PNC Florida

Photo by valakirka / Flickr

By Cosette Paneque
Aug. 10, 2011

JACKSONVILLE – Hundreds of Christian are preparing to gather and walk to local schools to pray and bless students and faculty for the coming school year.

Transform Jacksonville and Northeast Florida is behind the prayer walk taking place Sunday Aug. 21. According to the organization’s website, over 95 schools in five counties were “physically covered in prayer” during the last School Prayer Day on Jan. 9.

“We encourage every follower of Christ to join with fellow believers at your church and come out and pray for your neighborhood schools. There is POWER in prayer and in the UNITY of the body of Christ. The vision for our region is to have a prayer covering over every school and a partnership between each school and a church. These partnerships will be developed on trust, as the church meets the felt needs of that school (supplies, volunteers, mentors, tutors, property maintenance etc.).”

This event raises a number of questions: Why are local public schools permitting this? What’s their relationship to Transform Jacksonville and Northeast Florida? What about the spiritual imposition on students and faculty who are not Christian?

Photo by MARK RANDALL, Sun Sentinel

By Cosette Paneque
Aug. 8, 2011

Ever been gator hunting? Five youths went alligator hunting in the Everglades last week as part of an excursion led by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) just before the statewide harvesting season, which begins August 15.

The young hunters ranging in age from 11 to 15 were selected as part of a statewide lottery. They were required to take a 16-hour safety course and huntmaster Mark Dombroski told the Sun-Sentinel there’s more to it than just killing gators. The importance of land conservation and respect for the animals are emphasized.

“This program is not about the hunt or the killing of an alligator as much as the program is specifically designed to introduce them to the outdoors. Whether they really hunt again is irrelevant to the program,” Dombroski said.

According to the FWC, there are over one million wild American alligators in Florida and the species is state and federally protected. Since 1998, the FWC has been running the Statewide Alligator Harvest Program to help manage their population. Last year, 7,000 alligators were harvested.

What do you think? Is this a responsible way to teach kids about our unique Florida environment and wildlife? As a Pagan, what’s your relationship to hunting?

By Cosette Paneque
Oct. 22, 2010

NAPLES – A dispute over Bibles in Collier schools has opened the way for the distribution of other religious materials.

In a settlement between the Collier County School Board and World Changers of Florida, the Christian group will be allowed to leave Bibles in Collier high schools on Religious Freedom Day. Horatio Mihet, an attorney representing World Changers, told Naples News, “We’re definitely pleased with that development and eager to participate in the forum created by that.”

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Jason Pitzl-Waters

By Cosette Paneque
Sept. 1, 2010

Notable Pagan news blogger and music podcaster Jason Pitzl-Waters will teach a 4-week course this fall for Cherry Hill Seminary.

The class titled “Media Outreach for Pagan Groups and Organizations” is aimed at helping Pagans develop outreach strategies that utilize new media solutions and give them the tools they need to help their organizations remain viable in the digital world. The course will be structured along the Witch’s Pyramid with lessons following the themes To Know, To Dare, To Will, and To Keep Silent.

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