When I had heard about this only about an hour ago on Sunday Night Safran, I was appalled at the very idea of Australian Wiccans (or any Wiccans for that matter) hexing parliament by killing animals............... yet once you read the articles below there is now evidence to prove that this is true and the media is far from interested about the validity of the statements made by Danny Nalliah that witches had sacrificed animals on Mount Ainslie. As we can see in the image above, the Wiccan holding the sign obviously does not support the idea of Wiccans having hexed the government. It honestly sounds like a joke which Nalliah has taken far too seriously as he has already been highlighted in the media for similar theatrics in the past and is most likely the victim of a practical joke. Either way, the Australian minorities were there in a flash defending themselves - not just Wiccans, but also the gay community. Does this smell of a set up? Was this some strange tactic to attract media attention to the minorities who are fighting for their rights? If this was a set up then I am deeply ashamed of the person/s who could be tarnishing the reputation of Wiccans who have struggled for so long to convince the public that we are not
(a) people who kill animals in ritualistic sacrifice
(b) people who hex the government - whatever you send out you get back times three, and sending out any negativity is not only going to come back to those witches but also to the reputation of all witches
(c) in any way associated with the devil/beezlebub/lucifer/satan as he is a Christian manifestation
This is not to be said of white witches anyway. These could be black witches at work, and I certainly hope that this is not the case. Having said this, I don't believe that the Australian public cares all that much given that there are only two articles available on the entire internet about it (at least today).
From the Sydney Morning Herald here
'What the hex is going on in Canberra?'
If you happened to be in Canberra for the weekend but limited yourself to the usual tourist circuit, you missed out on quite the exorcism. Danny Nalliah, the head of Catch the Fire ministries - convinced that Canberra witches' covens had cursed our federal government with blood sacrifices on Mount Ainslie - gathered some 50 Christians to the North Canberra mountain to drive Beelzebub out.
By 2009 we might be done with these kinds of ideas but there are still people desperate for answers no matter how ridiculous they sound. Meanwhile the mainstream sits on a secular high horse poking fun at such bizarre behaviour. But Nalliah has developed a presence in Australian public life, not only in the Christian evangelical world but also links in the political world (see here and Peter Costello's message to a ministry gathering on Australia day, here).
Witches of course do exist, although the more PC way to describe the group these days is Wiccans or Pagans and according to the Pagan Awareness Network, the pagan religion is one of the fastest growing religions in Australia. In the 2006 census, 1000 declared themselves Druidists, 15,000 belonged to the pagan religion and 8,000 were Wiccans. The total of all of these rivalled the amount of declared atheists (although fence-sitting agnostics totaled 20,000 and those that chose to declare no religion or did not state were around 6 million). It seems more people believe in Magick than emphatically believe there isn't a God.
Fiona Patten of the Australian Sex Party issued a statement prior to Saturday's event pointing out further strange statistics. She said since Kevin Rudd became PM, the number of MPs in the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship had risen from 75 to 84 which is "way out of proportion to the 9 per cent of the Australian public who claim to be committed weekly worshippers". The Australian Sex Party said it would protest at the event, just to add to the bizarreness, and the Pagan Network also intended to show up - but not in protest. They would have people on the ground listening "very carefully", presumably in case anything was incited against witches and the pagan community by Nalliah who has already landed himself in hot water for similar incidents (see here).
Entering into the crowd of Nalliah devotees, Christian and Australian flags waving, was akin to going to a pokies venue on Christmas eve - people desperate, alienated and confused participating in something that gives them hope. Nalliah at the centre of it dressed in white suit jacket, shades and a small mega phone permanently in front of his face spoke much of forgiveness and healing of the nation, interjected only with the odd "hallelujah" and "praise Jesus". Many in the crowd spoke in tongues or mumbled prayers, the first of a series of communions on different parts of the hill, the relocation of the prayers perhaps to do with the spiritual mapping (which would be?).
In the background near the "black altar" - a communication tower further up the hill - were protesters singing It's Raining Men and waving placards. Into the middle of the Catch the Fire group walked a young gay man who stripped down to his underwear and threw his arms in the air, facing off with Nalliah and his entourage. Other protesters adorned themselves in rainbow flags, witches' hats and t-shirts with slogans: "I am what you are afraid of".
Pre-exorcism, Nalliah explained to his followers "If the Muslims can go all the way to Mecca, are we willing to sacrifice a bit to save our nation?" Well apparently yes, many are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to go to a car park at the top of a Canberra hill to fight invisible spirits affecting our policy makers. Among the reasons for being there given by observers, one man expressed concern about Nalliah's influence (he was relieved the "sane people" had outnumbered Nalliah's group). And one witch/Wiccan repeated the truism that there's not usually much on in Canberra.
- by Bella Counihan
The Australian
'Canberra Saved from Satan'
Canberra is even duller than usual on a Saturday and the family is away, so House Rules really only had two choices today: drive up to Sydney or go to the exorcism. That’s right. The exorcism.
Pastor Danny Nahlia of Catch the Fires Ministries – you must remember him, Peter Costello’s friend – decided recently that some rust stains at the base of an air safety beacon on Mt Ainslie, the hill at the end of the avenue that stretches from Parliament House across Lake Burley Griffin to the War Memorial, were the remains of “blood sacrifices” by witches designed to hex the nation’s leaders (he was also worried about pooftas, too). So Pastor Danny and some of his flock travelled to Mt Ainslie this afternoon to exorcise the place.
House Rules had never been to an exorcism before. And House Rules, the truth be told, is always actually a little self-conscious and shy. House Rules didn’t want to turn up alone, so cadged a lift from Fiona Patten and Robbie Swan of the Australian Sex Party, who were holding a counter demo of their own.
Mt Ainslie, of course, was deserted, other than for a minibus of Chinese tourists and a Salvadorian bloke selling ice creams and chips and some truly awful souvenirs from a tatty old caravan behind his car.
But soon people began to come – like a daggily-dressed bloke wearing a home made witches hat. Some young gay guys. Big butch dykes in purples. A couple on a Harley. And the curious.
A fair mob was already on Mt Ainslie when the Catch the Fires bus arrived. It disgorged its load, most of who asked anyone who looked like a civilian if there were toilets nearby (answer, no).
They tended to be older, but were a diverse band too; Asians, Africans and one voluble guy with an American accent who turned out to be a Jew for Jesus.
They produced a guitar, a drum, a tambourine and a trumpet; pulled out banners and flags; had a bit of a sing-song in the car park, and then Pastor Danny anointed them.
Pastor Danny, by the way, is a short and slight youngish Sri Lankan guy. He was wearing black trousers and a white self-striping Nehru suit jacket and looked for all the world like a busboy at the Park Hyatt Resort Colombo.
There was more music and some talking in tongues – some sounded like an old fashioned racing call to House Rules – then the Catch the Fire crew got down to the serious business of the day. They set out to walk up the short string of stairs to the beacon. Unfortunately, the godless and the gay had got there before.
Pastor Danny probably had close to a hundred of his flock present. They were outnumbered, two to one. Canberra’s gay community had turned out (they have no where else to go). Some young metal heads were there, representing Satan. The ANU Atheist Club were present. So were the only two ravers in the ACT. A Ford full of bogans playing doof-doof music had arrived. There were wiccans – and people out for a laugh, wearing joke shop witches hats and carrying old fashioned besom brooms. And one gorgeous burlesque performer, Heidi Von Hottentot, in a black and pink guepiere, fishnets and the highest of high heels.
This lot had got to the base of the beacon first. The police hadn’t bothered to show. There were only two park rangers there. Still, the Catch the Fire crew pressed on. And the gay and the godless let them. Most of the crowd headed up the stairs. Even Heidi came along.
The two groups stood there, Pastor Danny and Co singing their hymn; the gay and the godless singing We Are Australia (and, sometimes, YMCA). A car-load of young lesbians circled the car park, a Lilly Allen song with lyrics not fit for a family newspaper (let alone its website) blaring out. There was a little bit of shouting – cries of “Heathen! Heathen!” were responded to with “Homo! Homo!” – and a few efforts at conversion from both sides, but everything was peaceful. There were smiles from both sides.
Now, if only the Coalition party room meeting to decide a position on the ETS can go so smoothly…- Author unknown, sourced from The Australian blog
1 comment:
Nothing is made particularly clear on WHY Nalliah thought this, however the second article (jokingly?) talks about Nalliah seeing a rust stain on Mount Ainslie and proposed that it was the work of Wiccans.... sheesh... whatever!
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