Top Story: The Los Angeles Times covers a three-day conference about the future of American Christianity at the Claremont School of Theology. Entitled “Theology After Google”, the main focus was on how Christian churches need to change with the times, but there was plenty of food for thought for non-Christians interested in the future of religion.

“The consensus: It’s a whole new world out there. Churches will ignore it at their peril. “I think things like denomination and ordination are part of the old system of control and domination that has to go,” [Pastor Doug] Pagitt, 42, said as he relaxed after the conference’s first day at the Theo Pub set-up for participants … Jon Irvine, a 30-year-old Web designer who works with the “emerging church” movement, said the church of the future will have to be less hierarchical and more freewheeling and ecumenical … In this new world, he said, “You can be a free agent. You could start your own church, go to a little faith community down the street, you could go to a mega-church. You could be a Methodist today, Anglican tomorrow — it’s your choice.” That might sound like heresy to some, for whom doctrine is immutable. But it fit well with the spirit of the conference, where nothing with the exception of the corn toss tournament trophy, was etched in anything solid.”

I don’t know about you, but this new post-Google religious ethos sounds suspiciously Pagan-friendly to me. Or, more to the point, modern Pagan communities have been wrestling with ideas concerning religious community in a post-ordination society (or, even more to the point, a society in which everyone is conceivably ordained), and the realities of religious “free agents”, for decades. Having now attended some mass pan-Pagan events it’s obvious that many of us are quite comfortable with the “new” freedoms that are causing such concern among more rigid and hierarchical faith traditions.

To me, when Christian theologians and pastors start talking about dealing with a “post-Google” religious reality, what they are really talking about is a post-Christian religious reality. A world where a potential church-goer can not only  jump denominations, but jump religions, belief systems, or simply start a whole new faith. All the Internet has done is speed up the process in which individuals can enter into a post-Christian mindset. I don’t really know if allowing Twitter in the pews, or creating “Church 2.0″ will really stem the slow mass-exodus away from the dominant monotheisms in the West.

Dreher Defends His Anti-Vodou Attitude: Here I was going to praise Beliefnet blogger Rod “Crunchy Con” Dreher for making a whole post about modern Pagans without descending into his usual mockery or prattle about demon-worship, but then he wrote a long USA Today column defending his, and other writer’s, wrong-headed assertions that Vodou is a “harmful cultural force”. He tries to bolster his defense of  “tough questions” by selectively reading essays by scholars dealing with the Haitian religious world-view. He even has the audacity to subtly praise himself at the end of his anti-Vodou apologia.

“A world in which most people believe that reality is governed by the occult caprice of the gods will be a very different place than a world in which people believe events can be explained according to either a Christian or a scientific materialist metaphysic. It’s as legitimate to ask what role voodoo plays in Haiti’s fathomless social troubles as it is to ask the same question about fundamentalist Islam in the Middle East, conservative Christianity in the Bible Belt, or militant atheism in the land of academia. And it’s as necessary. Ironically, intelligent critics of voodoo show more respect for the religion than do its would-be media protectors, simply by taking voodoo seriously enough to fault it.“

Yes, that is ironic! Don’t ya think? OK Sherman, I think it’s time to use the wayback machine and remind ourselves of how Rod Dreher was really respecting Vodou by faulting it.

“I think it’s a mistake to see vodou as benign or positive…”, “Haitians would be better off at the Church of Christopher Hitchens rather than as followers of voodoo.“, “I believe these well-intentioned people are playing with fire. Real spiritual fire.”.

Can’t you feel the love? So much respect! I won’t even get into all the “respect” other commentators have shown towards Haitian Vodou, since I’m just welling up with the sheer empathy on display already. You know, asking tough journalistic questions is one thing, and something that I’ve always supported, but being a triumphalist jerk isn’t journalism, and the idea that Haiti is being held back, or actively harmed, by Vodou isn’t supported by any reasonably fair scholar of the religion.

The Living Goddesses in School: I’ve reported before on Nepal’s Kumari, the pre-pubescent girls who are chosen as living goddesses and worshiped until they reach puberty. Some worried that Nepal’s new Maoist government would ban the practice, but the popularity, and tourism dollars, the tradition inspires trumped secular ideology. Considered a “cultural” practice by the new government, the young girls are now required to receive schooling, and not live the same sheltered life, a life that often ill-prepares them for their post-Kumari existence, that had been traditional. Sify News reports on a current Kumari who is now juggling being a goddess with private tutoring and government-mandated examinations.

“One of the many thousands of students appearing for Nepal’s tough school-leaving examinations is Chanira Bajracharya, who is also worshipped in Kathmandu’s neighbouring Lalitpur city as Kumari, the ‘Living Goddess’ of Nepal. The pre-pubescent girl will appear for the School Leaving Examination from the Bhaswara Higher Secondary School, the Kantipur daily reported … Chanira, the Living Goddess’ routine has changed due to the imminent exams. She starts her morning with a two-hour tuition after which she becomes the Kumari again, taking part in her daily worship ritual. The worship is followed by brunch break following which she is required to appear before her devotees. In the evening, she becomes a student again.”

Chanira says she’s interested in becoming a banker once she finishes being a goddess. This will most certainly be a net-positive for the young girls chosen to become Kumari, and provides a striking insight into how ancient religious traditions are adapting to modern expectations and values. For more on the Kumari, I recommend the documentary “Living Goddess” (available on Netflix), which captures a snapshot of their lives just before the Maoist uprising that ended the Nepalese monarchy.

Asatru in Prison: The Ravencast podcast interviews Pagan chaplain Patrick McCollum concerning Asatru in prison.

“This episode may likely be our most controversial one. Patrick McCollum is a pagan Chaplin working with the Cherry Hill Seminary. He works with about 2,000 Pagan Prisoners in California and has run into a gauntlet of administrative outright discrimination. Many of those prisoners are Asatruar, who are looking for some means to worship. We pop a few prison myths about racism and whether we should act at all.”

This interview is a good reminder of why McCollum’s ongoing legal battle with the state of California is important to all modern Pagans, and should be an excellent companion to the recent interview done by Anne Hill. This is a must-listen!

ABC Notices Pagan Chaplain: In a final note, the ABC News “Campus Chatter” blog just noticed that Syracuse University has appointed a Pagan chaplain for its student body.

“Syracuse University has tapped Mary Hudson to be the school’s first pagan chaplain. That makes Hudson, 50, the second pagan chaplain appointed at a U.S. college. The only other known school to have a pagan chaplain is the University of Southern Maine.  Internationally there are a few in Canada, Australia, and the UK.”

That’s not too bad, only a month after the story actually broke. Who says the immediacy of blogging hasn’t changed the mainstream news networks? Still, I suppose good press is good press.

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

I have a few items of interest for you today, starting with a small bit of schadenfreude resulting from the current recession. It seems that conservative Christian organization Focus on the Family has fallen on some hard times.

“Focus on the Family announced Wednesday it is laying off 8 percent of its work force, casualties of the latest budget shortfall at the influential conservative Christian group … The cutbacks are necessary because projections show the group will fall 5 percent short of a $138 million budget for the fiscal year ending this month … The layoffs will leave Focus on the Family with about 860 employees, down from a peak 1,400.”

While I hesitate to cheer at anyone’s misfortune, I do find it hard to muster much in way of sympathy for an organization that has consistently fear-mongered the rise of Pagan faiths, and branded us as Satanic evil-doers. Perhaps now that they are slightly less affluent they will focus on their own families instead of ours.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel profiles John Bruno Hare, founder of Sacred-texts.com, a hugely popular online repository of rare, public domain, and out-of-print works about religion. Hare, who is battling cancer, is hoping to make Sacred-text’s parent company Evinity Publishing profitable so that his legacy can continue after his death.

“…his goal is to make Evinity Publishing, which he started this year as a parent company for his site and other products, continue to educate curious minds long after he passes on.”Essentially, this is my gift to the world,” he said. “I don’t want it to go away if I die. People consider it a world treasure.” … Today, Hare has two employees and four volunteers. As funding allows, he’d like to sign on more employees and volunteers to keep the site going and growing.”

In addition to more mainstream religious materials, Sacred-texts has also become an important online resource for Pagan, Heathen, and Wiccan materials, including the massive Internet Book of Shadows. Here’s hoping Sacred-texts not only survives, but thrives in the years to come. If you want to support the site, you can buy DVD and CD archives of the material found online (including bonus texts not posted).

In a final note, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) checks in with a former Nepali Kumari (living goddess) who has graduated from college, the first Kumari to do so, and is now working in the IT sector. For 29-year-old Rashmila Shakya going from being isolated and worshiped as a goddess to a life of computers, work, and a normal social interactions has been challenging.

“I was not prepared to live a normal life as I had grown up in a different environment,” she said. “Before, I was a goddess and everyone worshipped me and treated me with respect. “Living in society has been difficult, but I am getting used to it. My education and work experience have taught me how to deal with people.”

Despite her difficulties, Shakya doesn’t want the Kumari tradition to end, saying it unites Nepal’s Buddhists and Hindus, instead she wants the tradition to be reformed and programs set up to help former Kumaris adjust to normal life. This has already started, as the Nepalese Supreme Court has ordered that Kumari receive schooling, a major step forward in modernizing the tradition. The Kumari have received a lot of attention in the West recently in the wake of a recent documentary and the first-ever visit of a living goddess to America.

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

Back in August I reported that Nepal’s new Maoist-led government seemed ready to scrap the tradition of the Kumaris (“living goddesses”), calling the practice an “inessential” and “evil” symbol of the former monarchy. A decision by the country’s highest court ordering the Kumari to attend school seemed to be a further harbinger of an outright ban on the practice. But it looks like the fears of this tradition being scrapped are somewhat premature.

Shreeya Bajracharya, the new Kumari of Bhaktapur.

So what made a government hostile to the Kumaris willing to get into the living goddess business? First off, the Nepalese people have been increasingly hostile towards Maoist attempts to curtail religious traditions, and secondly, the Kumaris are a major tourist attraction.

“The Kumaris are a major tourist attraction and are considered by many as incarnations of the goddess Kali and are revered until they menstruate, after which they return to the family and a new one is chosen.”

A tourist attraction that no doubt gained even more attention after the previous Kumari of Bhaktapur visited America to promote a documentary about their lives. So enter Shreeya Bajracharya, the new Kumari of Bhaktapur.

“Shreeya was enthroned on Sunday amid prayers by Buddhist priests and will be worshipped by devout Hindus and Buddhists until reaching puberty, the girl’s caretaker Nhuchhe Ratna Shakya said, adding: “She is pretty and nice.” Shreeya, in a golden costume with her eyelashes blackened by mascara, was sitting on a carved throne, a butterlamp burning by her side, when a Reuters team visited her on Monday. Asked what she wanted to become in future, a quiet Shreeya just said: “nurse.” She loves to eat biscuits and flattened rice, a common Nepali food, her aides said.”

Unlike previous Kumari, she will no doubt attend school and have more personal freedom than previous girls in her position. Her appointment may represent an new spirit of compromise between the Maoist urge to “modernize” Nepal by ridding it of “inessential” institutions, and the desire by Nepalese Hindus and Buddhists to keep their religious traditions intact. Perhaps, like in the case of Togo’s Vodou adepts, Nepal will decide that human rights and modernization can move forward without destroying religion and culture.

The religious and cultural practices of the Nepalese rarely make headlines in the West. That changed back in 2007 when a Nepali Kumari (living goddess) made a historic first journey to America in support of a documentary. That film, “Living Goddesses”, explored the lives of the Kumari against a backdrop of conflict between Maoist/Communist revolutionaries and the Nepal monarchy.

Former Kumari Sajani Shakya during her American visit.

Since then, King Gyanendra, in negotiations with Maoists and other democracy advocates, gave up some of his sovereign power. In May, the monarchy was dissolved in the wake of an electoral landslide which gave the Communist Party of Nepal control of Nepal’s House of Representatives. Nepal was declared a federal republic, and is now officially secular, dropping Hinduism as the official state religion.

In this new atmosphere, many have wondered what the fate of the Kumari would be. In the past, the Kumari were intrinsically tied to the monarchy, and in many ways helped validate monarchical rule. At first, it seemed that Nepal was going to carry on the tradition, despite hostilities from the newly appointed Maoist Prime Minister and MPs.

“This year she was called to approve the Himalayan state’s interim prime minister. But the change in Nepalese politics over the past year could make the current Kumari search the last. In elections in April, former Maoist guerrilla fighters won most of the seats. The country’s new leader, Prachanda, who was appointed Prime Minister yesterday, is a former communist rebel – and not a fan of girl goddesses. “The Kumari is not an essential institution for the new Nepal,” Janardan Sharma, a Maoist MP, said. Many of his colleagues regard the Kumari as an “evil symbol” linked to Hinduism’s rigid caste system and incompatible with socialism.”

Now a recent ruling by Nepal’s supreme court seems to have doomed the tradition.

“…the country’s highest court accepted the argument from a lawyer that keeping a young girl locked up in a medieval palace in Kathmandu was a violation of her fundamental rights. The court ruled against the rights of the Kumari being “be violated in the name of culture”. “There should be no bar on the Kumaris from going to school and enjoying health-related rights as there are no historical and religious documents restricting Kumaris from enjoying child rights,” the court said. Some analysts said the court was simply responding to the new political atmosphere in the Himalayan nation under former rebel Maoists, who are determined to end “feudal” practices.”

The court’s stance does seem to be a nod to the new powers in Nepal. While the living goddesses (there are several, the Kumari of Kathmandu being the most prominent) aren’t formally educated, they are hardly “imprisoned”, and their temporary position of power often greatly benefit the girl’s family (who take part in her care and daily rituals). It seems that, unlike Togo’s situation with Vodun adepts, the government and courts weren’t willing to come to a compromise or modernization that would afford the Kumari more freedoms while keeping the institution in place.

It remains to be seen if this is truly the end of the Kumari throughout Nepal, or if some regions will fight to keep their living goddesses. One can only hope that “secular” to the newly empowered Maoists doesn’t really mean the suppression of religion.

Psychic Wars in Salem: The Boston Globe does a follow-up on the uproar over the licensing of psychics in the “Witch City” of Salem, Massachusetts. It looks like the compromise measure put forward by the city council has defused (for the most part) an escalating “psychic war” that pitted established store owners and local celebrities like Laurie Cabot against the organizers of psychic fairs that take advantage of the tourist boom around Halloween.

“While the question of who is a true psychic may never be answered, a new bylaw regulating fortune tellers in Salem is winning praise from some people on both sides of the licensing issue … Although the ordinance puts a cap on the number of readers who participate in the psychic fairs held at Halloween, it lifts the ceiling on how many shop licenses the city issues, which has angered a group of longtime shop owners. Still, others in the psychic community embrace the ordinance, saying it legitimizes the practice.”

But tempers could flare again since Cabot and other long-time shop owners are unhappy that the compromise measure allows for the continued existence of psychic fairs that they say steal business from their shops. We’ll most likely have to wait until the Samhain/Halloween season to see if a lasting truce has been established or if these “psychic wars” will heat up once more.

Meeting the Living Goddess: It looks like Nepali Kumari (living goddess) Sajani Shakya will be reinstated to her position as a living goddess after voluntarily going through a series of cleaning rituals to remove the “sin” of leaving her native land.

“A 10-year-old girl who is worshipped as a living goddess in Nepal has had her title reinstated after defying tradition and visiting the US. Temple authorities at her home town in Bhaktapur said the visit had tainted her purity, and that they were beginning the search for a successor. But yesterday they said she would not be stripped of her title because she was willing to undergo a “cleansing” ceremony to remove any sins.”

Shakya was in the US to help promote a documentary about the Kumari entitled “Living Goddesses”. The filmmakers and Shakya’s parents were shocked to hear she was being stripped of her title while in America, and some suspected that it was a political ploy. But whatever the reason, it looks like the status quo is being restored (no doubt a flurry of critical press helped in that matter), and Sajani Shakya will return to her role as the physical manifestation of the goddess Taleju Bhawani (until she reaches puberty, that is).

Muggle Mallory vs Harry Potter: There seems to be the possibility that Harry Potter fans won’t have their favorite opponent to kick around anymore. Laura Mallory, that famous anti-Harry Potter crusader, is retiring from her particular brand of Christian “activism” to follow a new calling.

“The mother who fought to ban Harry Potter books from her children’s suburban Atlanta school district said her work on the case has allowed her to find her calling – ministering to children and young adults. “I never understood why I was involved with Harry Potter in the first place,” said Laura Mallory. “I never expected all of that to happen, but I’m called, and my husband is called to this generation. We want to see them delivered from drugs, alcohol, the occult and sexual perversion.” J.K. Rowling’s wildly popular Harry Potter books tell stories of children with magic powers. The first six books have sold more than 325 million copies and they are the most challenged texts of the 21st century, according to the American Library Association.”

But lest we think all those defeats in court have worn her down, Mallory claims she is still deciding whether to take her attempt to ban Harry Potter from her children’s school district to federal court. So keep your popcorn handy, and stay tuned.

Living Goddess loses status. 10-year-old Nepalese Kumari (living goddess) Sajani Shakya has had her status revoked for traveling to the United States. Shakya was traveling to promote a new documentary about the Kumari in Nepal, when word came from the Nepalese government that they would begin the process to look for a replacement due to her “forbidden” action. Ishbel Whitaker, the director of the documentary, claims that this rule never existed before now and that this is most likely a political move.

“Ishbel Whitaker, director of the film “Living Goddess” said she was shocked and saddened by this news and would make sure the girl’s education was provided for. “The rule of not being able to leave was never a rule before…. Nobody ever said the Kumari can’t travel” she said by telephone from London. Whitaker said they filmed in Bhaktapur for a year. “We had been speaking with people we felt were authorities, and now these others are claiming they are,” she said. The film crew consulted anthropologists, the head priests of Sajani’s temple and her parents, the director said. And she said the Nepalese Embassy helped arrange Sajani’s trip to the U.S.”

It should be interesting to see what further developments take place due to all the publicity placed on this tradition. Luckily Sajani Shakya will be well-cared in the wake of her losing her Kumari status, though it remains to be seen if the parents will appeal this decision. You can read my original post about the living goddesses and the documentary, here.

Witch School’s new home. Now that the Witch School has been sold (and shares sold in the “new” corporation), and they have closed up shop in Hoopeston, Illinois, they have decided on their brand new home. Rossville, Illinois.

“After four years, a Wiccan school is leaving Hoopeston, but it’s not going far. This week, the new owners will be moving the school into its new location at 117 S. Chicago St. in downtown Rossville. “We’re very happy to go to Rossville,” said Don Lewis, the chief executive officer of and majority shareholder in Witch School International … Lewis, who lives in Hoopeston but will be moving to Rossville, said people in Hoopeston showed support to the school, but some in the city government and the local power structure did not. “And I’m hoping the people of Rossville will not have any preconceived ideas about us, and come out and meet us,” he said. “They will find we are normal people. Everyone we’ve talked to so far in Rossville has been nice.” Just this week, Witch School International purchased the building in Rossville, which formerly housed the business Gift Baskets By Wilma.”

With Rossville’s estimated population of 1270 (and shrinking), perhaps Witch School will finally achieve their dreams of building a “Salem of the Midwest”. Though it may be hard to convince a couple thousand modern Pagans to move to a tiny town an hour’s drive from the nearest modern amenities. You can read previous Witch School-related posts, here.

Pagan Rally in Washington. I don’t have any major follow-ups on the rally that took place yesterday, but the On Faith blog has posted several more responses to their panelist question concerning Pagan chaplains, the Washington rally, and if you would vote for a Pagan politician. Not surprisingly, people like Chuck Colson are against the rights of Pagans, while Starhawk is emphatically pro-Pagan.

“I’m cheering for my Pagan sisters and brothers who are demonstrating on this Fourth of July for the right to have a Pagan chaplain in the military. Our constitution, which they have volunteered to defend, grants us the freedom of religion. That doesn’t mean “freedom of any religion we approve of but not those that make us uncomfortable or that we’ve never heard of.” It means freedom to follow the calling of one’s own faith and conscience.”

As I said in yesterday’s post, please let me know if any photos or write-ups of the rally appear, this is an important story and I want to follow it fully. For more posts on this subject (and on the Veteran Pentacle Quest) click, here.

Frosts Effigy Controversy. My original post discussing AJ Drew’s plans to destroy effigies of the Frosts, for writings that many feel promote pedophilia, has garnered more comments than any other on this blog (100 total and counting). Now AJ Drew himself is participating in the back and forth.

“The Frosts are promoted by Pagan Pride, Starwood, Sirius Rising, Brushwood, and other events. They are promoted by Patricia Telesco, Isaac Bonewitz, and other leading authors. Even Janet and Stewart Farrar made a video with Gavin Frost in which they called each other friends for decades. My plan to sacrifice them in effigy at this year’s International Real Witches Ball will bring attention to this. People who do not know, will know. They will no longer be able to hide the monsters that they are and those who supported them these many years will be shown for the money minded self promoting business as usual authors and organizations that they are.”

Since the original post is moving off the front page, I am posting links to the comment thread(s) so people can find the discussion and participate if they want. HERE are the Haloscan comments (which comprises the bulk of the comments), and HERE are the Blogger commments. Please try to remain civil, I’m pretty open-minded about comments, but I will not hesitate to delete anything that I think crosses a line (threats, intimidation, personal attacks).

That is all I have for now, have a good day.

There has been a rush of recent press over the visit of a Nepali Kumari (living goddess) to the United States. Sajani Shakya, who is ten years old, is considered a living incarnation of the goddess Taleju Bhawani (who in turn can be considered an incarnation of Durga or Kali) and will remain so until she reaches puberty.

Sajani Shakya

Shakya is one of several living goddesses profiled in a new documentary entitled “Living Goddesses” (MySpace Profile). The film looks at the tensions faced by the living goddesses during the 2005-2006 conflicts between King Gyanendra and the Maoist movement (who were eventually backed by the major political parties in Nepal), and wonders at their fate in the newly secularized Nepal.

“The film was made from 2005 to 2006, and it captures a Nepal that was roiled by protests against the monarchy and demands for establishing a democracy. The same people who took part in protests against the king also worship Sajani, Mr. Hawker said. But as Nepal modernizes and changes, Ms. Whitaker noted, parents are less keen for their daughters to become goddesses. “The potency of the cult diminishes,” she said.”

The future of the living goddesses remains uncertain. Some feel the practice is abusive, and have called for the abolishment of Kumari. There is also the possibility that the practice could be ended if the monarchy is completely dissolved in upcoming elections. Others (including the parents of Sajani Shakya) are attempting to find a middle path where the Kumari receive a full education and live as normally as possible outside their ceremonial duties.

“Visiting Washington this week while the film, “Living Goddess,” screened at the Silverdocs documentary film festival, Sajani greets visitors at her posh hotel room wearing pink pedal pusher pants and a white T-shirt “When not doing her religious duties, she’s a normal kid,” said Marc Hawker, the movie’s cinematographer … At home, Sajani wears a school uniform, does homework, and plays tag with her friends in the courtyard in front of her house.”

You can view a trailer for the “Living Goddess” documentary at their MySpace page, where they also have reprinted several mentions in the American press concerning Sajani Shakya’s visit to America.