It's fiery Tuesday here at the PaganNewsBeagle, and we've got a full plate of activist goodies! Satanic activists take advantage of #HobbyLobby; open carry -- prayer; the IRS investigates churches; should Pagans have "ministers," and heretical Founding Fathers of the U.S.
Under the category of "Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword" the Satanic Temple (hardly the Christians who brought the original case) is now invoking the #HobbyLobby SCOTUS decision to demand a religious exemption to anti-abortion laws in several states. While it's not obvious if these Satanists are actually religious, or just clever activists, they are certainly doing a nice job of getting attention.
"Open Carry -- Prayer!" That's what Byron Ballard calls a new law promoting faith in the public schools of North Carolina. The ramifications of this (and other) new state laws on religion is discussed by Heather Greene at TWH.
In a bold move, the IRS announced it will step up investigation (and prosecution) of churches (presumably of all faiths) that engage in blatant electioneering and endorsement of political candidates.
A great review of "Nature’s God: The Heretical Origins of the American Republic,’’ in which Matthew Stewart describes the *actual* faith (Deism) of the Founding Fathers.
Chas Clifton enters the fray on the question of whether Pagans should have "ministers." (Note: the John Michael Greer article referenced in the essay appears exclusively in the print edition of Witches&Pagans #28.)