A (Hopefully) Unbiased Look at Paganism

In a country dominated by Christianity there lies a relatively small, though growing, religious group known as Pagans. The group consists of a number of sub groups that each have their own voice. Such groups include Wiccans, Druids, Asatru, Shamans, and many others. These people, as viewed by the Christian community, are the classic example of "devil worshippers." But are they really? If they aren't, then what are the Pagan religions?

Since I received a lot of good feedback from my last (Hopefully) Unbiased Look blog, I figured I'd do another one on another religion (or in this case, group of religions). The tricky part about this one, however, is that not a lot of the things are set in stone like the Abrahamic religions are. Therefore, the following is based on what I understand them to be and what I understand of the origins based off of quite a bit of reading of various sources.

First Things First, What is Paganism?

In order to go into detail about the Pagan religions and the Pagan community as a whole, we need to first know what it is.

The term Pagan comes from the Latin word Pagani, or country dweller. This term was then attributed to the people of Western Europe, who practiced their own religion of the area. While the Pantheons were generally the same (Greek gods, Roman gods, Celtic gods, etc), who, exactly, each family identified with and worshipped varied from family to family (as opposed to Judaism, where the same god was worshipped).

During the Crusades, also known as the Burning Times, the term Pagan became an insult and was directed toward anyone who was not Christian. This is where the association of Pagan and the various Pagan religions with negativity and devil worship more or less came from, since they were painted with an evil light so that the Christians were justified for converting or killing Pagans en masse.

Modern Paganism is often referred to as neo-Pagan, or "new Pagan."

New Religions from Old Ones

The modern Pagan religions are new religions. However, they are based off of the Old Religions of pre-Christian times. In many cases, such as Druidry and Asatru, they are considered reconstructionist religions, because they attempt to reconstruct their ancient counterparts with as much historical accuracy as possible. In other cases, they are based off the Old Religions, but more of a conglomerate of them, with their own core.

The neo-Pagan movement is generally attributed to Gerald Gardner and the creation of modern Wicca (which I will address in a moment, since it's one of the largest of the neo-Pagan religions) in the 1950s. So, as a modern religous movement, neo-paganism is still in its infancy.

General Beliefs

While the beliefs and practices vary among the different Pagan Paths and even among individuals, they generally have similar roots. As with most ancient beliefs, the Pagan religions generally revolve around fertility and as such, have various customs based on the time of year for the fertility of the crops and livestock. The ones in the spring generally ask the gods to provide the worshippers with a fruitful year, while the ones in the fall generally thank them for the harvest. Modern practices and theology generally reflect these roots. Even those that aren't specifically fertility religions are generally nature-based.

The holidays, or Sabbats, are (from what I've seen) one thing that just about every neo-Pagan religion commonly celebrates and are as follows:

Samhain (October 31) - The secular holiday of Halloween, Samhain is generally recognized as the Pagan New Year and is probably one of the most controversial holidays, typically used by Christians as a reason to persecute Pagans. Samhain also coordinates to the hispanic holiday of Los Dias de Los Muertos, or "The Day of the Dead." It is believed that the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest, which is where a lot of the controversy comes from. Samhain is a time to honor and remember the spirits of the dead and thank the gods for the harvest of the year.

Yule (December 21) - Corresponding with the Christian holiday of Christmas and the calendar time of the Winter Solstice, Yule marks the time when the days start becoming longer. Yule Trees and candles are used to remind the Pagans that the Winter won't last forever (since these were often harsh times for the ancients).

Imbloc (February 2) - Corresponding to the secular holiday of Groundhog Day, Imbloc is another winter holiday designed to remind us that Spring will soon come, and with it warmth and new life. For this reason, this Sabbat is also known as Candlemas, because candles are often lit as a reminder of the brighter times.

Ostara (March 21) - Ostara, the Spring Equinox, corresponds with the Christian holiday of Easter (though, like Yule, does not fall on the actual Christian holiday). This marks the first day of spring and is the origin of things like the Easter egg and bunny, symbols of fertility.

Beltaine (May 1) - The upcoming Sabbat of Beltaine, or Mayday, is probably the source of most of the myths of "Pagan orgies," since it celebrates the union of the God and Goddess (Earth Mother and Sun God, or other variations) and the creation of new life. Beltaine celebrates the Great Rite of the gods in order to replenish the Earth after the winter. It is often a time of births, marriages, initiations and other similar celebrations.

Midsummer (June 21) - Falling on the Summer Solstice, Midsummer honors the Sun God and marks the shortening of the days. It represents the God growing stronger, and is often celebrated through games and competition.

Lughnasadh (August 1) - This is the first harvest and is a sort of Pagan Thanksgiving as the fruits of labor are reaped. This Sabbat represents the Sun God's decent into the Otherworld.

Mabon (September 21) - The Autumn Equinox brings the second harvest, as well as the beginnings of the colder months. It's usually around this time that the weather starts getting colder, so this Sabbat marks the end of the warm months. It's also a time for balance of mind, body, and spirit.

(Note - this list and the descriptions are derrived from summerland.org, which is mostly Wiccan, though also identifies as Pagan. The traditions and exact meanings of each Sabbat varies depending on Path, though the times and relationship of the sun and the earth are fairly consistent, even in the Asatru calendar.)

A Bit About Wicca

Wicca is among the largest of the neo-Pagan paths. The term Wicca generally means wisom, or wise, which is why Wicca is often refered to as "The Craft of the Wise," or simply, The Craft. Some consider Wiccan and Witch to be interchangable, though due to the historical usage (sorceress, poisoner), some Wiccans prefer not to use the term Witch. Overall, though, it depends on one's path and personal beliefs.

The mordern origin of Wicca is primarily attributed to Gerald Gardner, who claims that it was a set of beliefs and practices that survived in secret for hundreds of years. Either way, he was the first to publish a book about it in 1954, after the ban on "occult" publications in Britain was lifted.

Wicca is a duotheistic religion, with the God (Horned God, Sun God, Green Man) and Goddess (Maiden, Mother, Crone, Earth Mother) in which the relationship between the Goddess and the God are intertwined in a cycle of rebirth, with the God "dying" at Yule and being reborn at Ostara.

Human Sacrifice

This blog would not be complete without a section addressing sacrifice, particularly human sacrifice, which is one of the main things Christians use to verbally persecute Pagans.

To say that Pagans never performed sacrifices would be an outright lie (though Christians, particularly those of the Old Testament, are also no stranger to sacrifices). Also, some Pagan tribes, most notably the Druids of Celtic Ireland did perform human sacrifice. However, it was not something taken lightly, by any means. Human sacrifice was, at least part of the time, from what historians can tell, done with volunteers, members of the aristocrat or upper middle class, and done for the salvation of a loved one (akin to a Christian asking God to take him to spare the life of his dying wife).

Nowadays, sacrifice is not practiced in nearly all neo-Pagan religions (though I would not put it past some extremists cults to perform animal sacrfices, there have been no verified cases of modern human sacrifice). It is considered an archaic practice in a similar way sacrifice in the Christian religion has been considered null and void because of the sacrifice of Jesus.

Also, the historical "facts" of Pagan human sacrifices must be examined with caution, since, like many of today's stories about sacrifice, they were more than likely...stretched...to vilify the Pagans and further justify the domination of them by the Greeks and Romans. Scholars believe the "bog men," who appear to have been ritually killed and laid to rest in the bogs, were willing victims of the upper class. This is a very murky subject indeed and should not be thrown around as lightly as it manytimes is.

Satanism

Another point that Christians accuse Pagans of being are Satanists. While there is a "religion" based roughly on the Christian idea of Satanism, it is not considered to be a Pagan religion. Instead, it is more of an anti-Christianity. Instead of focusing on the divine and the hereafter while rejecting the body and worldly desires, Satanism focuses on indulging the worldly desires and rejecting the afterlife.

Paganism, on the other hand, does not acknowledge a Satan or devil in the sense that Christians do. Instead, there is an appreciation for the world and people around us. There is no inherent good or evil, though there are positive and negative. It's more of a "shadows can't exist without light" sort of mindset in most cases. Emphasis is on learning and doing good during our lives (however many there may be). The Rule of Three (whatever you send out comes back to you times three), or some variation of it, is one of the primary guidelines of several of the Pagan religions, as well as a variation of the Wiccan Rede (an it harm none, do what ye will). They are enough of a part of the Pagan religions that most Pagans consciously try to live by them.

It focuses on the relationship between people, the divine, and the Earth. There is no Satan, Devil, or Hell. There is positive and negative, light and dark, good and bad, and there has to be, since there has to be a balance. Many Pagan religions focus on learning what we can in this life and improving ourselves for the afterlife or our next life.

The Hereafter

That brings us to the next topic, the afterlife. A question that is at the heart of many religions - what happens when we die? The answer to this question is as diverse as the people that make up the Pagan community. There are, however, a few basic, general themes:

Summerland - This is interpreted as either the place we go to stay after we die (vaguely like the Christian Heaven), or a stopping ground between lives. This can also be referred to by other names, such as Otherworld.

Reincarnation - Some Pagans believe in reincarnation. They believe that we go through numerous lives before finally joining with deity (similar to what Bhuddists believe).

"Circle of Life" - Some believe we have one life, and that when we die, our souls, as well as our bodies, go back to the Earth to sustain future generations.

The Apocolypse

To my knowledge, the only Pagan group that has an end-time story is the Asatru. The Asatru are reconstructionists of the old Norse religion. They pride themselves on the historical accuracy of their religion and follow fairly strict guidelines. So, among the beliefs of the Asatru is the Norse apocolypse, Ragnarok, the final battle of (put loosely) good and evil. After the battle of Ragnarok, only two of Odin's sons, two of Thor's sons, and two humans will survive, and the god Baldur will be resurrected.

Magick

While many teens that find the Pagan paths are usually initially attracted to the spells, and perhaps contrary to what you might see in the mainstream bookstores, it is only a small part of most Pagan paths. That doesn't make it any less important, however.

I've seen spellwork related to the Christian idea of prayer, and also refered to as a separate concept from prayer. My current understanding relates it more to rituals like the Christian exorcism, where there's more work being done than just in standard prayers. I guess you could call it "active praying."

The difference between spells and prayers, though, is that in a spell, the caster is putting their own energy into it, instead of asking something of the divine and waiting for an answer.

And, as always, the spell is done with the Rule of Three and Wiccan Rede (or variants) in mind.

Sex, the Great Rite

Another argument against Pagans that I often see is that they supposedly have a blatant disregard for sex. So much so that their rituals are filled with massive orgies.

Now, I'm not going to attempt to deny that some Pagan groups may, in fact, have orgies at at least some of their rituals. Most of the Pagan religions are fertility religions, and part of fertility is the act of sex. Chances are, the "orgy rituals" described in the Bible and other Greco-Roman texts are ones that take place around the Sabbat of Beltaine. This is because Beltaine is the time when the God impregnates the Goddess with the God that will be born at Yule (or a similar variation), thus completing the God's cycle of rebirth.

Sex, therefore, is actually a sacred thing. It symbolizes the Great Rite between the Goddess and the God in the cycle of life and death in the world around us. The Great Rite is performed with the knowledge that it will create new life.

This has gotten quite long, so I'll end it here. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I am by no means an expert on all the matters of Paganism. However, I have done quite a bit of research, and this blog is based on what I have done so far. There are likely to be Pagans who don't view everything (or even anything) that I've posted here to be accurate, but since neo-Paganism revolves around what the individual believes to be "right," there really is no right or wrong, only differing views. Those who hold different views are more than welcome to share them if they'd like. I do ask that things be kept civil, though.

That said, I also have a couple things I recommend reading:

MTV Article on Pagans, focusing primarily on Wiccans. It's a pretty good article that helps bring a more accurate view to the mainstream.

Wiccan Beliefs & Practices, a fairly good "Wicca 101" book for those who'd like to get a taste of the theology, history, and rituals. It's easy to read and offers a pretty good balance of everything, especially for those looking to become a Wiccan. It is centered around Wicca, so those looking for Paganism in general would have to look elsewhere, but it is a good read nonetheless.