Few bureaucrats can subvert a well-intentioned principal like the separation of church and state with the hypocritical bombast of school administrators. But when they actually succeed in making religious fanatics seem rationale, well now that’s an achievement worthy of an OFF/beat Idiot of the Year nomination.

Donna Brewer, of Willow Hill, Pennsylvania, is suing Abington School District, claiming that her 10-year-old son’s “rights to religion and free speech were violated” because he was not allowed to wear a Jesus costume during his school’s Halloween parade. The federal suit was filed on her son’s behalf by the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group that believes in spreading the Gospel through “traditional family values.” It further claims that since costumes were mandatory and many students chose to dress as “witches and ghouls” (i.e., pagan costumes), Willow Hill Elementary violated the fourth-grader’s equal protection rights. (more…)

Murphysboro, IL - By the end of class, Denise Livingston of Carterville knew exactly what kind of house her instructor lived in simply by touching his pen.

Livingston and about seven others met with “Coyote” Chris Sutton of Godrey last week at New Ages Other Worlds bookstore to enhance their psychic abilities. (more…)

Dover, DE - A Superior Court judge has upheld a religious discrimination finding that requires Boscov’s to pay a $5,000 fine and $21,000 to two Christians, two Wiccans and a pagan.

In May, the state Human Relations Commission found that the Reading, Pa.-based department store chain caved in to pressure from church people and illegally dropped classes the complainants planned to teach in October 2005 at the Campus of Classes at the Dover store. (more…)

The MoonPool Coven (moonpool.org), located north of Boston, has recently made its teachings available online, free of charge, to sincere seekers around the world. Why are they using 21st century technology to spread the word about some of the most time-tested ideas on the planet?

“It was just a natural progression” says Rick Bailly, High Priest and Lead Instructor. “We are a teaching Coven and have been offering classes to our members for almost 10 years. This is just the next logical step”. (more…)

Imagine living in a small town and having a secret life, and then being called on to reveal a secret life to thousands of people. One Woman in Hoopeston, Illinois faced this and confessed her love of all things Wiccan and Magickal in her conservative American town.

Hoopeston, IL - In small town America it is very difficult to be different from your family and neighbors. In the town of Hoopeston, Virginia Powell faces this everyday as a practicing Witch and Pastor of Selu Temple, a Wiccan Church. She is a lifelong resident, and as she has come out of the closet, she has discovered a lot of acceptance and some resistance. Rev. Powell has confessed to practicing Wicca for a long time, and now is a teacher of Wicca as well. (more…)

Americans aren’t shy about invoking their First Amendment rights — especially over issues of religion and values in public schools.

Over one 10-day period in January, I heard from Wiccans in North Carolina upset about school Internet filters filtering out information on the Wicca belief system; a student in Florida challenging a school speech code; a teacher in Utah worried about school censorship of a religious T-shirt; and a California parent concerned about the accuracy of religious material used to teach Thanksgiving. (more…)

In the heart of the Midwest, on February 10th, will bring a rare alignment of the planet Saturn and Witch School will be opening their doors for a special day of teaching and celebration. People from all over will come to ask questions of the teachers of Witch School, and anyone can ask questions at this event.

“People have questions about Wicca and Witchcraft,” according to School President Don Lewis. “We have answers that we are willing to share with the public. It is time for people to stop acting out of fear, and to understand that we have a beautiful and complex faith that honors the divine. We are offering this Teach-In to give people a safe way to ask those questions.” (more…)

In a matter of months, Witch School in Hoopeston hopes to graduate from the world of magic to the ranks of reality TV.

The SCI FI Channel this month revealed its plans to create a reality series about the school at the Television Critics Associa-tion’s winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif.

The news comes just six months after the Hoopeston establishment announced it would offer on-site courses at its home at 112 W. Main St.

The lid remains tight on program details.

Witch School chancellor, the Rev. Don Lewis, confirmed the program “is happening,” but couldn’t comment further at the re-quest of NBC executives.

Despite the tight-lipped situation, he couldn’t hide his excitement for the school.

“There are lots of interesting things forthcoming in the future,” Lewis said.

The SCI FI Channel calls the program a “docu-soap” about a school for aspiring conjurers. It is being assembled in cooperation with New York-based Stick Figure Productions, which handled the HBO documentary series “Family Bonds” and the UPN reality series “Amish in the City.”

Adrienne D’amato, spokeswoman for NBC Universal and the SCI FI Channel, said via e-mail the show is in active develop-ment but not in production. More information regarding the program is expected when production commences in the coming months.

A press release from NBC Universal, which owns the SCI FI Channel, said the show depicts the real-life witch school “resem-bling your typical classroom experience … some elements of this education are less traditional.”

Witch School came to Hoopeston in September 2003, after using its Internet site for about 2½ years as an online school dedi-cated to Wiccan, Pagan and magical thought.

The school faced division from Hoopeston residents, with some being less than accepting of the new institution.

Those who want to learn more can visit the school, see the merchandise and library and take classes. The school, which con-tinues its Internet courses, offers lectures twice a day, if enough people show up.

Source: Commercial-News