https://politicalresearch.org/ The latest research related to witchcraft en https://religiondispatches.org/2022/04/05/demons-held-responsible-these-days-everything-covid-lgbtq-rights-take-visual-tour During our season of political madness , it took a lot to trigger a double-take, and yet a pro-Trump, Covid-denialist pediatrician named Stella Immanuel declaring that illness was caused by the semen of demons was an exemplary case. Dr. Immanuel… Tue, 05 Apr 2022 06:41:18 EDT Ed Simon b56f739c-c520-476b-9177-4d7c90f59b69 https://religiondispatches.org/2021/03/23/how-postwar-germanys-witchcraft-trials-can-help-us-understand-qanon-and-other-conspiracy Doing research in a branch of the state library in Berlin a few years ago, I stumbled across a reference to a 1951 book called Are There Witches among Us? It had been published in West Germany by a former… Tue, 23 Mar 2021 01:34:25 EDT Monica Black 53e7754b-bfc1-40dc-9a7a-e8ab5324042e https://religiondispatches.org/2020/10/15/what-does-satanism-have-do-qanon Outsiders to the QAnon conspiracy system evolving over the past few years may be confused by its references to Satanic rites in which children are supposedly abused. Of course, there’s never been the slightest evidence of murderous, child-abusing Satanic cults… Thu, 15 Oct 2020 03:35:44 EDT David Frankfurter 87936a51-29de-4ca0-9d1b-55d141450aef https://religiondispatches.org/2016/06/16/satanists-infiltrate-ritual-abuse-conference-oakland-your-guide-what-happened-and-why In April, a group of Satanists infiltrated a conference for people who believe they’re the victims of a Satanic conspiracy. RD contributor Joseph Laycock has answers to all of your burning questions. Wait, enough people believe that they’re victims of… Thu, 16 Jun 2016 07:23:19 EDT Joseph Laycock d7b5a53a-5f1c-4977-8921-3cd0eea22cc8 https://religiondispatches.org/2016/04/06/satanic-temple-protests-pseudoscientific-therapies-satanic-abuse-and-witchcraft If you happened to walk past San Francisco’s Parc 55 hotel this past weekend, you would have seen a most unusual sight: Two women bound on the sidewalk in chains as Satanists cover them in ashes and recited from the… Wed, 06 Apr 2016 03:15:06 EDT Joseph Laycock 1a52f1be-4bfd-4c4a-8986-3f0c9547e67b https://religiondispatches.org/2014/11/07/pagan-outrage-machine-fires-response-time-halloween-article Pagans have demanded an apology for a Time magazine article that, according to a petition, compared witches to terrorists. The “inflammatory” part of author Jennifer Latson’s piece, which analyzes our current cultural fascination with witchcraft as demonstrated by shows like… Fri, 07 Nov 2014 03:26:57 EST Joseph Laycock 027bef84-8e02-4487-aa14-38ec4408dab8 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/01/19/missing-forest-witches Eager to note that a witch story involved a Glenda in Salem, many seem to have missed what’s actually disturbing about it. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:33:31 EST Joseph Laycock d92b2742-88ad-41b6-87d4-1e8f3194e624 https://religiondispatches.org/2011/01/26/romanias-witch-tax-magic-meets-bureaucracy On January 1, Romania implemented new tax codes that, among other changes, added the occupation of “witch” to the nation’s labor codes. Those charging clients for tarot readings, curses, and blessings must now pay a 16 percent income tax and make contributions to health and pension programs. The ire of the witches, some of whom responded by performing rituals to hex the government, has become fodder for scores of offbeat news stories throughout the West. But there is a deeper story to the witches of Romania. Wed, 26 Jan 2011 01:35:52 EST Joseph Laycock 0b83c0f5-a353-47a1-ab51-c92e44d144df https://religiondispatches.org/2010/11/15/why-all-silly-devil-talk-should-be-taken-seriously Conspiracy theories ebb and flow in waves associated with how confident people feel about their social environments. When times are hard and unemployment rates are high, individuals get creative in where they look for explanations. It is no accident that talented, powerful, popular, and rich African American male rappers, along with female artists, are being targeted by these claims. Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:10:13 EST Ebony Utley 4a40e9f9-bf19-4e75-80d2-bf3227875170 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/11/01/halloween-evangelicals-and-macabre While many evangelicals continue to treat Halloween as evil the holiday actually includes significant Christian contributions. Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:21:46 EDT John W. Morehead 78aab64c-2a72-4f9f-b298-8ca46daf8d9b https://religiondispatches.org/2010/10/28/crying-witch-learning-odonnell-dabbling-debacle While Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell didn’t say anything about Wicca, per se, when she talked about “dabbling into witchcraft,” her more recent “kill the witch” comments will surely distance her further from pagan communities used to dealing (especially around Halloween) with this confusion between the swirling cultural tropes of “the witch” and those who embrace “witch” as a religious self-description. Thu, 28 Oct 2010 08:41:38 EDT Spencer Dew fc61eba1-dc6d-4db9-acbf-dc0fb600cebe https://religiondispatches.org/2010/09/30/polygamy-bus-tour-spiritual-healthcare-christian-scientists-baptizing-alien The week in religion, freeze-dried and shrink-wrapped for the reader on the go. Thu, 30 Sep 2010 01:39:07 EDT Michael J. Altman 5a38b3a7-2211-4559-8213-71d964b299cb https://religiondispatches.org/2010/09/20/skepticism-over-odonnells-dabbling-witchcraft Which witch is which? Mon, 20 Sep 2010 07:16:22 EDT John W. Morehead 0ded96c2-1ab0-4a02-a596-19030a444ad7 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/09/17/atheizing-dead-religious-doughnuts-tax-free-witching The week in religion, poetically. Fri, 17 Sep 2010 03:10:10 EDT Michael J. Altman 06bd0947-8de4-447a-a225-6951f56a1fd6 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/06/02/evil-incarnate-rumors-demonic-conspiracy Whether or not we believe in evil as a supernatural force it cannot be denied that when we as a culture project the idea of evil outwards, onto others, it gives us license to engage in extreme forms of cruelty—witch-hunting, racism, nationalistic hatred. Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:42:41 EDT David Frankfurter c70aa837-92ae-4f19-96ea-4baf31612678 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/05/12/your-hatred-will-make-me-famous He threatens criminals and undocumented immigrants with impalement but he has ‘Republican values.’ Jonathon ‘The Impaler’ Sharkey’s declaration that he will seek the Republican nomination for president is just another human interest story for the media. But what does it say that his rhetoric and positions don’t deviate appreciably from the current level of discourse? Wed, 12 May 2010 06:45:38 EDT Joseph Laycock 8882774d-4574-4f2d-aebf-6fc73629e20b