Witch Willows WanderingsCatholics Gone Wild
November 6th 2006 16:15
Catholics A-"Salt" Pagans
The Abbey
OOPS! Wrong example of Throwing Salt.
So why did this happen in the first place? Glastonbury is a predominately pagan town and has lots of pagan visitors as well. So what got the Catholic’s panties in a bunch to the point that they had to march through town and do this? Well Father Knox-Lecky of St. Mary’s church said that after speaking with the pagan community, the Youth 2000 group would not be invited back anymore. To cover his butt he said, “A family appeared who we don't know, who were very destructive not only in the town and to the pagan community, but were also swearing at our parishioners as well.” I am going to entrust that his statement is true and basically just sad that one of the supporters would swear at parishioners there as well.
Burn 'em at the stake...again
Here is what Youth 2000 supposedly is: “an independent, international initiative that helps young adults aged 16-35 plug back into God at the heart of the Roman Catholic Church.” The managing director, Charlie Connor, stated “Youth 2000 does not condone or encourage this kind of behavior from anyone. We fully agree that differences on matters of faith cannot and should not be resolved by any kind of harassment”. As much as I would like to believe him, I personally do not. They apparently were very aware of the fact that Glastonbury was thriving with paganism, yet still allowed the march to take place. This would be like getting a group of Pagans and marching through Vatican City. I know they supposedly were marching to mark the 467th anniversary of the beheading of Richard Whiting, the last abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, but why? Yes, celebrate what you want….but when you do something like this knowing full well who lives, works, and vacations in this town then shame on you. What were they expecting? Let me guess…Pagans and Catholics would join hands and dance in the street with joy and love and then in the end the Pagans would find the “light” and come to Jesus. No matter what the reason was, this was stupid planning on their part.
I wasn’t too aggravated with this story, just tired of hearing it, until I read this statement from the arch druid of Glastonbury, Dreow Bennett, “To call the behavior of some of their members medieval would be an understatement. I personally witnessed the owner of the Magick Box being confronted by one of their associates and being referred to as a bloody bitch and being told 'you will burn in hell'.” What would possess someone to be this hateful to another person that they don’t even know? It makes the thought of Catholicism being peaceful and loving a crazy notion. Maybe next time, if there is a next time, they should have priests on hand to perform exorcisms, because apparently some of the marchers acted so vile they needed to have their “demons” driven out. I can’t wait to see how the Pope ends up “spinning” this one! He probably will try to ramble off something about the Nazi’s being born of neo-paganism again. Or how about how he apparently does not support interfaith, unlike his predecessor Pope John Paul II? But that’s an entirely different can of worms, so we won’t go down that road.
WWPBD? What Would Pope Benedict Do?
However, as a clincher, supposedly Father Kevin Knox-Lecky offered his resignation in light of what took place during the gathering. If this is true…why? Maybe some feelings of guilt by association, who knows.
Blessed Be
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Comment by Kristen
Silly American
haha, anyway those Catholics never cease to amaze me.. Forget about gangs and drive by's, Catholics and salt are even scarier!!!!
Comment by Velvet Darkness
1) An individual did indeed verbally assault a shop owner prior to the retreat, using rather (shall we say politely) injudicious language, okay, lets be blunt he was bloody rude. Youth 2000 were so impressed by all this, that the gentleman was subsequently refused entry to the retreat. So the group's actually distancing itself for this nutter for a start.
2) There was a procession through Glastonbury as Youth 2000 have (apparantly) done for the last five years or so (apparantly it's a regular retreat to mark the Feast of All Saints) during which, as is apparantly customary, holy salt was scattered as a way of blessing Glastonbury. Again hardly a major act of agression by the Christians. Apparantly one of the Franciscan Friars at the retreat managed to spray some salt over some people standing in a shop doorway.
And as usual the press is spinning things out of control, in the same way all pagans were child sacrificing Satanists back in the 70s and 80s (not that there's anything necessarily wrong with being a Satanist, some of them are very nice people, I hasten to add in case my friend from the Temple of Set never speaks to me again). So let's all chill, all be nice and respect each other's religion, and not believe all we read in the papers.
Comment by Miss Faith
Pagan eyewitnesses that were divided on what was published. Apparently some saw these supposed
people being dowsed with salt and it was not as a mistake. However, others have said that they in
fact did not see anything really bad happen as described.
So I guess this is what I am trying to say: If you were not actually at the event then you really don't
know what actually happened. It's really hard to take the word of anyone, whether Pagan or Catholic.
So really if you don't see it with your own eyes, then who's to say what took place. But this does not
mean that we should not publish a story about what supposedly happened during the event. I have
known people that have been verbally attacked by Christians because of their beliefs, so to say that
Catholics would not do such a thing is absurd.
However, I do agree that we all need to start playing nice with each other's religions. But let's face it...
there is always going to be some sort of backlash from one religion to another, not just Christian and Pagan.
Comment by Wendi
I admire your ability to respect all belief structures. I try to do the same. I'm not a fan of religion, but I understand its purpose for some people. A friend invited me to church with her last weekend. I knew it was an important part of her life and something she wanted to share.
The sermon was decent and preached on faith, so I extracted from it what I could use and discarded the rest respectfully. It takes much less energy to "live and let live" than it does to try to obstruct another's right to believe in what they wish. Diversity is a good thing.
Glad I found your blog. I enjoy the way you express your opinion.
Wendi
Comment by Miss Faith
And I think it's really good to get out and either see or hear other religions, or at least pick up a book or
research one online from time to time. I think it makes you a more well rounded person. Personally, I have
looked into many religions and beliefs on my own quest, and I hope to be able to share all of the knowledge
I obtained with my kids when they decide to look for themselves. If only everyone was more open-minded,
huh?
Comment by Wendi
I want the entire Universe open to my children and within their reach. I don't want them to feel locked in because of my opinion, because of tradition, because of ridicule. Taste it all. Chew on it. Let the flavor roll around on the tongue. Savor the aftertaste. Digest it. Dissect it. Take what applies to you and respectfully leave the rest. My kids do all tend to share my belief systems, or perhaps carry on the traits of seeking spirits with curious minds. They are metaphysical explorers and I must admit I love that.
I blame religion for a lot that's wrong in the world, I think. I don't know if that's right of me or if I'm justified, but religion puts a sour taste in my mouth. I believe every religion contains gems of truth, and I believe every religion includes man-made error. I respect religion, however, and the need for others to make religion a focal point in their lives. I see the need. I'll go to church with friends when invited, regardless of denomination, but that surprises many who do associate me with the words "witch" and "pagan".
Comment by Anonymous