Five Mistakes We Make When Criticizing Other Religions

atheism, belief, Community, contradictions, creeds, culture, dogma, expression, HP, John Halstead, Latest Posts, naturalistic pagan, performance, Religion, Religious Naturalism, secularism

Religion is far more than a set of propositions to which we intellectually assent or dissent. Religion is inextricably intertwined with our social networks and our cultural context. And religious behavior, including religious speech, is far more than an expression of belief; it is a performance which binds us to our religious communities. When secularists, atheists, and religious naturalists attack a religion on the basis of the demonstrable falsity of the beliefs of its adherents, we reveal our own ignorance of the complexity of this thing we call religion.

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An Earthseed Solstice: Festival of the Teacher

Festival of the Teacher, Natural Pagans, Octavia Butler, summer solstice, The Allergic Pagan

The summer solstice coincides with the birthday of Octavia Butler, June 22.  So we celebrate Butler’s life and work, as well as the beginning of summer.  Through the ritual, we will seek to deepen our understanding of the words of the Book of the Living: “God is Teacher” and “Partnership is learning and teaching”.  The ritual will involve song, like Peter Mayer’s “God is a River”, and call-and-response. The center of the ritual will be a “meditative teaching” and the construction of an altar or “focus” to honor teachers who have inspired us.

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How a Hobbit Would Celebrate the Summer Solstice

Climate Change, fire, Frodo, global warming, hobbits, J.R.R. Tolkien, light, litha, Lord of the Rings, Midsummer, Natural Pagans, pagan, Sauron, Scourging of the Shire, Shadow, shadows, Shire, The Allergic Pagan, The Hobbit, Wheel of the Year

When we light our solstice fire this year, I will be thinking of shadows. I will be thinking of ruined landscapes. And I will be thinking of Hobbits. Little people who took up farm tools and kitchen implements and drove out the shadow of desolation from their homes.

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