Holidays - Alternative Faith

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Today is the Wiccan holiday of Yule or Winter Solstice. So what is the technical function of Winter Solstice anyway? Well, for all of us in the northern hemisphere, it means that the sun appeared at its lowest point in the southern sky near sunset. Today was actually the shortest day of the year. The sun was directly over the Tropic of Capricorn also. So what does that all mean? It means the sun is returning and this is the return toward summer.

Of course there are far more things that have developed from the celebration of Winter Solstice. Sometime in the 4th century, the early Christian leaders decided amongst themselves to have the celebration of the birth of Jesus to fall within days of Yule. Oddly enough though, it’s not just the Pagans and Christians that have major celebrations in the month of December which tend to fall around the day of the Winter Solstice. All of them lay claim to the month of December and depending on your beliefs, you may side with one or many. But does it really matter? Not really. All that really matters is that you are celebrating because of what you know in your heart, not what the media or your neighbor tells you to celebrate. This is supposed to be the “season of giving”, but normally it ends up the season of taking…taking away the rights of other religions and their beliefs because you think your opinion trumps all others. So before I get back to the topic of Yule, wake up and stop fooling yourself! Your opinion is good when expressed but please stop force feeding the rest of us…it’s the holidays for Goddess sake…take the month off.

So anyway, today was the Winter Solstice and the celebration of Yule. So how did you celebrate? Do you know how some Wiccans and Pagans celebrate Yule? Well of course you know I am going to tell you. Some tend to meet in Covens or Unitarian churches and perform rituals to say goodbye to the darkness and welcome the sun God back. In general, if your home is not decorated yet, some will decorate with the colors of red, green, and white. I actually decorate my house with red and silver. There can also be the use of pine cones, holly and various evergreens. Depending on the Pagan’s view, they may wait until “Christmas Day” and exchange gifts (if it has always been a family tradition) and other decide to celebrate and exchange presents over a number of days. I think I like the 2nd way…more gifts are good gifts (hahaha). Santa can be a feature in the season as well, especially if children are present. As with all Pagan holidays, the Goddess should be honored. Some tend to place images of the Goddess around their home. Use of candles to represent the re-birth of light is also found, as well as possibly singing or chanting.

So what kind of candles, herbs, and food would you find in a Pagan’s house during Yule? Well, that depends but I can tell you what the average would be. Red, green, white, gold (and I also use silver) candles, herbs and aromatics such as bay, pine, ginger, myrrh, valerian, cinnamon, nutmeg, oak, and orange. I like to take a min potpourri pot that is heated by candle and add water, cinnamon, nutmeg, a dash of myrrh oil or cinnamon oil, and orange rind. Of course there is also the Yule log. In this day and age the Yule log tends to be a confection that you eat, but if you have a fireplace or firepit you can also burn a traditional Yule log.

What kind of food is used for celebrations? Gingerbread cookies, eggnog, chestnut stuffing, pork roast, stolen (a sweat German bread), wassail (hot mulled apple cider). I like to make all kinds of cookies and yummy treats, including rum balls. Even though all of what I make isn’t focused around Yule per say, I like to take what I like and add it to the celebration. A lot of people do this now, no matter what religion you are. Taking your own thoughts and combining them with a religious following to make it your own is becoming a bigger trend…probably to make religions more easy to swallow.

So no matter what your belief and what you are doing or not doing to celebrate the season, I say happy holidays and merry Christmas. Now, the rum balls are calling my name and I must bend to their will. Have a great holiday with your friends and family and I will be back to blog about all of the crazy things the nutjob Christians did during baby Jesus’ birthday celebration.

Blessed Be

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Posted By: Miss Faith - Category: Holidays

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Christians Only. No Others Allowed.

December 17th 2006 03:10

What Would Jesus Do?

Are you a Christian? Statistics show that a majority of people in the US with religious beliefs are a Christian in some form. Well, Christmas is only a couple of weeks away and recently there has been the yearly controversy of what to call the holidays. So here is my question: What about the other people in this country that do not consider themselves to be Christians? Why do the Christians find it their duty in life to commandeer the winter holidays and really all other major holidays as well? What if you are a Jew, Muslim, Pagan, Sikh, Buddhist, or even an atheist? Why do we as Americans allow one group to take over a holiday or celebration and say it is solely theirs and nobody else can have it? Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of the people you see on TV ranting and raving about being politically correct and changing everything. But, when and where do you draw the line?

It’s not just the holidays either. If you look back through the year at comments made about Jews or any other religion, there was not too much said as to why it was allowed. However, if someone even thinks of uttering a negative word against Christians and/or Christianity then the world will stop and demands for retraction will be set into motion. So why is this? Why are we letting Christians, especially the fundies take over our country and tell us how to think and what to believe? I am not a Christian and I find it offensive that they don’t acknowledge other religions and their beliefs. Here is why I think they are getting away with so much now: They have numerous well-known and influential people in the media and public eye. The only other religion that has some sort of well know advocates are affiliated with Islam. So since Jews, Pagans, Buddhists, Sikhs, or any other religion does not possess the kind of in-you-face representatives what are they to do? Apparently they are to sit back and take it. But why?

This article is a great example as to why the others sit back and take it. Because if you are a Christian and you are reading this, more than likely I just ruffled your feathers. Now imagine if I said something negative about the baby Jesus or Christianity having Pagan and Jewish genes. Imagine how much flack I would get over comments about anything that goes against a Christian belief. Some are so sensitive, I could actually say something minor about one of the Apostles and I would still get hammered and probably called a heathen. On the other hand, if you hear a Christian make an off-colored comment about a Jew, for example, it is completely acceptable. I don’t get it. Why do we allow this to happen? Well, I for one will not allow it to happen to me anymore. I have gotten some rather sorted comments from Christians about my beliefs and non-beliefs. However, I think next time I shall come out with “guns a blazin”, so to say. However, even making that comment can spark some controversy with some. Just to clarify, I meant nothing about actual guns. I was referring to fighting back with words as to what I was being hammered with or about.

I am for equality in this country, whether it is racial, gender, or religious. I am not for one person to have it better than the other, especially at the expense of another group of people. If we all think back to September 11th and how most of the country joined together in shock, yet we were all there for each other. Yes, there was and still is a backlash against Muslims or Arabs in general. But that is not what I want to point out. I want to point out that I saw women and men consoling each other no matter what their skin color or gender. And at that point nobody was concerned about the other person’s religious beliefs. We were all united as one, working together to help one another. So what happened in the past 5 years? How have we made it to this point? It has been a vicious downward spiral since that day. We have been divided based on political views, religious beliefs, and are still being further divided over gender and race. You would think that in the 21st century we would be able to really call it quits and get along a little better. But for some reason, it seems that we are getting worse. Now the theme is every man or woman for themselves. And if you are not of the popular religion of Christianity then your soul needs to be saved ASAP. I have been told by friends and acquaintances of being approached by Muslims and told to convert for fear of being virtually “wiped out”. Yet the Christians pass judgment on all, even the Muslims that make the same statements they are making themselves. When will it end? Well, it seems there is some good in sight. Certain groups of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and Pagans have been getting together to show unity and diversity instead of hatred. There are churches called Unitarian Universalist churches that honor different beliefs in their sermons. This is one step toward the positive. The next step needs to be taken by the rest of us. Evangelicals need to stop preaching and trying to save souls. Instead they should be sharing their knowledge of their beliefs and letting people make their own decisions in life. It’s time we actually begin to evolve as a society and allow people to think more freely of their own will. After all, in the end don’t we all want the same thing? Freedom, peace, and equality.

Blessed Be

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Posted By: Miss Faith - Category: Holidays

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Let Us Sing Praise to the Flying Spaghetti Monster

December 8th 2006 20:01

The Creation

‘Tis the Season! Are you looking for a religious belief but you just cannot seem to grasp the thoughts of Christians, Muslims, Jews, or anyone else in between? Well then the ways of the Flying Spaghetti Monster may be just right for you! Have I lost my mind? Am I a blasphemer? Or is the Flying Spaghetti Monster real and all-knowing? Before those of you reading this begin praying for my eternal soul and start envisioning my future life of eternal hell, let’s dive a little deeper into the subject.

I heard of the Flying Spaghetti monster almost a year ago. Knowing full well this was a parody of religion, I found it humorous but wanted to know if there were actually people on this rock that we call earth, that actually believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. So allow me to give you some history of the FSM. He was founded in 2005 by Bobby Henderson, an Oregon State physics graduate. Apparently he was wanting to protest the Kansas State Board of Education’s decision to teach intelligent design as the alternative to evolution. He decided to write an open letter and then posted it on his website addressing the issue, along with a rather amusing drawing of the FSM and his noodly appendages. In the letter he professes his belief in the supernatural Creator that looks like a mass of spaghetti and meatballs. He called this Creator the Flying Spaghetti Monster. He asked for what he referred to as “Pastafarianism” to be taught in all science classrooms, because of the argument of teaching intelligent design.

So, where did he come up with “Pastafarianism”? It’s a combination of pasta and Rastafarian. The thought of the FSM has virtually exploded all over the internet and really all over the US. Many atheists use the idea of the FSM as a point on religious beliefs. Would you like to know what the FSM belief system consists of? Well, He created the universe including mountains, trees, and a midget. This is depicted in the hand drawn version that was sent in the open letter to the School Board. Any evidence pointing to evolution was planted by the FSM. How is the faith of Pastafarians tested? By changing things to make them appear older than they are. Here is the example that was given in the letter to the School Board: “a scientist may perform a carbon-dating process on an artifact. He finds that approximately 75% of the Carbon-14 has decayed by electron emission to Nitrogen-14, and infers that this artifact is approximately 10,000 years old, as the half-life of Carbon-14 appears to be 5,730 years. But what our scientist does not realize is that every time he makes a measurement, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage.” Mr. Henderson points out that the followers have numerous texts that show detailed proof on why and how the FSM can or would do this. He also adds that the FSM is invisible and is able to pass through regular matter.

Want to hear more? Do you find the beliefs of the FSM to be interesting or at least intriguing? Well here is more for you to chew on, no pun intended. Pastafarians believe in Heaven and here are the 2 main points: 1) It has volcanoes that erupt and spew forth beer. 2) It also has what is referred to as a “stripper factory”. They also officially conclude their prayers by stating the word “RAmen”, as in the noodles. How was the earth actually created? He created the mountain, trees and the midgit (the way the Great One spells it) all in one day, then He too the next 3 days to create the rest of the universe, and finally rested the last 3 days. Humans were not created in His image, since He is perfect and we are not.

Let me ask you a question. Do you like Pirates? Do you know any Pirates? Well according to the Gospel of the FSM, Pirates are absolute divine beings as well as the original Pastafarians. However, even though the Pirate race has quickly diminished since 1820 because of global warming, Pastafarians hope to help the numbers grow once again through the followers of the FSM. Is there certain religious attire that is to be worn to show your devotion to the great One? Why yes there is. If you choose to teach the ways of the FSM, then it must be done in full pirate regalia or He will become very angry. Also, followers should at least adorn their Pirate hat or eye patch daily to show their eternal devotion. The followers of the FSM have been growing in numbers, and according to Mr. Henderson’s letter there are over 10 million of them in the US.

So how about it? Sounds not only tasty but appealing as well, doesn’t it? Well it is the Holiday season and there are a lot of people looking for something to believe in, so why not give the FSM a try? Oh, I almost forgot about the bonus. Every Friday is a Holiday. So imagine all of the time off of school and work, not to mention all of the celebrating to do all year long! So go ahead, dive in, no wait that would be wrong to eat his Greatness. Instead, bow to his noodly appendage and become whole once again. Just be careful because it’s a pain to try to get pasta sauce stains out of clothing. Can I get a RAmen?

Blessed Be

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Posted By: Miss Faith - Category: Holidays

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Merry Yul-Eid-Christ-Kwan-Hanu-Bodhi Part2

December 6th 2006 19:57

So Bodhi is only 2 days away. What do they do to celebrate this holiday and why? Bodhi day is when Buddha achieved enlightenment. He left his family and everything in search for the meaning of life, especially for the meaning of its hardships. After not having any success with teachers, he decided to sit under a papal tree and after 8 days he realized that everyone suffers because of ignorance. But ignorance could be overcome by following the eightfold path that he advocated. So the Buddhists generally regard this day as the birth of Buddhism.
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Posted By: Miss Faith - Category: Holidays

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Merry Yul-Eid-Christ-Kwan-Hanu-Bodhi!

December 5th 2006 16:03

So Christmas, Yule, Hannukkah, or whatever you want to call it is just around the corner. There seems to be many different religions celebrating different “holidays” in December. Here is a short list along with approximate dates for the diverse celebrations that will be honored or acknowledged this year:
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Posted By: Miss Faith - Category: Holidays

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It Took Black Friday to Unite Us

November 25th 2006 03:54

Black Friday Unites us All

Something hit me today. Actually, it was this morning at around 5:15 am, while standing shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers in Circuit City. Yes, it took black Friday to make me see something so apparent. Why is every religion at odds with each other over nothing? And when is it all going to stop so we can just co-exist more peacefully? I think there is enough hatred and war in this world without the pettiness of religious fundies.
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Posted By: Miss Faith - Category: Holidays

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Are You Going to Eat Yourself Retarded?

November 22nd 2006 15:15

So tomorrow is Thanksgiving. So what does Thanksgiving mean and how do different religions celebrate? Well, Thanksgiving is mainly a US custom, however, there are so many different ethnicities in the US how do they all celebrate? Or do they celebrate at all? And did you know that Canada has a Thanksgiving Day, but it is the 2nd Monday in October?
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Posted By: Miss Faith - Category: Holidays

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