Paging All Pagans: Paganism & Modernity

[roo_ster]

I have been interested in pagan religions since I was a kid: Greek, Norse, Celt being the most interesting, IMO.

All this talk about wicca (does it get a capital "W"?), paganism, & such has got me wondering about pagan religions in the contemporary world.

Specifically:
1. How does your particular religion reconcile itself to the contemporary, Western Civilization we inhabit?
(Most important of the three questions, IMO)

2. Does your religion date back a ways?  Has it been continuously practiced since then, or is it a revival of an older religion?  Is it a relative newcomer to the world?

3. Is the catch-all term "pagan" OK with you?  Do you dislike being lumped in with most every non-Abrahamic religion?

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#1 interests me because some of the practices described by the older pagan religions would be nigh impossible to perform in, say, Peoria, Illinois.  Some examples:

Norse
It seemed to be pretty darned important to be a warrior and to expire in battle after sending many enemies to their next plane of existance.  I suppose an adherent could, today, enlist in a military organization or police force to fight the good fight and risk death in battle.  Maybe even mercenary work would qualify.

Aztec
Warring on one's neighbors and then torturing them to death is not the way to get elected to be pres of most HOAs, though some HOAs might welcome such in their leader.

Celt
Capturing some poor schmoe, disemboweling him, draping his viscera on an oak tree's limbs, and then dancing around is sure to be frowned upon by the local constabulary, even if the chief's name begins with "Mc."

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I'll answer #1 for my faith, Christianity:
Pretty easily, as Christianity makes it relatively easy.  

Christians are to be law-abiding citizens, to include payment of taxes:

Matthew 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

Luke 20:25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.

Christians are to leave to God the judgment of those who won't accept Him and we are not to force conversion:

Matthew 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

Mark 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Luke 9:5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

(Of course, there are/were those who manage to gloss over the "no forced conversions" part.  Historicaly, those folks were members of the state's established religion.)

Also, there are many writings by Christian philosophers who write on this very subject, Thomas Aquinas being only one of the most prominent who were able to reconcile faith with reason.

[Harold Tuttle]

fun:
http://seapagan.org/pagan-hierarchy/pagan-hierarchy.png

[BrokenPaw]

jfruser,

Most people who practice Wicca prefer that it be capitalized, because it is the proper name for a sect, just as "Lutheran" is a proper name.  That said, I'm not a Wiccan, so I'm just going by what I've been told by Wiccans.

1. The path that I follow is not a "religion", as such.  It is much more a philosophy.  This may seem to be irrelevant hair-splitting, but in reality I believe that there is a distinct difference between one's personal philosophy and one's religion.  For those who are interested in reading my (long) treatise on that very subject, you can find it here.
I believe that religions (all religions, to include Wicca, Asatru, and most forms of Christianity) tend toward getting bogged down in details about which way is the right way to practice a faith that is, or should be, the actual focus.

To wit:  Christians (by definition) believe that Jesus Christ is their Saviour and Lord, and that through Him their souls are redeemed and they are cleansed of their sins.  That part's pretty simple, and seems straightforward, but then there are all of these different groups within Christianity that have different rules on top of that.

And before anyone takes me to task for picking on the Christians, Pagans are just as bad about the putting-the-Divine-inna-box game, if not worse.  You have Wiccans who will get into a snit if the candles on the altar are the wrong color, or if someone walks widdershins in the Circle instead of Deosil, and, really, it's all rather couterproductive.

Religion and philosophy are the ways we attempt to connect to the Divine.  If envisioning the Divine in a way reminiscent of the old Norse Gods is how someone relates, then it's not necessary to kill enemies and send them to the next plane.  Again, it's a matter of how one chooses to relate to the Unknowable Divine.  In that sense, Christianity is no different, because although Jesus took the shape of and became a man, God the Father is an unknowable visage; it's beyond the comprehension of a human to try and fathom what God "looks like"; so as a result most Christian people sort of picture Him as a majestic Father figure along the lines of how He's painted in Michelangelo's works.

2: Because I don't practice a "religion", as such, I can't trace it back to anywhere; instead, I follow a philosophy that owes its lineage to many teachings that go back a long time, and which are not all that different from the philosophies that underly all peaceful paths, including Christianity.

3: "Pagan" is just a word.  Some pagans wear it as a badge of identity, and insist that it be capitalized.  I do not.  As you say, in its strictest definition it simply means that one follows a path outside of the Abrahamic.  Within the broader pagan community, you'll find people who prefer to be called "Heathen" instead of "Pagan".  These people are almost invariably those who follow Nordic paths.  I don't know why they prefer it; I've never worried to look it up.

If someone asked me whether I was pagan, I'd say I am.  But that's largely a matter of convenience, because explaining that "I'm an eclectic-path animist with druidic tendencies and a strong penchant for playing with fire" usually just leads to blank stares.

Namaste,
-BP

[Strings]

I've always described mytself as "Heretic Wiccan", so I guess I can play...

>1. How does your particular religion reconcile itself to the contemporary, Western Civilization we inhabit?
(Most important of the three questions, IMO)<

reconciles itself fairly nicely, since it's only around 50 years old. Given the base "rule" (An' it harm none, do as you will), *I* don't run into many problems...

>2. Does your religion date back a ways?  Has it been continuously practiced since then, or is it a revival of an older religion?  Is it a relative newcomer to the world?<

A friend describes it this way: "Wicca: prentending to be an ancient religion since 1957"

>3. Is the catch-all term "pagan" OK with you?  Do you dislike being lumped in with most every non-Abrahamic religion?<

That's what I prefer, actually...

[Nightfall]

Aztec
Warring on one's neighbors and then torturing them to death is not the way to get elected to be pres of most HOAs, though some HOAs might welcome such in their leader.

Paging Mike Irwin!

[Strings]

Nightfall, I had exactly the same thought. The only difference being most Aztecs weren't bullied by toddlers... :neener:

[Perd Hapley]

>3. Is the catch-all term "pagan" OK with you?  Do you dislike being lumped in with most every non-Abrahamic religion?<

That's what I prefer, actually...

What?  I can't use it to insult you?

[Strings]

No... i just consider the source... :neener: