As George W. Bush’s administration fades away into history more details about its character are starting to see the light of day, perhaps some of the most revealing so-far come from former Bush speech-writer Matt Latimer’s new book “Speech-less: Tales of a White House Survivor”. Filled with embarrassing quips from George W. Bush and other top administration officials, it also seems to confirm a sneaking suspicion among modern Pagans that Bush and his administration had a unique obsession with Witchcraft and the occult.

Latimer writes that administration officials objected to giving author J.K. Rowling the Presidential Medal of Freedom because her writing “encouraged witchcraft” (p. 201): “This was the same sort of narrow thinking that led people in the White House to actually object to giving the author J.K. Rowling a presidential medal because the Harry Potter books encouraged withcraft.”

This newly-revealed “Harry Potter encourages witchcraft” attitude, along with Jim Towey’s misguided comments, the VA interpreting old anti-Wicca Bush quotes in order to make policy, and the snubbing of a Wiccan military widow (that Bush later apologized for) seems to confirm at the very least that Bush’s people (like the VA) either broadly interpreted his past anti-Witchcraft comments, or that conservative Christian attitudes towards minority faiths were pervasive.

Considering the newly hyper-partisan anger among conservative “values voters”, it could certainly be read as a movement in turmoil over being removed from the access to the executive power they felt was their right. Looking at the preferred candidates of conservative Christians over the years, we see a certain evolution (if you’ll pardon the term) in preference. From Ronald Reagan (who now looks moderate by comparison) and George W. Bush to Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. Conservative Christian activists are increasingly demanding adherence to troubling strain of charismatic Christianity that isn’t afraid to engage in a little malefic prayer-warring to get the job done. If Bush’s mild (by comparison) anti-Wiccan comments and subsequent reliance on folks like James Dobson were enough to color the executive branch as it did, imagine if someone the “values voters” really love got into the president’s chair.

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

At Canada’s National Post, commentator Barbara Kay learns the downsides to introducing compulsory religious education into public schools.

“Since September all Quebec students from primary school entry to high school graduation, whether enrolled in public or non-funded private schools, must attend Quebec’s new Ethics and Religious Culture course (ERC). And teachers, regardless of their beliefs, must teach it … Paganism and cults are offered equal status with Christianity. Witches “are women like any other in daily life;” … And considering that of the 80,000 ethnic aboriginals in Quebec only 700 self-identify with aboriginal spirituality (the vast majority of ethnic aboriginals are Christian), aboriginal spirituality (falsely equated with environmentalism) is accorded hugely disproportionate space and reverence.”

Consider this a warning to those in America who keep insisting that the Bible and “Christian thought” be given equal time in schools. The contortions to make such desires legal in a pluralistic society may bring you down a road you don’t want to follow. We wouldn’t want anyone thinking Pagans are equal to Christians would we?

Teresa Nielsen Hayden at the Making Light blog compares Iraqi journalist Muntadar Zaidi (you know, the guy who threw his shoes at President Bush recently) with the archetype of the Holy Fool and predicts unhappy things for those who don’t allow him to go free.

“Clearly, Muntadar Zaidi is manifesting some aspect of Holy Fool. Granting him mercy and tolerance is guaranteed to make you look good, and is generally the Right Thing to Do. Oppressing him will at absolute minimum make you look bad, and it’ll be the kind of bad that sticks. Furthermore, if I believed in magic, which I don’t, I’d say that with both the turn of the year and a change in leadership coming up, this is no time to go oppressing Holy Fools. Do you have any idea what that can do to your luck? … will someone please tell George that he has two choices? He can either grab a moment’s grace in the midst of the sorry spectacle that is the end of his administration, or he can have people sending shoes in his direction for the rest of his life.”

While Americans play video games based on the event, Zaidi has been reportedly beaten and denied due process of law over an event that Bush reportedly has “no hard feelings” about. Remember, the fool is also the trickster, and they can do all sorts of crazy things if not appeased.

I’m not sure if the reviewer in question is simply exaggerating, but apparently one of the extras for Joss Whedon’s DVD release of “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” has a decidedly Pagan twist.

“Plenty of subtitles to cover a healthy chunk of world viewers (the DVD is region free): English, Spanish, French, German, Wiccan, Japanese, Chinese. Notably missing: Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish.”

This feature isn’t verified in the Amazon listing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t true. If it is, I’m curious exactly what “Wiccan” subtitles would look like. Theban script maybe? For a completely unbiased review of the upcoming DVD, click here.

Its time once again to play… Santeria or Deranged Teens! Yes, that’s right, local authorities in Philadelphia have found a decapitated goat and two chickens lying in a cemetery. Even though experts in Afro-Caribbean religions have stated that such treatment of animals isn’t a part of any mainstream practice of Santeria, local animal cruelty agents know better!

“‘Tis the season for – animal sacrifice. So says a local animal-cruelty agent who believes that the Afro-Caribbean practice of Santeria is responsible for the sacrifice of a beheaded goat and two chickens found in Greenmount Cemetery within the past several days. The dead animals were slaughtered in the cemetery using a makeshift altar surrounded by candles and pennies, said George Bengal, director of investigations for the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “This is the time of year,” in the weeks around Christmas, “for a lot of religious sacrifices,” including satanic rituals, Bengal said. Muslims also practice animal sacrifice this time of year, he said.”

Our contestant has picked Santeria! Unless it was Satanists or Muslims. But it certainly wasn’t deranged teenagers getting their kicks (we all know that never happens). Join us next time as we continue to allow uneducated guesswork and bias to enter into journalistic accounts of a crime on …. Santeria or Deranged Teens!

In a final note, the Aegisub editor blog compares programming languages with different religions.

“Ruby would be Neo-Paganism – A mixture of different languages and ideas that was beaten together into something that might be identified as a language. Its adherents are growing fast, and although most people look at them suspiciously, they are mostly well-meaning people with no intention of harming anyone.”

He also compares Wicca with the programming language Lua, and Ancient Paganism with COBOL. I’ll allow the more programming-savvy readers of my blog to pass judgment on how accurate his comparisons are.

That’s all I have for now, have a great day!

The San Francisco Gate reports on the annual conference of the North American Interfaith Network, and in the process gets a somewhat surprising quote from Wiccan chaplain Patrick McCollum.

“A landmark survey released in June found that 70 percent of Americans believe that multiple faiths can lead to salvation. It’s a striking deviation from religious dogma. Some believe it’s the result of a post-9/11 world. The Rev. Patrick McCollum, a Wiccan priest who is also director of the National Correctional Chaplaincy Directors Association, believes that it all started with President Bush.”

What McCollum means is that shortly after 9-11, Bush made a speech where he said “Islam is peace,” and in his opinion, this sparked a “dramatic shift” towards religious pluralism in America.

“There was a giant push for everyone to get along with everyone else and to acknowledge religions that weren’t mainstream,”

Of course if George W. Bush did indeed help foster a new religious pluralism benefiting religious minorities, it was in spite of the way his administration insulted and discriminated against Pagans (not to mention Bush’s personal views regarding Pagans). Perhaps it is a fitting irony that a Bush-era legacy will be more religious pluralism, considering how cozy his Presidency has been with strains of conservative Christianity that have historically viewed us as a sickness to be cured.

My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.

Yesterday was the Chinese New Year (the year of the Rat), and April Rabkin of Slate.com details how China’s Communist government has worked over the years to eliminate Taoist and indigenous religious traditions associated with the holiday.

“Perhaps the most significant blow to Chinese New Year was the government’s decision to forbid the annual burning of the Kitchen God, whose paper effigy hung above the stove … for more than 50 years, the Kitchen God’s effigy has been censored material. While low-ranking gods like the Lords of the Door, who guard courtyard gates and inner doorways, were more tolerated, the Kitchen God was not. In the more traditional countryside, peasants evaded censors by printing the Kitchen God at home on crude wooden blocks. But many young Beijingers I recently asked had never heard of the Kitchen God. Others laughed sheepishly, as if he were a national embarrassment – the equivalent of still believing in Santa Claus as an adult.”

Some Chinese are hopeful that Hu Jintao’s recent announcement concerning an easing towards Marxist attitudes on religion might translate into allowing a return to more traditional forms of New Year’s celebrations. However, it remains to be seen if the Chinese government, long an enemy of religious freedom, will truly change course on this matter or if it is simply a public-relations gesture.

Turning from China to Venezuela, the Associate Press reports that an influx of Cubans into the country has helped spur a rising interest in Santeria.

“[Santeria] rituals have become an attractive option for Venezuelans seeking a unique spiritual path, including healing ceremonies aimed at curing everything from illness to heartache. Some even believe certain gods will offer protection from Venezuela’s rampant violent crime. The surge in Santeria, which is practiced by many in Cuba, can partly be explained by the arrival of thousands of Cuban doctors in Venezuela. President Hugo Chavez has been providing Cuba with subsidized oil in exchange for thousands of physicians who come to the South American country to treat poor people … The Santeria movement nowadays cuts across racial groups and class lines and includes lawyers and other professionals as well as the unemployed among its adherents. In spite of rapid economic growth propelled by Venezuela’s key oil industry, people here face problems from crime and inflation.”

The article also mentions the local folk religion surrounding the Indian goddess Maria Lionza (a subject this blog has covered before), which has also been flourishing under the reign of President Hugo Chavez. For more on Venzuela, check out Slate.com’s recent travelogue of the country.

On the political front, American’s United has issued a statement calling on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to reject a federal court nominee partially because of his hostile stance towards minority religions.

“On Feb. 12, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider the nomination of Richard H. Honaker to the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming. The Rock Springs, Wyo., attorney promotes the idea that the U.S. Constitution creates a Christian nation and that government need not remain neutral on religion … [AU executive director Rev. Barry W. Lynn] argued that Honaker has also shown a striking callousness to minority faiths. The Wyoming lawyer has suggested that democracy and freedom prosper only because of Christianity and that other faiths pose a danger to such freedom. ‘A judge with such an opinion of minority faiths is unlikely to be able to fairly and objectively adjudicate issues affecting their freedoms and rights,’ wrote Lynn.”

I doubt anyone is surprised that George W. Bush has nominated a judge who has an “abrasive” view of non-Christian faiths. Honaker’s appointment to the federal bench would be completely detrimental to the health and safety of minority (non-Christian) religions in the United States. Let us hope that the Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee (chaired by Patrick J. Leahy) shows some backbone concerning this appointment.

The satirical site Avant News has spoofed John McCain’s recent troubles with Republican-party conservatives by claiming he burned a Witch in order to get into their good graces.

“Republican presidential candidate John McCain burned a witch yesterday outside his campaign headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, in a gesture some political analysts believe was intended to dispel accusations by rivals that the political veteran may possess dangerously moderate tendencies.”

The “quote” from Rush Limbaugh about the Witch-burning was a real treat.

The Cedar Creek Pilot interviews Chad Owens, author of the recently published “Working For Death”. Owens, who wrote the book while recuperating from a car accident, talks about his religious journey from conservative Christianity to Paganism.

“In high school, I preached under the conservative Church of Christ,” Owens said. “But I didn’t know the person in the mirror. So I walked for a month – Dallas, Mississippi, Tennessee, San Antonio, Austin. Then I did a series of articles against the church on online boards and posts under an assumed name, Adrian Gray. I?have pagan beliefs now. There are many different beliefs out there, but the point is, we all have beliefs and argue about them, but we’re all here on Earth in the same boat, living and trying to find our place.”

The profile doesn’t delve further into what Owens’ “pagan” beliefs are, but apparently his book details a war in the “realm of the gods”. Which seems to hint at a predilection towards polytheism.

The Revealer looks at the beginning of a backlash against the spiritually self-centered book phenomena that is “Eat, Pray. Love”.

“They’re the victims of Gilbert’s spiritual snake oil as surely as fans of The Secret or Joel Osteen’s prosperity gospel who’re encouraged to respond to economic woes with magical thinking. No health insurance? Forced to work double shifts? Can’t afford enough heat? The problem, dear reader, is spiritual, not material. Join a union? Forget it. Work with a church group to demand legislative change? Stop worrying so much. All you need is love, and 15 bucks for a paperback to read on the train.”

Oh, Oprah Winfrey, so much to answer for.

In a final note, the Feri community has produced a CD of poetry to help Feri co-founder Cora Anderson with her medical and care costs.

“Here is a sneak peek at the CD of Victor Anderson’s poetry that I am using as a “Thank You” gift for donors to the Corafund (like PBS pledge gifts). I will have a limited number of the CDs at Pantheacon at Anaar’s booth in the dealer’s room. For Pantheacon, the CDs will be a gift for donors to the fund who donate at least $10. After Pantheacon I will be sending out CDs to people who currently subscribe to recurring monthly donations and to those who have donated $20 or more in the last 2 months. However, the idea going forward is to use the CD to encourage new donors to subscribe to the recurring donations. More details later.”

Among those reading Victor Anderson’s poetry for the CD are T. Thorn Coyle, Sharon Knight, and Storm Faerywolf. It looks like an amazing collector’s item that also benefits a very worthy cause.

That is all I have for now, have a great day!

One thing that those in the religious (in America’s case Christian) majority don’t often understand is that the term “religious freedom” can mean very different things to those not enjoying the fruits of political (or statistical) power. When Presidential candidates like Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee sing the praises of religious tolerance, while simultaneously drawing boundaries on that tolerance (for Secularists and Mormons respectively) it sends a clear message. Religious freedom and tolerance are for me, and not necessarily for thee (and if for thee, then grudgingly).

Indeed, for some Christian activists “religious freedom” means freedom to pass laws privileging their faith, freedom to exclude non-Christian displays of faith, and ultimately, the freedom to harass us. In many cases, when faced with the real, messy, kind of religious freedom, Christian activists back off as quickly as possible. So it is through this lens that I greet two new developments in the name of religious freedom. The first comes from President Bush, who has declared January 16th, the anniversary of Virginia’s passage in 1796 of the Statute for Religious Freedom, as Religious Freedom Day.

“In an era during which an unprecedented number of nations have embraced individual freedom, we have also witnessed the stubborn endurance of religious repression. Religious freedom belongs not to any one nation, but to the world, and my Administration continues to support freedom of worship at home and abroad. On Religious Freedom Day and throughout the year, we recognize the importance of religious freedom and the vital role it plays in spreading liberty and ensuring human dignity.”

Bush has done this every year during his Presidency, and a site has popped up to help parents and children celebrate this day. Their takeaway message? Public schools shouldn’t hinder your (Christian) faith!

“In too many instances, public school teachers tell students they cannot include their faith in their homework assignments or classroom discussions … schools need not be “religion-free zones.” It is often the case that parents who complain to school officials about what they think are violations of the “separation of church and state” do not understand the appropriate and lawful place religious expression can have at school. Religious Freedom Day is not ‘celebrate-our-diversity day.’”

In fact, some journalists have criticized these “freedom days” as “Christian freedom days”.

“The roots of the annual proclamation may have been different when begun 13 years ago (celebrating Jefferson’s stand that there should be no state-supported religion and no discrimination based on faith), but today there’s a chance that those who spread the proclamation around – possibly even Bush himself when he invokes “the Almighty” – have a particular brand of Christianity in mind when they talk about religious freedom.”

The second instance is House Resolution 888 (still under consideration) which purports to designate a week every year to honor the nation’s “rich spiritual, and religious history.” But again, while it sounds good at first, reading the resolution makes it clear that this is meant to honor a very restrictive (and revisionist) reading of American history.

“House Resolution 888, sponsored by Congressman Randy Forbes (R-Virginia), is currently before a House committee and has 31 co-sponsors. It purports to be free from singling out a specific religion, yet contains dozens of proclamations with clear fundamentalist Christian overtones. Five pages of footnotes cite specific Bible passages, the Gospels, churches, and include Biblical references taken from historical monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial … Forbes, who in 2005 founded the Congressional Prayer Caucus in an effort to ensure Christianity’s place in politics, told the Virginian Pilot he introduced his resolution to combat a “well-orchestrated movement” by “radicals” to keep Christianity and religion in general separate from government.”

In fact, the resolution contains several misreadings and omissions in order to give the impression that America was not simply Christian in character, but a “Christian Nation”. It leaves out the real religious legacy of America, the one that stems from the Constitution not enforcing an official religion. The one made up by Deists, Freemasons, and Enlightenment values. The nation where President John Adams and the Congress unanimously approved the following statement.

“As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion”

Real American religious history is a history of Native Americans fighting forced assimilation, a history of Quakers being jailed as traitors for resisting war, Transcendentalists opening up to Buddhist and Hindu thought, “Joss houses” of the immigrant Chinese, and eventually, the feminist thealogians and “new pagans” (both home-grown and imported) who helped revive the worship of gods and goddesses long thought to be extinct. The real legacy of religious freedom in America isn’t simply the ongoing twists and turns of the Christian majority, but a legacy of outsiders and free-thinkers who fight for (and sometimes achieve) the full inclusion promised by the First Amendment.

Until these resolutions, proclamations, and laws truly embrace the whole religious diversity of America, instead of simply trying to find clever ways to privilege the majority, these measures won’t be about religious freedom or “honoring” our history. They should be seen for what they are, attempts to slowly batter down the separation of Church and State. This kind of “freedom” and “honor” I will gladly do without.

It looks like the negative backlash over the President’s “oversight” of not inviting Wiccan widow Roberta Stewart, but inviting her husband’s extended family to a private meeting, has resulted in an apology call from the President.

“Fernley resident Roberta Stewart, widow of Wiccan soldier Sgt. Patrick Stewart, received an apology from President Bush Thursday morning for not being invited to meet with him during a recent visit by the president to Reno. Stewart received a message from White House staff Thursday morning asking her to return a call from President Bush. After receiving the message, Stewart said she called the White House and was patched directly to the president. During a seven-minute phone conversation, the president extended his apologies for all Stewart’s grief over nearly two years since her husband Sgt. Patrick Stewart’s death in Afghanistan in September 2005. Bush asked Stewart to accept his apology for the oversight, she said. Bush said he admired Stewart hoped they would meet someday. He seemed truly sincere as he apologized, she said, accepting his apology. “I am happy that I was able to speak with him and hope that now I can truly move forward and close this chapter,” said Stewart.”

No word on if Stewart asked Bush why her husband was dishonored by his administration, as she said she would if able to meet the President. But still, it is nice to see George Bush do the right thing and apologize. If this private chat with a modern Pagan represents a new attitude towards modern Pagan political concerns remains to be seen.

ADDENDUM: American’s United has a press release out on the apology. When Stewart was asked if the Wiccan religion was touched on in their conversation, she replied that Bush said “he would not discriminate against someone because of their religion.” Let’s hope that statement holds true for Bush and his administration from now on.

It seems that our President isn’t one to forgive a political loss, or make nice with religious minorities, even if they are they are married to a soldier killed in the war on terror.

“When President Bush took time Tuesday to meet family members of some of the fallen soldiers from Northern Nevada, a woman whose husband made the ultimate sacrifice was notably absent. Roberta Stewart of Fernley, who lost her husband, Sgt. Patrick Stewart, when the helicopter he was in was shot down in Afghanistan in September 2005, said she was not invited to the meeting that followed Bush’s speech to the American Legion’s national convention in Reno. Other members of the Stewart family were invited to the brief, private meeting, including her husband’s parents and brother, as were family members of others who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

For those not up on current events in Pagandom, Roberta Stewart is the woman who successfully challenged the government on allowing the Pentacle on veteran’s gravestones and markers (after her husband’s grave marker was initially denied a requested Pentacle emblem). It seems that George “witchcraft isn’t a religion” Bush is petty enough to snub war-widows (while inviting the rest of the family) if they don’t meet his personal criteria of allegiance (or he just hates Wiccans that much), a behavior that Americans United director Rev. Barry W. Lynn called “shabby”.

“The president should issue an apology to Roberta Stewart … She stood courageously for religious freedom for all soldiers, and the president was wrong to treat her so shabbily … President Bush seems to be continuing a pattern of hostility toward the Wiccan faith … That’s an outrage.”

As for Stewart, she isn’t surprised at the snub, and guesses that Bush wanted to avoid criticism for his part in blocking approval of the Pentacle.

“I would have loved to have spoken to President Bush and ask him why he dishonored my husband. That’s probably why I wasn’t invited.”

I sincerely doubt that any apology will be forthcoming, Bush has made his distaste for Pagan religion and deserved criticism (even in private) quite clear. But this would be an excellent chance for any of the Presidential candidates (Republican or Democrat) to weigh in on this issue, and rise above such small-minded partisanship and religious bigotry. As for the Veteran Pentacle Quest, a coalition has formed to work on getting the Thor’s Hammer and Druid’s Awen approved next, and any military families involved in this campaign now know what behavior to expect from the Bush administration.

ADDENDUM: A Department of Defense official claims it was an “unfortunate oversight” and not an intended snub, but AU director Rev. Barry Lynn isn’t buying the excuse saying “so called oversights often cover up a multitude of sins.”

I know this was blogged by Boing Boing yesterday, but I can’t help but mention the story of how Mayan priests are planning to purify the holy site of Iximche in Guatemala after a visit from US President George W. Bush.

“Mayan priests will purify a sacred archaeological site to eliminate “bad spirits” after President Bush visits next week, an official with close ties to the group said Thursday … [Juan] Tiney said the “spirit guides of the Mayan community” decided it would be necessary to cleanse the sacred site of “bad spirits” after Bush’s visit so that their ancestors could rest in peace.”

Looks like Bush’s visit there to prove he isn’t ignoring Latin America is already starting to backfire. Even the spirits are giving him the cold shoulder.