Comments on: Comment: If pagans can get time off for Halloween, can we set up a gay religion?

By: AdrianT

AdrianT — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:09:18 +0000

Lilith said:
"That's the point, really: we would like our beliefs to be taken seriously and not treated as a joke."

It's somewhat of an understatement to say your beliefs are a joke, and wishing it to be otherwise will not change that, in a month of solstaces.

Report this comment to us

By: Tom Fleury

Tom Fleury — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:35:51 +0000

Here we have a Brand new non-religious religion. for all colours ( yes, we'll include sparkly), races,creeds and the acceptable sexual preferences ( sorry no Animals or Necraphilia). You can be a Gnostic to a follower of the 'We were created by aliens' philosophy as long as you practice some tolerance. So lets have a Buthidar's Day and make it a National Holiday everywhere.

Report this comment to us

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:23:38 +0000

Gran Canraia is fabulous at Halloween – a fantastic place to go is the Yumbo center a great pagen parties. The halloween fancy dress is amazing. I love it …

Report this comment to us

By: Anders

Anders — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:09:57 +0000

I'm gay, I'm pagan, I've been both as long as I can remember.
I've only ever had one problem in taking some of my annual leave as a spiritual holiday and that was a manager breaching protocol by trying to cancel my leave day at the last minute (she failed, it had been authorised in writing) rather than anything to do with my spirituality.
This is another non-story, nothing much more than piss-take

And if gay folk really want a fun spirituality which does not feel the need to condemn in order to build itself up, why not try some branch(es) of paganism.

Report this comment to us

By: Jerry Sloan

Jerry Sloan — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:41:35 +0000

Sure, let's start the Church of St. Priapus (sic) the patron saint of male genitalia. If there is a patron saint for femail genitalia it could be the Church of St. Priapus and St. —–.

Report this comment to us

By: Lilith

Lilith — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:47:27 +0000

Don't be so bl**dy ignorant. Why, in a time when people who support the Abrahamic religions get annual leave to follow their faith, is this move so newsworthy? Our beliefs are much older than those of Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, and Jews, so we should be FIRST and not last to get these 'privileges'. As the first commenter says: we still have to take annual leave – the only difference is that, since the 2003 regulations, our requests have to be taken seriously. That's the point, really: we would like our beliefs to be taken seriously and not treated as a joke. Get a life, Stephen.

Report this comment to us

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:59:24 +0000

Paul(27) is quite right; this was the lover of the Emperor Hardian (and all you ever thought was that he was only interested in making a wall(!!!!!)

Report this comment to us

By: davey

davey — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:12:04 +0000

I can understand that he was trying to joke, but I feel like he's missed the mark with his humour. I felt such pride when read that police are to get days off for religious worship which is meaningful to them. This article doesn't really seem all that "funny"… To follow on from a previous comment. There is a gay man's spirituality which is pagan in nature but has pulled away from mainstream paganism. They're called Radical Faeries, and specifically honour their sexuality as something of beauty and power. So… if the author had taken the time to research what he wrote… also I find it worrying that the aspects of gay culture the author wishes to promote as being central to this new "gay religion" happen to be the stereotypes many of us are trying to shake off. Pinknews should have had better judgement before posting this article.

Just my 2 cents

Report this comment to us

By: jojn sharp

jojn sharp — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:16:10 +0000

religions should not have a single stand in public life .
religions are unproven lies
any one advocating a religion should be put to justiv\ce for spreading lies and false hopes

Report this comment to us

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:27:13 +0000

I think it’s great that Pagan Police Officers can officially have their festival days as annual leave!

What’s interesting about Paganism and Homosexuality, is that there are many Pagan Traditions with various deities that are openly bisexual and in particular one Creek youth called Antinous that was elevated to deity status was worshiped across the classical Roman world, as a God of Homosexual love. This handsome deity even had it’s own priesthood, festival calendar and temples, until the rise of Roman Christianity.

Report this comment to us

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:18:01 +0000

Suggested Gay Bank Holidays;
Monroe Day, Garland Day Doris Day(!) Gay Day and Queens Day (well they hve one in Holland!)……..

Report this comment to us

By: AdrianT

AdrianT — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:03:55 +0000

After reading about this, I wonder, if it is only a matter of time before Pagans will join in with other faith groups in calling for more religious airtime on the BBC, at taxpayers’ expense. They are a force to be reckoned with, after all: in the Scottish civil service, for instance, practicing pagans outnumber practicing Jews, Buddhists and Hindus. (cf Daily Express, jul 19)

Before we know it, we will be treated to a live broadcast from Stonehenge to commemorate each Summer Solstice, with a special edition of 'Wake Up To Wotan'. Or maybe three minutes of daily nonsense with Thor For the Day?

This revival of our Nordic ancestors’ deities is a stark reminder that while organised religion is withering on the vine, superstition in Britain is, alas, alive and kicking, 40 years after man first set foot on the Moon. Go into a book store and compare the shelf space afforded to popular science compared with that given to astrology, angels, crystal healing, Nostradamus, tarot reading and other such gobbledegook.

In his 'Future of an Illusion', Sigmund Freud reminds us, there is a natural, rather than supernatural, explanation for all this. We are poorly evolved mammals, a partly irrational species, with under-developed brains and over-developed adrenaline glands, afraid of the dark and uniquely aware of our mortality. We would not be here if we didn’t fear shadows for no reason, by default.

This year’s Solstice event achieved record attendance – and a record amount of litter too, resulting in a costly clean up operation afterwards. Isn’t it ironic that the followers of a religion which claims oneness with nature should transform Stonehenge from a National Heritage site into a landfill site?
Verily, a wine-into-water occasion of biblical proportions!

Report this comment to us

By: AdrianT

AdrianT — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:54:54 +0000

Why on earth is it necessary to point out that 'this is only a joke'? What a cop out, Benjamin.

I don't think belief without evidence is a joke as a matter of fact. I'm sorry, but if you believe in superstitious nonsense, 150 years after the Origin Of Species was published, then I will think you are a fool, to be ridiculed out of necessity.

Faith is to be mocked, full stop. It is childish nonsense. 'as a gay pagan..' If you are offended – grow a thicker skin.

By the way, I think it was some place near glastonbury that had a major fight on its hands to ensure residents could get broadband internet – because local druids, or some similar crackpots, claimed it interfered with their ability to communicate with their gods.

Report this comment to us

By: Benjamin Cohen

Benjamin Cohen — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:21:46 +0000

This article is clearly a joke. It doesn't represent the views of PinkNews

Report this comment to us

By: Vince

Vince — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 10:04:14 +0000

I am disapointed to read this article on Pink News, which would have better been published in The Sun. I am not used to this low level of otherwise aspiring journalism here. The author has to get some respect for other religions and realise that being gay, is not a religion. If he feels in need of spituality, pick any religion or suggest a political/cultural holiday but swaying in pointless ideas about how to 'religionise' something that he perceives to be 'the gay community' is ridiculous.

Report this comment to us

By: John

John — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 09:26:46 +0000

Another day… another attempt at mocking religion.

And in a way that repeats the gay sterotype that we're all camp and into sparkles, fashion and shit pop music.

What a tolerant and prgressive site this isn't.

Report this comment to us

By: Connor

Connor — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 01:06:58 +0000

"religion isnt made up by fantasy, its made up of faith!!!"

Faith; belief in something with no proof or evidence.

Sounds like fantasy to me.

Report this comment to us

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:27:07 +0000

I joined the Gay Faeries some years ago after spending GayPride in San Francisco. And there probably still is a Church of the Glory Hole there too, though I never partook.

Report this comment to us

By: Brian Burton

Brian Burton — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:59:45 +0000

Dan,
And More Power to your elbow, there is a lot to giggle about!

Report this comment to us

By: dan

dan — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:50:41 +0000

Where is the hate in this article? And what am I having forced onto me? I found this a playful piece and it made me giggle. Lighten up everyone, take a breather.. I didn't take it that the author was attacking any form of religion, just providing some much-needed light-hearted relief from the reality of the more sombre news we are so used to. If you can't laugh along with articles like this, what then?

Anyway, returning to its tongue-in-cheek intentions, I wholeheartedly support the cause. A gay religion will bring joy and fulfilment to the hearts of many, plus I've nearly used up my holidays for this year. I urge all readers to begin work on the realisation of our new ideology. There is much to do, but if the Jedi can do it, then so can we.

Report this comment to us