Newton, Massachussetts is a suburb of Boston, and recently an atheist high school student protested his English class' curriculum. Jack Summers, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, is enrolled in an honors English class that includes discussion of the works of William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. It also includes reading of certain passages from the Bible, in the context of how scripture has impacted classic literature. Summers, who happens to be an atheist, refused to read the passages from the Bible because, he says, he had a moral objection to the content.

The school does not distribute Bibles in class, but instead uses handouts from textbooks which use passages from the Book of Genesis. At any rate, Summers complained, and in response, school officials dropped the requirement to read the sections in question.

Here's the problem. The school and the teacher were not handing out religious texts in order to preach, prosetylize, or convert students. Instead, they were reviewing the Bible as a work of text that has had a significant impact on many pieces of literature, from Shakespeare to Chaucer to Dickens and more. The Supreme Court ruled forty-odd years ago that schools can in fact use Biblical verses and passages as part of the curriculum, if they are doing so in a method that is academic and not religious.

So, now we've got Jack Summers saying, "Well, I don't want to read it because I don't agree with it." What happens when a fundamentalist Christian student is asked to read Bullfinch's Mythology, and objects because he or she does not believe those other gods exist? Or someone says, "I don't want to read Romeo and Juliet, because I have a moral objection to a couple of thirteen year olds falling in love and committing suicide." Fact is, if you want to be an educated and well-rounded person, sometimes you need to read things you don't necessarily agree with -- and it's important to remember that no one was trying to coerce Jack Summers into believing in the word of the Bible.

His mom suggested that the school district look into forming an elective comparative religion class, so that students could learn about religions in an academic setting. However, Jack says he wouldn't be interested in taking such a class, because he prefers to get his information on religion from "various media sources."

Jack, a bit of advice -- anyone can be an atheist. But a really smart atheist has read enough religious texts that they're capable of holding an intelligent conversation about that which they do not believe. When you get to college, it's highly unlikely that your literature professors will excuse you from reading work like Paradise Lost or Dante's Inferno just because you don't like the religious basis of the story.

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One popular myth cycle among neoPagans today is that of the Oak King and the Holly King, and it's not uncommon to see re-enactments of the battle between these two mighty beings at Wiccan ceremones marking the two solstice dates. The Holly King is the ruler of the waning year, presiding over the world from Midsummer to Yule, as the nights get longer and the days begin to shorten. Then, on the day of the winter solstice, the Oak King rises up to reclaim his throne from the Holly King, and will reign once more from Yule to Litha. If you've got a group of people getting together for a Yule rite, why not hold a mock battle as part of the festivities? The Oak King and the Holly King

Sign up for the Yule Seven Day Sabbat Class, Get Ready for Yule!

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A recent report from the Associated Press indicates that the Air Force Academy believes that the religious climate has improved significantly. Five years ago, allegations surfaced that evangelical Christians harassed their classmates, and that complaints went unheeded by administration. The academy superintendent, Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Gould, recently told reporters that the changse are due to a "topdown campaign to foster respect and a commitment to accommodate all cadets, even nonbelievers and an "Earth-centered" religious group that needed a place for a stone circle so it could worship outdoors."

One of the Academy's most vocal critics is Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), but even Weinstein seems impressed. "This is the first time we feel positive about things there," he said. Weinstein gives Gould props for the change in atmosphere.

A significant change includes the development of a Cadet Interfaith Council, which aims to identify and accomodate the religious needs of incoming cadets. The members of the council also "helps identify upcoming religious holidays so schedules can be adjusted around them, when possible."

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This is one of those cases I read about and can just imagine as a Monty Python skit. Okay, a little background. Apparently, in the town of Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania, Sharlene Andreyko was charged with stalking another woman. Andreyko's antics included writing a couple of dozen religious-themed letters to the woman and her husband, their acquaintances, church members and even the police. Not only that, she repeatedly called the victim a "Jezebel," and made allusions to a violent death for the woman.

Fast forward to Andreyko's day in court, where she dramatically stood up, pointed at the woman she's accused of harassing, and announced, "(She) is a very powerful witch, it's true. She has grown more insolent."

It would be hilarious if it wasn't for the fact that Andreyko clearly believes this, which makes her very scary indeed. She told jury members, "The reason I went this far with this is I really am a prophet. I spent a tremendous amount of time studying the Scriptures." She claimed that "the Holy Spirit advised her to "instruct" the woman's husband that his wife is a witch and that he is being deceived."

The Pottsgrove couple, who attend church regularly, said that Andreyko's activities have left them afraid to leave the house. The husband said, "It keeps going and going and going. This will never stop. She has no fear of authority. She will not stop." Andreyko says that God has told her there are two dozen witches at the church.

What's really frightening is that Andreyko truly believes she's on a mission from God. It's a shame that an innocent couple has become the victim of someone like this, who's obviously not playing with a full deck.

Update: I just read that Andreyko was found guilty of stalking. It only took the jury ten minutes to reach a verdict, so evidently they weren't really convinced about her doing the Lord's work. Judge Steven T. O'Neill revoked Andreyko's bail in light of threats she had made towards the couple, and has sent her for mental health evaluation.

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