elementropy

Monday, October 31, 2005

Happy Helloween

Mr. Buckley has stupid pundits
They're batshit even for wingnuts
Holidays are great occasions
for their online screeds and stunts

***

The Prudely Den Mother of the NRO troop of the Phalange Scouts of Winguttia takes the opportunity to ruin Halloween as best she knows how. Beware the feminists, kiddies! And Jonah, stay out of Derb's candy bag!

Lopez: How much Wicca is about feminism?

Sanders: Because Wicca is a pagan spirituality, emphasis is placed on Mother Earth, the Mother Goddess. Wicca found an agreeable companion in feminism as the feminist movement grew in the 1960s and 1970s. As women were looking to change things in the culture at large, they also looked to religion and liked the idea of a goddess.

Lopez: Is contemporary feminism inherently pagan?

Sanders: There are so many types of feminists in this country, that I couldn't honestly paint them with such a broad brush. [Ed. - Kathryn kicked her under the table for this] Sure, some are literally pagan in their beliefs.[Ed. - Ahh, much better!] And others have experienced legitimate discrimination as women. But I think that we wouldn't have ever needed feminism at all if professing Christians throughout history had lived according to the tenets of their faith (which we often don't) -i.e. to respect all regardless of sex or ethnic background.[Ed. - Kathryn is fuming now]

Lopez: You talk a bit about strong Christian women in the Bible. Why don't feminists focus more on them?

Sanders: Good question. We could learn a lot from them. They might be inconvenient though with the more radical feminist views that Christianity is oppressive and patriarchal. I think that their stories are inspiring. The early church and Jesus treated women with dignity unheard of in the ancient, pagan world.

Well, that didn't go perfectly, but mission accomplished I suppose. Feminists are yukky pagans. Suddenly, Jonah feels uncomfortable in his super hip Lulu Roman costume. Maybe he should have gone as the Michelin Tire Man this year, after all.

If feminists are "inherently pagan", then pagans are..

Lopez: Who is Gerald Gardner and why should I care?

Sanders: Gerald Gardner is the founder of Wicca. His life makes for a bizarre read. He was a British civil servant who lived overseas for much of the beginning of the 20th century. He lived in south Asia and became fascinated with local tribal culture, ritual knives, and nudity, among other things... Gardner invented some rituals that included some of his own personal proclivities. He also added some rituals from the flamboyant Aleister Crowley who called himself the Beast 666 and said some atrocious things about women. Adding in a reverence for nature and the old Celtic calendar and you have the roots of Wicca. I was surprised that many young people who practice Wicca didn't know about either of these men.

Excellent! Now for that candy.