<< News >> Religious Bigotry alive and well in the South West
Submitted by Andy B on Friday, 08 November 2002 Page Views: 4758
Modern SitesThe Western Daily Press writes: A circle of standing stones on land owned by Prince Charles could be used for pagan worship, it is feared. Now councillors have demanded that the monument is destroyed.It was created by quarry boss Richard England on Duchy of Cornwall-owned Ham Hill to celebrate the stonemasons who have worked in the area for more than 2,000 years.
But the local parochial church council, at Stoke-sub-Hamdon, near Yeovil, fears the circle could become a focus for pagan and occult practices.
It has now written to the Duchy asking for the stones to be removed. They claim picnic tables erected in the centre of the circle, created from large, flat stones, could make ad-hoc altars for sinister witchcraft rituals.
The Rev Peter Kerton-Johnson, 61, who served as a parish priest in South Africa for 20 years, said: "To put an altar in the centre of the circle is really inviting some sort of pagan practice.
"I have come from South Africa where these sort of things happen daily, even human sacrifice where children are killed and body parts taken by witch doctors.
"There has already been an instance recorded in Britain in which a mutilated child's body was found in the Thames.
"Now there is hearsay that some sort of wedding took place at the circle."
He continued: "The flat stone may be intended as a picnic table but it also appears to be a mockery of the Lord's table."
He said the book of Jeremiah refers to Israel's ancient pagan neighbours indulging in ritual sex at religious sites on hilltops in the belief that they would be put in touch with divine powers.
A bemused Mr England said: "I can take it all away, but what will be next to go, Stonehenge?"
Source: Western Daily Press.