The "Tolerance Files" thread.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Borrowed from JREF:

freedom of religion means any religion.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2 ... -case.html

Christopher’s teacher, Mrs. Ross, pulled him out of class and proceeded to drill him about Paganism, ending the conversation with “Paganism is not a religion.” Remember, this is an 11 year old student, with no parent present while being harassed about his religion by someone who is suppose to be an educator.

[Audley Strange]

Paganism is not a religion though is it? It's a catch all term for various local faiths, coined I believe as a pejorative term.

[Horwood Beer-Master]

Paganism is not a religion though is it? It's a catch all term for various local faiths, coined I believe as a pejorative term.

Christianity these days is often a catch term for being white, English, and feeling that believing in 'something' is probably a jolly nice thing - at least when a census form is shoved under your nose.

[Audley Strange]

Good point, but pagan was essentially the equivalent of "hick" or "savage", the uncultured as far as I recall, so the term paganism is a vague one at least.

[Bella Fortuna]

Good point, but pagan was essentially the equivalent of "hick" or "savage", the uncultured as far as I recall, so the term paganism is a vague one at least.

The origins of it, yes, but that's not how it's practically applied today.

[Audley Strange]

Good point, but pagan was essentially the equivalent of "hick" or "savage", the uncultured as far as I recall, so the term paganism is a vague one at least.

The origins of it, yes, but that's not how it's practically applied today.

I was unaware of that. So I checked out the wiki page. Still seems like a catch all term for a mish-mash of various faiths to me. Is there a common conventional meaning I'm completely missing?

[Bella Fortuna]

Good point, but pagan was essentially the equivalent of "hick" or "savage", the uncultured as far as I recall, so the term paganism is a vague one at least.

The origins of it, yes, but that's not how it's practically applied today.

I was unaware of that. So I checked out the wiki page. Still seems like a catch all term for a mish-mash of various faiths to me. Is there a common conventional meaning I'm completely missing?

No - that's right. People who call themselves pagans today do use it as kind of a benign catch all general term. The 'savage' or negative connotation is long gone.

[Audley Strange]

Good point, but pagan was essentially the equivalent of "hick" or "savage", the uncultured as far as I recall, so the term paganism is a vague one at least.

The origins of it, yes, but that's not how it's practically applied today.

I was unaware of that. So I checked out the wiki page. Still seems like a catch all term for a mish-mash of various faiths to me. Is there a common conventional meaning I'm completely missing?

No - that's right. People who call themselves pagans today do use it as kind of a benign catch all general term. The 'savage' or negative connotation is long gone.

Heh, except in Strange Towers apparently!

Still it does point to it being less than a religion though eh? No central tenets underpinning a community or idea no "-ism" as far as I can see. Still if it makes them happy to think so and to think they are being oppressed for it fair enough. Who am I to argue with others fantasy worlds?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Religion - WORLD
Muslim Cleric's Warning: Cucumbers Too Sexy for Women

An Islamic cleric living in Europe reportedly has warned Muslim women not to get too close to bananas, cucumbers or other produce -- to avoid having “sexual thoughts.”

The unnamed cleric, whose directive was featured in an article in el-Senousa, a religious publication, purportedly said that if women wanted to eat these foods, a third party -- preferably a male related to them, such as their father or husband -- should cut the items into small pieces before serving, the Egyptian website Bikya Masr reported.

Carrots and zucchini also were added to the alleged cleric's list of forbidden foods for women.

News of the statement quickly spread online, leaving many liberal Muslims embarrassed and angry, evoking a flurry of mockery in online forums.

"Many of the commentators are Muslims themselves, who have expressed their anger against the cleric for making Islamic religious practices appear unreasonable," The International Business Times reported.

BikyaMasr.com said the cleric, identified only as a sheikh, was asked in the interview how to “control” women when they are shopping for groceries, and whether holding these items at the market would be bad, to which he replied that the matter was between them and God.

Questions also arose about the validity of the original published interview. An online search for the el-Senousa article, for instance, yields only results linking to the Bikya Masr report.

But the mere suggestion of a strict order for Muslim women handling food has been enough to send people to website forums and Twitter to air their indignation.

Danish/Lebanese journalist Helen Hajjij tweeted on Wednesday: “So if M

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/08 ... z1g5CBPBW7


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/08 ... z1g5C2xkYP

[amused]

It's probably a bad sign when the real parts of your religion are so nutty that they are indistinguishable from fabricated nuttiness.

[Audley Strange]

Religion - WORLD
Muslim Cleric's Warning: Cucumbers Too Sexy for Women

An Islamic cleric living in Europe reportedly has warned Muslim women not to get too close to bananas, cucumbers or other produce -- to avoid having “sexual thoughts.”

The unnamed cleric, whose directive was featured in an article in el-Senousa, a religious publication, purportedly said that if women wanted to eat these foods, a third party -- preferably a male related to them, such as their father or husband -- should cut the items into small pieces before serving, the Egyptian website Bikya Masr reported.

Carrots and zucchini also were added to the alleged cleric's list of forbidden foods for women.

News of the statement quickly spread online, leaving many liberal Muslims embarrassed and angry, evoking a flurry of mockery in online forums.

"Many of the commentators are Muslims themselves, who have expressed their anger against the cleric for making Islamic religious practices appear unreasonable," The International Business Times reported.

BikyaMasr.com said the cleric, identified only as a sheikh, was asked in the interview how to “control” women when they are shopping for groceries, and whether holding these items at the market would be bad, to which he replied that the matter was between them and God.

Questions also arose about the validity of the original published interview. An online search for the el-Senousa article, for instance, yields only results linking to the Bikya Masr report.

But the mere suggestion of a strict order for Muslim women handling food has been enough to send people to website forums and Twitter to air their indignation.

Danish/Lebanese journalist Helen Hajjij tweeted on Wednesday: “So if M

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/08 ... z1g5CBPBW7


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/08 ... z1g5C2xkYP

I could tell you a story about a Muslim girl and a cucumber, but what you'd imagine would probably be better.

[JimC]

Paganism is not a religion though is it? It's a catch all term for various local faiths, coined I believe as a pejorative term.

Christianity these days is often a catch term for being white, English, and feeling that believing in 'something' is probably a jolly nice thing - at least when a census form is shoved under your nose.

The Religious Education co-ordinator at the catholic school I teach at is a very large, very jolly lady called Mrs Pagan...

To her credit, she is a liberal catholic who has said in public that the current pope is an arsehole...

[FBM]

Good point, but pagan was essentially the equivalent of "hick" or "savage", the uncultured as far as I recall, so the term paganism is a vague one at least.

My ears were ringing. I knew somebody was talking about me...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Saudi Arabia: Woman Is Beheaded After Being Convicted of Witchcraft
A Saudi woman was beheaded Monday after being convicted of practicing sorcery, which is banned, the interior ministry said. The woman, Amina bint Abdulhalim Nassar, was executed in the northern province of Jawf for “practicing witchcraft and sorcery,” the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency. The statement did not specify what acts she was accused of committing, but Philip Luther, the interim director of the Middle East and North Africa for Amnesty International, said, “The charge of sorcery has often been used in Saudi Arabia to punish people, generally after unfair trials, for exercising their right to freedom of speech or religion.” Amnesty condemned the execution, which it said was the 73rd in the kingdom this year.

Seriously?

[Seth]