Around 100 members of the British armed forces are pagans, while another 30 are witches, says a media report.
The strange details about the beliefs of soldiers, sailors and airmen were obtained from the ministry of defence using the Freedom of Information Act, the Daily Mail reported.
Paganism, which focuses on the worship of nature and its “vitality and spirituality”, finds its roots in the traditional religions of ancient Britain. Stonehenge, the ancient British site of stone obelisks, is their favourite place of pilgrimage.
Their rituals and festivals take place in woods or caves, on hilltops or seashores, where members meditate, chant, play music and dance, and recite poetry. Pagans believe that casting spells can help people in their daily lives.
The vast majority of the servicemen recorded themselves as being Christian or of no religion. Nearly 60 of the servicemen are spiritualists, a faith which believes that the spirits of the dead can be contacted by mediums. Thirty servicemen and women follow wicca, which involves religious witchcraft.
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Industry tests genetically altered trees
Tampa (Florida) : The commercial paper industry’s plans to plant forests of genetically altered eucalyptus trees in seven US states have generated more cries from critics worried that such a large introduction of a bioengineered nonnative plant could throw natural ecosystems out of whack.
ArborGen, a biotechnology venture affiliated with three large paper companies, got US department of agriculture approval last month for field trials involving as many as 2,50,000 trees planted at 29 sites during the next few years.
Australian eucalyptus trees grow faster than native hardwoods and produce high-quality pulp perfect for paper production, but thus far they have been able to thrive only in very warm climates. South Carolina-based ArborGen genetically altered the trees to withstand freezing temperatures, and the idea with the test forests is to see how far north they can now be grown. The test sites will cover a total of about 300 acres in Florida, South Carolina, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Louisiana. —AP