A few weeks ago I posted about the op-ed on James Bond that my step-sister Deborah had published.
Apparently soon after she was approached by another paper that wanted to run it as well.
"We are reprinting your amusing article about James Bond that you had in the NY Times. Would it be fair to identify you thus: 'Deborah Lipp, a practicing witch, is the author of the upcoming "Ultimate James Bond Fan Book."'"
(Deborah has written several books on Wicca, a fact which showed up in the biography submitted with the article, but really has nothing to do with her James Bond book - other than the fact that she's written books before.)
Her response:
"Is it normal for you to identify your authors by their religion? If not, I suggest you leave mine out."
In the comments of her blog post on this exchange she pointed out that while it might have been reasonable to say, "Deborah Lipp, author of [various books on Wicca]," if it isn't right to simply say, "Deborah Lipp, Jew..." it's not any more reasonable to do so with any other religion.
Comments (4)
i dont really get it... she thinks shes a witch and thinking of oneself as a "witch" is a religion? i mean, with riding a broomstick and that stuff? whatever.
Posted by estéban kunetsov | December 28, 2005 12:34 AM
Posted on December 28, 2005 00:34
Yes, Wicca is a religion, and as someone who practices it she is a witch. No, there are no broomsticks or pointed hats - these are nasty stereotypes that got made up about witches a long time ago.
Posted by Cathy | December 28, 2005 4:50 AM
Posted on December 28, 2005 04:50
ok... but how do you practice it? do you use a sacred shrine or some sort of fetish to worship? or was it just some wired idea by some people who want to be different, by all means?
Posted by estéban kunetsov | December 31, 2005 2:23 AM
Posted on December 31, 2005 02:23
It's a minority religion, but not a fetish. The modern practice, as I understand it, is based on the religious practice of ancient Celts prior to Christianity.
I'm sure there's credible information with more details about it on the web - it's not THAT rare a religion - which can explain more how it works. I'm hesitant to go into more thoroughly myself since my knowledge is limited and I wouldn't want to mischaracterize it. However, it should not be confused with cults or satanism. That I'm sure about.
Posted by Cathy | December 31, 2005 4:59 AM
Posted on December 31, 2005 04:59