Pagan mom live-tweets Buncombe Board of Ed debate on religious activities in schools

Posted on by Jeff Fobes

Angela Pippinger, self-described “pagan and clergy-in training,” is live-tweeting tonight, Feb. 2, from the Buncombe County Board of Education’s meeting about county schools’ religion policy. You can follow her tweets here.

The school policy was recently amended after pagan parent Angela Pippinger, self-described “pagan and clergy-in training,” is live-tweeting tonight, Feb. 2, from the Buncombe County Board of Education’s meeting about county schools’ religion policy. The school policy was recently amended after pagan parent Ginger Strivelli made good on her promise to deliver pagan religion books for distribution at Buncombe County Schools, after seeing that North Windy Ridge intermediate school had accepted Bibles for distribution. 

Below are what she had tweeted up until 9:12 p.m.
There are lots of people here & quite a few are not pleased by my presence (got my pentacle on). Meeting is started. It will be a long while before we get to the policy on religion in school.

3 topics to cover before floor is opened to the public. We are talking budget. As an accountant, even i am bored by it.

Kathy rhodarmer of candler gives historical perspective. In support of Bibles passed out. Says laws are bible based. Kathy feels that without Christianity in our schools, it harms the structure. Kathy is not ashamed of being Christian and feels children should not be denied.

#2 speaker, Pat Hand, fears that this policy hinders freedom of religion. Feels that all religions can distribute materials. Hand is asking that all religions be allowed to distribute materials.

Kim byrd loves children who stand up for rights. Children have petitioned for diversity training! Kim byrd has also brought info for the board to find trainers.

Byron ballard is.up & supporting the proposed policy. Byron is pointing out how different times have changed. Religion was not discussed because everyone was christian/unchurched.

2 children are up & talking. They feel that things were okay at their school & no change needed.

Rusty smart is speaking. Says that it was not illegal to distribute material. Randy smart feels Ginger [Strivelli, who brought pagan materials to a north Buncombe school for distribution] has destroyed the reputation of bunc co schools. Randy smart wants the ACLU to know that no laws were broken. Also wants the board to stop spending money on the lawyer.

Sandra blackwell feels that schools are lacking in morals because a teacher promoting prayer might have been fired. Kathy blackwell feels ginger has threatened people without provocation.

Chad nesbitt is up. Takes the new policy very personal. Chad nesbitt feels that if muslims can practice during school hrs then a coach can wear a got-jesus tee. Chad nesbitt feels tradition should not be changed no matter what. Chad nesbitt says thata ACLU rarely wins except for when school boards buckle under prfessure.

Next nameless speaker feels that secularism is a personal attack to Christianity, feels that bibles should be back in the schools. .. speaker is now preaching against satanism and the availability of occult books. Says no to pagan books in school.

Next nameless speaker says case law is not the law & cannot argue using case law. .. speaker does not want any religion endorsed but find the policy’s language confusing.

Michelle hammond of weaverville supports policy because it empowers teachers & admins on diversity issues.

Preacher will edmonds says true Christians love all, regardless of disagreeing on religion & policy.  Preacher edmonds said that by allowing him access to bible at school he was saved & school did nothing wrong. Pastor edmonds says christians will now homeschool if policy is passed which will hurt schools.

Next speaker wants bible at schools because the child can introduce their parents to jesus. ..speaker says children should not behidden from the truth that is in the bible.

I am not going to speak because we are going to be here forever.

Another speaker preaching scripture…says if we were real pagans scripture would burn our ears…speaker is letting us know about jesus & our sins.

Harold is up. He is bringing up a case in virginia that apparently upholds bible distributions are okay. Harold reading this case that states aclu cannot bring forth lawsuit for distribution of religious material.

I am going to pare down tweets to unique points.

Latest baptist pastor contacted a christian law group and will actively fight for rights of bible distribution.

Took a potty break. 3 more will speak on religion. Goddess help me if i hear about my sins one more time.

Latest preacher states that bible is not copyrighted like pagan literature. Thus bibles can be distributed freely.

Ginger strivelli is now speaking. Ginger points out she is the only pagan unafraid to speak against the bible distribution. Ginger pointed out that she has felt bullied. Crowd told her she didn’t have to be here.

Pippinger says she’s from Asheville and describes herself as “Social media addict (twitter, G+, manager of 3 websites), mom, wife, pagan, clergy-in-training, wanna-be gardener, and multi-tasker.” Her Twitter name is @APippinger.”

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About Jeff Fobes
As a long-time proponent of media for social change, my early activities included coordinating the creation of a small community FM radio station to serve a poor section of St. Louis, Mo. In the 1980s I served as the editor of the "futurist" newsletter of the U.S. Association for the Club of Rome, a professional/academic group with a global focus and a mandate to act locally. During that time, I was impressed by a journalism experiment in Mississippi, in which a newspaper reporter spent a year in a small town covering how global activities impacted local events (e.g., literacy programs in Asia drove up the price of pulpwood; soybean demand in China impacted local soybean prices). Taking a cue from the Mississippi journalism experiment, I offered to help the local Green Party in western North Carolina start its own newspaper, which published under the name Green Line. Eventually the local party turned Green Line over to me, giving Asheville-area readers an independent, locally focused news source that was driven by global concerns. Over the years the monthly grew, until it morphed into the weekly Mountain Xpress in 1994. I've been its publisher since the beginning. Mountain Xpress' mission is to promote grassroots democracy (of any political persuasion) by serving the area's most active, thoughtful readers. Consider Xpress as an experiment to see if such a media operation can promote a healthy, democratic and wise community. In addition to print, today's rapidly evolving Web technosphere offers a grand opportunity to see how an interactive global information network impacts a local community when the network includes a locally focused media outlet whose aim is promote thoughtful citizen activism. Follow me @fobes
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6 thoughts on “Pagan mom live-tweets Buncombe Board of Ed debate on religious activities in schools”

  1. Betty Cloer Wallace

    The person who said that the Bible is not copyrighted is mistaken. Many versions are copyrighted including the King James Authorized Version, the one most often used by Christians. Queen Elizabeth owns that copyright and renewed it just last year. When she dies, Prince Charles (King Charles) will own it.

  3. D. Dial

    Betty, thanks so much for that Queenly tidbit of info. I’m sure that will help the person making a mistake re: copyright, see the error of his/her ways.

  5. Christopher Blackwell

    Gee if a Wiccan tried to be a good role model and offered to cast spell if wanted, we would never hear the end of it from the Christian Parents. The idea that a good Christian trying to spread his religion on unsuspecting kids without their parents expressed permission is being moral, its rather strange since they would not apply this term, Moral, if any person of another religion did this in their school. If a religion claims to be moral why must it use sneaky tactics all the time that it would never allow another religion to do. Note that the school also refused to accept five hundred Koran to let the students take home if they wished. Again that double standard at work among the Christians. Freedom of religion means of all religions.

  6. bill smith

    As a practicing satanist, I will be sacrificing three goats in the hope that you will one day see the dark.

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