91 lines
3.9 KiB
Plaintext
91 lines
3.9 KiB
Plaintext
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Message #6814 "MagickNet Echo"
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Date: 06-May-89 15:01
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From: George Burnett
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To: All
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Subj: Big Time Religion
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Oh, am I disillusioned! . I had supposed that the Neo-Pagan movement was
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immune to Big Time Religion. Pagan friends of mind like to say, "I don't
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belong to an organize d religion; I'm a Pagan." I've had experience with
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several Northern Californian grou ps, which served to confirm my view.
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Granted, some of the groups are very organized
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, on paper, but still in the low rent district. Now I see that "we" are not
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immune t
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o the lure of Big Time Religion. A few days ago I received the Spring 1989
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"Circle N etwork Bulletin".
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A full half page of this 8-page, tabloid size, bulletin, was devoted to
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MONEY!--one o f the biggest symptoms of Big Time Religion. Items included,
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"a special fund-rasing drive to raise money for the Circle Sanctuary
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Development Fund." A disclaimer follo ws, "Money raised will go to meet
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several critical needs. These include the followin g:..." Anyone using a
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bit of logic, can see that the money may also go to other, un specified,
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"critical needs", in addition to those listed.
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The list enumerates: "Publishing...to cover the costs of the computer
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desktop publis hing system...", "Networking...to replace our antiquated
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mailing list computer system
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...", "Facilities...to improve our facilities for [those] who visit our
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center [inclu
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ding] at least one indoor bathroom...", "Nature Preservation...to plant
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more trees, p reserve our wetlands...and develop Circle Sanctuary as a
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spiritual environmental educ ation center, "Land...to refinance our center's
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Land as well as to cover land payment s themselves...Our center still has
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more than $100,000 to pay and the balloon payment
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comes due in 1990." [ Where is Jim Bakker when there is a need for
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ridiculous sums
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of money to be raised? ]
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---
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* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
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<A>gain, <N>ext, <R>eply, <S>top? N
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Message #6815 "MagickNet Echo"
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Date: 06-May-89 15:02
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From: George Burnett
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To: All
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Subj: Big Time Religion
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Now, about the "Sanctuary" these folks are attempting to finance [ I
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wonder if the G oddess will "call these folks home" if they don't get their
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hundred thousand dollars?
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]. Why am I so bitter in these two messages? Further reading led me to
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ask myself
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if these folks are running a private reserve, under the guise of a
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religious "Sanctua ry"? To wit:
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Under the heading, "Visiting Circle Sanctuary", "Circle Sanctuary,
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Circle's headquar ters, is a 200 acre sacred Nature preserve...If you would
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like to visit Circle Sanctu ary, [-- they have printed the following in
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bold italic letters --] you must make arrangements with us in advance. [
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end of bold italic letters ]. Drop-in visitation
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is not permitted." [Huh?] They want heaven-knows how much money from us
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and they d
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on't want us making any "drop-in visitation"? What's going on here? "The
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best time s for Nature Religions practitioners (Pagans) to visit us are at
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our events." I inte rpret this to mean, that these folks want all the money
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we can throw at them, but don
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't want us to interrupt their cozy living situation by just dropping in.
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Unlike your
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neighborhood church, synagogue or mosque, this facility is open only at the
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convenie
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nce of its live-in clergy.
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Why are orther fairly large organizations able to carry on teaching and
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public ritual s and all sorts of Pagan spiritual development without an
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envious eye on your wallet?
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--They are not large property owners and they are not in over their heads
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with wild e
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yed fantasies about 200 acre "Sanctuaries" and they don't have clergy who
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view the re ligion's property as their own private reserve. The only
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remaining question: Is thi s situation unique to Circle?
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Blessed Be to All! George B.
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---
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* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
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<A>gain, <N>ext, <R>eply, <S>top?
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