Naturalistic Paganism
Pagans again blamed for something they didn’t do? Say it ain’t so, Joe!
It’s not a surprise, of course, that Christian privilege means that time after time, non-Christians (especially Pagans, because they can’t be demonized for being foreign) are vilified and blamed for crimes that they didn’t commit, and which often were committed by Christians. We saw earlier this year when Pagans were blamed for the mass murder by a Christian Terrorist, who had even published a manifesto saying he was doing this as a Christian Crusade against Muslims (the manifesto isn’t hard to find, but I’ll refrain from linking to it, which would just amplify the spread of his hatred). 
This time it’s in the UK. As published in the Wild Hunt:
TWH – Last week, The Guardian ran an article with the headline, “Witchcraft and black magic contribute to increase in child abuse.” That headline was mimicked by other media outlets including The Independent, Newsweek, and The Telegraph. The headline also raised concerns within the Pagan community across the world from the U.K. to the U.S. to Australia.
Despite the headlines and the claim of “witchcraft” and “black magic”, the UK report says nothing of the sort.
I recommend the full article, which can be found here.
Sadly, I’m sure this won’t be the last time, even in the next year in all likelihood. Some of this is likely by people who just have learned a sub-conscious anti-Pagan view from their parents. Others may be actively anti-Pagan. In the end, it really doesn’t matter much which type of bigotry exists in each case. What is important is that we continue to notice, and continue to speak out, so we can eventually get to an open and accepting society.
Starstuff, Contemplating by Jon Cleland Host
We are assemblages of ancient atoms forged in stars – atoms organized by history to the point of consciousness, now able to contemplate this sacred Universe of which we are a tiny, but wondrous, part.
Dr. Jon Cleland Host is a scientist who earned his PhD in materials science at Northwestern University & has conducted research at Hemlock Semiconductor and Dow Corning from 1997 – 2018, and at GKN since 2018. He holds eight patents and has authored over three dozen internal scientific papers and eleven papers for peer-reviewed scientific journals, including the journal Nature. He has taught classes on biology, math, chemistry, physics and general science at Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University. Jon grew up near Pontiac, and has been building a reality-based spirituality for over 30 years, first as a Catholic and now as a Unitarian Universalist, including collaborating with Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow to spread the awe and wonder of the Great Story of our Universe (see www.thegreatstory.org, and the blog at evolutionarytimes.org). Jon and his wife have four sons, whom they embrace within a Universe-centered, Pagan, family spirituality. He currently moderates the yahoo group Naturalistic Paganism.
Heather is a parent and a scientist raising her four children to explore the world through scientific understanding and with spiritual appreciation of the Universe. She has a Master of Science degree in Physics from Michigan State University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of the Arts degree in English Literature, also from the University of Michigan. She teaches physics as an adjunct instructor at Delta College, runs the Math Mania program at a local elementary school, has worked at Dow Corning as an engineer and at NASA as an intern, and she has led science outreach workshops for K-12 students through joint programs between NASA and the University of Michigan. She is a naturalistic non-theist, whose faith has been shaped by her childhood within the Episcopal Church, her adult membership in the Unitarian Universalist church, and through Buddhist meditation. She has a passion for bringing science and spirituality to everyone in a fun way, both for her own family and for the wider community of the Earth. She is a co-author with Jon Cleland-Host of Elemental Birthdays: How to Bring Science into Every Party.
Naturalistic Paganism 