Non Fluffy Wicca

IcelandReview - Online:


Árni Thór Arnthórsson and his American fiancé Paris Prince will be the first gay couple to get married in church in Iceland early next month after a new law on the right of religious associations to confirm cohabitation of gay couples took affect today.

“We didn’t know we’d be the first to get married in church after the law amendment,” Arnthórsson told 24 Stundir. “To us it is about the church being open to everyone and standing strong as one of the most important human rights institutions in the world. We are all equal before God.”

Prince also grew up with Christian values. “We are religious but practice religion in our own way,” he said. “I’m very happy about being here and taking part in this important step towards further change.”

Separate laws are valid for the confirmation on cohabitation for straight and gay couples. Hrafnkell Tjörvi Stefánsson at Samtökin 78, the National Organization of Lesbians and Gay Men in Iceland, said although today’s law amendment is a step in the right direction, there should be one law for all.

Rev. Bjarni Karlsson, who will marry Arnthórsson and Prince in Lauganeskirkja in Reykjavík, celebrates his newfound right to do so. “We live in a society where we not just tolerate other people, but respect them and their lives.” 

Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, high chieftain of Ásatrúarfélagid, a religious organization for those who believe in the pagan Icelandic/Nordic gods, agrees. “We have fought for this matter for a long time, that is, to have the right to marry gay couples.”

Today, Samtökin 78 celebrates its 30th anniversary and the day is also an international day of action for homosexuals and lesbians.

Posted by mikki at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ACLU Might File Suit To End Lunch Prayer - washingtonpost.com:


The American Civil Liberties Union is threatening to sue the U.S. Naval Academy unless it abolishes its daily lunchtime prayer, saying that some midshipmen have felt pressured to participate.

In a letter to the Naval Academy, Deborah Jeon, legal director for the ACLU of Maryland, said it was "long past time" for the academy to discontinue the tradition. She said the practice violates midshipmen's freedom to practice religion as their conscience leads them.

The Naval Academy rejected the ACLU's request that the prayer be eliminated.

"The academy does not intend to change its practice of offering midshipmen an opportunity for prayer or devotional thought during noon meal announcements," the university said in a statement. It said that some form of prayer has been offered for midshipmen at meals since the school's founding, in 1845, and that it is "consistent with other practices throughout the Navy."

Nine midshipmen have complained to the ACLU about the practice, Jeon said yesterday. Some have since graduated. One recent graduate, an agnostic who objected to the chaplain-led prayer, said she felt pressured to take part in it.

"Everybody else is participating with their heads bowed and their arms crossed," the midshipman said in an interview. "It became very obvious that you aren't participating."

The midshipman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared her military career might be affected, said she went along with the practice at first because she didn't want to stand out. But she stopped in her third year and stood at parade rest instead of bowing her head and crossing her arms.

Those who want to pray during lunch "have the option to pray on their own," she said. "There's no reason they should subject everybody, including people like myself, to this prayer."

Academy spokeswoman Jennifer M. Erickson said that the prayer does not refer to a specific religion and that participation is voluntary. Prayers are led by Catholic, Jewish or Protestant chaplains.

The debate over whether to pray at U.S. service academies and colleges is several years old.

When the Air Force responded in 2005 to accusations of proselytizing at its academy in Colorado Springs, it issued guidelines that discouraged public prayer at most official events.

And in 2003, a Virginia appeals court struck down the Virginia Military Institute's mealtime prayer as unconstitutional. The ACLU and the Anti-Defamation League have asked the Navy to stop the lunch prayer at the Naval Academy based on the VMI ruling.

The Navy is "ignoring the law," said T. Jeremy Gunn, director of the ACLU's Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. "The government shouldn't be deciding what kind of prayer is the right kind of prayer and then coercing people into accepting their preferred kind of prayer."

Posted by mikki at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Teen's death blamed on faith healing - CNN.com:


GLADSTONE, Oregon (AP) -- Authorities say a teenager from a faith-healing family died from an illness that could have been easily treated, just a few months after a toddler cousin of his died in a case that has led to criminal charges.

Tuesday's death of 16-year-old Neil Beagley, however, may not be a crime because Oregon law allows minors 14 and older to decide for themselves whether to accept medical treatment.

"All of the interviews from last night are that he did in fact refuse treatment," police Sgt. Lynne Benton said Wednesday. "Unless we can disprove that, charges probably won't be filed in this case."

An autopsy Wednesday showed Beagley died of heart failure caused by a urinary tract blockage.

He likely had a congenital condition that constricted his urinary tract where the bladder empties into the urethra, and the condition of his organs indicates he had multiple blockages during his life, said Dr. Clifford Nelson, deputy state medical examiner for Clackamas County.

"You just build up so much urea in your bloodstream that it begins to poison your organs, and the heart is particularly susceptible," Nelson said.

Nelson said a catheter would have saved the boy's life. If the condition had been dealt with earlier, a urologist could easily have removed the blockage and avoided the kidney damage that came with the repeated illnesses, Nelson said.

Benton said a board member of the Followers of Christ church contacted the authorities after Beagley died at his family's home. The teen had been sick about a week, and church members and his family had gathered to pray Sunday when his condition worsened, Benton said.

In March, the boy's 15-month-old cousin Ava Worthington died at home from bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection.

Her parents, Carl and Raylene Worthington, also belong to the church. They have pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and criminal mistreatment, and their defense attorneys have indicated they will use a religious freedom defense.

After earlier deaths involving children of Followers of Christ believers, a 1999 Oregon law struck down religious shields for parents who treat their children solely with prayer. No one had been prosecuted under it until the Worthingtons' case.

Members and former members of the church in Oregon City have told The Oregonian newspaper in previous interviews that the congregation has 1,200 people. It has no apparent ties to other congregations or any mainstream denomination.

Posted by mikki at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lawyer's Home Vandalized For Views On Religious Liberty - Albuquerque News Story - KOAT Albuquerque:


An Albuquerque lawyer and his family are recovering from what he calls the latest retaliation against his crusade for separation of church and state in the military.
Lawyer Mikey Weinstein said his family has a total of 130 years of military service; Weinstein is a veteran himself. But the former counsel to President Ronald Reagan has locked horns with the military over religious freedom, and this is just the latest in a long series of retaliation -- but he said it's the worst.
Weinstein is no stranger to controversy, and no novice at being a lightning rod for those who hate.

But Weinstein said having a swastika and crucifix painted on the front of his house Sunday was something different.
"This is the first time I think I've ever felt outrage, humiliation and embarrassment at the same time," Weinstein said.
Weinstein said he's had tires slashed, windows shot out, feces and dead animals thrown on his lawn, all connected to the battle his foundation is waging in court.
Weinstein has filed suit claiming the military is violating the religious liberties of its members. That doesn't set well with some. But Weinstein said this will just cement the resolve of his organization.
"This is only going to further embolden us to preserve the constitution, and keep our foundation strong for the members of our U.S. military," Weinstein said.
If Weinstein lived in Albuquerque, whoever did this would be subject to a hate crime enhancement that would double the penalty if they are caught and convicted. But he lives in the county, which has no such measure.
The incident has also taught him something else.
"From Muslims, from Jews, from Christians, from Democrats and Republicans, independents, atheists, agnostics, and Wiccans, it [support] has been overwhelming, and if there is any silver lining to having something this horrible happen, it's the fact that the community responded and responded so wonderfully," Weinstein said.
Weinstein first made headlines in 2005, when he filed suit against the United States Air Force. In the suit, Weinstein claimed that the Air Force imposed Evangelical Christianity on Academy cadets, in violation of their constitutional rights.
That suit was dismissed, because the plaintiffs were no longer cadets.

Posted by mikki at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bigoted Ford dealership isn't actually sorry for its non-Christians "should sit down and shut up" ads:


Remember Kieffe & Sons, the California Ford dealership that ran a radio ad saying that they were Christians, and non-believers could therefore "sit down and shut up" and stop demanding separation of church and state?

Remember how they apologized for saying this really dumb thing?

They take it back.

The owner of the dealership says that he was forced to issue the apology by Ford, and he doesn't stand behind it, and he only issued it to appease "blog-lo-dites."

“I don’t regret the sentiment at all,” said Kieffe, who bought the 48-year-old dealership from his father in 1974. “It’s what we believe.”

Kieffe & Sons has sites in Mojave and Rosamond.

The dealer’s Web site Thursday bore a statement about the ad that included an apology “to all who were offended.”

Kieffe said he’d been contacted by Ford Motor Co. after the manufacturer heard complaints from numerous “blog-lo-dites.”

Remember, this guy doesn't actually attend church.

Link

See also:

Sit-down-and-shut-up "Christian" Ford dealership is run by a non-church attendee who is sorry about the ad

Ford dealership uses bigoted radio ads to sell cars

Posted by mikki at 06:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)