THE WITCHFINDER ARMY
ARE BRITISH PAGANS SAFE FROM TERRORIST VIOLENCE?
THE MANIC ACTIVITIES OF A HATE-PROMOTION GROUP CALLING ITSELF THE 'WITCHFINDER ARMY' HAS RECENTLY BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF PAN.
A Pagan using the pseudonym 'LEGAL EAGLE' who supports PAN's vital anti-defamation work has recently sent us detailed information that proves just how very radical and highly dangerous the 'critics' of paganism/witchcraft can be and what lengths they will go to in their unholy quest to vilify, disenfranchise and eventually destroy the pagan minority.
The Witchfinder Army website is accessed at http://members.aol.com/arkhangei/ and seems to be the work of one individual calling himself 'Arkhangel'. Their guestbook has naturally received a great deal of criticism from incensed wiccans and pagans who feel offended at the unjust treatment they have been given. This is understandable when one discovers the WA claim that Wicca is a bogus religion and must be destroyed like some evil virus.
The WA recently stated the following on another Pagan-hate site called 'Wicca - Perfecting the Art of Religious Fraud' accessed at : http://www.geocities.com/wicca_hoax/
"In answer to the last poster. of course the website author is capable of creating things. He created this website. There are those of us whose job is to create, and those of us whose job is to destroy. An antibody's job is purely the destruction of a virus. Would you criticise THAT? The job of this site, and of the Witchfinder Army's own, is to destroy the virus that is the self-delusional practise of Wicca."
Does this sound like fair and open debate about the validity of religious belief or the ranting of a deranged mind, set on the total destruction of another faith system? We believe the 'latter' to be the case! Could it be that this particular site is ALSO run by the originator of the Witchfinder Army? No prizes from us guys for guessing the RIGHT answer!
Legal Eagle courageously criticised the WA (on their own guestbook) several times and apparently revealed the 'true nature' of this dangerous group. He mentioned that the group admitted on their own 'Intelligence Posting' page http://members.aol.com/arkhangei/intelligence.htm to actually injuring wiccans in Liverpool and we quote this here:
"It seems that a mischievous prank by one of our younger soldiers near Liverpool, involving genetically modified fertiliser and a seasonal Christmas plant, resulted in the Holly crowns of a certain Merseyside coven causing multiple lacerations to the heads of its most senior male members."
This event happened (it was claimed) around the Autumn equinox 2002. PAN would be delighted to receive any evidence concerning this particular situation from wiccans living in the Liverpool area.
Legal Eagle went on to state that the WA's 'soldiers' also admitted to being able to start 'fires' in the field. L.E. then politely asked Arkhangel if he knew anything about the FIREBOMBING OF THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE BOOKSHOP IN LEEDS, FOLLOWING A RAMPANT AND DISGUSTING CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALIST CAMPAIGN TO DISCREDIT THE INNOCENT OWNER, MR CHRIS BRAY. L.E. told the WA that their site was "illegal" as it promoted "hate and religious intolerance" and was also based of self-admitted terrorism.
Arkhangel couldn't stand the 'heat', became hysterical and later closed the guestbook to everyone. However, this radical actually kept a 'PRIVATE' link open so that he could verbally abuse Legal Eagle (unbeknown to other readers.) Before Arkhangel completely closed all links, Legal eagle managed to copy out the incredible ranting, which he later forwarded to PAN.
We have printed a few extracts below to give you a flavour of what the WA is 'really' all about! Their guestbook was previously accessed on the following link 'before' Arkhangel ran off and closed it down: : http://www.theguestbook.com/vgbook/439878.gbook
This was what the Witchfinder Army stated to Legal Eagle 'after' they closed the guestbook to others.
NB. Please note that hysterical rant & 'spelling mistakes' are Arkhangel's own problem not PAN's
Arkhangel: Date: Sat Oct 19 15:27:58 2002
Comment: You threaten us with legal action from the government......go onreport us, we have nothing to hide. Tell our server provider (AOL - in case you can't read the url), the UK police...cyber angels web police...the FBI...whoever you like, we have nothing to hide. We will then tell them about SAFF and PA(D)N propaganda and lies, can they say the same? GO ON. DO IT. Or are you really Legal Chicken? Go on you gutless fundie, do it ( Or will you just continue filibustering our guestbook like
Arkhangel : Date: Sat Oct 19 15:16:45 2002
Comment: LE we did not dodge your question about the little Sorcerer's Apprentice shop (when did that happen again? about 1995 wasn't it? Do you really have to go that far back to find persecution?) As we have said numerous times - but you don't listen - we DO NOT condone violence against anyone (even you) But neither do we condone propaganda shops like Sorcerer's Apprentice selling lies. We were not involved in its torching....look elsewhere
Arkhangel : Date: Sat Oct 19 20:26:30 2002
Hey Legal you whiny fundie asshole. Guess what? The link to the guestbook is removed. Only you can read it now. I've cancelled my account and the server host will stop it very soon. I also will delete MY links to it as soon as I finish this. So tough crap you deluded fundie whiner.
Arkhangel : Date: Sat Oct 19 20:49:24 2002
Hey cissy boy. Read the intelligence page. I await with baited breath your reinforcements to come and GET me. Everyone who knows about paganism knows that pagans are only good at running their pathetic mouths off. I include my email address on my website, on nearly every page, but you cowards can only snipe from a distance. Keep watching the net. This is NOTHING to what I'm gonna do to reveal your 'religion' as the pretend joke it really is.
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We at PAN took it upon ourselves to report this particular story as the WA spammed out own guestbook with pathetic and illiterate hate propaganda around the same time that Legal Eagle uncovered the gravity of the situation on WA's website.
Rather interesting it is also that this hate promotion group are widely supporting the hard-line evangelical organisation (REACHOUT TRUST) that helped to instigate most of the Satanic ritual child abuse cases of late. In fact the WA actually state on their own 'links' page that they have common goals with the highly anti-occultist 'Reachout Trust.' Quote WA:
Links
"If you feel that the Witchfinder Army website does not go far enough in attacking heretics, perhaps you would like to link here. Staffed by committed born-again Christians, this site is dedicated to the absolute destruction of all things occult. Though the Witchfinder Army is a non-secular organisation, our common goals justify their placement here."
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ARE UK PAGANS SAFE FROM ATTACK?
PAN has been warning the pagan community for years about the type of radical and highly dangerous factions which constantly attack pagans (on many levels) in the UK. Sadly, as most pagan discussion website forums now show, most pagans are more interested in discussing the pros and cons of the latest Xtian/pagan interfaith barbecue or the latest firemen's strike to realise the 'real' threats being aimed against them. Many naive pagans also wrongly assume that 'terrorism' is something aimed at 'other' religions that are largely monotheistic. This is a very perilous misapprehension to labour under as the WA's antics have recently proved.
How long will it be before such radical factions as the above decide to take 'deadly' action against a large Pagan Moot gathering to further their intolerant cause?
We have already seen what religious fanatics with an axe to grind can do to UK paganism in attacks on the Sorcerer's Apprentice and other occult shops. Hopefully, pagans of this and every other land will never be subjected to the type of terrorist outrages like those recently witnessed in America and Bali yet we need to be more vigilant now then ever before.
Our constant opposition to the Pagan Federation's ill-informed strategy of Christo/pagan interfaith liaison is well known. Our site is full of proof that this is a most erroneous path for straight thinking pagans to take. However, the odious activities of hate-promotion groups is a much more 'upfront' affair, which also needs to be seriously addressed. Furthermore, the admiration that WA have for Reachout Trust just goes to show how fanatics always gravitate to other bodies that share similar radical sentiments! Both organisations are in existence to defame, suppress and finally outlaw all alternative beliefs. The horrendous effect that the SRAM had on British society is still being felt today and Reachout Trust and its allies are still highly active and well supported. How many more fanatical soldier' groups, like Witchfinder Army, are supporting well-respected and well financed 'evangelical' organisations not only in the UK but in ever other county?
PAN and the SAFF have been freely reporting with great accuracy on the fundie campaign to outlaw paganism for many years. We have had 'NO' help whatsoever from large groups like the Pagan Federation, since the new Christo/pagan interfaith fan club walked in and took over. We believe that the PF should be doing much more to protect their trusting members.
What every UK pagan must now ask is:
WILL BRITISH PAGANS BE SAFE FROM TERRORIST ATTACKS BY RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS WHO WANT TO DESTROY OUR FAITH SYSTEMS?
Disclaimer:
PAN realises that the vast majority of Christians are not fundamentalist or evangelical in make up and we only criticise religious extremists who seek to disenfranchise other faiths whilst bolstering their own. PAN does not in any way condone violence against any persons or property and we must state that we have always worked towards a more tolerant and equal society.
