If you are looking for more religious commentary on the passing of Jerry Falwell, I urge you to check out the On Faith blog panelists, where you can hear opinions ranging from fawning to critical (no response from Starhawk yet). Also adding their two cents are the Get Religion blog, and the religious mega-site Beliefnet.

Yesterday marked the release of the DVD for the stunning Academy Award-winning adult fairy-tale Pan’s Labyrinth. You can read my review of the film, here. The DVD comes in two editions, a single-disc version, and a double-disc deluxe version featuring making-of features and other extras. Guess which one is on my birthday wish list!

Finally, the New York Times has a published a story on Wiccans by Neela Banerjee. The article points out that despite growing acceptance and rights for modern Pagans, many still keep their faith hidden at work and from family for fear of their jobs, children, and alienation from family.

“David Steinmetz, professor of the history of Christianity at Duke Divinity School, said, ‘Wiccans have so many things stacked against them, from what the Bible says about the practice of magic to the history in this country of witch trials, that the image of them adds up to something so contrary to the consensus about genuine religion that still shapes American society.’ … Members of other religions, including Jews and Catholics, have sometimes been forced to mask their faith in the past because of religious bias, Professor Steinmetz said. But it is rare, he added, for people to keep their religion from parents and grandparents, as many Wiccans do.”

So while modern Paganism has come a long way, there is still much to be done to combat the misconceptions and attitudes we face.

Tags: Jerry Falwell, Neela Banerjee, New York Times, Paganism, Pan's Labyrinth, Wicca