Religion

They say that you should never discuss religion or politics among friends and we’ve all seen how quickly these discussions get  heated and out of control. Pretty soon, best friends stop talking to each other and start to resent one another. But why? Aren’t  both of these topics merely one person’s opinion? What does it matter if you believe in a different God to me, or if you think we should be a republic instead of a monarchy??

It took me quite a while on this blog to reveal that I’m a soldier, because my career choice is contraversial these days. Many people seem unable to differentiate between the government who send their country to war and the military personnel who deploy overseas because it’s their job. Well, now it’s time for me to reveal the next revelation about me – I am a pagan.

Believe it or not, that simple word may have caused some (or many) people to leave my blog and perhaps never return. Some people believe so deeply in their own religion that they refuse to communicate with anyone who believes anything different. But if you’re still reading, then I congratulate you. You SHOULD go through life with an open mind.

Before I go any further, I want to make it crystal clear that I have absolutely NOTHING against ANY religion in the world. I believe that everyone – Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, etc – have the right to believe what they believe and to practice what they practice. After all, all religion is, is a belief in a god/gods/goddesses and a particular belief in what happens when we die. Nothing more.

And there’s a few things I want to clear up about us pagans – and this is the same no matter what pagan religion people follow. I BELIEVE that pagans are more accepting than most other religions. You’ll find that most pagans will  agree with the paragraph above, where I said you can believe in whatever you want.

Pagan religions are many and varied. Believe it or not, Satanism is a legitimate religion and its followers are permitted to do their thing in the same way that Catholics are. My religion isn’t quite as “opposite” to Christianity as Satanism, but I don’t believe in a single God and I don’t believe in Heaven and Hell.

I am Wiccan. I essentially believe in nature and that all creatures are capable of both good and evil. If someone does something good, or if something good happens to them, I don’t Praise The Lord. And if they do something bad, or have something bad happen to them, I don’t blame the Devil. I – just like you – are capable of good AND evil.

I don’t believe that I can be bad all my life and then confess my sins to a priest and then be let into a Heaven. In fact, I find that concept a little hypocritical and ironic, but that’s just me. As a Wiccan (BTW, we are called Witches – even the guys), I can “practice” my religion myself. We don’t believe that to be an effective Wiccan, you have to form a group and be led by an individual – like a Parish with a Pastor. I can be my own Priest and conduct my own ceremonies and rituals, and if I want, I can join with others (yes, in a Coven) and we can do our thing together.

But here’s the thing. It’s actually really cool to find an open minded member of a Christian religion and discuss religion with them. When they are prepared to listen and to adopt the concept I mentioned earlier about letting people have their own beliefs, then you can have some awesome conversations.  You may be surprised to hear that many pagans actually know more about Christian religion than many Christians.

But what’s really going to get to people are the next few paragraphs where I talk about all the holidays that they celebrate in the name of their Lord. How many of you know where our current holidays come from? Did you know that most of them have their origins in paganism? Before I get started, I’m going to point out that none of this is just opinion. Everything is supported by facts, and if you talk to your Priest about this, they’ll confess it to you.

Firstly, they don’t know the real birth date of Jesus Christ. Shocking, I know. So if they don’t know the real date, why then do we celebrate Christmas on 25 December? What a great question. There are actually a few historical references to this, but in a nutshell it relates to back in the day when the Christians were trying to convert the world. They didn’t want to upset all the pagans back then, so they needed to keep them happy when it came to signifcant celebrations throughout the year.

25 December sits very closely to the old winter festivals that are based on the pagan calender. Sometime between 20 and 23 December is the winter solstice. Many pagan religions believed that this was the time that the sun reversed its direction, leading to the end of winter. The things that we do at Christmas time are still firmly entrenched in pagan ritual.

Decorating a tree doesn’t get more pagan, really. Most pagan religions generally revere nature and it seems that everything in nature has a way of symbolising life and death. Exchanging gifts has also been traced back to pre-Christian religion and there are some interesting facts about it if you care to look.

As an example, the Catholic Church BANNED exchanging gifts back in the middle ages because of the links with pagan religion. But it later reinstated the “ritual”, by associating St Nicholas with Christmas and working on how the Wise Men brought gifts to Christ.

What about Easter? Easter has its contraversy as well. At this link, I discovered this entry:

The name “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism). On this, all scholars agree. This name is never used in the original Scriptures, nor is it ever associated biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Once again, I’m pretty sure that they don’t know the actual date (or even year) of Christ’s death. It seems that he died while Pontius Pilate was ruler of Judea. This seems to be during the period 26AD to 36AD, so they believe that Christ died prior  to 37AD when Marcellus was in power. So if they don’t know the date of Christ’s death, why then do we celebrate Easter in late March/early April?

Because it’s shortly after the Spring Equinox, that’s why. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday, following the first Saturday after the Equinox – and that’s why it changes a bit each year. So yet another coincidence it seems. We’re celebrating an event that we have all been taught is Christian, when the date is obviously pagan – and so are the rituals.

What does the Easter Bunny have to do with Christianity? Not a lot really. The rabbit is a pagan symbol of fertility – I mean, we all know what rabbits are famous for, don’t we? lol. And rabbits don’t lay eggs, do they? So why an egg? It’s a pagan symbol of rebirth. Pagans used to hand-paint eggs and give them as gifts.

The same page in the link above explains the origins of Easter in great depth and I applaud them for not trying to hide what many Christians may wish to deny. But the end of the article is where pagans and Christians probably differ the most. The website goes on to “blame”  a pagan Goddess for bringing suffering to the world, and calls her son an anti-Christ. It also blames Satan for orchestrating the confusion of Easter rituals - calrifying why Christians do pagan things.

As I mentioned above, pagans don’t care about such things. We don’t CARE if we do things that originated from other religions, nor do we care if other religions do things that are based on one of our religions. What this all should be about is assisting individuals in becoming closer to their deity.

The other thing that pagans generally don’t have a problem with is worship. I am happy to attend a church – albeit usually for a wedding, funeral or similar ceremony – and join in with the service . A pagan would never deny someone their right to worship their own God and you may even find them joining in!

Paganism is now the largest growing “religion” in the world. I used “”s with that, because there are many religions that make up Paganism, and I mentioned this earlier, too. But how can this be? When was the last time you had a Wiccan – or a Satanist – knock on your door on the weekend and try to convert you?

We don’t do that. Why? Because like I said before, we don’t care if you don’t believe what we believe. You are free to believe whatever you like – and we respect that. Pagan religions don’t “recruit”. We would NEVER try to tell you that what you are currently believing is wrong and that you have to believe what we believe – and that you have to do it NOW, before it’s “too late”.

Pagan religions are often referred to as “the occult” and this brings up visions of virgin sacrifice or animal slaughter and rituals that seek to summon demons and do all sorts of nasty, naughty things. But “Occult” is actually latin for “hidden”. Pagan religions remain hidden because of the anger and fear that people have when they don’t understand what we’re about.

The reason Paganism is growing so fast is because people are learning to question the status quo. I think they’re getting a little fed up with being bombarded by other religions who bug them when they’re at home, who promote things like “Love everyone” and “Do unto others….”, but don’t seem to believe in it.

If they love everyone, why do they get so angry when they find out that I don’t believe what they believe? Why do they expect ME to treat THEM with respect, but then not offer me the same privilege because I have a different belief system? I don’t hate these people for their ways – I just find it hypocritical. And this is the reason why I started asking questions about religion, and ended up finding something that “felt right” to me.

Halloween is another event we celebrate that has pagan roots. But its not known for being a religious celebration, so I won’t discuss it here, other than to say that we should be doing Halloween on 30 April here in Australia. My Fiance and I actually engage in a more true pagan ritual in April most years and if you’re interested then drop me a line and I’ll give you some details. Let me just say that the ritual we do has helped several people deal with the absolute heartbreak that comes with losing a loved one. The BIG problem is that we have some good Christians in our family and we feel that suggesting these rituals may cause family problems.

And if you’re “pagan curious” then feel free to ask me a question about either Wicca or Paganism in general. If I can help you, I will. Just come with an open heart and an open mind.

Go in peace, no matter your belief.

Kapooka

So I’ve noticed that I’ve recently had a few people checking out my post on Kapooka.

If you have any questions about what the place is like, or what you’re getting yourself in for, feel free to ask anything at all that you like. It’s been 20 years since I was there, so if I can’t answer your question, I can ask around at work.

Juvies

Recently, I discovered a show on the MTV Channel called Juvies. It’s a real life show about kids in America who get into trouble with the law and end up spending some time in Juvenile Detention. The show is rated M, although for the life of me I have no idea why. As far as I’m concerned, this is a show that should be watched by all kids over 10 with their parents.

In the episode I just watched, there was a 14 year old boy named Rashad who went to Juvie (for the second time) for assaulting another boy (George) at school. Rashad was seen on a security camera beating George because he put a “Kick Me” sign on Rashad’s back. Rashad was arrested and sent to Juvie for a few days while he waited for his hearing.

The episode also followed a 16 year old girl named Sierra who was taken to Juvie for being a runaway. She had recently started seeing a 19 year old boy who has been to prison twice for drug possession and dealing. When Sierra’s parents tried to ground her for lying – so that they could keep her away from her boyfriend, she disappeared from school and her mother called the Police.

The way the system seems to work is that the kids spend a few days in Juvie while they wait for a hearing in a small court run by Judge Mary Beth Bonaventure. The child gets a “defence” attorney and their is another attorney for “the people”. They question the child and the parent/s and determine whether the child should stay in Juvie or be released to their parents – usually with conditions.

At the end of this episode, both Rashad and Sierra were released to their parents. Rashad was required to undergo counselling for his behaviour, and Sierra was ordered not to have any contact with her boyfriend. There was no comment on Rashad’s progress, however they stated that Sierra stayed in school and made the Honor Roll. The only contact she had with her boyfriend was through myspace.

At no point in the show was there any bad language, violence, nudity (although you do see Rashad topless during his inspection) and there was no sex or drug use. What there WAS, was a real display of what these kids go through. It showed them being brought in to Juvie and processed, as well as showing how they live, how they interact with the other “residents” (it seems they can’t be called inmates) and how the guards deal with problem “residents”.

I think the show is an EXCELLENT way for kids and their parents to discuss issues like drugs, assault and whatever else the show plans to throw at us, and to let young kids see that ANYONE can get in trouble. In this episode, there was an unruly resident who started punching his cell door and carrying on like an idiot just for attention.

Right at the point where the resident started going nuts, we hear young Rashad in voice-over say “It’s about this point I realise I don’t want to be in Juvie”. He was also doing a video diary at one point where he complained that “You have to sleep when they tell you to sleep. You have to get up too early. And you don’t get to play video games or anything”.

Minor points maybe, but I’m sure my 8 and 10 year old boys would relate to these comments. My youngest can’t survive more than two hours without playing Wii, XBox or Nintendo. Maybe seeing Rashad denied all that for three days might be just what he needs to stay on the straight and narrow. And I am happy with whatever works to keep my kids from breaking the law and starting a life in jail at the age of 14.

So….what do you think? Have you seen this show? Do you agree that kids should be watching it? Let me know what you think.

Customer Service

Finally, I have story that should set the standard for the Customer Service Text Book. This is what customer service is all about, and I would challenge all retailers in Australia to meet this standard.

Earlier in the year, we bought ourselves a brand new lounge suite from Dare Gallery here in Brisbane. It’s soft red leather, is a two and a half seater sofa with a chaise on the left side (as you look at it) and has a huge ottoman that’s about 1.5 metres long. The suite was delivered back in late May and in mid September we noticed that the leather was starting to crack.

We conditioned the chaise and started to use it a little less, but one Wednesday, one of my kids noticed that some of the stitching in the other seats was starting to come apart. I dragged out the receipt and rang Dare Gallery, expecting to encounter an argument over whose fault it was, or an accusation that we had done something to it.

I asked to speak to the manager and was put on to a man named Brendan. I calmly and politely informed him of the situation and told him that I was “quite angry” that we had spent so much money on this lounge which was now falling apart. He told me that the situation was “no good” and brought up the order details, describing the lounge.

He asked what had happened to the lounge and I told him. Again, all this was very polite – but stern. Brendan told me that he would arrange for one of the maintenance guys to call me and arrange to come and look at the lounge, but that from my description he thought they would probably replace the lounge. Once again, I expected things to drag out.

I received a call the next day (Thursday) from a guy called Charlie who asked if he cold drop by the next day and inspect the lounge between 1 and 3. I reckon the clock just hit 1:01 when he rang the doorbell. He came inside, spent about 5 minutes looking at the lounge and said he would recommend a replacement.

The weekend passed and I waited until Tuesday. I rang Dare Gallery who told me Brendan had a day off. This is where I expected everything to turn to poo. Andrea came on the line and I told her that I wanted to keep up the momentum on the issue. I explained what was going on and she brought up the order on her computer. “Oh,” she said. “We’ve already ordered you a new lounge.”

I was stunned to say the least. Andrea then told me that she would expect to receive the lounge at the store the following week and that we might get it delivered by that Friday. I was sceptical to say the least, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. She told me that she would ring when it arrived to arrange delivery.

Maybe I was pushing my luck, but I asked Andrea if the new lounge would be set up and the rubbish taken away, considering that this was a replacement. She said that it’s not normal practice to do that, but she would see what she could do.

The week went by without a call from Dare Gallery and we entered the next week, fast approaching Andrea’s deadline. The Friday came – and went – with no call, so I decided to call them on Monday to chase things up. Considering the original lounge took four weeks to make, I was surprised that we were promised a new one within only two weeks.

But I didn’t get a chance to wait until Monday. Charlie rang me on Saturday and asked if he could come by and deliver the new lounge on Tuesday between 10 and 12. I was stunned, but checked that my Fiance would be home to accept the delivery, and all was good. I asked Charlie if he was able to remove the rubbish and he said “Yep. You don’t need to worry about any of that. By the time I leave, you’ll just have a brand new lounge where the old one was”.

So today is Tuesday. At about 9:55, Charlie turned up with our new lounge. I got a text from my girl once he’d left stating that we had a new lounge and that Charlie had set it up and taken away the old lounge and all the rubbish. He even helped move the coffee table back into place.

So there it is. Exceptional customer service. Not only did Dare Gallery do everything that they said they would do, they did it when they said they would do it. And they obviously pushed our new lounge through as a priority construction. Neither the store nor Charlie could have been more helpful.

So thank you, Dare Gallery. Thank you for renewing my trust in Australian retail and actually looking after a customer. The message to the rest of you retailers out there is that now, not only have I told my work mates about the service Dare Gallery have provided, but I will shop there again myself AND I will recommend Dare Gallery to anyone that I speak to that is looking for furniture.

THAT is how you run a business. THAT is how you get repeat customers, and THAT is how you get NEW customers.

You can view their website here: daregallery.com.au Sure, they’re a bit pricey, but the quality of their wares is fantastic (despite our little problem) and they obviously know how to treat their customers.

Benny Hill

How awesome is Benny Hill? I reckon that if he were alive today, he’d still be making the funniest show on TV. The Benny Hill show is still showing on Foxtel here in Australia and I relish when it comes on each night so I can get my fill.

Here in Australia, we’ve always had a better connection with British humour than American. Not that there’s anything wrong with American comics, but when you belong to an Empire where the King denounced the Pope so he could get a divorce and cut off his wife’s head, you can’t help but laugh can you?

But Benny takes the cake. His style of bawdy humour never fails to bring a smile to my face. Whether it’s the girls getting around in stockings after having their skirt ripped off, or his naughty poems, it’s 30 minutes of pure joy. Here’s a sample of one of his poems, titled “The birds and bees”:

I’d reached the age of fourteen and I hadn’t started courting,
And my mum was getting worried about me.
She said, “Dad, it’s time you told him all about the birds and bees,”
He said, “The birds and bees,” and sat me on his knee.

He said, “Now, remember Uncle Joe and that picnic a while ago,
How he went off into the woods with Auntie Pat?
And how I chased O’Reily’s daughter and what happened when I caught her?”
I said, “Yeah,” he said, “Well birds and bees does that.”

Dad works very hard indeed, well he got ten kids to feed,
Well ten and seven ninths to be precise.
And we all wear hand-me-downs, and as I am the youngest,
And the others are all girls, it ain’t very nice.

Dad said, “It’s time that you got wed,” I said, “I’d rather drop down dead,”
He said, “Now how about old Maude from Ikely down?”
I said, “Maude? Not bloody likely, she’s been out by half the chaps in Ikely,”
He said, “Well Ikely’s really quite a little town.”

This poem was provided by The Music Archive and you can read the whole poem here.

I think that with all the do-gooders out there, a show like The Benny Hill Show probably wouldn’t air these days. Benny was never afraid to poke fun at anyone. He might be called racist these days, considering he would make light of women, arabs, chinese, “African Americans”, and even Australians. If you ask me, you can’t get more diverse and equal-rights than that.

I grew up watching shows like this and Love Thy Neighbour. If you never got to see it, you’d be hard pressed to find a show that is more inappropriate or more racist. But the funny thing is, because of that show, I have always thought of the term “Nig Nog” as a term of endearment for black people. Not that I say it to them of course. Even I know how incorrect that would be these days.

The show centred around two neighbours. Eddie Booth who is white and Bill Reynolds, his black neighbour. Eddie would always refer to Bill as Sambo or Nig Nog, while Bill would retaliate with Honky, Snowflake or Paleface. While most of the humour was relatively benign, it would occasionally boil over and Eddie and Bill would come inches from punching each others lights out.

What we need is more shows like this back on TV. Screw political correctness. Where has it gotten us? It has led us to ban Christmas decorations in shopping centres in case we offend someone. It has led schools to not celebrate major holildays in case someone gets upset. Everyone needs to step the f**k back and be themselves again.

But I digress. Hats off to you, Benny. I think I might start my own tradition at home – raising a glass on the anniversary of Benny’s death. Or his birthday. Or maybe both. I know Benny would appreciate it.