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A recent story on an Internet news web site titled Independent Mail reported on August 19, 2009 that a Williamston, South Carolina man faces six counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of unlawful neglect of a child. Williamston Police Chief Richard Inman said Scott Darrell Starnes, 32, of Edgewood St. Wednesday turned himself in to the Williamston Police Department.

Why is this mentioned on a Pagan themed web site? I mean, child abuse of any kind is simply inexcusable. But why do I mention it here? Well, this all came to my attention for no other reason than that Starne’s wife said he is a “male-witch”. From the tone of the story, that one fact alone seems to explain the sexual exploitation and the unlawful neglect. Why, if he’s a witch, the clearly he must be a child molester, performing dark arts in the family’s basement.

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by Stephanie Kolcz
Examiner.com

Don Larsen’s military chaplaincy served several thousand military servicemen and servicewomen throughout his career, allowing him to reach them through his Pentecostal faith and the endorsement of the Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches, a Dallas-based association of Pentecostal churches . He was praised by Chaplain Kevin L. McGhee, the head of his chaplaincy and Larsen’s supervisor, who called him the best chaplain amongst the twenty-six chaplains serving at Camp Anaconda in Iraq. McGhee continued to rain praise upon him, saying “I could go on and on about how well he preached, the care he gave.”

The purpose of military chaplains, as stated by the Air Force Chaplain Corps and echoed among the other branches of the U.S. Military, is to “offer a broadly based ministry aimed at meeting the diverse pastoral needs of the pluralistic military community.”  They are told to abide by the First Amendment by supporting the free exercise of religion, both directly and indirectly, for all members of the Military Services, their dependents, and other authorized persons.

The 22 February 2006 bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, Iraq, which collapsed the dome of a 1,200-year-old holy site and triggered attacks between Shiite and Sunni militants, prompted Larsen to make a decision – and a change of heart – regarding his own personal faith.

Larsen describes the transformation in him as when “I realized so many innocent people are dying in the name of God. When you think back over the Catholic-Protestant conflict, how the Jews have suffered, how some Christians justified slavery, the Crusades, and the fighting between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, I just decided I’m done.” He decided to convert from Protestant to Wicca, stating, “I will not be part of any church that unleashes its clergy to preach that particular individuals or faith groups are damned.”

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We hope you and your family are at a wonderful place in your lives during this Lughnasadh. It has always been a special time for us, as we celebrate the harvest season and look forward to the beginning of the new year (which for me has always occurred at Samhain, not January 1st). In honor of the day, I thought perhaps I would share something that I stumbled across online. It’s a Lughnasadh Ritual by Sandra Kynes, which I found posted to the Llewellyn Encyclopedia. I won’t post the entire ritual here, but will simply post the set-up. You can read the rest of the ritual at Llewellyn.

Setup
Items needed for this ritual include: Six pieces of fruit, vegetables or a combination placed in a basket near the altar; Chalice; A wand or athame can be used to cast the circle; Honey mead or other honeyed drink such as chamomile tea; Cornbread on a plate; A small cup filled with grapes.

Background
In our modern world it is easy to forget how important a successful harvest was to our ancestors. They had cause for celebration: A good harvest meant survival in the dark, cold months ahead. A poor or bad harvest signaled the beginning of difficult times. Even though we can nip out to the supermarket whenever we need something, this is a good time to give thought to where our food originates and reverence for the cycles that produce it. Better still, tending a garden keeps us in touch with the Goddess and her bounty. Even if your garden consists only of tomatoes or herbs grown in pots on a balcony, these taste all the sweeter for having been nurtured by your own hands.

Tonight’s circle is created to give thanks for what the Lord and Lady provide. The late summer harvest is a time of transformation; a time to take stock of how the year has unfolded thus far, what you h ave done, and what you are ready to reap. The fruits of the seeds planted in the spring (physical and spiritual) are ready to be gathered in.

Read More @ Llewellyn Encyclopedia >>