News

Future SCOTUS ruling could impact Pagan organizations

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The Supreme Court has heard oral arguments in a case that could result in Pagan organizations becoming eligible for state and federal grant monies. The case, Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v Comer, revolves around a Missouri-based church that applied for a state grant to resurface its playground. The state of Missouri had originally decided that religious schools were not eligible to receive state grant funds. However, after the lawsuit was underway, the state reversed that decision and will now allow religious schools to participate in that program going forward. Even though the court case was resolved to the satisfaction of both parties, SCOTUS took the case for review anyway.

Hounds

Unleash the Hounds! (Link Roundup)

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There are lots of articles and news of interest to modern Pagans out there – more than our team can write about in-depth in any given week. So The Wild Hunt must unleash the hounds in order to round them all up. On May 1, VICE Media published an article titled, “How a Thor Worshipping Religion Turned Racist.” Writer Rick Paulas writes, “Together, Odinism and Asatru constitute the largest non-Christian religion in Iceland, officially recognized by Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. It’s gaining steam in America, too, where Thor’s Hammer is now allowed to be carved onto military gravestones and prisoners are granted special accommodations to carry out rituals …

Paganism

Culture and Community: Ferguson and Its Importance in Today’s Society

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The small town of Ferguson, Missouri has become a household name over the last week. Following the killing of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown by local police officer Darren Wilson on August 9, the city went into a state of turmoil as local residents responded to the shooting and police responded to the community. The protests of community members sparked a response from local police that displayed a clear picture of the militarization of law enforcement in this country by turning the streets of an average American community into what looks like a war zone. City Data reports that Ferguson had a population of 21,135 in 2012, and approximately 65% of the residents are Black. This urban area has a documented history of disproportionate arrests and police involvement with people of color from a predominantly Caucasian police force.

News

Religion and Public Schools: a new round of laws

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The cultural negotiations concerning religious freedom in the public sphere are continuously peppering America’s daily socio-political dialog. As our country becomes more diverse, or more open about its diversity, with respect to religion, the violations or perceived violations of the “separation of church and state” become more numerous and more of a burden on any given population. Most recently legislative prayers were the focus of this debate. SCOTUS ruled and the dialog shifted. However legislative prayer hasn’t been the only point of contention in the past month.

Paganism

Column: The Same People, Different than Before

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The research room of the Missouri State Historical Society Archives is not much to look at. It’s a dark room in the basement of the Ellis Library at the University of Missouri, the institution I now call home. The largest section is nothing but work tables and census catalogs, tracking the names of every person who has lived in the state for more than a century. Rows of obscure books stretch off in the opposite direction; I have no idea what any of those books are. I come here for newspapers; the archives have virtually every newspaper ever printed in the state of Missouri since its inception, all maintained in cabinet upon cabinet of black 35 millimeter microfilm.