Category Archives: Modern Satanism

Two stories have emerged in the past few days, one about a moral and spiritual crime and one about a heinous criminal act. The tie-in is that both actors believe in the supernatural, one believing shes a witch and the other worshipping Satan. Of course, before our post-modern era, the civilized Western world frowned on both concepts. The old world was correct. In saying this, it doesnt even matter whether witches or Satan really are tapping into supernatural forces. What matters very much is that there are people who, in thrall to their beliefs, commit truly evil acts.

This first story will make you want to throw up:

A janitor at a New Jersey elementary school went online to brag about how he had contaminated food being served to children with bleach, bodily fluids, and even his own feces in order to get them sick, it is alleged.

Giovanni Impellizzeri, 25, claimed online to be a Satanist doing the devils work, has been charged with child endangerment, aggravated assault and tampering with the food at Elizabeth F. Moore School in the Upper Deerfield School District.

[snip]

Investigators claim he contaminated the food and utensils in the school cafeteria with bodily fluids which included urine, saliva and feces.

Police said Impellizzeri also used bread to touch his penis, anus and testicles before spitting on it and then placing it back into a container so it could be served to the young pupils.

In another video, Seidel explained how Impellizzeri set up a phone to record himself in the cafeteria allegedly spraying Clorox Clean-Up bleach into a container filled with cucumbers with the intent of harming children. (Emphasis mine.)

The schools children had high levels of what was thought to be stomach flu

Impellizzeri was also charged with possessing and distributing child porn.

This evil mans Facebook page seems to have been deleted, but there were two notable things I saw on it but didnt have a chance to grab. First, one of the two or three sites he followed was one called Gayety, which describes itself as an online lifestyle and entertainment magazine for LGBTQ+ people. Note: There is zero evidence that Gayety itself had any connection with Impellizzeri.

The other thing, which you can see in this photo from his Facebook page, is lots of eye makeup:

Color me cynical, but I have a suspicion that this Satan-worshipping man, who sought to poison children with chemicals and his own filthy bioagents and who possessed and distributed children porn, long-ago abandoned heterosexualityand heterosexuality is a link in the chain tying most people to traditional values.

The other piece of news is, in its own way, just as disturbing: A self-described witch who admits to two abortions explains that abortion is useful for birthing magic and death magic simultaneously. To make this point, she acknowledges that the fetus is a human life:

I admit that I dont believe in magic (that is, that individuals can perform supernatural magical feats), nor do I believe in a specific entity named Satan or Lucifer. However, I strongly believe in witches and Satan-worshippers. Thats because such people exist. My belief is irrelevant. Its enough that these people commit evil acts in service to their beliefs.

The evil they commit is enough for me to have a belief of my own: Society must use whatever is within its abilities, both legal and moral, to discourage both witchcraft and satanism. Both ideologies are pathways for evil, and I most certainly believe that evil is an integral part of the human psyche.

A healthy society does everything in its power to steer people away from evil pathways. A sick, declining society simply looks on and even helps out (see, e.g., here and here) as people embrace and encourage others to embrace ideas that, whether founded in fact or fantasy, bring death and destruction in their wake.

Image: Shakespeares three weird sisters from Macbeth by Henry Fuseli. CC BY 4.0.

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The terrible evil of the witch and the satanist - American Thinker

Come now, rise now, from the forest, from the furrows, from the fields, andlive!

So goes one of the ritualistic chants heard in Piers Haggards terrifying horror of haunted landscapes The Blood on Satans Claw (1971). Produced for Tigon Pictures, Haggards film was one of the defining moments of countercultural British folk horror. In fact, it is one of the few films of its time actively made as a folk horror before the term really gained prominence. I was trying to make a folk horror I suppose, Haggard once told horror magazineFangoria.

The Blood on Satans Claw is a chilling and atmospheric film set in 17th-century rural England. When ploughman Ralph Gower (Barry Andrews) unearths the grotesque fragment of a devilish creature, a series of nightmarish events unfold in the nearby village. As inexplicable occurrences plague the community, the villages youth begin to indulge in increasingly sinister behaviour, led by the malevolent Angel Blake (LindaHayden).

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Superstition grips the villagers, while a visiting judge (Patrick Wymark) investigates the ungodly happenings. Unravelling a dark secret, he discovers that the local youth have formed a cult devoted to Satan, led by Angel. With demonic forces taking hold, and the demon slowly rebuilding his body, the villagers find themselves entangled in a desperate battle between good andevil.

In this startling and deeply unnerving folk tale, the landscape itself seems to gain an alarming sentience. Because of this, the films sense of place and its use of locations are essential components. Working with cinematographer Dick Bush, Haggard imbued a number of real rural locations with foreboding eeriness, some of which arguably still lingers in some of the older, lonelier spots theyused.

Here are five locations from The Blood on Satans Claw as they standtoday.

Churches of various sorts dot Haggards film appropriately for this effective tale of Christianity battling Satanism. One of the first churches we see in the film is the one used as the Sunday school where the local youth are taught by Reverend Fallowfield (Anthony Ainley). The location is St James the Less in Stubbings, on the Henley Road in Berkshire, though the undergrowth restricts recreating the shot from exactly the sameangle.

Landscape plays an important role in Haggards film. Fields are filmed in unusual ways, often from very low angles, to give the pervasive sense of the soil watching the characters. Trying to find the actual fields from the film is tricky as there are few distinguishing features, but they are situated around the area of Bix Bottom in Oxfordshire, close to some of the films more recognisablefeatures.

This spooky shot of a field seen from the edge of a wood is also likely taken further up the valley where the fields are at theirsteepest.

The range of old houses and farm buildings at the centre of the narrative are also in the Bix Bottom area. Miss Banhams manor was Pages Farm, which is now a lavish property with a great variety of modern extensions, making exact recreations of the many shotsdifficult.

The farm is private and surrounded by fences guarded by dogs that make the judges hunting hounds seem tame in comparison. This shot, however, shows the original building used throughout the film as well as the various extensions added behind it over theyears.

One easier location to spot is the road leading up to Pages Farm. Though no longer a dirt track used by carriages, the shape of the road and its surrounding field and woods isunmistakable.

The other standing church seen in the film is St Mary the Virgin in Hurley, Berkshire. We first see the church during the funeral of Mark (RobinDavies).

The funeral scene allows various views of the church as the scene is extended to show Angel Blakes subsequent accusation against Reverend Fallowfieldunfolding.

The churchs busy stone entrance can be seen when Angels father (Godfrey James) tells Squire Middleton (James Hayter) of Angels false claims against thereverend.

Before this, Haggard shows a wider view of the churchs graveyard as Fallowfield tries to speak to the squire ahead of MrBlake.

Later in the film, the church becomes the meeting point for the judge and the villagers before they set off to stop the final ritual. This shot shows Hurleys high street heading towards thechurch.

Of all of the churches seen in the film, the centre-piece location is the ruin of St James Old Church in BixBottom.

Dating back to the 12th century, the ruin has a genuinely creepy atmosphere, its unmistakable age making it a perfect haven for the cultish teenagers and their evilrituals.

As can be seen from these shots, the location has somewhat changed since the filming. In the film, the ruin blends into the local forest, with its edge being mostly woodland. These trees have since been cut down so that the ruin now stands alone in a grassy field. It was likely done to preserve the structure, as its frontage almost collapsed a few yearsback.

Eagle-eyed viewers may recognise the location from another spooky folk horror film: The Witches (1966) by Cyril Frankel. Five years before The Blood on Satans Claw, Frankels film saw some suspicious locals use the ruin for their own esoteric practices, showing just how ripe the location is as an occultsetting.

The film concludes within these ruined grounds with the judge wielding his sword against the evil demon before putting it to the flame. The greenery may have disappeared, but the isolated vista and the ever-present cawing of crows make it one of the spookiest real locations a film fan can visittoday.

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The Blood on Satan's Claw: unearthing the locations for the witchy ... - British Film Institute

Here's how many modern day witches and Satanists are living in Southend (Image: File photo / Pixabay)

DOZENS of modern day witches are living in Basildon and Southend, according to the latest census figures.

As spooky season takes over south Essex, a look at the most recent census figures shows there are a surprising number of folks who identify as witches, pagans, and even Satanists.

In Basildon, 32 people selected Wicca as their religion in Census 2021, while 52 people selected the religion in Southend.

The religion developed in England during the first half of the 20th century with its name deriving from the Old English "wicca" and "wicce", the masculine and feminine term for witch.

Across England and Wales, over 12,800 people opted for Wicca as their religion a slight jump from 11,800 in 2011.

Separately, the number of people selecting Witchcraft as their religion has fallen from nearly 1,300 in 2011 to under 1,100 in the recent census.

The figures show eight people selected Witchcraft as their religion in Southend in 2021, compared to five in Basildon.

While the witch population has not soared, there has been a 30 per cent rise in pagans - from 56,600 people in 2011 to over 73,700 two years ago. In Basildon, 171 people said they were pagan.

In Southend, 312 people said they were pagan.

Halloween, which falls today has roots in paganism, originated from the Celtic celebration of Samhain that marked the end of summer and the beginning of the winter.

Celts believed the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred on this night.

Celtic priests would build bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

Eventually, the influence of Christianity spread into Celtic lands and All Soul's Day and All Saint's Day or All-hallows was created, incorporating some of the original pagan traditions. To celebrate the days, people would light bonfires, throw parades and costume as saints, angels and devils.

Speaking of the devil, Satanism is also on the rise across the nations. Nearly 5,100 people identified as Satanists in the recent census more than doubling from 1,900 a decade prior.

Despite the name, not all Satanists believe in a literal Lucifer. Instead, it is often a metaphor for questioning authority and rejecting mainstream religion.

In Southend, 18 people said they were Satanists, compared to 11 people in Basildon.

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Here's how many modern day witches and Satanists are living in Southend - Yahoo News UK

Writer Paul Crenshaw found himself trying to make sense of the fear that engulfed everything in his 1980s childhood in small-town Arkansas and the world around him. The Cold War. Stranger Danger. Satanic Panic. In his most recent book of essays Melt with Me: Coming of Age and Other 80s Perils, published by The Ohio State University Press, Crenshaw covers a lot of territory: death, Christian evangelism, Satan and Soviets, the parallels between the dissolution of marriage and treaties between nations, Star Wars and real wars, Bugs Bunny, and adversity. And quicksand.

Crenshaw graciously agreed to talk to The Smart Set, which previously published two of the essays included in this book. The interview has been edited for time and clarity.

Erica Levi Zelinger: What was the inspiration to group these particular essays into a book?

Paul Crenshaw: It was a long process. I didnt really start writing it as an essay collection until I had written five or six essays, and then I started to see connections. I started out with a vague idea about writing about the 80s. I narrowed that down to the 80s and the Cold War. And to other scary things that were going on. Thats when the book changed. I started seeing and thinking, Wait, we are still scared of these things. This is still a problem. I started tracing back Stranger Danger and the Satanic Panic, Dungeons & Dragons panic, the AIDS and HIV panic all of these things and it just sort of became its own creature.

ELZ: You had to constantly be on the lookout for Satanists, child molesters, Christian comedians. Were you fueled by fear as a child? Does it still fuel you?

PC: The biggest fear for me was the church. I went to a Southern Baptist church, and we were told constantly that the world was going to end in fire. Armageddon was coming. Some people looked forward to that, as if it were a good thing. Woohoo. I was terrified of nuclear war as a child. I dont think I constantly walked around being afraid, but that fear was definitely there.

The Satanic Panic was very real. There were stories everywhere, even in our small town, police officers came to my school to show how to watch out for those who worshipped the occult. These were guys who went to the same high school like 10 years before me and they had no training whatsoever in it.

There was also Mike Warnke, the former Satanist turned born-again Christian, who I write about in The Satanic Panic. I went to YouTube and listened to his old albums, and I remembered the jokes he was telling. This is a guy who told us straight up 100 percent your children will get into Satanism if you dont stop them. They will get into drugs. They will get into sex. They will get into all these unsavory elements. We were being told that all the time. As good Christians in a small southern town, we were told we always had to be on the lookout for Satan. He was always out there. So, yeah, there was a lot of fear growing up in the 80s.

To answer the second part of your question, I dont know that Im fueled by the fear now so much as I am fueled by trying to make sense of it.

ELZ: As the (fairly new) managing editor of The Smart Set, I am particularly drawn to your first-person narratives that on the surface are about something mundane like mooning your way through junior high, and wrestling, and playing Atari, but your underlying meaning is so much more: This was a chance to say fuck you to the world you were raised in, the world that was causing your parents to fight and to smoke and causing the bad guys to fight the good guys and causing death and destruction. Anywhere was better than where we were, you wrote. You also write, Surviving those times to carry all your unwanted anxieties into adulthood is encumbrishment. Was it easier to write these essays because you are still encumbered by childhood?

PC: Sure. Emotionally in some ways. There are lots of things that the older I get the more I can see a direct correlation to childhood. I dont want it to sound like I had a bad childhood. I had a good childhood. My parents were very loving. But they also worked very hard. There were lots of things bless their hearts that they just didnt know. My brother and I were always told youll go to college. But there wasnt a lot of other advice given. We didnt talk about what the best jobs, what would be a good career to go into. They were just trying to get by. My parents were tired from working all day. They had a lot of love, but they didnt have a lot of extra energy. We didnt go on vacations.

When I think about that time, I think about just a lot of exhaustion. Reagan was setting out to destroy the middle class. My parents worked for an institute for the developmentally and intellectually disabled, and one of the first things Reagan did when he took office was try to close it down.

ELZ: You look back on the 80s like the character Kevin Arnold from The Wonder Years reflected on the 1960s. The narrator speaks directly to the audience to share his regrets, and the audience cries at his breakups, and we feel his pain when hes bullied by his older brother. I watched it as a child and I loved it because I could identify with Kevin, but I started rewatching that show recently with my 11-year-old son and saw it in a new light. I could identify now with the parents. Did writing these essays give you more insight into who your parents were and who they became?

PC: Yes, but first of all I have to talk about The Wonder Years. My partner and I recently started rewatching it, too. She actually had to quit because the episodes were so depressing. The first couple of episodes are so depressing to me now, the first episode especially the trauma of the first day of school and he comes home, and the neighbor has just died in Vietnam. Its just absolutely devastating. Then I watched one where Kevin goes to work with his dad. His dad is always irritable and grouchy. That was the iconic dad of the 60s. Dad worked his ass off and when he came home, you didnt talk to him, you leave Dad the hell alone. It wasnt that way at my house, but you did kind of give them a berth when they came home because they might have had a bad day. We just knew that growing up. Or we didnt realize it and we acted like the little assholes we were and then mom lost her mind. I love that you brought up The Wonder Years because you nailed it. I was Kevin. And now Im Kevins dad and how the hell did that happen?

When I started grad school 27 or 28 classmates would talk about summer vacations. Europe or Canada. I was thinking we would go to Magic Springs, an amusement park two hours away maybe if we were lucky, wed go for one day. It didnt really seem weird to me because even without understanding it, we didnt have a lot of money. I didnt really understand that as a child. We just watched TV. That was our family entertainment.

Yes, I 100 percent understand my parents a lot more. You dont realize as a child what having a 40- to 50-hour week job does. My parents didnt really choose their careers. They ended up there. It helped me to understand or maybe articulate and internalize the things I already sort of knew but didnt realize as a child.

ELZ: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

PC: It energizes me. The only thing that ever bothers me about writing is not having enough time to write. I compartmentalize writing. Im much happier when I get up and knock it out first thing in the morning.

ELZ: Your first essay is a choose-your-own-adventure style and for readers not familiar with that series these books allowed you to hop around a book to cultivate the outcome you wished to have. What would you think if a reader read these essays out of order?

PC: I would prefer that they read them in order, but most people dont do that. If I just bought a new book, I might flip to something short to get a taste. I deliberately put Choose Your Own Adventure first because it sets up the book. It sets up all of the fears. Most of them irrational. It sets it up in the fact that there arent any good choices in choose-your-own-adventure. You cant get out. That was very much the point of the book. So, in my book, I am saying that we cant just forget that all these things happened. We cant just forget that we were this scared because its still causing us to do things that are bad. Those fears are still there, and we have to account for them somehow.

ELZ: The Dead Baby essay caught me off guard. It felt different than the others. It fits with the fear theme, but I wondered if there was more of a backstory there. PC: I have an essay in my first book that tells the full story: how my nephew died, how the stepfather was convicted of murder. I wrote that essay before this book became a concept so I can see why it feels a bit different. But I think its a good example of childhood fears vs. writing as an adult. The emphasis was on how youll look back at things later. The dead baby jokes were everywhere. I remember telling them and thinking how funny they were. And of course, now I have two daughters and I cant even think about jokes like that. I was a complete idiot at 17. I just remember telling those jokes over and over and lots of other very tasteless jokes. The is about how in the 80s, we could find something that distasteful funny. But what I love about that essay is I quote this folklorist, Alan Dundes. He did all this research about tasteless jokes about how and why we tell them. He said, What scares us, we seek to make ridiculous. Whats ridiculous cant hurt us. My line after that is, Which is, of course, ridiculous.

ELZ: The essay Optimism also takes another turn. For one, its optimistic. It has a reach-for-the-stars kind of feel. Was this written at a different point?

PC: My partner Jennifer, who reads a lot of my work, is often my sounding board. Hemingway called it a bullshit detector. Shes a bullshit detector. There are a couple of the essays that she didnt think fit in the book, but I overruled her. Optimism was written at a slightly different time. It came out a little bit different, but I included it and also the last essay, The Sadness Scale, because despite how terribly sad they are, I actually think they are hopeful. And I wanted there to be a little bit of hope. I write very dark stuff. There is a lot of death and thinking about death. I wanted there to be something happy. Who wants to read a book thats all doom and gloom?

I think the book is optimistic in the way that it ends. We are still searching. Still searching and trying to find what it means to be on this Earth.

Jennifer will be very happy that you pointed this out!

ELZ: Right here, Right Now is about the song We Didnt Start the Fire and all the other songs of the 80s that tell the stories of rival nations and the fear of the end. You reference Modern Englishs Melt with You in this essay and then you go on to name this book Melt with Me. How did you settle on that title? PC: I wish I had a great story. I think it just kind of came to me. I had Melt with Me as a title very early on. Even without knowing the essay, people who had seen the title were picking up on the connection with the song. The problem was my subtitle. This is my second book with The Ohio State University Press and my editor there, Kristen Elias Rowley, actually changed the title of my first book to This One Will Hurt You, which was a way better title than what it was. So, when we got this book accepted, and started discussing the subtitle, we kind of went back and forth and came up with the subtitle, which Ive forgotten what it was! Oh yeah Coming of Age and Other 80s Perils, which I really liked, because I didnt even realize the coming-of-age aspect to it I was so close to it. I didnt see that a lot of these essays were about adolescence and navigating that difficult world.

ELZ: A few of these essays originally appeared on The Smart Set Breakdown and Star Wars if these essays hadnt previously been published in journals and anthologies, do you think a book would have still happened? PC: At this stage in my life, probably so. Ive done the leg work. As a first book, Im not sure. I would like to think that it would have found a publisher, even if none of the essays were published. But who knows? The publishing world is just so difficult. My first collection was published in 2019 and it was a finalist in the [Middlebury] Bread Loaf [Writers Conference] Bakeless Prize in 2011. It didnt win, so it didnt get published, but it was a finalist. It still took me eight years to get the book published, even with the credential of it being a finalist. And lets be honest essays are not the top seller when it comes to publishing.

ELZ: What has it meant as a person, a writer, a father to revisit your youth in writing? PC: Being able to see yourself honestly. To be an essayist, you really have to try and see things honestly. You have to understand how you saw the world at that time and be able to comment about the world at that time and how you saw the world at the time. There are all these layers of truth, what really happened, how things really were.

Going back to your question earlier about, Do you see your parents differently now? I respect them a hell of a lot more than I did when I was a kid. Revisiting raising my children plus looking back at my childhood its easy to see why I did some of the things as a parent that maybe I shouldnt have done. And see some of the things I should have done. Writing essays forces you to see or should force you to look very honestly at things.So perspective.

ELZ: These essays all highlight that there was so much stuff to be scared of in the 1970s and 1980s. But you were still sneaking out of houses, and mooning couples in their living rooms and smoking. You wrote, If we had rules, none of them were written down But, as a reader and a parent, now those rules are written down. And kids cant just stay out until dark. Does that play into your reflection on childhood? Does it make you more wistful or longing to go back? PC: My daughters are grown now. My older daughter just had her first child a grandson, and my younger daughter just graduated college. Now that theyve reached this threshold, we talk more honestly about their childhood. I recently found out that not just one but both of them snuck out of the house at night while my wife and I were asleep. They didnt do the terrible things that I did, but they did do that. I cant be mad at them because it was after the fact. But I was also a little bit proud of them in a way. I would have ripped them apart if I had known about it then, but I think kids are always going to do those things and parents are always going to be a little bit oblivious. If you are a parent, and you think you know everything, I promise you you dont.

ELZ: I love this passage that you wrote: Those tinny notes hit for me some sweet spot of nostalgia and melancholy: for a time long gone; for the simple act of immersion into another world without the cares and fears of this one; for the way we all, even those of us careful with our words, roll entire decades into a zeitgeist of music and politics and cultural icons when all we really mean is the way we felt.

PC: I used to see these memes on social media. Id see this meme pop up, We stayed out until our parents called us in and we drank from the garden hose, and Im kind of torn when I see that, because, in a way, we did do that. But its the way the meme is posted these were the good ole days when you could do this. And every time I see it, pardon my language, but fuck you. Thats bullshit. It wasnt that way. Yeah, you could stay out until after dark and you could drink from the garden hose, but you arent thinking about all the other things the serial killers and kidnappers. The strangers in vans. The Satanists. It annoys me a bit when people look back at the halcyon days, because they are only remembering the good times.

ELZ: Are you still afraid of quicksand?

PC: I bring up quicksand a lot. It always seemed like quicksand was everywhere. And then I found out its not like in the TV shows. I dont think you can actually die of quicksand, and, considering there is actually not much quicksand in the world, no, I am no longer worried about it.

I am still afraid of nuclear war. I am still afraid there will be a war that just escalates until its the end. Growing up, I was sure the world was going to end in the 80s. Everyone said so.

But I didnt check my kids Halloween candy for razor blades when they were growing up. And I know now kids are much more likely to be kidnapped by a family member than a stranger in a van, so Ive lost a few of those old fears.

Quicksand we are good on As long as I never see it. But if I ever do, the first thing Im going to do is have a video of me jumping into quicksand and extracting myself safely.

Paul Crenshaw is the author of three essay collections: This One Will Hurt You, This Well Defend, and Melt With Me: Coming of Age and Other 80s Perils. Other work has appeared in Best American Essays, Best American Nonrequired Reading, The Pushcart Prize, and Oxford American.

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When the Satanists Moved In - The Smart Set

Personally, I would not trust Boris Johnson with running the junior tuck shop at Eton, let alone the country, or Matt Hancock in shaking a health charity collecting can on his local high street, while former Chancellor of the Exchequer and now Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks dumb, deadly contrivance of Eat Out to Help Out clearly caused accelerated rates of transmission, untold illness and additional unnecessary fatalities; serious and sustained mismanagement and endemic misconduct for which all three - and others - will require to answer for before long.

What has seeped out through the sewers of Downing Street's septic tank reveals a governmental response to the most serious, complex threat to the UK in living memory that has seen a contemptuous, desultory, dysfunctional and disgraceful scattergun approach taken mostly by men of a certain age, who all volunteered for their role with a presumption of competency and suitability, many seemingly intoxicated by their own sense of self-importance and self-regard at a time when humility, calm and a steely steadfast strategy were essential.

Meanwhile, as the huckster Hancock and the PMs not-so-special adviser Dominic Cummings appear to have escaped scot-free, Johnson and Sunak, both millionaires many times over have been "punished" with a 50 civil penalty while hundreds, possibly even thousands, of their fellow miscreants operating in the real world have been hit with swingeing five-figure fines and a criminal record, while multiple offender and serial liar Johnson has even been supported through publicly-funded legal fees currently standing at 265,522 and counting, all while "Ordinary Joe" outwith the comfort zone of the Westminster bubble has paid a heavy price for breaching Johnsons laws.

Given the inherent incompetence and deceit, a clear and obvious absence of sound judgment and credible leadership by those serving at the Court of King Boris, criminal sanction should - but wont - be considered; misconduct in public office, health and safety at work and even corporate manslaughter would all sound appropriate to me, but, of course, those in and around the heart of government are immune.

Mike Wilson, Longniddry.

Regan move does not mean crisis

I WAS surprised to see the front page of last week's Herald on Sunday headlined "New crisis for SNP" (October 29); no crisis, Ash Regan joining the Alba Party was coming as sure as Christmas, the only surprise is that it took her so long to officially jump ship. Her repeated denials that she was going to join Alba always reminded me of the old guy in the Vicar of Dibley: "No, no, no, no... yes".

Surely more deserving of the front page would have been the real, horrendous crisis in the Middle East, and the responses from Sir Keir Starmer which have seen growing tensions and a rash of resignations from the Labour Party, with several high-profile members diverging from the official party line due to Sir Keir's position.

Ruth Marr, Stirling.

Read more:Just what does Ash Regan stand for?

Yousaf is no racist

ACCORDING To Elon Musk First Minster Humza Yousaf is a racist for complaining in a 2020 speech about the number of senior posts in Scotland that were held by white people.

Mr Yousaf may well be incompetent but racist he is not; he has experienced racism in Scotland himself.

At the last count 96% of the population in Scotland was white so it is not beyond comprehension to understand why most senior positions in Scotland are held by white people.

Holywood however defies the statistics in having both Labour and SNP leaders coming from Pakistani backgrounds.

Dennis Forbes Grattan, Aberdeen.

Fergus Ewing is aHighland hero

THERE is currently a Facebook page, numbering 62,000 subscribers, devoted to highlighting the dangers and tragedies of the A9 north of Perth. There is palpable anger directed at the abandonment of the promise made by the SNP quotient of the Scottish Government, once committed to the dualling of the main artery servicing the communities of Highland Scotland and beyond by 2024.

There is one man who, steadfastly to the point of alienating his political colleagues rather than opponents, has striven to secure safety for his constituents and all those who travel this notorious road. Effectively, Fergus Ewing ("The people of Scotland want tarmac, not talk", October 29) has the support of quarter of the entire population of Highland Scotland and this comprises only those who take the time and have the possibility to subscribe to this valuable example of social media. A man of his word and a man of honour, Fergus Ewing's is an example all politicians should seek to emulate.

Christine Martin, Inverness.

Go for the Swedish option

IT is very interesting that Fergus Ewing's opinion piece does not mention the far cheaper Swedish 2+1 with wire rope median system when referring to the need to avoid head-on collisions. This design has one continuous lane in each direction, and a middle lane changing direction every few kilometres, with a median barrier separating the two traffic directions. Head-on crashes are eliminated. It will mostly fit into the present single-carriageway roadspace. This, combined with grade-separated junctions, would avoid very many accidents.

Our transport budget is limited, and much of it will be required to achieve the modal shift from road to rail which is Scottish Government policy. It's hard to understand why this solution is not already being seriously considered. Let's hope this changes soon.

Ian Budd, Bishopbriggs.

Read more:Fergus Ewing calls on Scottish Government to deliver on A9

We must fund Scottish Water

YOUR report on the discharge of sewage into the environment ("How illegal sewage spills pollute the countrys beauty spots", October 29) and the many previous similar reports shows the extent of the challenge Scottish Water faces bringing its drainage networks up to modern standards. But when we criticise Scottish Water we are criticising ourselves as we own Scottish Water and we all contribute to the inflow of sewage into its, or rather our, drainage networks.

The problem of underinvestment in our water and drainage networks goes back years. We have been living off the legacy of our Victorian ancestors who invested heavily in bringing clean water to our towns and cities and in providing sewers to carry away our waste. Their treatment of the waste may have been, in many cases, non-existent, but they provided a core network of drains which we still rely on.

However, for far too long investment has lagged behind what was needed as our population grew and the environmental standards applied to the water industry rightly tightened. Margaret Thatcher may have admired Victorian values but she did not match their far-sighted investment in public infrastructure. The rot she started, or at least accelerated, remains to this day. Scottish Water is investing in capital works to address the challenge but not to the extent that is needed to bring our water and drainage infrastructure up to the standards we all need.

This should not be a party political issue, politicians and voters of all parties contribute to the sewage flow. They all have an equal responsibility to face up to the need to fund Scottish Water properly so that it can boost its capital spending. It wont be easy, a penny - or whatever - on income tax to fund sewage works is not an easy election promise to sell, but doing nothing should not be an option.

Alistair Easton, Edinburgh.

Paganism is empowering

I REALLY enjoyed Vicky Allan's article on the rise of Paganism in Scotland ("Scots embrace ancient religion searching for spirituality in nature", October 29). It was a positive and warm depiction of the true beliefs of those of us who love the Earth on a spiritual level and engage in rituals to observe the seasons. Paganism has long suffered from disinformation, fearmongering, and false links to Satanism. Satan, being a Christian deity, is not recognised by Pagans.

Ms Allan points out that many of us practise pagan rituals, whether we even know it or not. This can include decorating an evergreen tree, blowing out candles on a cake, or eating chocolate eggs in spring. The pagan Samhain festival has endured as "Halloween", but many are now reclaiming this ancient festival as a time to honour and remember the dead and the transition into the dark half of the year.

The 1990s saw a ridiculous moral panic that the Harry Potter books would indoctrinate young people into witchcraft, leading to demonic possession. There are reasons why more people, especially young women, are finding fulfilment in Pagan practices and witchcraft. Mainstream religion can be fulfilling and valuable for many people, but for a lot of us, it feels patriarchal, oppressive, and anti-feminist. Witchcraft, on the other hand, is empowering, peaceful, and feminist. One thing Pagan communities have never done is try to inhibit or infringe upon the freedom of other people. Pagans have never opposed abortion rights or attempted to obstruct LGBT equality. And yet, according to a recent Scottish Pagan Federation survey, more than 40% of the community have experienced direct discrimination.

Paganism is a massive umbrella term that encompasses Druids, witches, Wiccans and a host of other spiritual paths, but there is an understanding among the vast majority to live by the Wiccan rede: "An' ye harm none, do what ye will." If only the religious right, so obsessed with the bodily autonomy and free will of others, could live by a similar ethos and respect the natural world, we would all be much happier.

Gemma Clark, Paisley.

Originally posted here:

Letters: Boris Johnson and co must not be allowed to get off scot-free - HeraldScotland

Witches lurk in the shadows of our imaginations, worshiping demons and wreaking havoc on society. Still, the collective imagery of the "evil witch" is a far cry from the truth.

Real witches walk among us.

They don't cast horrifying spells on unsuspecting bystanders; they raise their children and work regular jobs.

Today's witches practice in peace, and their numbers are growing.

How Many Witches Are There?

Complete data on the number of practicing witches in the United States is unavailable. Studies on religious affiliations often group witches under "other" or "unaffiliated," making it challenging to track adherents to their beliefs.

Trinity College conducted a massive research program seeking to track the changing religious landscape of U.S. citizens. The American Religious Identification Survey looked at religious affiliations across time, comparing statistics on self-proclaimed religious identities from 1990, 2001, and 2008 to highlight changing trends in religious affiliations.

The study found a rise in the numbers of witchcraft practitioners over the years. The 1990 report estimated there were only about 8,000 Wiccans, but by 2008, their numbers soared to over 300,000.

A 2014 Pew Research Religious Landscape Study offered a "new age" category for spiritual practitioners who didn't fit into other religious affiliations. The study found that .4% of the population approximately 1.3 million people identify with a new-age religion.

Numbers can be misleading, however. Wicca is only one form of witchcraft, and many self-proclaimed witches wouldn't identify with the Wiccan religion.

The study also ignores the millions of so-called Christian witches who practice their craft to supplement their primary religious belief system and the spiritual witches who practice magic while rejecting any form of organized religion.

A 2021 Statista study found that 21% of Americans believe in spells and witchcraft, showcasing a discrepancy between what many religions people identify with and what they genuinely believe.

But witches can't be defined by their religious beliefs. They come from nearly every walk of life.

Michelle Lefler, a Jewish Witch and founder of Living Moon Meditation, defines witches as wise people who use magic and nature to aid their spiritual devotion and practice. She reminds us that witchcraft has no god or goddess and that the association with Satan is untrue.

Witches embrace their inner energy and that of the world around them, using it to guide their spirituality.

Evil witches abound in legend. The familiar trope of the sultry enchantress working magic to lure unsuspecting men to their doom arises repeatedly in stories, myths, and songs about witches.

These tales inundated our collective imagination with horror at the thought of practicing magic, but these fictional representations bury the truth. Witchcraft is no more dangerous than any other spiritual practice.

The Truth About Witchcraft

Witches believe natural items have innate qualities and energy. When performing a spell, they purposefully select ingredients with qualities that enhance their spell's purpose. For example, a practitioner creating a prosperity spell would use colors, herbs, and symbols representing wealth. They'd light green candles, focus energy through jade or pyrite, and anoint their symbols with oils made from chamomile or cinnamon.

All these items work together with an incantation to focus the witch's intention toward their goal, much like modern Catholics use rosaries and prayer.

Lefler compares witchcraft to visualization practices. We often visualize ourselves achieving what we desire. Although many people wouldn't consider that simple process magic, witches do.

Magic is the essence we create with our minds. The positive energy we put into the world helps our thoughts become a reality.

Although stereotypes showcase witches cursing their enemies and hexing those who do them wrong, most witches care deeply about consent and personal freedom. Most follow the two basic tenets of Wiccan morality. "An' ye harm none, do what ye will," which means following the craft however you wish as long as it doesn't hurt others. And the Rule of Three states that anything you do, good or bad, will come back to you threefold.

Rethinking Outdated Views on Witches

Witchcraft has a long and sordid history. The stigma against witches drips with misogyny and makes false accusations of devil worship to keep women in their place. Patriarchal religions were terrified of knowledgeable women, rebranding beloved medicine women and healers as witches for daring to compete with men in these professions.

Women were persecuted, oppressed, and burned for expressing their inner feminine power.

Although governments no longer burn witches at the stake, the negative view remains. Earlier this year, Target became the center of a controversy after AI-generated images appeared, making it look like the massive retailer sold children's clothing with a pentagram, a symbol attributed to both Witchcraft and Satanism.

In April, social media exploded after an accusation that Taylor Swift promoted Witchcraft and Satanism in her Eras tour. Though many users made light of the situation, the fact that the charge exists in the first place highlights the cultural stigma witches still face.

Many still view modern witches as evil devil worshipers set on summoning demons and stealing children's innocence.

All Spiritual Practices Deserve Respect

The U.S. is a beacon of hope for those wishing to explore their inner power. Celebrating religious freedom means witches can practice in peace without fear of imprisonment for their beliefs, even if they stand outside the mainstream.

Wiccans, pagans and other believers deserve the same dignity and respect that Jewish, Christian, and Hindu practitioners enjoy.

It's time to end the panic over witchcraft and respect people's choice to worship how they see fit.

Follow this link:

Toil and Trouble Misunderstood: Rise in witchcraft forces a rethink of ... - Frederick News Post

A Fall from Grace

These types of headlines have caused many Christians to scratch their heads, wondering how the United States, which was blessed by God in the past, has bowed to such madness of morality and ethics in such a relatively short time.

The United States (USA) was born out of a Christian nation (technically an Anglican nationa protestant denomination that came out of the Reformation of the sixteenth century). The King or Queen of England is still the head of the Anglican Church to this day (the official Church of England).

A USA history textbook from the late 1800s and early 1900s said that the colonists were mostly protestant with a small percentage of Roman Catholics.1 In 1892, US Supreme Court Justice David Brewer ruled that the USA was a Christian nation.2 In 1931, the supreme court again ruled that we are a Christian people.3

Mid-twentieth-century presidents like Harry Truman4 and Dwight D. Eisenhower (who led the military defeat of the evolutionary Nazis in Europe) openly discussed the Christian God and his blessings on America. But today, precious few politicians would dare say such a thing!

Dont get me wrong, there have been plenty of non-Christiansincluding leaders and early American fathers who were not fully on board with the Christian faith and its stated moral code.5 Notwithstanding, the point is that Christian morality held a strong sway in hearts and minds of many peoplenot just in the United States, but across the Western worldfor a long time. Yet the elderly in every Western nation today have seen Christian morality fall like a tree that was suddenly cut off at its roots.

Its no surprise that many liberal (non-conservative) cities in the USA have been repeatedly compared to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19)!6 But again, this is not just a problem in the United States. Sexual immorality, including homosexual actions and gender dysphoria, has now infected much ground in the Western worldEngland, France, Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Australia, Spain, New Zealand, Portugal, and the list goes on!

If people are no longer standing on Christian moralitywhich gives us the standard for sexualitythen the obvious question to ask is What religious standard are they now embracing? This brings me to the religion of sexual humanism.

Sexual humanism is a sub-branch of the secular forms of humanism (i.e., secular humanism or its various manifestations). Before we get lost in terminology, allow me to explain humanism first so that you can better understand the religion of secular humanism and thus its daughter, sexual humanism.

The religion of humanism views man as the highest authority, not God. In other words, in this religious framework, mans ideas/opinions/beliefs are elevated to supersede God and his Word (the Bible) as the supreme authority. If you have ever heard the famous mantra Man is the measure of all things, then youve heard humanism preached.

Put another wayhumanism is preached anytime mans ideas are elevated to allegedly be greater than our omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omnipresent (everywhere present) holy God of truth. Even if you were to take all the people who have ever lived and combine them together, we have an infinitely small amount of knowledge and power compared to the infinite God of the Bible who created and sustains our very being and existence.

And yet, people have the audacity to think manand hence mans ideas about religion, history, morality, science, and so onis somehow greater than God! Foundationally, there are only two religions in the world: Gods religion and not Gods religion (otherwise known as mans religion, or humanism). Thus, in its broadest aspects, the battle is really just Christianity vs. humanism.

All other religions (which are technically sub-religions of humanism) that do not come from God and his Word (all 66 books of the Bible) have elevated mans ideas one way or another to ultimately take people away from God and his Word. Even if a religion is satanic or demonic, it still comes through the mind of man and is, therefore, humanistic. So, humanism consists of many sub-religions.

In addition to elevating pagan or secular ideas as the ultimate standard, some of these religions are based on various beliefs and ideas of ancient sages. Still other religions come from distortions of Gods Word, such as from alleged prophets (outside the Bible), adding books to the Bible, taking books away from the Bible, trying to change the Bible, and so forth. But regardless, in each case, they take mans variant ideas and neglect what God has to say on the subjectwhether its about origins, God, salvation, the afterlife, morality, etc.

All false religions are humanistic because in every one of these religious systems, mans ideaseither directly or indirectlyhave been used to deceive people into false beliefs. Some of these humanistically influenced religions deviate only slightly from the Bible, whereas others deviate a lot. In general, there are four philosophical categories of humanism.7

In some cases, some of these religions try mixing or syncretizing their view with another sub-religion or even with the Bible (called syncretism or compromise). But the man-made beliefs tend to supersede the plain reading of Scripture in these examples. Simply put, in each instance of humanism intermixing, Gods Word is not the absolute truth/standard in one or more areas.

Chart Notes:

* Many younger SDA (Seventh Day Adventists) have moved away from Ellen Whites teachings. Ellen White was the founder of SDA and a claimed prophetess. Her writings were originally viewed as the inerrant word of God equal to the Bible within SDA. This cultic view led many astray, but now many in the SDA churches are moving away from her writings and back to the Bible as the sole authority, which is encouraging.

** Unitarianism has Jesus as a created being, but the religion has moved so far from Christianity that it could easily be classified as merely a moralistic religion.

*** Oriental, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches are all distinct from one another in hosts of ways. Each can have the correct Christ and the triune God; however, they often add apocryphal books as equal to Scripture or pronouncements from a Pope or Patriarch as equal to Scripture. In some cases in the Roman church, Mary is worshipped and seen as Co-Redemptrix, which is false.

**** Scientology is a mixture of an Eastern religion and a secular religion; hence, it is denoted in both.

***** Syncretism, whether Latin American-style with paganism or mixed with the modern ideas of big bang, evolution, and millions of years, is convoluted. You can indeed get the correct Christ out of it, but there are so many inconsistencies when you mix opposing religionsespecially at a foundational level.

****** Secular Humanism is obviously a secular religion, but with its manifestos (like many other secular religions), it could also be lumped as moralistic religion. These religions are not denoted under moralistic because of their obviously strong ties to other secular religions.

Sexual humanism comes out of the secular forms of humanism (being another subset of this secular religiona denomination if you will). Sexual humanists not only devote themselves to living sexually immoral lives but also to promoting these sexual sins in the culture. In many instances, they try to force others to hold to their religious views of sex and immorality in every area of culture, ranging from politics to classrooms to public company support. This is a very aggressive religion that pushes their sexually deviant agenda on all ages (including young kids and teens), governments, media, businesses, and even Christian churches.

All forms of sexual immorality (also called unchastity) are lumped under the religion of sexual humanism. This religious system can be further broken down into the following various tenets. As a caveat, not all sexual humanists will adhere to all of these tenetsnevertheless, any form of sexual deviancy is part of sexual humanism. In other words, different sexual humanists will often pick and choose among these various tenets of the list below and to various degrees as wellsome are actively involved and others are merely allies (i.e., giving approval). The Bible condemns both positions equally in Romans 1:2432.

Sexual humanism is nothing new, but it has often been associated with ancient religions that began after sin entered the world in Genesis 3. Prior to sin, sex was perfect (Genesis 1:31) within marriage between Adam and Eve. After sin, sexual immorality began. As a point of note, marriage between close relatives was originally acceptable as Cain, Abel, and Seth (three of Adam and Eves many children) could intermarry with their female siblings (Genesis 5:4).8

Noahs grandchildren could intermarry as well after the flood. At the time of Moses (about 14001500 BC), God forbade close intermarriage (now called incest) in Leviticus 18.

Even so, we also see the following examples of sexual immorality in Scripture:

As you can see, sexual humanism is often mixed with many other false religions, and even the religious can be enticed into its practices. Though sexual humanism is not unified into a single organized body, there are many clubs and organizations that propagate this religion today.

Historically, pagans often had rampant sexual sin in various forms. Islam has child brides (pedophilia/cross-generational sex), wife for a night (prostitution), and so on. Modern LaVeyan satanism (the atheistic form) is loaded with sexual sin and pornography.

The modern movement of deviant sexuality has increased, pushing the religion of sexual humanism to the forefront in our culture. Following the progression outlined in Romans 1 of being turned over to immoral lusts, the Western world has gone through the following stages in history:

This brings us to today where we see the rampant worship of deviant sexual practices, transgenderism, and attacks on biblical marriage and family. God says,

In our culture, not only do we see cross-dressing, but we see the futility of sinners minds going so far as to have surgeries to try to alter their own bodies by mutilations to appear as the opposite sex! Such things are a sign of judgment on unbelievers who have rejected their Creator and his design for humanity and biblical sexuality and who thus have been given over to a debased mind that cannot think properly (Romans 1:1828; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:1719; Titus 1:1516; 2 Timothy 2:2326).

Mankind was created to be fruitful and multiply, within marriage, and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28). But because we are in a sin-cursed and broken world (Genesis 3), mankind throughout history has been enticed to sexual sin. And this has had profound effects even in many local church congregations, ranging all the way from pastors to laymen.

We have seen many pastors and Christian leaders fall from grace into sexual sinand in some cases, weve seen whole congregations promote sexual humanism in their local churches.

Sadly, many local churches and denominations toss aside Gods Word on the subject (usually by heavily reinterpreting the plain meaning of various passages of Scripture) to support sexual sin like homosexuality, fornication, and transgender ideologies. Some pastors or reverends even go so far as to outright deny Scripture (reject Gods authority) in order to justify deviant sexual lifestyles!10 In doing so, Gods Word is demoted, thus allowing certain tenets of sexual humanism to be proclaimed from the pulpit.

When Christianity is mixed with any other religion, Gods clear teachings are mocked. Fundamentally, it is no different than when the Israelites began mixing their godly worship of the one true God with worship of false gods like Baal and Molech. Even Solomon began offering sacrifices to pagan gods due to his sexual deviancy with many pagan women who then influenced him to deny Gods Word. God was not happy with him (Nehemiah 13:26).

For clarification, the terms pagan and paganism are overview terms. They encompass many types of religions, such as mythological and polytheistic religions (e.g., Baal worship, Roman mythology, Germanic/Norse mythology, etc.) as well as pantheistic religions (where the universe or cosmos is all that supposedly exists). Secular religions, like naturalism or materialism, are pantheistic, and so, by definition, they are pagan too. Famous secular atheist Carl Sagan used to open his show Cosmos with the mantra, The universe is all that is, ever was, and ever will be. This statement is outright pantheism, hence paganism.

In fact, when a local church or denomination accepts any form of secular religious views into their church (again, called syncretism) like the big bang, millions of years, evolution, sexual immorality, etc., they are defending paganism and false secular beliefs associated with paganism. Why would a church do this? Consider what God said in Hosea.

Like the ancient pagan religions of the past, the modern secular religious movements commonly deviate regarding sexuality. It is a sad indictment on the church when secular humanistic sexuality (e.g., sexual humanism) is promoted in the church in defiance of God and his Word. And the repercussions of rampant promiscuity, such as abortion and the devaluing of marriage and family, heap further condemnation on those who are involved in false teaching (2 Peter 2).

Jesus Christ is absolutely clear in his Wordrecall that Jesus Christ is the Creator God (John 1; Hebrews 1; Colossians 1) and his Wordthe 66 books of the Biblewas written by the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).

Some critics call these clobber passages. But note that this nicknaming is only done in an attempt to deceive Christians into tossing these biblical passages aside, thus viewing the arbitrary and fallible opinions of sinful man as superior to God and his Word (again, note the religious aspect of humanism). In other words, it is a subtle method to convince people, especially Christians, to deny God in this particular instance and instead follow the religion of sexual humanism.

But actually, if we look at this claim logically, the term clobber passages is just an epithet/emotive language fallacy.11 There is no logical reason to toss the Bible aside or even reject just these passages. These passages, which are essential to understanding what God is saying on the subject, are not to be tossed aside. And to do so places the rest of Scripture in submission to mans opinion, including other important tenets such as the virgin birth and resurrection of Jesus. It is better to clobber with the truth in a gentle and humble effort to help someone come to repentance by the power of the Holy Spirit (e.g., 2 Timothy 2:2426) than for that person to spend an eternity in hell.

From another biblical perspective, God commands purity, and as a result there will be blessing (yes, blessing and encouraging) within sexuality in only one context. We are to keep sexual activity within marriage between a naturally born man and a naturally born woman.12

Today, were seeing the religion of sexual humanism being promoted with little restriction at state schools (schools that are funded by the state and public tax dollars). A dead giveawaythe LGBT flagis waving in grade schools and grammar schools! And with the increasing number of LGBT clubs, homosexuality and transgenderism are not only being encouraged, but now are also being imposed as standard beliefs at many state schools.

Stop and ponder this: adults are talking to children about sex and encouraging deviancyusually without the parents knowledge. Sometimes it is done to help keep it a secret from parents. Normally, such people are called sexual predators. But if it is done under the label of teacher and its backed by administration, then its (somehow) called being loving or compassionate to the student.

Look at a parallel of thiswhat if an intermediary manager at a company was talking about and encouraging pornography use and pushing their employeesoften privatelyto consider new sexual activities and partners . . . and then that manager told them not to inform their supervisor? This is called sexual harassment, which normally results in people getting fired and companies getting sued.

Yet state schools do it openly with young children, and many times principals and school boards encourage imposing this on children, who really should not have to deal with these concepts until they are much older and more mature physically and emotionally. Its no wonder that sexual abuse is rampant in state schools. Research done in 2015 in the US revealed some shocking statistics.

Note, these stats do not include senior year, when many of the kids are turning 18. But surely this abuse doesnt suddenly just stop then, and any sexual contact, regardless of whether the student is supposedly an adult, between a student and a teacher is (as it should be!) a criminal act of sexual predation because the teacher is in a position of power! So as a conservative number, 1 out of every 10 children in state schools in the United States were sexually abusedbear in mind that these were the students that werent too afraid to speak up! If you include the proclamation and encouragement of sexual deviancy, like premarital sex, homosexual behavior, or transgenderism, then this number would likely shoot up drastically. This statistic also doesnt include peer-to-peer issues.

When looking at sexual harassment in state schools, statistics conducted by the American Association of University Women published in 2022 state,

Unfortunately, sexual harassment and violence continue to be prevalent in elementary, middle, and high schools across the United States. According to AAUWs own research, nearly half of students in grades 7-12 experience sexual harassment. . . .

Sexual harassment and assault are also shockingly prevalent on college and university campuses. AAUWs own research revealed that two-thirds of college students experience sexual harassment. Studies have also found that approximately 26% of all female undergraduate students and 6.8% of all male undergraduate students have experienced sexual assault.15

It doesnt take a genius (its not rocket science!) to figure out that teachers talking to kids about all sorts of sexual activity can easily lead to sexual harassment and abuse from both teachers and their peers who are now thinking sexually about those surrounding them. The fact that state-funded government schools are encouraging sexuality at younger and younger ages and LGBT beliefs on children of all ages is a recipe for sexual predation. Parents, beware what you are sending your children into at a government-funded elementary, middle, high school, and college/university level. Parents who dont want their children sexually abused and taught homosexuality and transgenderismbut who send them to state schools where such wicked things are rampantneed to carefully consider how and where their children spend much of their time!16 17

Law is a biblical concept. God is the ultimate Lawgiver, and he has imposed certain laws for man for our good.

It has been like this from the beginning. Even deeper to ponder is that God upholds the laws of nature and the laws of logic for existence to be possible (Hebrews 1:3). As we are made in the image of a law-giving God, he also gave us dominion over the world (Genesis 1:2627).

When man sinned in Genesis 3 and committed high treason against God, we became corrupt in every part of our being. Mans unrighteousness led to judgment with the global flood (Genesis 68). After this, mans heart was still hard (Genesis 8:21). God gave the law through MosesGenesis through Deuteronomy. The law is defined in detail with judges, executives, inheritance laws, marriage laws, laws against sexual immorality, and so on. The Law of Moses is often summed up in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:317, NKJV):

You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved imageany likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbors house; you shall not covet your neighbors wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbors.

However, the law can be further summed up as Matthew 22:3540 (NKJV) says:

Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

Romans 13:910 reiterates this passage of Scripture. With that being said, nations all over the world have laws. The problem is that many of these laws are not the best. When they mimic Gods law, they are good (do not murder, do not steal, and so on). When they have not been modeled around the law of an all-knowing God, they fall short. Simply put, a nation with laws based on mans word will always fall short compared to a nation with laws based on Gods Word.

This brings me to US laws that have deviated from Gods standard over the years. For instance, in the most powerful show of sexual humanistic power, our government has now demoted marriage (between a man and woman) and reinterpreted it to include homosexual relationships, which is sexual immorality!

The government, in an obvious abuse of its power, is trying to force this new view of pseudo marriage on Bible-believing Christiansdemanding they acknowledge this new definition over what God says marriage iswhich is a violation of the civil rights of Christians. This is an obvious case of the religion of humanism being imposed in the US at the highest level. This decision was defended by the US supreme court in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015.

In other words, the government is demanding that Christians must bow down and worship their humanistic view of pseudo marriage and deny what God clearly says on this subject. If not, they can be sued and attacked in many ways. This is a clear example of Christians being denied their right to the free exercise of their religion.

My dear Christian brethren, this is no different from bowing down to the golden statue and the threat of the fiery furnace in Nebuchadnezzars day in Daniel 3. Even in the New Testament, Christians in the early church who didnt bow to government-imposed religion were often attacked, beaten, arrested, and tortured, even to the point of death. (And sadly, this type of persecution is still happening to Christians around the world in countries that are very hostile to the Christian faithsuch as Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, North Koreaand even Canada, Poland, and the UK to a certain degree!)

Consider the plundering of the property of Christians and their early struggles and sufferings in Hebrews 10:3234 (NKJV).

To Christians reading this, the secular world is attacking our faith in an effort to impose secular religions on ussuch as with sexual humanisms tenet of pseudo marriage. We must stand firm and keep our eyes on the prize of heaven because this temporary world will one day be destroyed, and sinners will be judged for all eternity if they do not repent and turn to Jesus for their salvation. Consider these verses from Acts 5.

God created and defined marriage, which meansregardless of what fallible/sinful mankind saysany other definition is not marriage. (Rather, its merely a mirage!) The supreme court has made errors in their decisions in the past, like the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision on March 6, 1857 (regarding slavery), or the Roe v. Wade decision on January 22, 1973 (regarding the killing of innocent children).

Thankfully, by Gods grace, these horrible decisions were finally reversed. Pray that God will reverse these attacks on marriage by those who unwittingly (or intentionally) impose the religion of sexual humanism from the highest positions in the US government on Christians (and in other Western nations too)! Oh, how our once-Christianized nations have fallen indeed.

Every king, president, supreme court justice, governor, dictator, and government leader of any nation that disobeys the Lords standards will still stand before our holy God in judgment and give an account for their actions.

But for Christians, those who put their trust in the Lord, be still and know that God is God. For we know that God, who is above these rulings, hates these iniquitous decrees (Isaiah 10:14). And remember, God still sits on his throne with all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). It should be a reminder that we should be crying out to God for help in all matters and continuing to pray for our leaders to do good and repent of their sin and turn to Christ (Philippians 4:67; 1 Timothy 2:12).

Ultimately, it doesnt matter what the government says; we must continue to share the gospel and the commands of Jesus Christ, the King of kingsand Christ is in the position of having all authority on heaven and on earth, above any government official who comes and goes. The fact is that we may face persecution for it. But we can pray for boldness to do what honors God, especially as we see these freedoms eroding. As godliness is eroded in our culture, so are our freedoms (as freedom is a Christian concept emanating from the freedom given to us by our Creator).

If this sexual humanistic religion has influenced you, I encourage you to repent of your sin (this means to turn from it in a humble way and sorrowfully return to Jesus Christ who is the Creator and the Savior). Then find a local Bible-believing church that can help you grow in your faith.

The religion of sexual humanism is permeating our Western culture. We have now had entire generations of kids trained in this religionand yet many of them have no idea this religion was imposed upon them.

Any time mans deviant ideas about sex are elevated to supersede what God says in the Bible, a red flag should immediately go up in your mind as you recognize this as sexual humanism. It is time to get back to Gods Word in every area of life, especially when it comes to sex, marriage, gender, and family, as these have profound impact on society.

Excerpt from:

The Religion of Sexual Humanism - Answers In Genesis

Seven years ago on Friday, a 31-year-old man got behind the wheel of a 19-tonne lorry and purposefully drove it down Nices Promenade des Anglais at speed as crowds celebrated Frances Bastille Day. Eighty-six people were killed, including 14 children, the image of an infants corpse wrapped in foil beside a toy shocking a country that had grown wearily used to violence.

The previous November, 130 people had been murdered across Paris in a series of attacks which reached their most intense savagery at the Bataclan. This followed earlier atrocities that year at the Charlie Hebdo office and a Jewish supermarket in the French capital. In all cases the attackers were of North African origin, although often born and raised in France.

Visiting the country that summer felt quite strange, with soldiers stationed at every conceivable public place amid a sense of acute tension. Even in a small villageftein Provence, four soldiers and four armed police walked around guarding all entrances. It brought backchildhood memories of Northern Ireland, and of visiting Israel during the Second Intifada. Indeed, this was the phrase that had started to be used to describe the state of emergency:the French Intifada.

Frances refusal to recognise immigrants as anything but French has often been blamed for the widespread sense of alienation

The recent violence in Paris and elsewhere,which saw attempts to ram the home of a mayor, once again highlighted the trouble the country has with integration. But the French police uniondescribing themselves as being at war with vermin illustrated a different mindset to the English-speaking world, and a far more belligerent approach to the problems of diversity.

Like Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden, France has had difficulties assimilating the children of immigrants from beyond Europe, yet its recent history has proved especially violent and troubled. Britain has jihadi terrorism 2017 was especially grim but it has never reached such intensity.Last week, as over 130,000 police officersstood guard to protect the Republic on the day of its celebration, it is worth considering the journey that brought it to such a state.

Analysts have often compared Britains state multiculturalism with Frances system oflacit, which tends to downplay the existence of communities even to the point of not taking demographic statistics. Although neither countrys approach has entirely been a success, Frances refusal to recognise immigrants as anything but French has often been blamed for the widespread sense of alienation. Others point to the housing system, which tends towards concentrations of North and West Africans in suburbanbanlieues, or the less laissez-faire economic policy which results in higher unemployment (in exchange for better social security).

While they no doubt play a part, the biggest single difference is history, asAndrew Hussey recounted back in 2014 inThe French Intifada, in particular Frances history with North Africa. To put it in British terms, imagine that Britains rule in Pakistan had involved not a small number of administrators and soldiers but instead hundreds of thousands of British settlers arriving in the country, many with the intention of making it a new America (i.e. driving the natives out).

That Britain had declared Pakistan an integral part of the country, and that, rather than scarpering in indecent haste when the empire began to disintegrate, Britain had dug in to preserve its rule in a sadistic war of independence, one in which natives and white settlers committed countless atrocities against each other. And that this violence had spilled into Britain with assassination attempts and terrorism, by both sides, destabilising the country to the point where there was talk of a coup. And that this was happening just as large-scale immigration to the colonial power was taking place.

Britain experienced nothing like as much violence in the dying days of empire, and indeed the only real comparison with our history was the moment when there was almost all-out conflictbetween Britains Protestant and Irish Catholic populations before the first world war.

If French politicians so casually talk of civil war between its right wing and the Algerian-descended population, it is because it has already played out this conflict before one that was never healed, and so invites a sequel.

Hussey describes first arriving in Lyon in the 1980s with the typical left-wing worldview of a Manchester University graduate. This was a period when youth politics in Britain was moving firmly to the Left and antiracism was becoming the norm. He was taken aback by the attitudes in his new home.

Lyon, despite being Frances second city, is somewhat insular, having less of an international profile than smaller centres like Marseilles or Bordeaux. It also has a long-standing link with the occult, including necromancy and satanism in 1993Le Pointcalled it Lyon, capitale de letrange. It also has a sense of itself as being in opposition to Paris, representingLa France profondeand with a strong conservative tradition. Indeed, it is home to a university that, by British standards, is very right wing and still has a nationalist strain within its student body (the Anglophone presumption that students are left wingdoes not always hold on the continent).

It was in this city that rioting erupted in the summer of 1981, soon after the election of Franois Mitterrand, the countrys first left-wing president since the war, and a moment that had inspired hope for the countrys progressives. This was the first taste of unrest involving the countrys North African population. More was to come three years later in Vnissieux, a suburb of the city, which led to a week-long occupation and the involvement of more than 4,000 armed police officers. Even then, people talked of a new French civil war.

The earlier generation of French Arab youth were secular and leftist. They also believed in the right to smoke dope, drink alcohol, chase girls of all ethnic extractions, and form rock bands, Hussey writes. This was quite similar to the experience in Britain with the politicised young Asians of the 1980s, as outlined inKenan MaliksFrom Fatwa to Jihad. In particular, they modelled themselves on black Americans who, with their outsized cultural power and charisma, had since the 1960s become role models for non-white minorities across Europe.

Black French youth today still have a strange sort of Anglophilia, influenced by rap music and Premier League football, which explains why so many kids in the banlieues are called Steeve, Marky, Jenyfer, Britney or even Kevin. He writes that They dont always get the spelling right, but the sentiment is straightforward: we are not like other French people; we refuse to be like them. (Kevin is also popularwith working-class whites inFrance).

The housing situation plays a major part in creating a sense of separation. In all French towns and cities with a significant immigrant population, there has been a singular failure of vision and imagination around the issue of the banlieues. The problem is both simple and complex. It is simple in that the people who live there are angry and unhappy. It is complex in the sense that these people do not necessarily live in tangible, material poverty but rather in a kind of spiritual poverty. This is because they do not belong here. No one does. This is the secret truth of the banlieues of Lyons and its replicas across France.

Living in the soulless housing projects, North African communities rely on traditional structures to help social solidarity, withcads(chiefs) andgrands frres(big brothers) who ensure safety and order. As with elsewhere in Europe, much of the tension comes from the clash between a clannish population and aWEIRD (western, educated, industrialised, rich, democratic) one.

Algeria, despite the war with Islamic fundamentalists, is not an especially religious country way less so than Pakistan and French Muslims are not that observant. But belief and identity are separate things, and as Islamism rose in strength across the wider Middle East, so the Faith of the Other proved to be the most powerful force among people often made to feel ashamed of their ancestry.

The result is a population living in a state of acute alienation. Hussey witnesses a crowd of angry youths at the Gare du Nord, the borderland between these two worlds, in a stand-off with police, an event he describes as thrilling and frightening. This was anti-civilisation in action a transgression of every code of behaviour that holds a society together. They shouted Nik les schmitts (Fuck the cops), or Fuck the police in English, but on occasion he noticed that they were also shouting Naal abouk la France! Fuck France!

It was during the OctoberNovember 2005 riots in Clichy-sous-Bois, on the eastern outskirts of Paris, that the media first talked of the French Intifada. As with recent events, it was sparked by abavure, or blunder, the word given to the kind of police cock-up that regularly ends with an innocent person dying or being injured.

The violence subsided after two weeks, although it helped the career of Nicolas Sarkozy, then Minister of the Interior, who called the rioters racaille (which Hussey translates as scum, though others compare it to the milder riff-raff or rabble).

The riots then, as now, attracted a great deal of coverage in the Anglophone world, and it was generally agreed that the severity of the crisis had been exaggerated by the English-speaking media, who knew little of France and used the news of the French riots as a distraction from their own problems with immigration and immigrants in their own countries.

Indeed, in France it is very easy to not know these riots are going on. My mother visited Paris during the recent disturbances and said that you wouldnt have any idea there was anything up. But that, of course, is part of the problem. Its not uncommon for contemporary Parisians to talk aboutla banlieuein terms that make it seem as unknowable and terrifying as the forests that surrounded Paris in the Middle Ages, Hussey writes.

Modern France works under a system oflacit, which guarantees the moral unity of the French nation, the Republique indivisible. The principle of hard secularism dates to the early 20th century and the bitter culture wars over the role of the Catholic Church. But for the children of migrants, he writes,lacitcan seem to resemble the civilising mission of French colonialism. Unlike the British, who were not interested in turning colonial subjects into little Englishmen, Frances empire was motivated inpart by a desire to make colonial subjects French.

For some, the current violence is merely the continuation of a long war between France and its Arabs

In the 19th century, France began to describe itself as une puissance musulmane (a Muslim power), and this system famously reached its most absurd with Berber children in Algeria learning about their Gaulish ancestors. In contrast, the British had an attitude to empire that was effectively more racist, believing that colonial subjects couldnt be like us, but it also carried a certain amount of standoffish respect because, even if inferior, theyre fine as they are.

This approach would continue to some extent as the empires followed Britain and France home. British-style multiculturalism has its downsides: in particular, it helped to promote religious identity through often dubious community leaders but neither has Frances civilising mission created a common sense of nationhood between thegris those children of empire considered neither white nor black and thefils de Clovis, as they call the white French.

The housing system certainly plays a part. Unlike London, where government housing tends to be heaviest in the most central (and expensive) boroughs, France reserves the land insidePariss Priphriqueand its projects are kept outside, especially concentrated to the north-east. These used to be white indeed they had a significant Jewish presence but they have since fled, often complaining of intimidation.

Many British cinema viewers were introduced to thebanlieuesby the 1995 filmLa Haine, which starred Vincent Cassell as Vinz, a young Jewish man in a multiracial gang. But Hussey finds the film unconvincing, because I suspect that a Jew could never be friends with blacks and Arabs in this way. Also, although I know plenty of Jews in Paris, I dont know a single Jew who lives in the banlieues, even though at one time the Jewish community flourished in the suburbs there are still synagogues in Bagnolet and Montreuil which date from the 1930s.

Indeed, Frances Jews, whose numbers were hugely depleted by the Holocaust, have probably suffered most in this conflict. In January 2006, Ilan Halimi, a 23-year-old mobile phone salesman, was invited out on a date with a French-Iranian woman called Yalda; he was seized by men in balaclavas and found, three weeks later, naked and tied to a tree. He died on the way to hospital. She later crowed that, when their victim was seized, he screamed for two minutes with a high-pitched voice like a girl.

Halimi had been tortured for three weeks, and residents of the block had heard his screams and the laughter of those torturing him, but had done nothing. No one called the police.

Fifteen youths from the Bagneux district of southern Paris were arrested, a group calling themselves the Gang of Barbarians who expressed a hatred of rich Jews. The leader, an Ivorian who had doused his victim in petrol and set fire to him, said he was proud of what he did.

What gave this horrific story an extra chill was how few came to the Jewish communitys defence. In a country where historical guilt about wartime trains to the east hangs in the air, perhaps most memorably related inAu revoir, les enfants, they just went quiet all the way to the top.

After Ilans murder the Chirac government disassembled about social problems in the banlieues, and only Sarkozy, of partly Sephardic heritage, called it an anti-Semitic crime. One Tunisian-French Jew told Hussey of the historic echoes of the Nazi period, when Jews died and everybody pretended everything was all right.

then subscribe from as little as 1 a week after that

Hussey finds anti-Semitism widespread in the banlieue, residents bandying around phrases such assale juif,sale yid,sale feuj,youpin,youtre this latter term dates from the 1940s and so, with its echoes of the Nazi deportations, contains a special poison. All of these racist epithets were widely used. I heard all about the crimes of the Jews, yet it was hard to find anyone who had met a Jewish person.

Husseys book title was prescient, published just as the violence began to intensify into something much more serious, fuelled by the chaos of the Syrian war and the rise of Isis. The first victims were Jews.

In March 2012, Rabbi Jonathan Sandler was dropping off two boys, aged 5 and 3, at the Ozar HaTorah school in Toulouse, when a gunman approached and shot all three dead. Nearby, teachers and pupils thought the shots were fireworks. The killer then grabbed an 8-year-old girl, Myriam Monsongo, and blasted a bullet through her temple.

The media at first believed the killer to be a neo-Nazi, as the previous week two soldiers of North African origin had been killed in a similar way.But then a journalist took a phone call from a man claiming full responsibility for the attacks, saying it was revenge for Afghanistan and the treatment of the Palestinians. The killer, Mohammed Merah, was soon confronted by police while heavily armed and shot dead by a sniper.

Toulouse was followed, after the publication of Husseys book, by a series of horrors that led the President to declare a state of emergency. This was not just the Hebdo massacre, Bataclan and Nice, but numerousstreet rammings, church attacksand other acts of terror both by organised groups and lone wolves.

The Intifada has died down since, but the rage at its heart remains an anger that runs deep to the first arrival of the French in Algiers in 1830. And if many young French of North African descent see their revolt as revenge for colonialism, it is an idea not lost on the countrys Right, either. Indeed, for some, the current violence is merely the continuation of a long war between France and its Arabs.

This article first appeared on Ed Wests substack, the Wrong Side of History.

Read the rest here:

The rise of the French Intifada - The Spectator

Baphomet is a deity that has been associated with various esoteric and occult traditions since the 19th century. Its origins are unclear, and there are many different interpretations of what it represents. Some traditions see Baphomet as a symbol of spiritual enlightenment, while others view it as a demon or a representation of evil.

The origin of the name Baphomet is unclear, but it is believed to be a corruption of the name Mohammed. Some have suggested that Baphomet is a reference to the Prophet Mohammed, while others believe that it comes from the Greek word baphe meaning absorption or plunge. Still others see the name as a combination of the words Baphe and Metis, meaning baptism and wisdom.

Baphomet first appeared in the 19th century, when it was included in the dogma of the occult order known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The figure was used as a symbol of spiritual enlightenment and the attainment of divine knowledge. In the 20th century, Baphomet became more popular in popular culture and was associated with various esoteric and occult practices.

Baphomet is typically depicted as a winged, goat-headed figure with a male torso and female breasts. The figure is often shown sitting on a throne or surrounded by symbols of the occult. The symbol of Baphomet has been used in many different ways, and its exact appearance has varied over time and across different traditions.

The meaning of Baphomet varies depending on the tradition and context in which it is used. Some see Baphomet as a symbol of spiritual enlightenment and the attainment of divine knowledge, while others view it as a representation of evil or a demon. Baphomet has been associated with various esoteric and occult practices, including Satanism, witchcraft, and theosophy.

Some people see Baphomet as a demon or representation of evil, particularly in Christian and Muslim traditions. However, others see it as a symbol of spiritual enlightenment and the attainment of divine knowledge. The exact meaning of Baphomet depends on the tradition and context in which it is used.

Baphomet is often associated with Satanism, particularly in popular culture. However, not all Satanists worship Baphomet, and not all those who worship Baphomet are Satanists. Baphomet is used in many different occult and esoteric traditions, and its exact meaning varies depending on the context.

Baphomet has been associated with witchcraft in some traditions, particularly those that focus on the use of magic and the attainment of spiritual knowledge. However, not all witches use Baphomet as a symbol, and many other symbols are also used in witchcraft.

The pentagram is often used in conjunction with Baphomet, particularly in occult and esoteric traditions. The pentagram is a five-pointed star that has been used as a symbol of magic and spiritual knowledge since ancient times. In the context of Baphomet, the pentagram is often seen as a symbol of the attainment of spiritual enlightenment.

Baphomet has been associated with the Illuminati in some conspiracy theories, particularly those that focus on the idea of a secret society that seeks to control the world. However, there is no evidence to support this claim, and the Illuminati itself is a historically dubious concept.

Baphomet has been associated with Freemasonry in some traditions, particularly those that focus on the esoteric aspects of the order. However, not all Freemasons believe in or use Baphomet as a symbol, and its use is not universal within the order.

Baphomet has been associated with the Knights Templar in some traditions, particularly those that focus on the idea of a secret society that sought to preserve esoteric knowledge. According to some theories, the Knights Templar worshipped Baphomet and incorporated the symbol into their rituals.

Baphomet is often associated with the occult, particularly in traditions that focus on the use of magic and the attainment of spiritual knowledge. The exact meaning of Baphomet varies depending on the context in which it is used and the individual or tradition that is using it.

Baphomet has been associated with feminism in some traditions, particularly those that focus on gender equality and the concept of divine feminine energy. In these contexts, Baphomet represents the reconciliation of opposites and the union of masculine and feminine energy.

Baphomet is often associated with the devil in Christian and Muslim traditions, particularly those that view the figure as a representation of evil. However, in many esoteric and occult traditions, Baphomet is seen as a symbol of spiritual enlightenment and the attainment of divine knowledge, with no connection to the devil or evil.

Baphomet is still used in modern occult practice, particularly in traditions that focus on esoteric knowledge and the attainment of spiritual enlightenment. The exact meaning of Baphomet varies depending on the context in which it is used and the individual or tradition that is using it.

The reality of Baphomet as a spiritual entity is open to interpretation, and there is no objective evidence to support its existence. However, many people believe in Baphomet as a symbol of spiritual enlightenment or a representation of the divine, and use it in their spiritual practice.

Baphomet has become a popular symbol in popular culture, particularly in music, film, and modern art. The symbol is often used to represent rebellion, unconventional thought, and esoteric knowledge.

There is controversy surrounding Baphomet, particularly in the context of its use in popular culture and the associations that have been made with Satanism and other negative connotations. Some people find the symbolism of Baphomet offensive, while others see it as a powerful representation of spiritual knowledge and enlightenment. The controversy surrounding Baphomet is likely to continue into the future, as new generations interpret the symbol in their own way.

See more here:

Who/what is Baphomet? - GBTIMES

What is a Heathen?

When most people hear the term heathen, they may picture someone who worships pagan gods or is part of a non-Christian religion. However, the term can have different meanings depending on who you ask. In this article, well explore the different interpretations of the word heathen, as well as some frequently asked questions about the term.

The word heathen comes from the Old English hen, which means one who inhabits the heath. Originally, it referred to people who lived on the heathlands of northern Europe and who practiced polytheistic religions. Later, the term was used more broadly to refer to anyone who didnt practice Christianity.

Many people view the term heathen as derogatory because it has often been used in a negative context to refer to non-Christians. However, others argue that the term can be used in a neutral or positive way to describe someone who adheres to a non-Abrahamic religion.

Heathenry, also known as Heathenism or Germanic Neopaganism, is a modern-day revival of the pre-Christian religions of northern Europe. It encompasses a variety of traditions, including Asatru, Theodism, and Forn Sed.

No, heathens are not Satanists. Satanism is a separate religion that is based on the worship of Satan as a deity. Heathenry, on the other hand, is based on the worship of pre-Christian gods and goddesses.

Heathens worship a variety of gods and goddesses from the pre-Christian religions of northern Europe. Some of the most commonly worshipped deities include Odin, Thor, Freyja, and Frigg.

Heathenry and Wicca are both forms of modern Paganism, but they have different roots and traditions. Wicca is a religion that was founded in the 1950s, and it draws on a variety of pre-Christian traditions from around the world. Heathenry, by contrast, is specifically focused on the pre-Christian religions of northern Europe.

Heathen beliefs about the afterlife vary depending on the tradition and the individual practitioner. Some heathens believe in reincarnation, while others believe in a sort of afterlife in the halls of the gods. Still others believe that there is no afterlife at all.

Some people who identify as heathens have been accused of espousing racist or white supremacist beliefs. However, its important to note that these views are not a part of the core beliefs of heathenry. In fact, many heathens actively reject racism and work to promote inclusivity and diversity within their communities.

Heathenry is generally considered to be an open religion, which means that anyone can practice it regardless of their background or ethnicity. However, some groups within the heathen community may place certain restrictions on who can join their particular organization.

Yes, heathens celebrate a variety of holidays that are based on the cycles of nature and the traditions of the pre-Christian religions of northern Europe. Some of the most important holidays include Yule (the winter solstice), Ostara (the spring equinox), and Midsummer (the summer solstice).

A blot is a type of ritual ceremony that is performed by heathens. It usually involves offerings of food or drink to the gods and goddesses, as well as prayers and songs.

Some heathen groups have a formal priesthood, while others do not. The role of a heathen priest or priestess is to help facilitate religious rites and ceremonies and to act as a spiritual leader within the community. However, heathenry is generally a decentralized and non-hierarchical religion, so there is no overarching religious authority.

Heathenry is not officially recognized as a religion in most countries, although some heathen groups have been granted legal recognition in places like Iceland and Denmark.

Heathens may choose to practice magic as part of their religious or spiritual practice. However, its important to note that not all heathens practice magic, and those who do may have different beliefs or approaches to it.

Yes, heathenry is generally considered to be a polytheistic religion because it involves the worship of multiple gods and goddesses.

There is no single holy book in heathenry, although some groups may have specific texts or traditions that they consider to be sacred.

Yes, heathenry is generally an inclusive and accepting religion, and LGBTQ+ people are welcome to practice it. Many heathen groups actively work to create welcoming spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals.

Heathens generally do not proselytize, meaning they dont actively try to convert other people to their religion. However, they may be open to discussing and sharing their beliefs with others who are interested.

See the original post:

What is a heathen? - GBTIMES