An Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney has filed suit on behalf of a group of Christians who were denied the right to publicly express a religious message. David Ickes and seven other members of the Worldwide Street Preachers’ Fellowship were silenced by police after attempting to speak in a public park in Grand Rapids.
“It is truly disturbing when those charged with upholding the law disregard or do not understand the First Amendment rights of citizens,” said ADF-allied attorney Randall Wenger of the Lancaster, Pa., law firm Clymer & Musser, P.C. “The officers in this situation acted in violation of the Constitution when they chose to silence those who were simply exercising their free speech rights.”
Wenger is asking the court to prohibit the city from stopping his clients’ free speech activities while the case moves forward if they choose to speak at the park.
On Sept. 23, Ickes and others attempted to address attendees of the Pagan Pride Festival at Richmond Hills Park. The group spoke using a small wooden platform but did not use amplification equipment. A Grand Rapids Police sergeant informed Ickes that a permit was required for their activities and claimed they were disturbing the peace. One group member was forcefully pulled from the platform by a second sergeant, handcuffed, and detained in the back of a police vehicle.
One of the officers acknowledged to Ickes that an attempt to obtain a permit likely would have been denied by city officials to avoid “problems” caused by differing viewpoints between the group and festival attendees. Further, the officer admitted the festival did not have exclusive use of the park. Under continued threat of arrest, the group decided to leave the area.
Archaeologists say they have found a huge ancient settlement used by the people who built Stonehenge.
Excavations at Durrington Walls, near the legendary Salisbury Plain monument, uncovered remains of ancient houses.
People seem to have occupied the site seasonally, using it for ritual feasting and funeral ceremonies.
In ancient times, this settlement housed hundreds of people, making it the largest Neolithic village ever found in Britain.
The dwellings date back to 2,600-2,500 BC, the same period that Stonehenge was built.
“In what were houses, we have excavated the outlines on the floors of box beds and wooden dressers or cupboards,” said archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson of Sheffield University.
The researchers have excavated eight dwellings in total that belonged to this settlement. But they have identified many other probable dwellings using geophysical surveying equipment.
The archaeologists think there could have been at least one hundred houses.
Each one would have measured about 5m (16ft) square: “fairly pokey”, according to Professor Parker Pearson.
The dwellings were made of wood, with a clay floor and central hearth. The archaeologists found 4,600-year-old rubbish covering the floors of the houses.
“It is the richest - by that I mean the filthiest - site of this period known in Britain,” Professor Parker Pearson told BBC News.
“We’ve never seen such quantities of pottery and animal bone and flint.”
The Sheffield University researcher thinks the settlement was probably not lived in all year round. Instead, he believes, Stonehenge and Durrington formed a religious complex used for funerary rituals.
Professor Parker Pearson believes it drew Neolithic people from all over the region, who came for massive feasts in the midwinter, where prodigious quantities of food were consumed. The bones were then tossed on the floors of the houses.
“The rubbish isn’t your average domestic debris. There’s a lack of craft-working equipment for cleaning animal hides and no evidence for crop-processing,” he said.
“The animal bones are being thrown away half-eaten. It’s what we call a feasting assemblage. This is where they went to party - you could say it was the first free festival.”
Pigging out
The Durrington settlement has its own henge, this one made of wood. This ancient circle was discovered in 1967 - long before any houses were excavated.
Both henges line up with events in the astronomical calendar - but not the same ones.
Stonehenge is aligned with the midwinter solstice sunset, while the Durrington timber circle is aligned with the midwinter solstice sunrise. They are complementary, says Mike Parker Pearson.
This fits nicely with the idea of a feast held in midwinter, which is supported by analysis of pig teeth found at the site.
“One of the things we can tell from the pig teeth we’ve looked at is that most of them have been slaughtered at nine months. And we think they are farrowing in Spring,” Professor Parker Pearson.
“It’s likely there’s a midwinter cull and that ties in with our midwinter solstice alignments at Durrington and Stonehenge.”
In a separate area, further up the valley, Julian Thomas of Manchester University discovered two other Neolithic houses, each surrounded by a timber fence and ditches.
Sacred monument
But unlike the houses further down the valley, these were free of rubbish: “At first we thought they had been washed out,” Professor Thomas said.
But the researchers now think these dwellings were deliberately kept clean and may have been home to community leaders, wise women, chiefs or priests.
Alternatively, they could have been sacred sites, where people went to carry out rituals.
Professor Parker Pearson believes Durrington’s purpose was to celebrate life and deposit the dead in the river for transport to the afterlife, while Stonehenge was a memorial and even final resting place for some of the dead.
After feasting, he said, the people travelled down the avenue to deposit their dead in the River Avon flowing towards Stonehenge. They then moved along Stonehenge’s main “avenue” to the monument, where they would cremate and bury a select few of their dead.
Stonehenge was therefore a place for these people, who worshipped their ancestors, to commune with the spirits of those who died.
Stonehenge was the largest cemetery in Britain at the time, containing about 250 ashes from cremations.
The Tyra Banks Show, a popular daytime talk show hosted by the former supermodel, aired an episode on Monday about “The Lives of Witches,” which included as a guest a Christian author who previously left her life of witchcraft.
Sarah Anne Sumpolec was invited to be on the show after a last minute cancellation, and was an attempt by the producers to bring balance to the show.
The topic of the Monday’s episode is controversial to many Christians who see witchcraft as a dark art. Yet, the involvement of Sumpolec brought a Christian voice to the arena.
“When I was in high school, I was a practicing witch. It wasn’t until college that I became a Christian and came out of that dark world,” Sumpolec said in a statement. “The Tyra producers thought my story of coming out of witchcraft, how it led me to attempt suicide, and my current beliefs about it, was the right balance for their program.”
The fact that Sumpolec was on the show came as a large surprise. She found out about the opportunity from a sudden email, and flew out of an airport only hours later for the Los Angeles taping.
Among the hectic schedule that ensued, the Christian author wanted to be on the show, so that she could show Tyra’s viewers, which number around 2 million per day, that the world of witchcraft can be a very dangerous choice.
“It’s always a blessing when we get to share the truth,” shared Sumpolec in a statement. “Even though I was one lone voice, at least those watching will hear about witchcraft from a different angle.”
The ex-witch has her own ministry back at home which focuses on young adults. She speaks and writes books to warn them about the hazards of witchcraft, because teenagers and twenty-somethings are the most susceptible to the black art.
In addition to Sumpolec, the talk show featured six witches and two Satanists.
Each February, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged, while individuals send notes with expressions of love. All of these activities take place in the name of the somewhat elusive “Valentine.” But, who is Valentine? This Valentine’s Day, History.com has created a fully interactive resource to teach site visitors exactly why they are buying those dozens of roses each year. History.com’s Valentine’s Day feature, which includes the complete history of Valentine’s Day, various Valentine’s Day- related video clips and even legendary love letters from one of history’s greatest couple, is available now at .
History.com’s Valentine’s Day destination Web site includes the following Valentine’s Day history and trivia:
* Who is Valentine? The Web site details Valentine’s Day’s mysterious history including who Valentine is and how today the Catholic Church recognizes not one, but three different saints named Valentine whom were martyred. Other historical tidbits include how Valentine supposedly sent the original “valentine” greeting himself to a young girl he fell in love with while in prison, signing the letter with the now-famous signature, “from your Valentine.” * Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14? Answers to this question vary. Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated to commemorate the death of Valentine while others claim the Christian Church decided to celebrate the Valentine’s feast in the middle of February in an effort to “christianize” the pagan Lupercalia festival, a fertility festival dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus. * Who sends Valentine’s? Approximately 85 percent of valentines are purchased by women who live in one of the six regions that acknowledge the holiday: the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.
History.com’s feature also includes a variety of other Valentine’s themed data and historical accounts, including how many Valentine’s are exchanged yearly, the amount of marriages that take place annually and the number of jewelry stores currently in the U.S. In addition to providing trivia and historical information, the site features relationship profiles on legendary couples: Harry and Bess Truman (including original love letters between the couple), Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Jackie and Rachel Robinson.
“The history of Valentine’s Day is extremely ambiguous and we are excited to be able to deliver a comprehensive resource devoted to this elusive holiday,” said Dr. Libby O’Connell, senior vice president, corporate outreach and chief historian, AETN. “We are dedicated to providing our viewers with a series of entertaining and interactive resources and our Valentine’s Day feature is indicative of that commitment.”
In addition to being able to view a variety of informational resources, visitors of History.com’s Valentine’s Day feature will have access to a wide assortment of videos. These videos include a historical kissing contest, an ice wedding, an account of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, a clip from Charlie Chaplin’s “The Bond of Marriage” film and more.
About History.com
About The History Channel
The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, ten News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor’s Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network’s Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 91 million Nielsen subscribers.
Each February, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged, while individuals send notes with expressions of love. All of these activities take place in the name of the somewhat elusive “Valentine.” But, who is Valentine? This Valentine’s Day, History.com has created a fully interactive resource to teach site visitors exactly why they are buying those dozens of roses each year. History.com’s Valentine’s Day feature, which includes the complete history of Valentine’s Day, various Valentine’s Day- related video clips and even legendary love letters from one of history’s greatest couple, is available now at .
History.com’s Valentine’s Day destination Web site includes the following Valentine’s Day history and trivia:
* Who is Valentine? The Web site details Valentine’s Day’s mysterious history including who Valentine is and how today the Catholic Church recognizes not one, but three different saints named Valentine whom were martyred. Other historical tidbits include how Valentine supposedly sent the original “valentine” greeting himself to a young girl he fell in love with while in prison, signing the letter with the now-famous signature, “from your Valentine.” * Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14? Answers to this question vary. Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated to commemorate the death of Valentine while others claim the Christian Church decided to celebrate the Valentine’s feast in the middle of February in an effort to “christianize” the pagan Lupercalia festival, a fertility festival dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus. * Who sends Valentine’s? Approximately 85 percent of valentines are purchased by women who live in one of the six regions that acknowledge the holiday: the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.
History.com’s feature also includes a variety of other Valentine’s themed data and historical accounts, including how many Valentine’s are exchanged yearly, the amount of marriages that take place annually and the number of jewelry stores currently in the U.S. In addition to providing trivia and historical information, the site features relationship profiles on legendary couples: Harry and Bess Truman (including original love letters between the couple), Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Jackie and Rachel Robinson.
“The history of Valentine’s Day is extremely ambiguous and we are excited to be able to deliver a comprehensive resource devoted to this elusive holiday,” said Dr. Libby O’Connell, senior vice president, corporate outreach and chief historian, AETN. “We are dedicated to providing our viewers with a series of entertaining and interactive resources and our Valentine’s Day feature is indicative of that commitment.”
In addition to being able to view a variety of informational resources, visitors of History.com’s Valentine’s Day feature will have access to a wide assortment of videos. These videos include a historical kissing contest, an ice wedding, an account of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, a clip from Charlie Chaplin’s “The Bond of Marriage” film and more.
About History.com
About The History Channel
The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, ten News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor’s Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network’s Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 91 million Nielsen subscribers.
Shopkeeper charged with aggravated and indecent assaults during ‘psychic surgery.’
The women said they went willingly into the Lititz businessman’s back room for a promise of “spiritual healing.’’
John E. Hainsworth waved a pendulum and herbs over their bodies, they said, and massaged their partially-clothed bodies with sweet-scented oil.
They had no problem with that, all three testified at a preliminary hearing on Friday.
It was only when Hainsworth touched them sexually, the women testified, and in some cases kissed and licked them, that they questioned his behavior and ultimately decided to call police.
“I felt stupid, ashamed and embarrassed,’’ one woman testified when asked about why she didn’t complain to Hainsworth at the time and only went to police after reading in the newspaper that he had been arrested.
Lititz police Detective John Schofield arrested Hainsworth, 51, of Wrightsville, earlier this month for aggravated and indecent assault for two of the alleged victims. Additional indecent assault charges for the third woman were filed Friday.
After listening to all three women testify on Friday, Magisterial District Judge David Miller ordered Hainsworth to stand trial on all charges. Bail was set at $60,000 and Hainsworth was returned to county prison.
Hainsworth and his wife, Julie, who sat quietly behind him during Friday’s court hearing, operate Wolf Mountain Trading Company, at the rear of 49 N. Broad St., Lititz.
The shop features Native American merchandise, plus candles, jewelry, knives, books and includes Castle Armory and Enchanted Cottage sections, a library and an Enlightenment Gallery.
The first woman testified that she stopped at Hainsworth’s shop on the afternoon of Jan. 9 to purchase a Llewellyn’s almanac that he had in stock. The woman said while she was looking at the books she began talking to Hainsworth about her marital problems.
“John said, ‘We do healings here and I’d like to try to help,’ ’’ the woman testified. “I was willing to try anything, any kind of ritual or spiritual cleansing to help.’’
She was led into a back room and laid down on a table while Hainsworth waved a pendulum over her, she testified, in an effort to determine where she had “built up walls, walls that had driven my husband away.’’
After performing “psychic surgery,’’ a process where he simulated removing “rocks’’ from her body and casting them to the floor, the woman agreed to a massage.
She did not object to him massaging her unclothed back or chest, the woman said, adding that at one point she was wishing it was her husband instead of Hainsworth performing the massage.
But when pinched her nipples and reached down her jeans and began touching her sexually, she said she became “very upset.”
“He was saying, ‘I’m sorry’ and offered me tea or coffee,’’ the woman said, describing how she hurriedly dressed, gathered her things and ran out of the store.
The second woman said she had gone to the store earlier in the day so her friend could have a “spiritual healing,’’ and returned for a procedure of her own around 4:45 p.m.
The woman said she had taken off her shirt, unsnapped her bra and jeans, so that Hainsworth could massage her back and buttocks with lavender oil, and then rolled over so he could do the same to her front.
Her eyes were closed, she said, but after a few minutes when she realized his hand was in her vaginal area, she looked up to see him sucking her nipples.
The young woman said she told Hainsworth she had to leave, stopping to purchase a dagger with a credit card before she left the store. She later called the first woman, whom she knew through a weekly witches meeting.
The third woman said Hainsworth and his wife had been very kind to her in the past when their business was in Marietta, talking with her and massaging her shoulders.
In December, she looked up their store hours on a “witch’’ Web site, and went there “because I needed someone to talk to.’’
She agree to a healing, she said, and Hainsworth prepared the back room, lighting candles and turning on music, while she took off her shirt and bra and unfastened her pants.
He waved sage around the room and her body, she said, and they meditated together before he began massaging her with jasmine oil.
Hainsworth massaged her breasts, the woman said, then lowered her pants as he rubbed her hips and thighs. Then he leaned over and kissed her on the mouth, she said.
“I didn’t know if it was right or wasn’t. I felt like it was wrong, but I didn’t know any better…I just wanted to get it over with…I was afraid, scared that I was being stupid or I was being an idiot.’’
After a few minutes, the woman said Hainsworth told her she could get dressed. He sold her some tea and herbs for $2.50 and she left.
Defense attorney Farley Holt asked the woman if she said anything to Hainsworth during the massage, telling him she was uncomfortable. The woman replied that she did not.
“I felt stupid, ashamed and embarrassed,’’ the woman said.
Holt argued that the prosecutors had not proven enough evidence to substantiate the charges.
Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Franz argued that the women were clearly made uncomfortable by Hainsworth’s actions.
Miller, who was substituting for Magisterial Judge Daniel Garrett, agreed with the prosecutors.
The Evangelical Alliance has unreservedly condemned all forms of child abuse, and said that it considers any accusation of witchcraft levelled at a child to be abusive, immoral and unbiblical, following Newsnight’s “witchcraft” report.
BBC2’s Newsnight programme opened a new chapter in its investigation, Thursday night, into “witchcraft” belief in some breakaway segments of the African community in London.
Reporter Angus Stickler’s film which last year exposed the behaviour of Pastor Dieudonne Tukala, who accused children at his church of witchcraft.
Newsnight tells that “Tukala preaches his self styled gospel - and in his own words - it’s a gospel of brutality. One boy whom he diagnosed as a witch was later branded with an iron by his father because he believed his son was a witch.”
Since 2000 the Metropolitan Police has dealt with 88 allegations of what it calls ritualistic abuse, but after a ten month police investigation into Tukala, the police have told the BBC they are unable to charge the pastor, Newsnight explains.
Campaigners are now calling for new laws to make it a criminal offence to demonise children.
The latest Evangelical Alliance statement remains in-line with the EA’s previous statements on this issue.
The Evangelical Alliance, which represents more than 1 million evangelicals in the UK, has said that it strongly contests any suggestions that the activities of Pastor Dieudonne Tukala are associated more broadly with black African evangelical churches, or that this is part of a growing church trend.
The government’s official report – ‘Child Abuse Linked to Accusations of ‘Possession’ and ‘Witchcraft’ – published by the DfES in 2006, identified 38 specific cases throughout England and Wales over a six year period – in comparison with a total 30,000 recorded cases of child abuse every year.
The African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance (ACEA) sees each of these cases as an utter tragedy.
ACEA’s CEO, Katei Kirby, said: “The government has rightly drawn attention to the fact that child abuse is everyone’s responsibility, and that only by working together can we remove this evil from our society.
“The African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance has been working with black majority churches to address the issue, and has developed model child protection policies for their use.
“Since the Climbie enquiry, we have ensured that our member churches and organisations demonstrate a clear commitment to child safety.”
ACEA is also continuing pro-active multi-agency work with organisations including Churches Together in England, the Churches Child Protection Advisory Service, African anti-child abuse organisation AFRUCA, DfES and NSPCC on this issue.
It seems Monroe Clinic treated a witch in early December. No, she didn’t fly in on her broom and, no, she didn’t have spiders and bats in her hair.
According to the Wisconsin Pagan Trader Newsletter on the Web, “Mama Cat” came to Monroe Clinic Dec. 5 for the second part of a total knee replacement surgery.
Mama Cat’s daughter, “Daughter of the Moon,” posted the blog entry in the newsletter.
Daughter of the Moon has studied Wicca for around 20 years. Mama Cat is the high priestess of Four Winds Sanctuary in northwest Illinois, according to the sanctuary’s Web site.
The site describes Four Winds as “comprised of solitaries of many paths, we came together as a community to share stories, drum dreams and teach each other the lessons we have learned on our path.”
Mama Cat’s husband is “DragonSeeker.” The sanctuary consists of herb beds with small shrines tucked away in almost every one, hidden behind the large three-and-a-half staff garage “which in turn hides the sanctuary from prying eyes,” the site says.
Four Winds also includes an outdoor altar and a bench for meditating. A small pond in the lower deck of the house bubbles from the waterfall in the center.
Butterflies, whitetail deer, wild turkey, opossums, raccoons and other wildlife can be seen every day.
The sanctuary consists of only two acres, of which part is the house and garage of Mama Cat and DragonSeeker.
“We like it that way,” the site says, “since we all know each other, trust each other and know how each other feels.”
Ironies
On a recent phone call to Lafayette County University of Wisconsin-Extension to talk to new Dairy and Livestock Agent Dave Wachter, a receptionist said he was out of the office because he had to put cattle, which had broken free, back onto his property.
A recent visit to a restaurant in Monroe yielded an unusual outcome. On trying to open the handicapped accessible door, it was locked.
On Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th March, the Green Man will be returning to the legendary Baskerville Hall for a Spring Equinox party. “The Rite of Spring” will be 2 days of fun and weirdness in the Black Mountains.
The party takes place inside the intimate settings of Baskerville Hall, near Hay-on-Wye, Wales, and will run from Sundown to Sunrise each night. Entertainment will come from guest DJs, psych folk cinema and silent films with live music accompaniment. Witches and druids will also be on hand, alongside pagan puppet shows and holistic therapies.
Entry tickets are priced at £60 for the weekend, with a range of special accommodation offers within Baskerville Hall, from sunken baths to bunk rooms, or fend for yourself in the nearby town of Hay-on-Wye.
Tickets will be on-sale from 10am on Friday 26 January, here.
Television viewers, prepare to be shocked when you see what one Wiccan family on the South Shore does virtually undetected.
They go out for ice cream.
Among the reasons people willingly partake in reality TV shows, promoting religious tolerance isn’t high on the list. But for the Rev. Kendra Vaughan Hovey, elder high priestess of Duxbury’s First Church of Wicca, and her husband, Tim, it’s the sole reason they agreed to star in an episode of a new series on The Learning Channel called ‘‘My Unique Family.’’
For the entire month of October, the Hoveys and their children Alec, 11, and Alana, 8, were filmed, followed and interviewed - at home, at church, going to work and, yes, even going out for ice cream.
More than 200 hours of footage was compressed into the one-hour program scheduled to air at 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19.
The cameras captured aspects of the family’s faith - Alana meditating at her altar, the congregation celebrating Samhain (Halloween) rituals - but fellow Wiccans didn’t warm to the idea of being on TV right away.
‘‘At first some of them were so scared,’’ Kendra Vaughan Hovey said. ‘‘But I said, ‘We’re trying to spread religious tolerance, don’t stand behind me, stand next to me.’’’
Wicca, also known as The Craft, is a neo-pagan religion that practitioners call ‘‘earth-based.’’ Wiccans believe the divine exists in everyone and everything, and pray to the god and goddess, the masculine and feminine aspects of the divine.
Since many Wiccans prefer to be referred to as witches, there are a lot of misconceptions about the religion. The most persistent is that Wiccans are devil-worshippers. They aren’t, Hovey said, and don’t even believe in the devil’s existence.
The Hoveys were hesitant about trying to bust some of those myths by allowing cameras into their lives. Concerned about the children and the light their religion might be cast in, they tried to call things off the day before the TV crew arrived.
While somewhat surreal and slightly disheartening at times - on a few outings with the crew they were met with scorn - they agreed the experience proved to be quite fun.
They haven’t yet decided if they’ll do anything special when the show airs. One member of the congregation suggested watching together on a big-screen TV, but, the Hoveys said they’re still a little worried about whether they’ll be left smiling or doing damage control that night.
Either way, they’ll get through it as a family.
‘‘This was put in our lap for a reason, the god and goddess have a plan,’’ Hovey said. ‘‘If this is part of the plan, so be it.’’
A ‘Unique’ opportunity
The Rev. Kendra Vaughan Hovey, elder high priestess of Duxbury’s First Church of Wicca, and her family will be featured on The Learning Channel’s reality show “My Unique Family” on Feb. 19 at 10 p.m.
