian murdered someone or raped them is that it is so common that it does not add anything to the attention-grabbing headlines they need to sell papers or advertising time. Until we start being as boring as christians we will be headliners.
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| He Can Say.. | Jan 9th. at 9:56:59 pm EST
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
he's Squiggy the Spaceboy if he wants to. the fact is two are dead,at his hands one way or another- no matter his reason.
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| Huh. | Jan 9th. at 9:11:19 pm EST
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Perihelion Xanateris (Tamworth, New South Wales) - Email Me
Robin Fletcher claimed to be Pagan as well, and his crimes were so utterly depraved that one of his victims committed suicide. This guy may think he's treading the right path, but in reality his recklessness has cost two girls their lives. That's not Pagan in any form.
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| What Is Crucial | Jan 9th. at 7:52:06 pm EST
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karrie9 (Kenosha, Wisconsin) - Email Me - Web
I'm grief stricken every time I hear of crimes against children like this, however, it is crucial to say that this child abuser (and probably child rapist) and child murderer does not practice what Pagans believe, else every nut defines a new branch of Paganism with a membership of one (more if more perps involved) . [Web LINK]
Domestic abuse and violence crosses all economic, educational, religious, and cultural boundaries.
It's also crucial to do the following.
First I'll give you helpful informative sites that educate how to spot potential abusers, how to recognize if children have been abused, and how to protect children. Then I'll include two experts who have written about various religions and crime.
Warning signs (red flags) of abusers:
[Web LINK] (Though excellent, this link fails to mention abuse based on religious differences/interpretations.)
[Web LINK] (abuser and the abused are represented)
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK] (the word may)
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
(Scroll down that page for "Signs To Look For In A Battering Personality!" You won't regret it.)
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK] (what abusers do can mark them to)
[Web LINK] (want to avoid an abusive relationship? -- even has levels of risk)
[Web LINK] Nice-- and scroll down to assess if your behaviors make you prone
[Web LINK] recognize a potential abuser
[Web LINK] recognize a potential abuser/criminal (and most abusers do something illegal, even if it’s “small stuff”
[Web LINK] path to abuse, recognize that an abuser often abuses his closest and may appear okay to the outside world
[Web LINK] (I strongly advise following the links within this site!)
[Web LINK] Yes, many abusers also abuse animals.
[Web LINK] Yes, many domestic abusers and murderers also abuse animals.
Warning signs that they've been abused:
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK] (this link also defines abuse)
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK] (online story with many chapters)
[Web LINK]
[Web LINK] (scroll down)
[Web LINK]
7 Steps to Protect Children
[Web LINK]
Here are two expert resources. They are both police writers, one Pagan, one Christian, who write about abuse, crime, and various religions with fairness, knowledge, expertise, and clarity.
“Cop's Guide to Occult Investigations: Understanding Satanism, Santeria, Wicca, and Other Alternative Religions," by Tony M. Kail.
"The Law Enforcement Guide To Wicca," by Kerr Cuhulain. There are warning signs of abuse and ways to keep children safe. Include them!
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| Here We Go Again! | Jan 9th. at 7:26:53 pm EST
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RowanHawk (Scottsburg, Indiana) - Email Me
While it is true that we cannot be sure that no Pagan religions practice human sacrifice, we can say that Christainity did, according to the Bible. Yet we do not see headlines that state a murderer claims to be Christian. The newspapers never print that a person who commits a crime is Christian.
I am currently working on a book and I would welcome anyones comments on this and other forms of anti-Pagan news or stories of personal persecution. What can we, as a community, do to prevent these kind of stereotypes?
Personally I would like to interview this guy. Give me a half hour with him and I bet anything that I would discover he doesnt know the first thing about Paganism. I wish the police would come to us and ask questions. Maybe we should make ourselves available to the authorities of our respective communities? Just a thought!
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| NEI | Jan 9th. at 6:44:56 pm EST
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Greybird (Sullivan, Indiana) - Email Me
Not Enough Information.
Unless someone wants to guarantee that there are no pagan religions that believe in human sacrifice, we can't claim that his acts weren't a part of his religion. All we can really do is ensure that people know that 'pagan' is a very broad term, and that his paganism isn't what most (hopefully all) of us follow.
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| Taking Some Action | Jan 9th. at 6:44:04 pm EST
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Mysteries Child (Garfield, Arkansas) - Email Me
You know, a lot of people have a very valid point.
We can get scared...
...we can get angry...
...or we can get busy.
I appreciate the fact that Pagans are standing up to say that this is NOT what Pagans do.
I think I'm going to follow that lead tomorrow morning over coffee here in The Sticks, AR.
Others have a point, too, in stating that disowning this kind of behavior isn't enough. I know there are abuse and domestic violence and et cetera programs everywhere, and that you can pick up a "Recognizing The Signs Of Sexual Abuse" pamphlet practically everywhere that families commonly congregate...
Which, btw, leads me to wonder how the older child became a sex offender. According to one of these articles, he's 13. It's pretty uncommon for a child that young to be the perpetrator of sexual abuse unless something has been perpetrated upon them...
But I digress. I know that a lot is being done about family abuse, but there has to be something else we can do.
Then again, maybe coming up with some parameters of what a Pagan IS and (more importantly) what a Pagan definitely ISN'T, and being public about those parameters, would *be* enough. Plenty of people-- including poor, uneducated people-- will show tolerance for 'this is my religion,' even to creepy extents, if no one has ever told them that, "This and this and this and even this may be a perfectly harmless part of that religion, but THAT is just friggin' scary."
A Bonewits Cult Frame for assessing the behavior of individuals, perhaps???
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