4.08.2008
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
The weekly Indian paper Mainstream takes a look at the recent protests and conflicts in Tibet, and discusses them as a conflict of rival faiths. Placing Communism in the same idealogical family as the Abrahamic faiths.
"Abrahamic religions, whenever they conquer a territory, convert the inhabitants and try to suppress their ancestral culture. Ancestral history becomes a prohibited subject. In Afghanistan and Pakistan pre-Islamic Hindu-Buddhist history is not permitted in schools. China is doing the same in Tibet..."
The author closes the piece by calling on the Indian government to abandon their "chicken-hearted" stance towards China and support autonomy for Tibet.
If you were looking forward to Robin Hardy's "Cowboys For Christ", a re-imagining of the cult classic film "The Wicker Man", you may have a long wait. Work on the film has been halted due to a loss of financial backing.
"Cameras were due to start rolling in Dumfries and Galloway this month on the follow-up to the 1970s film starring Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee. However, a statement from the local council confirmed that producers had cancelled the shoot due to last minute difficulties with finance. Councillor Gill Dykes described the news as 'bitterly disappointing'."
Alternative financing is currently being sought, but there is a very good chance that the entire project will be scuttled and the film never made.
Followers of the Taoist sea goddess Matsu are planning to seek UN protections for their religious and cultural heritage.
"Followers of the folk deity Matsu from both sides of the Taiwan Strait are planning to seek United Nations approval to have the Matsu culture declared intangible world cultural heritage, a promoter said yesterday."
UN heritage declarations are usually made for tangible places or monuments. The awarding of world heritage status to a belief system would raise a host of questions and issues, conceivably pitting UN calls for protections and preservation against conversion attempts by monotheistic faith groups.
Is George Clooney's girlfriend Sarah Larson a Witch? Her ex-boyfriend seems to certainly hint at the prospect in a lurid accounting he gives to the tabloids.
"Rock musician Tommy McKaughan reveals how the former Las Vegas waitress used to spice up their moonlit romps in the woods with a spot of witchcraft ... 'Sarah's a total hippy at heart, heavily into all the spiritual, mystic stuff - crystals, tarot cards, healing. And along with her witch-like charms she's a brilliant fun girl with no inhibitions. She loves nothing more than getting naked in a forest.'"
Of course, with anything printed in the gossip rags, a huge grain of salt should be taken along with the sensationalist assertions.
In a final note, BostonNOW reviews an upcoming novel by A.W. Gryphon entitled "Blood Moon", another entry into Wicca-inspired fiction.
"Blood Moon is Gryphon's first book, and it is also the first novel in the planned Witches Moon Trilogy. As with several other books I've read recently, this one is hard to categorize. It deals with Wicca and Witchcraft, so it could be paranormal or urban fantasy, yet Blood Moon is also a mystery, and it could also fit as a women's fiction novel as we uncover a woman's childhood and the facts of her mother's life. Regardless, this is a book that will capture your interest from the beginning, and it will be hard to put down before the story is complete."
With this, and a recent fiction release by Druid priestess Ellen Every Hopman, the small but vital "Pagan fiction" genre continues to grow.
That is all I have for now, have a great day!
Labels: books, Cowboys For Christ, India, Matsu, movies, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Sarah Larson, The Wicker Man, Tibet, UNESCO, United Nations
1.06.2008
Interfaith Tensions in Malaysia
Tensions are building in Malaysia between Muslims and Taoists over the erection of a statue depicting Mazu, goddess of the sea.
Mazu
"The construction of the world's tallest Taoist Goddess of the Sea statue has set off the latest row over religious freedom in Malaysia. The 36-metre (108-foot) statue of Mazu, known as Tin Hau in Hong Kong, should be erected in the fishing village of Kudat on Borneo Island. So far only the platform has been set; the statue itself is waiting some 200 km away in the port town of Kota Kinabalu. Local authorities had approved construction in December 2005 but Sabah state authorities stopped construction saying that the statue was 'offensive to Muslim sensitivities.'"
Apparently the statue is deemed "offensive to Islam" because it is "too close" to a mosque. A Taoist official has resigned in protest, and religious minorities are voicing fears of "Islamisation". Local Taoists are puzzled by the sudden hostility towards one of their most beloved goddesses.
"All we want is for Mazu Goddess to protect us when we are at sea and our Muslim countrymen have nothing against"
Malaysia's official State religion is Islam, and the country has strict rules concerning the 'propagation' of religions other than Islam. In addition to the blocking of the Mazu statue, Hindu activists have been jailed after a mass-rally protesting discrimination against ethnic Indians, and the government temporarily banned a Catholic newspaper from using the term "Allah".
Articles like these starkly show the problems of establishing a state (or "official") religion. When a single religious viewpoint dominates politically (especially if that religion claims to be the only true path), there is always the risk of the government being overrun by extremists. One hopes these growing tensions in Malaysia will not degrade into all-out violence, but the country's Muslims seem hesitant to enter into any sort of interfaith compromise. As for Mazu, there is legal action pending, and it remains to be seen if the statue will ever be installed.
Labels: goddess, Islam, Malaysia, Matsu, Mazu, Religious Freedom, Taoism
10.01.2007
How to Study a Goddess
The Taipei Times reports that an international conference sponsored by the Academia Sinica (the national academy for Taiwan) will be held to look into belief in the Taoist sea goddess Matsu.
A shrine to Matsu in Taiwan.
"Academia Sinica is organizing an international conference next month to discuss belief in the goddess Matsu and her connection with the Matsu Islands, officials with the Lienchiang County Government's Cultural Affairs Bureau said yesterday. The officials said that Academia Sinica's Institute of Ethnology would invite 40 academics from Taiwan and abroad to participate in the conference on Oct. 17 and Oct. 18 at the Matsu Folklore Culture Museum in Nangan, one of five major islands in the Matsu archipelago ... Today, Matsu has become the most widely worshipped deity in Taiwan, with temples dedicated to her seen in almost every township and city."
Matsu ("Mother-Ancestor") is a deified human once known as Lin Moniang. According to the stories, Lin Moniang was the daughter of a fisherman who used her affinity with the sea to help people in her village, at the age of 28 she was taken to heaven and became a goddess (though other stories say she drowned, then became a goddess). As the article mentions, Matsu is the most popular deity in Taiwan.
Reading this story you can almost envision a world where European paganism never diminished, and international conferences at Cambridge or Harvard would be called to discuss belief in Brigantia or Athena.
Labels: academia, Academia Sinica, goddess, Matsu, Paganism, Taiwan, Taoism
