gdp's Comments

Kemetic Reconnaissance : Introducing the Kemetic Roundtable!

Wed, 6 Feb 2013 02:18:03 +0000

This is an awesome idea, and I find myself welcoming it very much. Thank you!

The Wild Hunt : Quick Note: Congratulations to the Pagan Mom-Bloggers!

Thu, 9 Jun 2011 19:10:39 +0000

A movie that opened my eyes to this was American History X. A powerful film that explores Neo-Nazi and racial hatred, and the reasons why some people grow into a culture of hate and violence.

The Wild Hunt : That's Me All Over (Plus some news links)

Sun, 5 Jun 2011 15:36:55 +0000

Agreed. Thank you Hecate.

The Wild Hunt : Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Fri, 3 Jun 2011 23:47:05 +0000

*laughs* Good points. I'm not as widely read as I would like to be regarding the Renaissance or Middle Ages. The Renaissance is not my forte, nor is Hellenic Paganism, so I guess I have more research to do. Thanks.

The Wild Hunt : Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Fri, 3 Jun 2011 20:52:10 +0000

Okay, I can agree that my sources are probably too selective. However, I did not say that it had stopped being used as an insult. I had said that "it moved from just meaning an insult from Christian scholars or something close to "atheist" into an umbrella term for living religious traditions." *shrug* All I was trying to say is that we've merely added another layer of meaning, one that doesn't reach back, but is in the present day in reference to living people and their living religion and community. The Renaissance saw a resurgence of Pagan ideas, sure, but an actual revival of Pagan practice? Not out and out worship like we have now. Maybe you could argue that the Freemasons and other secret societies were the forebears of such a revival, but probably not living traditions like what we have now. The extra layer of meaning means a lot, especially given how many people live with the term as a descriptor now.

The Wild Hunt : Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Fri, 3 Jun 2011 19:59:10 +0000

I'd say that we've changed it insofar as it moved from just meaning an insult from Christian scholars or something close to "atheist" into an umbrella term for living religious traditions. Heck, even about 50 years ago the meaning of Pagan tended to mean (i.e. "Pagan babies" in Catholic usage) non-Christians. Catholics tended to use the term "Pagan babies" in reference to tribal or indigenous peoples' kids that missionaries were "trying to save". That we've shifted the word to actually include religious practices rather than being used in a totally pejorative term, to me, is pretty big. We've taken what usually was an insult, historically speaking, and turned it into a descriptor for a set of religious communities. Sure, not everyone agrees with the term, but it's use is here. It will probably evolve in its use over time as different communities differentiate themselves from it as a label with more force.

The Wild Hunt : Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

Fri, 3 Jun 2011 19:17:02 +0000

No usage of a word is completely static. As an example, sacrifice, in its use means different things to different people. Sure, it may still at its core mean "to make sacred" but the use of the word changes over time. Whether or not I agree with the scholars here, Pagan has and probably will change over time. Some people reclaim words, some people bring others back into vogue, and some twist them completely around from their definition.

The Wild Hunt : Pagan Community Reacts to McCollum Decision

Fri, 3 Jun 2011 16:49:08 +0000

Even if you can only do it piece-by-piece helping those of us who don't normally interface with the legal system might make this verdict easier to swallow, prevent knee-jerk reactions, and perhaps push the Pagan community to focus our energies to better ways of getting our religions and faith recognized and treated fairly. I would be deeply appreciative, but understand that life is busy, and obligations always come first.

The Wild Hunt : Pagan Community Reacts to McCollum Decision

Fri, 3 Jun 2011 16:45:54 +0000

"Christians treat this as though having Pagan chaplains would be bringing something *into* the prisons, cause they think like proselytizers. For us, rather, it's not an 'establishment,' it's people maybe called to something better who need *help,* and a practice grounded in something more than books meant for people not in prison like that." Definitely agreed here. I think that a Pagan in prison needs the community that a chaplain can provide as much as a Christian might; perhaps more so, considering the far-smaller numbers for Pagans. A clergy there behind the bars for prisoners may be a helpmeet in ways that I don't know, not having done prison ministry or chaplaincy.

The Wild Hunt : Pagan Community Reacts to McCollum Decision

Thu, 2 Jun 2011 15:13:30 +0000

Certain parts of modern Paganism hold the view that "each is a priest unto themselves". Not every part. Even if all of modern Paganism did, violations of priests/priestesses rights are still violations of their rights. Even though, according to the court, Mr. McCollum did not having standing in this case, the prisoners do.

The Wild Hunt : San Francisco Peaks Update, Pagans on Wikipedia, and other Pagan News of Note

Tue, 24 May 2011 19:41:27 +0000

You know, I actually appreciate your "Oy"s. They time nicely with my reaction after some of these posts....though they could use a *facepalm* to go along with. ^_^

The Wild Hunt : Quick Notes: Michele Bachmann, Eilish De'Avalon, and a Catholic Fertility Ritual

Fri, 20 May 2011 14:12:53 +0000

I would just like to say one thing about "death panels". In a way, insurance holders have death panels: they're administrators or lower echelons of workers who approve or deny claims for insurance payments. Hospitals have ethics boards that, among a good deal of other things, decide whether or not to have this or that operation for clients with higher risk. It's simply a matter of the 'death panels' we have accepted or rejected in this society.

The Wild Hunt : Quick Notes: Michele Bachmann, Eilish De'Avalon, and a Catholic Fertility Ritual

Thu, 19 May 2011 03:04:26 +0000

The Tea Party had its named stained when a decent enough of them signed up, or at the least, were portrayed as being with the birther crowd. The Tea Partiers that I have talked to in my local area are Religious Reich-types. I have no interest in joining them, or any Republicans in the near future; both groups, Tea Party and Republican, have worked in local, State, and national elections to jack the poor while enriching the already odiously rich.

The Wild Hunt : Crisis and the Rise of Exorcisms

Mon, 16 May 2011 20:48:50 +0000

I find it funny that the Church would denounce Reiki, as I read in a book on hands-on healing that Catholic priests had taken courses in it. As to the rest of what you've posted, I heartily agree.

The Wild Hunt : Crisis and the Rise of Exorcisms

Mon, 16 May 2011 20:45:21 +0000

Many people have, and each time there have been hews and cries from the Church that the publishers are being "anti-Catholic".

The Wild Hunt : The "Wiccan-Proof" Invocation Model

Mon, 16 May 2011 03:27:07 +0000

It does not *prove* that prayer belongs or does not belong at government functions. All it proves is their bias, and their blatant disregard for other religions.

The Wild Hunt : The "Wiccan-Proof" Invocation Model

Mon, 16 May 2011 03:21:25 +0000

Except religion isn't private, and it is, to me, kind of unrealistic to expect it to be. People want to separate politics from religion, religion from public life, and that simply does not work. To my life, my religion informs all of my choices, as it does for most anyone. If what you're saying is "why don't we remove public prayers in government and religious admonitions from our currency" then I might be behind you. I would definitely argue with you on whether religion, however, is an inherently private thing.

The Wild Hunt : Jim Wallis and the Religious Left

Wed, 11 May 2011 17:30:53 +0000

The more we push for our voices to be heard the more they will be heard. Even if the mainstream media never picks us up we can make enough noise to be heard. Keep fighting, Patrick McCollum. Keep fighting against the Wallbuilders, keep praising our Gods in the streets or in your homes or hearts, as you can. I'm not optimistic on much, but I do have faith that as people Pagans of all stripes, creeds, and paths can walk together to ensure our voice is heard, and ensure our freedoms.

The Wild Hunt : The Question No One Asks David Barton

Tue, 10 May 2011 15:27:09 +0000

Having watched a 'documentary' starring Barton, I have to say that in the first fifteen, if not five minutes, his historical inaccuracies are quickly married with some historical fact, which he then twists up like a smoothie in his B.S. blender. I couldn't watch more than half an hour; it was evangelizing and little history. I can't believe anyone would want to put his ahistorical stuff into a classroom, much less make it the basis or rationale for law.

The Wild Hunt : Guest Post: Should Pagans Care About Ethnic Studies in Arizona?

Sat, 7 May 2011 17:58:40 +0000

A beautiful post, and it gives me hope for the upcoming generation. They actually care about the information they receive, the power structures in place, and how their future is shaped. Brave words from a very brave student. They have this priest and shaman's support!