by Terry Rombeck

It seems like discussions in faith circles about the evils or virtues of Harry Potter have simmered down since the first books and movies originally came out.

Or at least there seem to be fewer news stories about the religious debate. (more…)

After a rocket-propelled grenade struck Army Sgt. Patrick Dana Stewart’s helicopter Sept. 25, 2005, in Afghanistan, his widow, Roberta, faced religious prejudice.

Roberta applied to have the symbol of her husband’s faith placed on his grave marker in Nevada, but the Department of Veterans Affairs refused. The VA does not recognize Stewart’s religion, Wicca, often called witchcraft. (more…)

Pagans in Dorset claim their growing popularity is making them a target for threats and abuse.

The Dolmen Grove, a Weymouth-based druid group, says a dead bird with a noose around its neck was left on the windscreen of its van. (more…)

Every band has been there: you’ve just had a hit album - then your Johnny Marr-esque guitarist quits. Meet the group that came up with a crazy solution … by Dave Simpson

Modest Mouse should have had it all made by the end of 2004. Their fourth album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News, had become their most successful yet, reaching No 18 in the US charts and spawning a big hit, Float On. That song was a gloriously uplifting pop single, built around a guitar pattern conceived by guitarist Dann Gallucci in the style of the former Smiths guitar player Johnny Marr. (more…)

Minnesota Wiccans and neopagans are stepping into the limelight as they push for inclusion of the pentacle on military tombstones.

Long before Elysia Gallo identified herself as a neopagan, she felt drawn to mystical, magical things. (more…)

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…)

Aubrun, NY - Don’t let the name fool you - a pagan persuasion is not necessary to enjoy the food and coffee of Witches Brew in downtown Auburn.

“We’re not a Wiccan cafe; we’re here for anyone,” said co-owner Sally Toth. (more…)

The pentagram that hangs from a chain around Kate Dunning’s neck elicits raised eyebrows from many people who catch a glimpse of it. The emblem of a star enclosed in a circle symbolizes that she practices witchcraft.

Don’t expect to find any pointy witch hats or steaming cauldrons tucked away in her dorm room closet, however. Dunning, a junior English and French major, is like any other UB student, she just happens to be Wiccan. (more…)

When he was alive, the U.S. government had no trouble finding a place for Patrick Stewart, never mind his unconventional beliefs. It inducted him into the Army National Guard, issued him dog tags giving his religion as “Wiccan,” and deployed him to Afghanistan. He died there in 2005 when Taliban forces shot down his helicopter. It was only later that Uncle Sam had second thoughts.

Sgt. Stewart was buried in a veterans cemetery in Nevada, and his widow asked that his memorial plaque include the encircled five-pointed star of Wicca, a religion based on nature worship. But the Department of Veterans Affairs declined, because that emblem is not among the 38 religious symbols it allows. (more…)

Five years ago, the Rev. Tammy Morgan was faced with a challenge: She was asked to perform the wedding ceremony for a devout Catholic woman and a man who considered himself spiritual, but not religious.

The result was a simple outdoor ceremony, according to Morgan, who is now affiliated with Mystic See in Englewood. (more…)