Source: The Maneater Student Newspaper
[themaneater.com/stories/2009/9/29/columbia-celebrates-pagan-pride-day/]
Chanting in a spirit circle as part of their opening ceremony, attendants of the Mid-Missouri Pagan Pride Day summoned the directions, the god and the goddess Sunday.
Outdoor rituals like this are typical of Paganism, a religion based on respect for the earth. These rituals were given some scientific backing by the School of Metaphysics. Paganism is not synonymous with Satanism, which derived from the Judeo-Christian belief in Satan.
"It's very earth-based," said Crystal Johnson, Ozark Avalon Church of Nature member. "We're open to anyone who is kind to each other and kind to the earth, and they can be any religion."
Ozark Avalon Church of Nature is a 186-acre land sanctuary in Boonville that welcomes Pagans and Wiccans. One effort of the church is to develop a green cemetery on its grounds.