Not all sacrifices are voluntary

I once helped a woman to cut a small branch from a tree so she could fashion a ritual wand from it. I remember being astounded that, given a sharp knife, the use of both hands, and a branch within reach, there would be any need for help. I was younger and dumber then; now I know that the skill sets possessed by perfectly regular people vary widely, and that some people really shouldn't be left to handle sharp tools without close supervision.
A case in point is the story of Katherine Gunther, who went to a cemetery in order to give thanks in a ceremony for a recent run of good luck. Non-Pagans reading this, rest assured that this, while not off the charts, is not representative of everyday Pagan behavior. I myself give thanks from a cozy chair next to a small fire-circle in my yard. Anyway, Katherine was aiming to stab her 36-inch sword into the ground shortly after midnight (sheesh), when she accidentally put it through her foot.
Lest anyone think Wiccans are silly for having practices which can cause injury like this, take a moment and read this story about a pastor whose use of a dirt-bike during a sermon, in a church, caused at least as much suffering. Or this one about a Pastor who does "Priesto Magic" blowing off part of his finger with a malfuncioning wand while making a duck disappear.
I can't find a reference for it online, but I once saw a news item about the subject of an exorcism dying accidentally as the result of a crucifix having been shoved down her throat. I guess we could all use a little more common sense sometimes. My advice to Gunther is this: Don't give up your rituals, quirky as they may be, because even the Gods like a little entertainment now and then. Don't even get rid of that sword, although a good cleansing ritual might be in order. Just add steel-toed boots, and maybe a flashlight, to your ritual gear. See? Problem solved.

Pagan Faith Community

The latest entry in The Wild Hunt, my favorite Pagan news blog, got me thinking (as it often does). The entry has to do with a community in Texas that is concerned about proselytizing. No, really! Residents are worried about the motives, the pushiness, of religious adherents who would go so far as to leave a holy book on a stranger's doorstep. Well, okay, the books being left on stoops are Qurans, and in the minds of too many Christian Americans, that's not THE holy book. I've been trying to put my finger on just why this kind of thing pisses me off. It's too pervasive and nasty-minded to simplify into a cogent argument, though. I have a cartoon pinned up in my office, I think from the New Yorker, that shows a spare and forbidding church on a well-kept lawn. It's a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, and there's a No Soliciting sign on the lawn.
That's funny, but maybe not, because I bet you wouldn't have to search hard to find a real-world example of that.
Christians want to proclaim their beliefs, because they think they've got religion right. Interfering with their right to do so provokes claims of persecution and religious intolerance. But then the same people jump all over others who feel the same way, and want to proclaim their religion. Why should they, on their way out the door to distribute tracts, have to trip over some Godless "holy book"?! Where's the respect for other people's beliefs?
I'm tired of it. I'm not going to suggest that Pagans take up proselytizing, because I do believe that people should find their own way to their own beliefs. Nor do I advocate tracting church parking lots with copies of "The Other People." I just think it's time we Pagans claim our place as a "faith community." Too many articles, polls, and studies have an underlying assumption that "religious" means "Judeo-Christian," that "faith" means "belief in Jesus," that "values" means "Judeo-Christian values."
I am a practicing Pagan. I have faith, I belong to a faith community that is vibrant and positive, I consider myself to be very religious, and I have values. I am clergy, an elder, and a leader in my church. Many of us can say the same, but do we say it publicly?
I confess that I often allude to it generally, but not bravely. I decline a position on a committee because I have "so many commitments," not because my clergy leadership roles, both in my church and statewide, require my attention.
That's going to change. You other Pagans out there, I hope you consider following along. From here on out, I'm further out of the broom closet. I describe my religious activities in terms that make it perfectly clear that I am a Pagan, one of many in my area, and that my people comprise a faith community. We're here, we're values voters, we're religious.
Get used to it.

Faith-based Obama

Barack Obama, making an early move in the traditional post-nomination shift toward the center, is touting the Bush program which provides public money for religious institutions that perform public services, often called faith-based initiatives. The Washington Post article quotes Obama: "What I'm saying is that we all have to work together -- Christian and Jew, Hindu and Muslim, believer and nonbeliever alike -- to meet the challenges of the 21st century."

I never liked the program before, and I'm not going to start liking it now. It assists mainstream religions to become more mainstream, leaving other faiths outside the circle of firelight, certainly out of reach of the pork-barrel, if I may combine metaphors into a nice barbecue. Just one example of the kind of problems that have been exacerbated by the cash influx is given here. Teen Challenge, one recipient, actively converts Jews to Christianity while getting them off drugs. GWB made it plain early in his first term that he didn't consider Paganism to be a real religion, and I'm waiting to hear word from Obama.

I still support Obama, don't get me wrong, but I'm not happy about this. According to the Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, "Other" religions are big democrats. In the shift to the center, I hope he doesn't leave them behind. I believe, as do many, that the government should not subcontract social work, education, or indeed anything, to religious institutions.