Pagan Community Notes

Pagan Community Notes: Many Gods West, Rev. Patrick McCollum, Tents for Ferguson, and much more!

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Pagan Community Notes is a series focused on news originating from within the Pagan community. Reinforcing the idea that what happens to and within our organizations, groups, and events is news, and news-worthy. Our hope is that more individuals, especially those working within Pagan organizations, get into the habit of sharing their news with the world. So let’s get started! Last week it was announced, via Facebook, that a new Polytheist conference was being planned for the summer of 2015.

News

Calls for Peace from Inside the Walls of Crisis

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Much has already been said about the current crisis in the Middle East. For decades, a violent tragedy has been playing out between Israel and the Palestinian territories. The death toll continues to rise, year after year, as the headlines pile up. When cutting through all political propaganda, cultural biases and angry rage, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is, at its very simplest, a struggle over land rights and nationhood. It is a battle that has been fueled by hardened mistrust and stubborn resolve.

News

Paganism in Israel: where the modern meets the ancient

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Ever since the dawn of [humanity], even stretching back to the exits from Africa, people of different cultures have passed through this tiny country. There are places of worship to the Canaanite deities, Egyptian temples to Hathor, countless shrines to the Greek and Roman Gods, Phoenician influences and more. These words were written by Myrtle, an archaeology student, professional artist and Pagan, living in the “tiny country” of Israel. With a population of approximately 8 million, Israel is a modern nation resting within what is considered to be one of the “cradles of civilization.” Somewhere between the ancient and the contemporary rests a unique socio-political culture built on Jewish heritage but enveloped by a legacy of diverse religious practice. Within that rich culture, there is a new, developing Pagan community.