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| Witchvox Chapter: Wren's Nest News | Chapter Page Views: 56,548,643 |
Wren's Nest posts Pagan community news, updates on discrimination cases, legislative alerts, calls for action and general comments about Pagan issues around the world on a daily basis. If you find a news article of interest or are aware of an issue that may affect the Pagan community, please email us.
Top Stories (Past 7 Days)
 Haiti Awash In Christian Aid, Evangelism Author: Kari Huus Source: MSNBC Title: HAITI AWASH IN CHRISTIAN AID, EVANGELISM   The horrific destruction and human suffering in Haiti exert an almost irresistible pull on U.S. Christian missionaries eager to help. But as the jailing last week of 10 missionaries from a small Baptist church in Idaho illustrates, best intentions don’t always translate into good deeds in the chaotic aftermath of the monster earthquake.Many mission groups provide essential services for Haitians — indeed some have evolved into key service providers, working alongside nonprofit groups and the U.N. to fill gaps that the Haitian government can’t fill. But other missions, even when well-meaning, risk running afoul of Haiti’s culture and laws. “There’s an issue that is coming up a lot right now,” said Laurent Dubois, a professor of history and romance studies at Duke University and an expert on Haiti. “It’s the difference between wanting to help and being able to do good. Most don’t speak any Creole, or have the cultural knowledge. … (As a result) they are going to be very surprised by what they see in Haiti.” | |
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In Kensington, A Store Neighbors Believe In Author: Kia Gregory Source: Philadelphia Inquirer Title: IN KENSINGTON, A STORE NEIGHBORS BELIEVE IN Angel Perez leans on the counter in his botanica and listens intently as a tall blond woman tells him how she just lost her job - and her sense of purpose. Perez's Botanica Maria sits on Fifth Street in the Fairhill section of North Philadelphia, between a laundromat and a pizza shop. The narrow, dimly lit store is stuffed with candles of various colors for various things, like red for love, yellow for good fortune, and green for money. There are candles dedicated to patron saints and candles for remedies, such as a "shut up" candle to stop people from slandering you. In the shop of Santeria wares, there are also beads, crucifixes, holy water, soaps, oils, and sprays such as Go Away Evil; porcelain statues of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Mother, St. Lazarus, a sitting Indian, and La Madama, a former slave who resembles Aunt Jemima; and ornate horseshoes decorated with gold mini-saints, cowrie shells, and flowers, which Perez makes in a workroom behind the store. | |
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Billboards On Tampa Bay Roads Duel Over Existence Of God Author: Dong-Phuong Nguyen Source: St Petersburg Times (FL) Title: BILLBOARDS ON TAMPA BAY ROADS DUEL OVER EXISTENCE OF GOD Two billboards, in Hillsborough County near Fowler Avenue and 17th Street and in Pinellas County near Ulmerton Road and U.S. 19, are the latest in a publicity blitz over religion. They are part of a national advertising campaign by the United Coalition of Reason. A group representing people who do not believe in God or any gods has revved up an awareness campaign in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The United Coalition of Reason paid to have two billboards erected that feature a blue sky with clouds and the words: "Are you good without God? Millions are." The move is the latest in an advertising blitz involving religion that has people talking. | |
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North Idaho’s Scourge Of Hatred Shows Signs Of Resurgence Author: Bill Morlin Source: The Spokesman (ID) Title: NORTH IDAHO’S SCOURGE OF HATRED SHOWS SIGNS OF RESURGENCE In a small house in Coeur d’Alene, 89-year-old Sid Rosen lives out his sunset years going through his life’s mementos. Tucked away in a box, the World War II veteran finds two small, dog-eared photographs of anti-Semitic graffiti sprayed on his Coeur d’Alene restaurant in 1980. The vandalism – which still angers Rosen, his son says – was one of the first in a series of incidents that led to creation of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations.Today, as the nationally recognized group prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary, other racist, anti-Semitic graffiti and literature have been turning up not far from Rosen’s home. There’s also been a spike in racist activity and hate crimes in Spokane and other Pacific Northwest communities – indeed, almost everywhere in the United States. Racist graffiti, acts of malicious harassment and distribution of hate literature in 1980 marked the emergence of the Aryan Nations in North Idaho, recalls Marshall Mend, a founding member of the human relations task force. | |
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FBI Wants Records Kept Of Web Sites Visited Author: Declan McCullagh Source: CNET.com Title: FBI WANTS RECORDS KEPT OF WEB SITES VISITED The FBI is pressing Internet service providers to record which Web sites customers visit and retain those logs for two years, a requirement that law enforcement believes could help it in investigations of child pornography and other serious crimes.FBI Director Robert Mueller supports storing Internet users' "origin and destination information," a bureau attorney said at a federal task force meeting on Thursday. As far back as a 2006 speech, Mueller had called for data retention on the part of Internet providers, and emphasized the point two years later when explicitly asking Congress to enact a law making it mandatory. But it had not been clear before that the FBI was asking companies to begin to keep logs of what Web sites are visited, which few if any currently do. The FBI is not alone in renewing its push for data retention. | |
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Democrats Push To Repeal Religious Dress Ban In Schools Author: Melica Johnson Source: KATU News and KATU.com Staff (OR) Title: DEMOCRATS PUSH TO REPEAL RELIGIOUS DRESS BAN IN SCHOOLS A decades-old law banning teachers from wearing religious clothing in public classrooms received vigorous debate Friday during a public hearing on the 1923 law. Democrats are leading the charge to lift the ban because they say it is unconstitutional and discriminatory. In a move to make their proposed law more palatable to critics of repealing the ban, Democratic lawmakers recently added an amendment that would allow school districts to restrict religious clothing if it affects “religious neutrality in the classroom.” Critics said, however, it could lead down a path to proselytizing and would even allow people who practice witchcraft to wear their religious garb. | |
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Pink Ouija Board Targeting Young Girls Riles Critics Author: Joshua Rhett Miller Source: Fox News Title: PINK OUIJA BOARD TARGETING YOUNG GIRLS RILES CRITICS A pink version of the popular Ouija board game has some critics seeing red. The children's sleepover staple — sold by Hasbro since 1967 — now comes in hot pink, an edition released two years ago that gets tweens to call on "spirits" to spell out answers to life's pressing questions. It's designed for young girls ages 8 and older, but some say the mysterious product is a "dangerous spiritual game" that opens up anyone, particularly Christians, to attacks on their soul. | |
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