Exploring naturalistic spiritualty since 1999 Issue 19 Spring/Summer 2007

Two steps forward

Y ou often hear people say that humans never change,
that progress is only an illusion and underneath we are
all still cave people with tribal ethics. Worse, that progress
has gone into reverse and we are retrogressing, reverting
to barbarism, witnessing the breakdown of society. These
claims have been made by almost every older generation
about the world. They have not always been wrong.
But the truth is usually more complex. Progress varies
from one field of human activity to another. It is never smooth
but often goes in fits and starts, two steps forward, one step
back. The second half of the 20th century was one of broad
advances in human rights and human welfare in most parts of
the planet.
The backward steps are often more dramatic and tend to
occupy the focus of our attention. In the years after 9/11 the
world seemed to polarize, religious fundamentalisms were
strengthened, religious conflicts within countries over values
deepened. Science and integrity seemed at risk, as inconvenient
truths were suppressed and lies were buttressed by fabricated
facts. Although we are not yet out of this wood, we can foresee
an end to it.
And yet there are areas where progress is encouragingly
visible. The number and casualties of war have declined steeply
since the end of the cold war, though you wouldn’t think that
from watching television. The numbers of dictatorships have
declined steeply, and the number of democracies has risen.
This issue focuses on two issues where positive change
in human attitudes and behavior is happening before our eyes
– global warming and same-sex marriage.
On both these issues the position of the World Pantheist
Movement has been clear from the very start. We are
unambiguously in favor of conservation of the maximum
amount of biodiversity. We have had a strong environmental
action component from day one, with our environmental
action alerts, our click group for nature (now 227 strong and
having saved 51 acres of wildlands) and our wildlife habitat
scheme which has encouraged members to dedicate 184 acres
to wildlife.
We are unambiguously in favor of social justice, and
opposed to discrimination in all its forms. We regard sex as
good and differences in gender orientation as natural and
optional both in animals and in humans. We would never dream
of attempting to set rules for consenting adult behavior in the
bedroom. Our members can, on request, be certified to marry
their friends and relatives. We encourage celebration of same-
sex marriages where these are legal, or even symbolically, or as
a demonstration in favor of changing legislation to recognize
such marriages.
In wider society both of these issues appear to have
approached a tipping point – a place at which the speed of
change in attitudes or practices reaches a critical mass and
suddenly speeds up.
In the case of global warming the shift has happened rapidly
and broadly. In recent years a number of very large companies
decided that ethics and marketing both argue in favor of
stronger environmental policies. There has been an extremely
visible shift in advertising, with environment being played as
a feelgood factor by all kinds of companies – although often
this is mere “greenwashing.” Even evangelical Christians are
changing their message – and their theology. The publication
this year of the alarming IPCC reports has moved the issue
beyond the area of debate, into the area of what changes we
must make and how fast we need to make them.
On the gay rights front, progress is slower but still seems
to be shifting into second gear. The stance even of mainstream
churches has softened towards homosexual inclinations,
though it has barely changed on homosexual actions. However,
a growing number of parishes and some liberal churches have
shifted, and a growing number of nations are adopting equal
rights for same-sex unions or marriages.

Features News & Regulars

Earth at the tipping point
Gay wedding ceremony
Homosexuality and religion
The state of gay marriage.
Changing religions
Seasons of the Day
About Pan magazine
Pantheist numbers
WPM Accounts 2006
Almanac & Calendar

Editing and Design: Paul Harrison Associate Editor: Rene Lawrence Printing: Blessed Bee

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 Pan Magazine Sping/Summer 2007
Earth at the tipping point?
For centuries humanity dodged all normal ecological limits by broadening the range from which we
obtained our resources, and into which we dumped our wastes. Now we have reached the confines of the
entire planet and the race is on. Which of these will reach the tipping point first – the planet’s delicately
balanced atmosphere, frozen areas, and oceans? Or human cultures, economies and technologies? Paul
Harrison, who edits UNEP’s annual state of the environment report, assesses the risks and the responses.
Risks
We are living in a unique age in the history
of our planet – we know more about the
environment than ever before, and face
the most serious environmental challenges
since the last ice age.
Ice cores spanning over 600,000 years
show clearly that the earth’s climate does
not remain stable but changes constantly.
Moreover, it does not change slowly and
gradually but in short-lived spasms. There
seem to be thresholds where changes
accelerate, and the earth shifts into a warm
era, or an ice age. This probably happens
because of feedback loops which accelerate
the pace of change.
Right now we appear to be on the lip of
such a threshold, and it will be touch and
go whether we can pull back, or plunge.
The world’s temperature has increased
by about 0.2°C per decade in the past 30
years. Eleven of the twelve warmest years
©Jill White, Fotolia
2
on record have occurred since 1995 and
average global surface temperature is now
within 1°C of the maximum temperature of
the past million years.
The effects of warming are complex and
pervasive. Frozen areas everywhere are
thawing. The annual total loss of mass from
the Greenland Ice Sheet more than doubled
in the last decade of the 20th century and
may have doubled again since 2000. Melting
is now occurring in areas of the Antarctic
ice sheet. Thawing is occurring much faster
than previous models predicted.
These two ice sheets will determine how
fast sea levels rise. Between 1993 and 2006
they rose by an average of 3.3 millimetres
per year - over 50 per cent faster than the
2001 IPCC predictions. One person in ten
world-wide lives less than 10 metres above
sea-level and near the coast. Bangladesh,
China, Vietnam and Egypt will be worst
affected in terms of numbers. Florida, the
Mississippi delta, Manhattan and London
are all vulnerable. Sea-level rise could create
hundreds of millions of environmental
refugees over a period of decades.
Glaciers are receding and many may
disappear in coming decades. Since many
inhabited areas depend on glaciers to
sustain dry season water supplies, this
will have serious impacts on water for
drinking, on agriculture, and therefore on
food supply. China’s foremost glaciologist
predicts that most glaciers in the Himalaya
region of Tibet could melt by 2100.
Ice and snow areas cool the land surface.
As they melt, the land absorbs more of the
sun’s heat and this speeds up warming.
Evergreen forests will replace treeless
tundra, and forests also absorb more heat.
Permafrost in Northern latitudes is also
melting, potentially releasing vast stores
of methane which will add to greenhouse
gases. Melting Arctic sea ice has the
potential to slow down or halt the processes
which drive the deep circulation of waters
around all the major oceans, changing
ocean currents.
Impacts on wildlife species will
be severe. If we follow business
as usual 39 percent of the
world’s land mass would develop
completely novel local climates,
while 48 percent of existing
climates would disappear. Colder
climate species, and species
living at higher altitudes in
tropical areas, will have nowhere
to retreat to.
Almost all scientists agree that
human activities are driving
global warming. While we are
certainly making moderate
advances in energy efficiency,
growth in the world economy is
outpacing them, and so our human
emissions of carbon dioxide from
fossil fuels have actually speeded
up. Between 2000 and 2005
CO2 emissions grew by 3.2 per
cent—four times faster than in
the preceding 10 years. Current
CO2 levels are higher than at any
time in the past 650,000 years.
 Pan Magazine Spring/Summer 2007

a goal of improving energy efficiency Corporation would become a carbon

Responses
2007 saw a marked shift in the
seriousness with which governments
took the issue of climate change. In
2006, the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change conference met to
decide arrangements when the Kyoto
treaty expires in 2012, but could not
agree on future cuts.
By mid-2007 the mood had changed.
Hardly anyone now disputes the fact
of climate change or claims that doing
nothing is an option. In June the G8
agreed the need for “strong and early
action” towards “substantial cuts”
in emissions by 2050. The European
Union, Japan and Canada announced a
target of a 50%. The Chinese announced
by 20 percent by 2010. Though the
federal government still did nothing
meaningful, many US states and cities
were taking action.
The private sector has also been
undergoing rapid change, with more
and more companies stepping up to the
plate. At the head of the pack, probably,
is Wal-Mart. Although decried for
its social and health impacts, it is
committed to shift to 100 percent
renewable energy and zero waste, with
goals of increasing fleet efficiency and
reducing solid waste by 25% each by
2008, and reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by 20% by 2012. Because
of Wal-Mart’s enormous reach, these
policies will spread globally among
suppliers and competitors. Rupert
Murdoch declared that his News
neutral company. Virgin Group
Chairman Richard Branson pledged to
invest US$3 billion over ten years in
renewable energy.
On the biodiversity front there has
also been progress. In 2006 the US
declared the world’s largest ever
marine conservation area off the coast
of the northern Hawaiian Islands. The
governor of Brazil’s Pará state declared
the largest strictly protected area ever
created in a tropical forest.
Climate change is certain, and we will
have to adapt, and help natural species
to migrate. We have at least a sporting
chance of slowing it significantly - but
if we are to succeed then governments,
businesses, civil society, individuals,
and even religions will all need to take
the task with total seriousness.

Make a difference -
and help the WPM make a difference
Green up your life with our one-stop checkup
By now you must have seen dozens of lists of “How to green
your life” or “Ten ways you can save the planet.” And they
are all valuable. We don’t have to wait for politicians to see
the light. Individual actions do work, directly, and also by
setting an example for our friends and neighbours.
One page you might find very useful is the WPM’s Greenup
page. Here you can audit your lifestyle; check your local
area; offset your pollution; find green energy options; check
for the greenest vehicles; find energy-efficient appliances;
find farmers’ markets – and much, much more. It is all geared
to practical action, and to putting you in touch with the
resources in your local areas that can help you consume more
wisely and waste less.
http://www.pantheism.net/greenup.htm
Give space back to wildlife
Consider setting aside some of your yard or land as a
wildlife habitat for native plants and animals. We have
moved into their territories. We probably won’t hand back
our houses – but at least we can make sure our yards are not
full of poisons and alien plants.
Through the WPM’s Wildlife Habitat Scheme members and
friends can declare a personal commitment to manage part
or all of any land they control so as to encourage natural
biodiversity and native species. No change in ownership or
control is involved. Even small areas and parts of gardens
can qualify. So far our members have declare 184 acres as
wildlife friendly. Signatories receive a beautiful printed
certificate suitable for framing.
Find out how you can participate here:
http://www.pantheism.net/reserves/nature.htm#habitats
Save habitat at Ecology Fund
Save 500 sq ft of wildlife habitat instantly, and 63 sq ft a day
after that! With 252 members, we are the largest religious
group at EcologyFund, and we have saved more land than any
other religious group - over 51 acres. That’s more than the
UUs, more than the Buddhists, more than the main Christian
groups. The only group close to us is the Pagans for Mother
Earth. In fact we have saved more than fans of the WWF or
of the Sierra Club!
Currently you can save around 63 sq ft per day - sometimes
it’s double that. If we can just save a little faster, we are less
than an acre short of getting into the top ten of all groups.
The scheme pays for the purchase of wildlife habitat, and is
financed by advertisers whose ads are displayed on each click
page. We know the scheme works: we checked it out very
thoroughly when the WPM took out an ad there and saved 75
acres. Our check for $1000 went directly to the World Parks
Foundation.
If you are not a member already, join the WPM’s click group
at EcologyFund. This page has the instructions:
http://www.pantheism.net/reserves/nature.htm#Click.
If you are already a member, make sure to remember! Make
it your first Web visit of each day. Also, it’s important to
check that your clicks are registering. If “My EcologyFund” on
the left does not show your total or the WPM group info, then
re-register at EcologyFund with just your name and email,
and it will remember you.
Occasionally certain changes to your browser can stop
the cookie working, so you can see that totals but they
are not increasing. In that case you need to write to
mattkaz@EcologyFund.com and ask Matt to send you a link to
reset things.
http://www.ecologyfund.com/registry/ecology/donate_home.
html
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Pan Magazine Sping/Summer 2007

The ring symbolizes earth and sun

and universe WPM member and UU minister Pete Tolleson shares
this ceremony which he celebrated for a lesbian couple.

One of life’s greatest mysteries is how two people flourish only in openness.
come to meet one another, how some magical, You will need open hearts, welcoming one another’s loved
mystical spark is kindled within each, and especially ones and friends, their joys and their cares, but remembering
how they come to take the risk of giving voice to their always that the way you build your marriage and your life
private feelings. From ages forgotten and long before together is yours alone to determine.
recorded time, humanity has rejoiced and offered Anna and Mary, today we welcome you to the human
prayers of hope and thanksgiving when two have community as two whose lives are joined in marriage,
found each other. Today we gather as witnesses to as members of a fellowship of countless others whose
contribute to a public declaration of love, and today faithfulness and devotion have made marriage honored
we join together to give our blessing to the joining of throughout the human family and through untold years of
two who have found each other. human history. Today we celebrate your marriage, offering
What makes this
celebration today
distinctly different
is also part of life’s
mystery. There is love,
there is commitment,
there are flowers, family
and friends, music, an
officiant, and lots of
caring people who have
given up their day to
be here. But the two
who are pledging their
devotion, loyalty, love,
and responsibility are
both of the same gender.
This reality will increase
the need for honest
conversation; this reality
will increase the need for
showing respect to one
another; this reality will
increase the amount of
responsibility they must
take for and with one
another.
Anna and Mary, it is not easy for two people to love it our recognition, but only you could create your marriage,
one another. It is not easy when they are both of the and only as you continue to celebrate it in your hearts each
same gender. It is not easy to proclaim your affection, day can it mature and blossom in its fullness.
your attachment, or your bond openly, for many are not yet As you share your years, may you also always share
willing to see beyond their own fears and celebrate the love your love, caring for one another with patience and
which we are witnessing this evening, yet you are doing it understanding, comforting one another in sickness, trouble
with candor and frankness. You are forcing new paths of or sorrow, not grieving for what is no more, but sharing your
growth for many, and we are touched deeply that you are joy in what still can be.
joining your lives together in marriage. A circle is the symbol of the earth and the sun and the
In your marriage you are two persons, each bringing to it universe, of wholeness and perfection and peace. It is worn
your own unique richness, but you are also more than two. on the third finger because of an ancient Greek belief that
Together you are a new and greater being, but that being can a vein from that finger connected directly to the heart, thus
4

symbolizing the depth and sincerity of love.
The rings you give and receive this day are
symbols of the endless love into which you
enter.
Anna and Mary, you have affirmed before
your families and friends your love and
your caring for one another. You have come
from different backgrounds. You have
walked different paths. You are different
individuals. Your love has transcended these
differences, and your lives are joined in
marriage.
Mary: I, Mary, take you, Anna, to
be no other than yourself. Loving and
trusting what I know of you, with
respect for your integrity, and with
faith in your love for me, through our
years together, in all that life may
bring us, I accept you as my partner
in life.
Anna: I, Anna, take you, Mary, to
be no other than yourself. Loving and
trusting what I know of you, with
respect for your integrity, and with
faith in your love for me, through our
years together, in all that life may
bring us, I accept you as my partner
in life.
In the years before you may the richness
of the traditions that have nurtured you
enhance and brighten your lives as you
help to create and shape the future. May
the challenges of your life together be met
with courage and optimism. May you
learn from your failures and grow in your
achievements. May life bless you with
children, friends, and family in a wide
network of mutual support and enjoyment,
May you face pain, toil, and trouble with
strong but light hearts. May you share with
others the radiance of your seasons of joy
and pleasure. May you always remember
that laughter is the medicine of the gods.
May the spirit of love be ever a part of your
lives, so that the union we celebrate here this
day will be worthy of continued celebration
tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.
Names changed to protect privacy.
Pan Magazine Spring/Summer 2007
WPM members are unanimous
As a UU minister, I’ve been officiating at same-sex marriages for several
decades. The only real difference from “mixed” (opposite sex) marriages is
that they can’t be registered with the state. For over a year now, I’ve taken
the position that I won’t sign the civil licenses for opposite sex couples I
marry. I will perform the “religious” ceremony, but I won’t be part of a “civil”
system that denies marriage to same sex couples. It’s a simple matter for those
opposite sex couples to have their “civil” marriage performed by a magistrate,
and most are in strong agreement with with my position. Pete Tolleson
I wholeheartedly agree that the Pan official policy should be to treat same
gender couples exactly the same as they treat couples of opposite gender
(within the current limits of the law).
I believe there are no motives for denying same sex couples the benefits,
rights and obligations of marriage except prejudice based on emotional
discomfort or religious dogma. I have yet to hear an argument against same
sex unions that couldn’t be ultimately traced back to one of those two root
causes. Susan M. Quinn
I believe that WPM should take a pro-active stance on gay marriage (which
is currently the situation). Any WPM sanctioned celebrant may perform a
gay marriage. In some locales, such as where I live, it would be a symbolic
gesture and the marriage would not be recognized by the government.
Celebrants that are not comfortable performing a gay marriage should not be
under any compulsion to perform one, nor put their WPM celebrant status
in jeopardy. As far as terminology is concerned, in the context of WPM, I
believe that gay marriage should be called “marriage”, rather than the vogue
PC term “union”. The phrases “husband & husband”, or “wife & wife”, or
“spouse & spouse” to be used, depending on the preferences of the couple.
I think a collection of celebrant marriage materials would be very useful.
A “marriage ceremony packet for WPM celebrants”. Since we are a fairly
diverse crowd, and not saddled with centuries of tradition, we should try to
gather several different themes of packets: the outdoor nature theme, the
small gathering of immediate family and closest friends in a living room, the
ecumenical co-religion marriage. Those who have performed a marriage in
the capacity as the celebrant officiator would be good resources to tap.
Eljay Love-Jensen
Following a holiday season dinner out with family, my nephew asked where
his mom was. “Your moms have left already” one of my sons told him. I
turned to my son and said, “Honey, your cousin only has one mom.” In
surprise, he asked why. Following my explanation about how families are
made up in all different ways, my sons promptly put their arms around their
cousin and, in the most reassuring manner that can be mustered by a 4 1/2 -
year-old and an 8-year-old, they told him that “it’s okay if you don’t have two
moms.” Sarah Rollman
Being a Pantheist and a UU, I am very in support of Gay unions as well as
other healthy non-harming commitment relationships. My position is to be
supportive of healthy, non-harming commitment relationships of all kinds. I
feel it is not my place to cast judgement on others relating to their preference
for love and intimacy. GBMan
Personally, I find it hard to understand why anyone is AGAINST same-
sex marriage. I ascribe it to the very anti-sex bias of much of Christianity.
And, historically, much of Jewish law was aimed at dividing Jews from the
surrounding pagans. I see no reason (other than acceptability to homophobes)
for not supporting same-sex marriages. Jill Miller
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Pan Magazine Sping/Summer 2007

Traditional religious standpoints on homosexuality

Judaism
TORAH
You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a
female; it is an abomination Leviticus 18:22

If there is a man who lies with a male as those who

lie with a woman, both of them have committed a
detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their
bloodguilt is upon them. Leviticus 20:13

Christianity
PAUL
Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived;
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers,
shall inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6:9-10.

For this reason God gave them over to degrading

passions; for … the men abandoned the natural function
of the woman and burned in their desire toward one
another, men with men committing indecent acts and
receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their
error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge
God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved
mind, to do those things which are not proper.
Rom. 1:26-28. God’s plan for San Francisco? Lot and his daughters flee
as Sodom burns, by Albrecht Dürer.
MEDIEVAL PENANCES
He who sins with a beast shall do penance for a year.
He who defiles his mother shall do penance for three years. He who befouls his lips shall do penance for four
years. He who commits sodomy shall do penance for seven years.
The penitential of Cummean. c 650 CE

CATHOLIC CATECHISM
Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition
has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural
law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual
complementarity. Under no circumstance can they be approved.
The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This
inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with
respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.
Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom,
at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should
gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. §2357-9

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 Pan Magazine Spring/Summer 2007

Here, should you need to refute them, are the texts on which fundamentalists rely. The canonical
scriptures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam condemn homosexuality (although Jesus himself
said nothing on the subject). Liberal theologists re-interpret these verses. Buddhism regards sex as
grounds for expulsion from a monastic order; for lay folk the concern is the effect on future lives.

Islam
KORAN
If two men among you commit indecency, punish them
both. 4:16

If two (men) of you commit it (adultery), then hurt them

both; but if they turn again and amend, leave them
alone, verily, God is easily turned, compassionate.
4:20-21

You lust after men instead of women. Truly, you are a

degenerate people. 7:81

Do you commit indecency with your eyes open, lustfully

seeking men instead of women? Surely you are an ignorant
people. 27:54-55

HADITH
Kill the one who sodomises and the one who lets it be
done to him. al-Tirmidhi

If a man who is not married is seized committing sodomy,

he will be stoned to death. Abu Dawud
A bishop and his proctor, hanged for sodomy in 1640

Buddhism
There is no uniform Buddhist attitude because of the wide
variation between schools and the absence of central
authority. For Theravada monks and nuns there is a
general ban on any kind of sex, seen as a form of craving.

Should any bhikkhu — participating in the training and

livelihood of the bhikkhus, without having renounced the
training, without having declared his weakness — engage
in the sexual act, even with a female animal, he is defeated
and no longer in communion.
Intentional discharge of semen, except while dreaming,
entails initial and subsequent meetings of the Community.
Should any bhikkhu, overcome by lust, with altered mind,
engage in bodily contact with a woman, or in holding her
hand, holding a lock of her hair, or caressing any of her limbs,
it entails initial and subsequent meetings of the Community.
Should any bhikkhu, overcome by lust, with altered mind,
address lewd words to a woman in the manner of young men
to a young woman alluding to sexual intercourse, it entails
initial and subsequent meetings of the Community.
Bhikkhu Patimokkha
No sex please! We’re monks.
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Pan Magazine Sping/Summer 2007

Same-sex marriage - a global shift?

The fundamental principle of non-discrimination is powerful and expansive. In terms of legal rights, it began
with religion starting in the 17th century, extended to gender from the late nineteenth century on, then to race
and disability. It shows no sign of stopping its spread, as groups who feel discriminated against appeal to the
same basic principles, and to a deepening conscience in society at large.
Choice of gender and sexual orientation is the latest and most active frontier. Most developed countries
have now legalized consenting sexual acts, and in 2003 a Supreme Court obliged all US states to do. Many
developed countries also have laws against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Opposition to gay
marriage tis one of the last bastions to remain standing - but there are signs that it too will eventually fall. We
are seeing the skirmishes and battles within societies and inside religious and social organizations

1989 Denmark – same-sex civil unions are allowed, with the same rights as marriage.
1993 Norway follows Denmark’s lead.
1995 Sweden follows Denmark’s lead.
1996 Iceland follows Denmark’s lead.
USA: After a court rules that discrimination against same-sex couples is unconstitutional, Vermont became
the first US state to offer homosexuals the right to join in civil unions, giving them the same benefits as
2000
married couples on matters such as life insurance, health care and child custody.

Netherlands: New marriage laws do not mention gender, hence giving the full range of rights to gay
2001
marriages.
Belgium follows the Netherlands model.
Argentina gives gay civil unions legal rights similar to those for heterosexual couples, but excluding
2003 adoption and inheritance rights.
USA: The Supreme Court rules that laws making homosexual acts illegal are against the constitution. Eleven
US states, all of them in the South and Mid-West, are obliged to repeal the laws (see map2).

New Zealand recognizes gay civil unions.

California: San Francisco’s new mayor defies state law and allows gay weddings. Marriage licences are
issued to same-sex couples in February 2004. The move is later annulled by the state Supreme Court.
Massachusetts becomes the first US state to issue marriage licences for gay couples in May. State legislators
2004
propose a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriages, but would allow civil unions.
Oregon: Officials in the Portland area begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In November
voters approve a constitutional amendment banning such weddings. Governor Ted Kulongoski says he will
back a new law to allow gay couples to form civil unions.

Spain legalizes same-sex marriage and homosexual adoption.

Britain gives same-sex registered partnerships similar rights to married couples, in pensions, property, social
security, and housing.
Canada: A bill to legalize same-sex marriage becomes law. Gay marriage was already legal in eight out of ten
2005 provinces and one of Canada’s three territories.
California: In March a San Francisco judge rules that the law banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
In September a bill that would have legalized gay marriage is vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Connecticut becomes the second state to allow same-sex civil unions. But it specifically defines marriage as
the union of a man and a woman.

2006 South Africa: Civil Union Act gives same-sex couples the right to marry.

Table information based on CNN, BBC and Wikipedia summaries

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 Pan Magazine Spring/Summer 2007

Current state of play: Civil unions or partnerships offering some or all of the benefits of marriage are available in Andorra,
Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Luxembourg, New
Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. They are also
available in parts of Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, and in the US states of California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, New
Jersey, Vermont, and District of Columbia. Most of the world does not yet offer same-sex unions.
The other side of the coin: In the deeply polarized US, pro-same-sex marriage action and its few successes have also
provoked backlashes. Since 1998, 27 US states have voted constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriages. In a
swathe of African countries and countries with Moslem majorities or significant minorities, homosexual acts face serious
penalties that range up to life in prison or worse. Same-sex intercourse carries the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan,
Iran, Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. In Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria and the Maldives, homosexuality is punished with
jail time, fines, or corporal punishment.

9
Pan Magazine Sping/Summer 2007
Shifting grounds
Parallel to the shifts in social legislation, religious
groups are also changing their positions.
UnitarianUniversalism
Unitarian Universalism has opposed discrimination against
gays for longer than most churches. In 1970 the Unitarian
Universalist Association adopted a resolution calling on
all UU churches and organizations and society at large to
end discrimination against gay and lesbian people. In 1975
they established an office of gay concerns (now the Office
of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Concerns).
They enacted non-discrimination in ministerial employment
in 1980. In 1984 they officially endorsed the practice of
a growing number of ministers who were conducting
services of union of gay and lesbian couples. In 1996 they
voted to support and promote the legalization of same-sex
marriages.
Episcopal Church in the United States of America
The gay consecration and same-sex marriage issue is tearing
the Anglican Communion apart, dividing the US Episcopal
Church (ECUSA) on the left, from Third World (especially
African) churches on the right, with the Church of England
10
desperately trying to hold things together from the center.
In 2003, ECUSA became the first Anglican province
to ordain an openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson. Increasing
numbers of Episcopalian churches were blessing same-sex
marriages. These moves created deep divisions within the
world-wide Anglican community. Conservative archbishops
denounced the moves. Conservative parishes in the US
requested oversight from foreign branches. A 2004 report
to the Arcbishop of Canterbury recommended that the
US Episcopal Church should express regret over Gene
Robinson’s consecration, and impose a moratorium on further
consecrations as well as on further same-sex marriages. In
February this year the mainstream Anglican Communion
adopted this as policy.
ECUSA responded, saying it was sorry for “straining
the bonds of affection” and for not considering the impact on
other sections of the Anglican Communion. However, it did
not agree to avoid any more blessing of same-sex unions or
consecration of gay bishops and said it would seek its own
ways of accommodating the conservative parishes.
Both sides have very deeply and strongly held beliefs
and it does not sound like either side is ready to back down.
Other churches supporting same-sex marriage
The United Church of Christ’s Office for Church in Society
[formally endorsed marriage equality in 1996.]
United Church of Religious Science.
Gay angelg © Alexander Band, majesticmoose.com
News of World Pantheism
All about Pan magazine
If you have ever been interested in contributing to
Pan magazine, here’s most of what you need to know.
In these early years, we were trying to build up a broad
picture of what it means in terms of belief and practice to
be a naturalistic pantheist. We have generally tried to vary
issues across four main areas: Nature; Living; Science; and
Pantheist practice (celebration, organization etc).
The magazine contains three types of article:
1. Features on a single theme.
The typical full article ranges from 800-2000 words. We
aim for quality writing - accessible, accurate and well-
researched on matters of fact, and/or perceptive, insightful or
inspirational. The features are usually obtained by invitation,
based on qualifications and/or list writings related to the
theme (but see item 4 below).
2. Shorter viewpoints on the theme. These are chosen
from responses to a general call for viewpoints on the topic
of the next issue, on our major member lists (Ideas and
Community). Material is chosen on the basis of quality and
can be 100-400 words long, or just a pithy axiom!
3. News and other items related to the WPM. This is
usually based on key developments, but if you run a local
group or a new Web group, please LET US KNOW!
4. WPM WIKI: We shall quite soon have our own WIKI
up and running, and there will be a place for people to post
articles, or material that might make good articles.
Back Numbers
Pan 01 Who We Are
Pan 02 Millennium & Calendars
Pan 03 Freedom of Religion
Pan 04 Sustainable Living
Pan 05 Birth & Renewal
Pan 06 Getting in Touch
Pan 07 Pantheist Ethics
Pan 08 Saving Wildlife
Pan 09 Pantheist Art
Pan 10 Guide to the WPM
Pan 11 Life’s too short
Pan 12 Coping with Disaster
Pan 13 Pantheist Therapy
Pan 14 The Evolution Wars
Pan 15 Natural Death
Pan 16 Pantheist Meditations
Pan 17 The Earth and Us
Pan 18 Pantheist practices
Pan 19 Love&Marriage
Access back numbers in PDF format on the web
at the members center:
http://www.pantheism.net/members/imdms/
Pan Magazine Spring/Summer 2007
5. Not on the Web yet? We would like to be open to non-
Web connected people - one way is to ask a friend to submit
it for you to our WIKI after it’s launched. Ask them to do it
in front of you and explain how it’s done. Maybe that will
make you more confident in getting to know computers
or getting online. Material must be in digital form so that
retyping is not needed.
Future of the magazine
This may be the last issue of Pan before we start a new
system for producing it. In view of the burden of producing
Pan while earning a living, plus unforeseen obstacles that
can crop up for any one individual, we need to move to a
more collegiate way of creating and producing the magazine.
We have a yahoo group for SERIOUS volunteers who are
willing to actually do work. You can join at http://groups.
yahoo.com/group/panmagazine/
There has been some discussion of whether we should
alternate the “heavy” one theme issues with a newsletter
containing more member material. Alternatively, the latter
could be an eight page pull-out in a 16 page mag. This would
allow more room for non-special-theme related material and
volunteered material.
We will be running a poll about Pan and other WPM services
before too long, but this may take a while to design (there’s
nothing worse than launching a poll and realizing you missed
some key question or option.)
We will consult on the poll design.
Upcoming Pan theme possibilities
* Marriage and partnerships
* Coming of age & youth
* Education
* Caring for the body (diet and exercise)
* Child-rearing
* Dealing with addictions
* Care-giving (handicapped, mentally ill, elderly)
* Coping with life crises (divorce, redundancy, illness)
* Our relationship with “pets”
* Animal rights
* Wilderness and species rights
* Relation to individual places. Haunts. Pilgrimages?
* Naturalistic Spirituality: different approaches
and strategies
* Skepticism and spirituality
* Science: What role does in play in our spirituality?
* The Universe and our relationship to it
* Evolutionary and psychological foundations
of religions
If you have contributions, check out the new WPM
WIKI when it is launched. You will be able to load
material there.
11
Pan Magazine Sping/Summer 2007
How many World Pantheists?
Inside the WPM
Finding out how many friends and members of World
Pantheism there are is not a simple task: it’s not just
a matter of adding up the numbers in each of our lists,
because there’s overlap.
Excel can be used to remove the duplicates and find the
total number of unique individuals on the lists. The results
are interesting.
There are 1,650 separate people on our major regional and
state lists and our four major active mailing lists – Ideas,
Community, Spirituality and Intro. If you add in the passive
News list, for people who want to receive announcements,
the number rises to 2,198.
And if you add in all the people in our database – people
who have at one time or another filled in a join form
– the total rises to 4,890. This is the total with overlaps
removed. Of course that’s probably somewhat of an
overestimate, because people change their email addresses
and some of these addresses are defunct. But it does give
us a rough idea of the numbers of our immediate friends
and members. In addition, our bulletin board at Ezboard
has 501 members, but emails are not registered so these
could not be collated.
The people in the database come from 84 different
countries in all continents except Antartica (though there
is an alleged penguin group on Frappr!). In the USA they
hail from all 50 US States plus eight territories.
12
News of World Pantheism
Outside the WPM
We are continually coming across pantheist groups
previously unknown to us, which is very heartening. We
have a presence at MySpace – where our profile has 406
friends, and there are three pantheist forums with a total
of 537 members. Facebook, the social networking site
that is booming by 3 per cent per week, already has three
pantheist groups, with a total of 288 members. Then there’s
Meetup, where 1,589 pantheists have signed on for groups
or are waiting for groups. And finally the pantheism map
at Frappr, with its slide show of new people. More than
3,200 people have signed up here.
These outside fora add up to over 6,000. Since they all
have different user IDs, there is no way to collate them and
there must be overlaps. However, when you dip into any
of these outside fora, you rarely see familiar names. So
there’s a very large number of people who are pantheists
“at large”, who have not joined a WPM list.
Adding the numbers inside and outside, we get to a total
of over 11,000 in known lists and forums. You might take
off a few thousand for overlap and defunct emails, but at
any rate the totals are substantial and getting larger and
larger. And of course, there are almost certainly even
larger numbers of completely unattached pantheists who
have not popped up in any of these known groups but
simply “do their thing” on their own.Eventually we will
reach the “critical mass” effect where local groups form
more easily.
Friends & Members left, Facebook Pantheists, right
 Pan Magazine Spring/Summer 2007

WPM will fund 21

Pantheist Meetup
locations -
Deputy organizers World Pantheist Movement
needed Financial Summary for 2006
The directors voted that we would fund extra
organizers at Meetup up to a total of $1000 per INCOME
year. This means that we can cover up to seven Dividend From PayPal Money Market $137.91
organizer fees. Each organizer fee allows us to
Interest Income $68.27
organize three separate locations and to appoint
deputies living there who can do all the actual Other Income $19.40
running of the group. So we can cover as many Membership Dues:
as 21 locations in total. CC memberships $7,352.00
For example, membership secretary Sharon Check memberships $3,965.00
Wells is the organizer for the active Smoky
PayPal memberships $2,183.00
Mountains group in North Carolina, but her
fee also covers another active group in Atlanta. TOTAL Membership Dues $13,500.00
Jose Mayaudon is the deputy organizer there,
and does the actual work of choosing locations, TOTAL INCOME $13,725.58
emailing invites and so on.
Right now we immediately need deputy
EXPENSES
organizers for London and San Francisco.
Other promising locations (based on the Advertising $6,040.14
numbers waiting for a group to form) would Banking fees/charges:
be Tampa Florida (25 waiting), Chicago (22 CC processing fees/charges $941.11
waiting), Seattle (21), Dallas-Fort Worth ( 20), Citibank account fees $20.50
Minneapolis (15), Sacramento (11).
M and T fees $4.30
However the size of the city is not at all critical.
What’s matters, more than anything else, is PayPal fees $97.75
keenness. If you would like to see a local group TOTAL Banking Fees/Charges $1,063.66
become a reality within reach of you, if you
would like to grow yourself a whole new set of Incorporation fees $75.00
like-minded, open-minded friends, then even if
Postage and shipping $702.48
you live in a smallish town, you will succeed.
Conversely, living in a huge metropolis may Printing Costs $2,315.62
appear to increase the audience, and yet poses Services $150.00
other challenges, such as anonymity and traffic Software $39.95
jams that increase travel times. Sometimes Supplies $202.71
it’s best to have more limited goals, such as
Telephone $7.20
focusing on a particular area of a metropolis
where you could, for example, make use of Web hosting $168.00
local newspapers, community noticeboards,
and literature tables in UU churches. TOTAL EXPENSES $10,764.76
Please email Sharon or Paul if you are
interested.
ASSETS
as of 31 December 2006
WPM fossil hike, Simi Valley, CA

Bank of America $1,395.95

M&T Bank $19,227.39
PayPal $4,027.84
Total accounts as of 31 December 2006 $24,651.18

13
Pan Magazine Sping/Summer 2007

The Seasons of the Day

Tor Myrvang reviews The Music of Silence, by David Steindl-Rast, a Dominican monk, and Sharon Lebell (Ulysses
Press): It has long been the practice of Pantheists to celebrate the changing of the seasons of the year at the Spring
and Autumn equinoxes and the Summer and Winter solstices. But each day also has the corresponding seasons of
dawn and sunset, noon and midnight, which evoke varying moods, and prompt us to rejoice in the good things of
life, or to meditate on our place in the Universe and how to conduct our lives. The themes that follow are adapted
from the book. The author recommends that we should not be swept along by the demands of the clock, by external
agendas, and by mere reactions to whatever happens, but we should consciously respond to the real rhythms of the
day. This involves devoting a few minutes at different times of the day to stop and reflect.

DAWN
A t dawn we celebrate the coming of light. We feel re-
newed after a night’s sleep, and receive the new day as
a gift, full of opportunities. Do we have eyes to open to the
morning light? Do we have ears to listen to the sounds, and
feet to walk and lungs to breathe? What gifts! We delight in
the freshness and beauty of the new day, the dew glistening
on just-opened flowers, the sun shining through the trees.
The appropriate response is spontaneous praise of Nature
and the Universe for the fact of life itself. We prepare for the
coming day with a feeling of renewal and purity.
We receive the day as a gift, so the appropriate response is
to be generous with our time and our compassion with our
fellow beings.
Anything we do to communicate that we really care about
one another helps. It creates a sense of belonging, a sense
that we are sisters and brothers in this home of ours, which
is the whole world.
14
We should prepare for our work with conscious clarity, and
keep in mind that as long as we do our work out of love for
those whom we love, we do it for a good reason, and that our
work, if we do it well will help the whole human enterprise, that
we are all working together with others whom we will never
see. If we do all this we can make the world a little brighter.
Time to rise and shine!
NOON
A t high noon, the sun stands at its apex. But although
this is the time of the full blazing of the sun, it is also
a time of great silence. Even the birds are silent; often you
only hear the buzzing of the bees and the drone of the flies.
We must align ourselves with the harmony and peacefulness
of this hour of the day. To the extent that we attune ourselves
to the flow of life, our lives can become peaceful in an alien-
ated and torn world.
It is the hour of temptation to laziness
and despair. At this turning point we
decide the fate of our day, and cu-
mulatively the fate of our lives.
Do we renew our fervour and com-
mitment, or do we succumb to
temptation? In the bright light of
day our shortcomings are exposed,
we should review them, and endea-
vour to overcome them.
We must summon the courage to
stay the course, to remain true to our
ideals through the rest of the day.
If we take something to eat at this
time, even if alone and with a sim-
ple meal, we should eat with care
and awareness, remembering that
we are in communion with all of
life. Eating is always a communion,
a celebration with all those who
have laboured to bring us this food,
with all those living beings who
have lived and died to give us this
food, and with all others who eat on
earth.

SUNSET
A s evening descends, we have finished our daily work,
and as the lamps are lit, we can enjoy this hour of peace
and serenity. The time just after sunset has a magical quality.
In the evening light, trees and figures are silhouetted against
the sky. The world seems perfectly framed, intensely beauti-
ful.
Sometimes, after the sun has set, the clouds begin to glow
with colours of water and colours of fire. Buildings and
mountains also glow, and the sun is reflected like molten
gold in the windows of faraway houses.
In the garden, flowers unlock their fragrance.As daylight fades,
we notice the sounds of crickets and frogs, and little white
moths fly up from the grass. The garden teaches us each day that
life is a round of gestation, birth, growth, flowering, fruitbear-
ing, fading, dying, and gestation again in the dark of winter.
We let go of the day with all its chaos and stress, its achieve-
ments and disappointments, and allow our spirit to be re-
freshed in the quiet beauty of the evening.
It is a good time to heal whatever rift we feel between our-
selves and others and from the heart of being. We should
forgive those who have offended us, and seek to effect a rec-
onciliation.
To actively bring the spirit of this hour into everyday life,
we should light whatever lights we can in this dark world
- “Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”. What
candles can we light? A smile, a kind word, a visit, an act of
caring and commitment?
We move closer together when it is dark. The hour is a call to
neighbourliness and caring for our family and friends.
Pan Magazine Spring/Summer 2007
MIDNIGHT
L ooking up at the night sky we are reminded of the
immense mystery in which we are immersed. Dark-
ness is symbol and image of the mystery of existence.
Darkness holds all that exists, including you and me. We
feel at home in this immensity of which we are a part.
The rhythm of the day parallels the rhythm of our life, and
midnight brings us thoughts of the end of life itself. Death
and impermanence are part of life. To acknowledge that each
day comes to a close, that each life comes to a close, is a
challenge to make something of this day, this life.
We fear death most when we feel that we haven’t yet lived.
The more fully we live, the easier it is to let go, to die.
Out of the silence dark thoughts rise up, and we seek the
strength to ward them off.
We may confront this inner darkness by examining our con-
science, asking ourselves “What went wrong today? Where
did I fail to meet the challenge?” And resolve to do better
tomorrow.
We return to our spiritual womb to be reborn again next
morning, as above us the silent stars go by. We entrust our-
selves to the night as if it were a deep ocean containing the
promise of rest and the chance of marvellous dreams.
SILENCE
W E have arrived at the Great Silence, the bridge of
silence between midnight and daybreak, when
the crowing of the cock will inaugurate the cycle of the
Seasons of the Day anew.
15
Pan Magazine Spring/Summer 2007
I am proud to be part of this wonderful
natural system and strive to safeguard it
whenever I can and to actively resist the
wanton mis-use of resources. I believe
that we are merely guardians for our
descendants, as we have inherited it
from those who gave us life. We must do
no harm and try to actively heal the hurts
of others. We are individual organisms
in an enormous system, and should
wonder at its beauty and complexity.
Deborah Wells, London, UK
I have always been enthralled by the
natural world, by its beauty, power, and
majesty. My life is part of that natural
world and it is here and now. Other
belief systems seem to be fantasy and
superstition and do not make sense to
me. Stan Molinari, Florida, USA
I don’t fit anywhere else because I am
too logical for other spiritual paths yet
too spiritual for other logical paths.
After reading about you I feel this is as
close as I will ever get to belonging to
something. For the first time what I am
saying makes perfect sense to me.
Cathy Adamson, NSW, Australia
The palpable strength and joy in nature
does not leave me. Michael Venuto,
Washington DC, USA
Pantheism resonates with what I
instinctively know when I forget myself
and look up at the universe on a starry
night. Judith Hilinski, Ohio, USA
As I type this I look out on a sunny day at
the infinite variety of textures and light in
the world and at the pale morning moon
Special
events Calendar & Almanac
June
5: World Environment Day:
Conserving the environment.
21: Midsummer Solstice
July
4: US Independence Day: democracy
5: Anniversary of supernova that
created Crab Nebula.
12: Birthday of Thoreau
14: Storming of Bastille - liberty,
equality, fraternity
20: Moon landing day (1969)
16
hinting at the many worlds beyond. I
believe that my existence is part of this
whole and my living is a daily prayer to
the spirituality of the universe.
Ken Morris, Northern Ireland, UK
No other religion or spirituality has called
me like this. Every day I am amazed at
the complexities and vibrancy of this
island Earth. BC, California, USA
Why I am a
Pantheist
New members write
As I grew older I felt a need to search
for a meaning to my life that I could
understand and truly believe. I yearned
for a vehicle to help me to make a
difference in my life without blindly
asking for divine assistance from
something I never truly believed in.
John Bruner, Indiana, USA
It is my responsibility to enhance
awareness in my children and those
around me of the importance of
preserving the earth and treating all
living things with respect and love. It
is my purpose to assist in the evolution
process towards a more harmonious
and peaceful existence between humans
and nature, and a more considerate and
compassionate consciousness in humans.
Christie Hill, Alberta, Canada
August
6: Hiroshima Day - focus on peace
12: Perseid meteor shower:
Starwatching
26: Krakatoa day: global tectonics.
Harvest (according to location)
September
16: UN International Peace Day
23: Autumn equinox
The ceremonies of pagan religions are
used to raise energy and direct it, but I
believe that energy is natural, available
to you at all times without intervention
by a higher being. It is the energy that
was instilled within us at conception
and it runs through us and all the natural
world. I feel it among trees far from the
city, or even out on my patio, listening to
the rain. Teddy Tolley, Texas, USA
I honor the earth and revere nature
without needing anything supernatural
beyond that.
Karen Ramos, New Jersey, USA
I stand in awe of nature’s elegance and
beauty, and recognize that I am at its will.
I am governed by the laws of nature, and
hence seek to understand them. I reject
all supernatural explanations, as I find
reality to be just as enchanting and yet
more meaningful.
Robert Honer, Texas, USA
I do not believe in the mystical “entity”
of God, but do not consider myself an
atheist per se. I believe in the natural
world around me, I cherish it, see it,
touch it, feel it. It alone is uplifting and
good. Bobbie Coleman, Kansas, USA
I don’t need ghost stories to tell me life is
special Joel Pelletier. California, USA
Nature has no regard for us as individuals;
we will all die and our material will be
recycled. Yet while alive I can look at
my daughter, or a sunset, or a millipede
and feel a connection arising from the
‘oneness’ behind everything.
Tim Dale, Oxfordshire, UK
Equinoxes
& Solstices
Summer solstice
June 21 18:06
Autumn Equinox
September 23 09:51
Full Moons
June 30 13:49
July 30 00:48
August 28 10:35
September 26 19:45
All times Universal time =
Greenwich Mean Time