We're back for Watery Wednesday, when we bring you news about Pagan and interfaith communities around the world. This week we have stories for you about the various controversies within Paganism, requests for submissions by both PantheaCon and Humanistic Paganism, and interfaith cooperation in North Carolina. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

For those new to Paganism, it might be surprising to see how often Pagans argue. But for as diverse a group as ours it's not really that unusual, though most of the time we try to keep such arguments in the spirit of a friendly debate. To get a look at some of the communities largest concerns or disputes, check out this primer from Patheos.

Are any of you interesting in presenting at PantheaCon? If so then you're in luck because the renowned Pagan festival is now accepting applications for presentations. Read the guidelines here if that sounds interesting to you.

This year, the website Humanistic Paganism is celebrating "Malala Day," a day in honor of Pakistani and Muslim activist Malala Yousafzai, who was shot and wounded in 2012 because of her advocacy for women's rights and education. If you're interested in celebrating Malala or individual liberty and religious freedom you can take part by submitting an article to Humanistic Paganism here.

There are a lot of superstitions about witchcraft and magic around the world, some of them pertaining to animals. In South Africa owls are associated with harmful magic and are stigmatized as allies of evil witches. To learn about how some in the country are trying to overcome this stereotype and educate people about owls, you can read more at LA Times.

One of the most fundamental requirements of religious freedom is the ability for people of different religious creeds to work and live together. Sometimes that can be a challenge. Follow the link to this story at The Wild Hunt to learn how interfaith groups in North Carolina are trying to overcome religious prejudices to promote freedom and equality.


Top photo by k_donovan11