Some time ago, I came across a view that Christianity was inherently
more vital for the achievement of peace than Paganism, and that Paganism was
somehow inherently associated with violence. Now, leaving aside the lack of
understanding of Paganism that this view was based on (and not to mention the bits of Paganism that Christianity and neochristianity
both use), and the fact that much of what we see is neochristianity rather
than Christianity [2] , one of the biggest problems I have with this argument
is the number of wars and abuses that have been committed in the name of ‘the
one true god’ – for instance, the Massacre of Verdun,
committed by the terrorist Charlemagne, the truly massive evil
that was the Crusades, the persecution of women and LGBTI (to use modern language) people, and the terrible, terrible evil of
child abuse. Christians would understand the story about casting the first
stone if you are free of evil, but I suspect neochristians would not …
There are also issues of sacrifice: the ancient Pagans committed
sacrifice, as do some modern ones. Now, I don’t consider such actions – i.e.,
the deliberate taking of life as part of ritual – as acceptable, but we also
take life in order to live. Meat eaters obviously take life (although Pagans who raise animals as food
tend to do so respectfully, and without hiding from what is being done),
but vegans and vegetarians take plant life and, in the case of anything relying
on large scale (bulk, it is termed)
storage (applies to many grains), the
lives of ‘pests’ such as rats that are killed as part of such storage. Every
time we take antibiotics we kill pathogenic (i.e.,
harmful) microorganisms. So … what is right here? To attempt to kill
nothing, be a fruitarian and die of disease by refusing to take antibiotics (although the body’s immune system will be
trying to kill the pathogens anyway)? I think not: I feel that the
Buddhists might have the key point here: sentience, or self awareness (which plants have! See the experiments
reported in Lyall Watson’s “Supernature” [pub.
Sceptre, 1989 {first printing 1986; first pub. Hodder and Stoughton, 1973;
first pub. in paperback Coronet, 1974}, ISBN 0 340 40429 1] for more on this.
Also, I reviewed this book here). Thus whilst microorganisms are essential for the balance of
Nature, I don’t know that they have individualised self awareness, and maybe
not what we understand by pain. In any case, in some places they are
inappropriate, so … I feel killing such is a necessity for the survival of the
physical body. (I also consider things
like bugs – spiders! - should be relocated rather than killed, wherever
possible. Incidentally, I did spend quite a few decades trying to live the
principles of Buddhism as best I could … :) )
So, going back to the issue of peace, I don’t consider the issue of
sacrifice to be clearcut as a problem solely of Pagans’ making or associated
with Pagans only (there is also the
attitude of neochristianity towards sex and the human body, which many Pagans
would argue is an abhorrent abuse, not just a ‘sacrifice’), nor is it
entirely relevant as neochristians seem to portray it - people and religions
(well, most religions) change over time, and I argue that the taking of
sentient life as part of ritual is no more a part of most modern Paganism than
massacring those who refuse to convert is part of most modern neochristianity (it was never a part of true
Christianity, which is possibly a case of theological hair splitting :) ).
More fundamentally, there are caring Deities who play key roles in much
of Paganism – to give a few female examples, consider Isis, Gaea, Demeter,
Amaterasu, Yemaya, Bast, Inannu, ‘the Goddess’ that many Wiccans revere, and, perhaps most
significantly of all, Kwan Yin. In terms of male Deities, consider Horus, Ptah
and Cernunnos.
The aspects of Paganism that are associated with caring is something
that I talked of when I was recently interviewed for a TV programme called “Harmony in Diversity”.
This program seeks to work for interfaith understanding and harmony by
interviewing people from various faiths. The program appears on Melbourne’s
Channel 31 on Thursdays, at 11-30 PM – more on that later.
In terms of the relevance to this post, in the interview I did (to be broadcast in two segments), I
talked about the ‘Three Centres of Paganism’ – earth focused, self focused, and
Deity focused. As I was interviewed, I realised that each of those could be
described in terms of love – love of the Earth, love of Deities, and (spiritual) love of oneself.
So the whole premise that Christianity is based on love and Paganism is
not is, to some good degree at least, wrong.
Likewise the view that Christianity rather than Paganism aims to bring
peace is also wrong. Most Pagans were, going back a millennia or so, basically
people living simply, often on the land, and they were often the people who
suffered most from war, and all people living in such times suffered from the
effects of violence. (I suspect that one
of the appeals of having a strong king or ruler during such times was their
ability to impose some sort of peace and order.)
Please note that Paganism is not universally peaceful, however: some
Deities are strongly associated with war or fighting, such as The Morrigan.
That, however, is an issue that is also associated with neochristianity of the
same historical eras.
So … I dispute that either neochristianity or Christianity was
instrumental in achieving the more peaceful lifestyles of the modern world (and death rates have declined by up to 50
times since the Middle Ages – see here). In fact, I consider it was the Rule of Law and the introduction
of effective police forces and (mostly)
impartial systems of justice that was responsible for much of what we take for
granted (although I do know that some
judges considered Christian principles when making decisions that have become
what are termed precedents).
In terms of where we go from here, though, to deal with current levels
of violence, I rather suspect that all forms of genuine spirituality (what I would term mature spirituality)
may have a role to play, and that includes Paganism as much as Christianity –
and more so, when we consider environmental violence.
Now, as a final quick comment. My interview for Harmony in Diversity
will be aired on Thursday 24th April and Thursday 1st
May, at 11-30 PM on Melbourne’s Channel 31. These are also available after
broadcast via YouTube. Now, the interviewer and the technician were both
pleased with the interview, they were considering the matter from the point of
view of the mostly Christian audience. As I drove home after the interview, I
could think of a whole range of issues I wanted to cover, and didn’t. I’m also
not personally happy with my presentation – not just the face for radio effect [3]
, but … I guess they could be described as theological points. The presentation
is not for other Pagans, it is for the normal audience of the show, but I still
consider I could have done better. (By
the way, I have appeared on Channel 31 previously, and I have also been
interviewed for a couple of evening news programmes when a local human rights
report was launched – fortunately, that was all over a decade ago :) ).
It might be of some interest to post the notes I sent the interviewer
before the interview, so he could prepare. Compare this with what was actually
included :) (I’ve left off some of the
Appendices in these notes.)
In doing this, I am very aware of the at times vitriolic debates about
trying to define Paganism. I’ve made as genuine attempt to cover this as
objectively as I can, but there is no way I am going to make everyone happy.
If you think I’m wrong, then do what I did and put your hand up for a public
television interview, do better, and publish links to the result :)
Interview – Background Notes for
Interviewer’s Preparation
Paganism is often described as an earth-based religion – which means,
reverence for the Earth, Nature and the seasons. This is a bit of a
simplification, as Paganism is often used as an umbrella term covering Wicca,
witchcraft, Druidry, ‘the Old Religion’, the knowledge of ‘the cunning
man/woman’ of the village from one or two millennia ago, etc – but NOT
Satanism, as that is an off-shoot of Christianity (in fact, being a Satanist will get you booted out of many pagan
groups).
A separate umbrella term is becoming more widely used for a similar
group of religions: “Heathenry”, which covers adherents of the old northern
European Deities such as Odin, Thor, Tyr, etc.
The Deities that Pagans revere are quite varied: some people revere the
Gods and Goddesses of particular pantheons (such
as Heathenry, or those who follow the Kemetic path, who revere the old Egyptian
Deities; some explain paganism as ‘the Old Religion’ of Europe, and state that
they are reclaiming their heritage this way); some (particularly Wiccans) revere a male God and female Goddess in
honour of the yin-yang polarity found within all of us and most of life, others
simply revere a female Goddess – more or less a female version of the Christian
God [4] . All of these religions honour women, and quite a few people found
their way to paganism because of dissatisfaction with Christianity on this (or other) aspects. Many of these
practitioners also tend to be very eclectic – meaning, they take what is
meaningful to them from any source, and tend to blend it together.
There is a Wiccan creation myth called the Vangelo delle Streghe,
attributed to an Italian form of witchcraft (the
Aradian tradition): I’ve copied my study notes on this in below [5] .
The Wiccan Code of Ethics is termed ‘the Wiccan Rede’. The most
commonly quoted form of this comes from a long poem: “An’ it harms none, do as
ye wilt.” Basically – do not harm others (sometimes
also expressed as ‘the law of Threefold Return’ – which is similar to karma,
but magnified), but other than that, no specific constraints. The full
length version of the poem also refers to celebrating the key phases of the
Moon, and also – if I recall correctly – includes the phrase “All acts of love
and pleasure are sacred to me”.
That phrase shows how important this world, and embracing life in this
world, is to Pagans: it is sacred. It also includes open, unashamed sexuality,
which is another aspect of Christianity that led some to convert to Paganism (this was well illustrated in the TV
mini-series “The Pillars of the Earth” [6] ;
in the Middle Ages and until quite recently [and still the case in some
versions of Christianity], the official Christian attitude tends to be that sex
is for procreation, whereas the pagan view is that sex is for pleasure,
intimacy and, if chosen, procreation). To further illustrate the difference
between that view and the official Christian view, an analogy that is often
used is:
the Christian Deity is the potter that made the world, and then put it aside, whereas, to a Pagan, the world is the cloak that the Goddess (i.e., the female creative Deity) puts on in order that we may know Her.
At this stage it is probably worth mentioning that there are three
major groups within paganism:
• earth-centered (which I’ve discussed above);
• self- centered (including those seeking personal growth: my
training as a Priestess was that we live in order to experience life, and thus
should embrace it and seek beneficial experiences, and generally seek to be
‘all that we can be’; this group also includes those who revere the statement
attributed to the Goddess “all acts of love and pleasure are sacred to me”);
• Deity- centered,
which includes those who revere the Goddess, the God and Goddess (often referred to as Lord and Lady or the
Lady and Her Consort), and polytheists, who are subdivided into two further
categories:
- those who see the Deities as archetypes (termed ‘soft polytheists), and
- those who see the Deities as being as real as the Christian God[7] (termed
‘hard polytheists’).
There are also problems within Pagan groups/religions, as there within
every group/religion. One of these is coming to terms with the changes that
inevitably happen to all faiths over time – for instance, in much the same way
that most Christians don’t follow most of Leviticus literally, the idea of
sacrifice is reinterpreted by most Pagans in a way that avoids the taking of
life (in fact, many Pagans are vegetarian
or vegan to honour animal life; I’m not, as I also view plant life as sacred).
Another major problem for many Pagans is the active suppression of
anything that wasn’t Christianity through the Dark Ages and Middle Ages. This
was particularly problematic when people started trying to recreate the old
ways in the 19th century, which was best known by the recreation of Druidry.
Oddly enough, most of the magickal and ritual practices used by Wiccans traces
back to the ancient Greeks (Socrates,
Plato and Aristotle were, in effect, Pagan philosophers [8] ) via the
religion of ‘Hermeticism’. I’ve not seen much that I would attribute to the
ancient Romans, but they were definitely Pagans in the modern sense of the word
– which is ironic, as the word is derived from the Roman term of contempt for a
‘country dweller’: pagani.
The rites and rituals of modern Paganism generally focus on celebrating
the seasons – for instance, we’ve just celebrated Mabon, which marks the end of
the harvest season and the beginning – and the phases of the Moon, which could
be viewed as being, in part, a celebration of the Female Principle of life.
There is also a particular form of marriage, termed Handfasting. Many forms of
Paganism are initiatory – meaning you have a series of initiations to go
through to attain membership and then, if you wish, become a Priest/Priestess.
In my case, I am initiated as a Priestess in the Correllian Tradition of Wicca,
and First Elder of another Wiccan tradition called ‘the Tel’Ennyn Asur’. My
training, incidentally, included things like the ‘prayer’ or spell for
protection copied in below [5] ; my work as a Priestess also included
facilitating the creation of the Hope, Peace, Love and Prosperity Spell also
copied in below [5] .
An Englishman by the name of Gerald Gardner did much to create the modern
religion known as Wicca, which is largely based - as best he could after nearly
two millennia of suppression - on ‘the Old Religion’ of Europe, but also
included working ‘sky clad’ (i.e. naked)
– in my opinion – because of Gardner’s practice of ‘naturism’ (i.e. he was a nudist). My reason for
that opinion is that working sky clad outdoors in Europe in winter would
probably kill you.
Nevertheless, the openness about sexuality and reverence towards the
physical world were part of the specific oppression exerted by the Dark
Age/Middle Age Christian Church on Pagans. To illustrate the oppression,
consider the fairly well known burning of alleged witches (many were the victims of jealousy and spite, and not witches, but a
significant number were witches or ‘cunning men’) at the stake (called ‘the Burning Times’ by many modern
Pagans), and also ‘the Massacre of Verdun’, when Charlemagne had 4,500
Saxons who refused to convert to Christianity beheaded. I have read suggestions
that the reasons the Vikings started raiding included a desire for revenge
against the Christians, who were starting to impinge on Scandinavian lands from
around that time. (There were other
reasons for the raids as well.)
Incidentally, one of the put downs thrown at Pagans by the Christians
was that we were (still are, probably, to
some) seen as idol worshippers. That it is not the case, any more than a
Christian genuflecting to a Crucifix is: symbols and allegories are known to be
such by most Pagans, but the reverence for this world is real. The accusation
of being ‘idol worshippers’ came from the Old Testament and was carried on by
Christians of the Dark Age/Middle Age era.
The past history between Christianity and Paganism tends to be very
significant to many modern Pagans. To some extent this comes out of the
differing views about the world (Sacred,
to a Pagan, vs. to be conquered and used – particularly in the Protestant view),
but also issues of sacrifice (Christianity
evolved at a time when animal sacrifice was common; on the other hand, many
Pagans are uncomfortable with the reverence shown to a symbol of torture and
death [i.e. the Crucifix] and the notion of drinking Christ’s blood and eating
Christ’s flesh [even if symbolically] in Mass).
Many pagans are, however, focusing on who they are, and how best to
live their values and beliefs, and constructive ways to overcome problems such
as prejudice.
[2] I am working on a review of "Gnosis "The Lost Gospels" “, by Anglican priest Pete Owen Jones, which
ends with an admission that if neochristianity hadn't gone down the particular
paths it did - despite evidence that other gospels exist and women were not
marginalised originally - it would not have become a widespread religion. This
film is a good example of the basis for the origin of what I describe as
neochristianity.
[3] joke, Joyce
[4] Upon re-reading this I’ve realised I should have mentioned more caring
and nurturing
[5] As noted, not included here
[7] I’ve used this terminology in deference to the sensitivities of the
interviewer and his audience
[8] I can thank Brendan Myers’ book “The Earth, The Gods and The Soul” [pub. Moon Books, 2013, ISBN 978 1 78099
317 1] for that piece of knowledge
[1] BPLF = Balanced Positive (spiritual) Light Forces. See here and here for more on this.
Love, light, hugs and blessings
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear"; ... aka Bellatrix Lux? Morinehtar? Would-be drýicgan ... )
My "blogiography" (list of all posts - currently not up to date) is here.
I started this blog to cover karmic regression-rescue (see here and here), and it grew ... See here for my group mind project, here and here for my "pagans for peace" project (and join me at 9 PM on Sunday, wherever you are, to meditate for peace), and here for my bindrune kit-bag. I also strongly recommend learning how to flame, ground and shield, do alternate nostril breathing, work with colour - and see also here, and be flexible.
I am a Walker upon the Path of Balanced Positivity, seeking Spiritual Maturity.
- One size does NOT fit all.
- Don't be mediocre - seek to excel.
- Gnwmythr's Stropping Strap: Occam's Razor only works if the simplest solution is actually recognised as being the simplest, rather than the one that best fits one's bigotries being labelled 'simplest'.
- Our entire life experience, with all the many wondrous and varied people, places and events in it, is too small a sample for statistical reliability about Life.
- May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
- Ban the dream interpretation industry!
- A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
- Housework is for ensuring a home is comfortable to live in, not competing to outdo or belittle others.
- Being accustomed to interacting via certain rules makes those rules neither right nor universal.
- Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master.
- Expertise at intimacy and emotional happiness is generally not the same thing as spiritual growth.
- Any person, male or female, who has neither a serious health issue nor dependents and expects their partner to work to support them, is, spiritually speaking, little more than a parasite.
- "Following the crowd" is not "going with the flow".
- Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." and/or "Everyone knows ... " and/or "they can ..." and what Bruce Schneier [2] calls "security theatre" on one side, and perspicacity and the understanding that the means shape the end on the other. Indolence vs. perspicacity, and expediency vs. honour.
- The means shape the end.
- BPLF restraint of uncooperatives is NOT an opportunity for revenge or getting even - even unconsciously.
- As words can kill, the right to freedom of speech comes with a DUTY to be as well-informed, objective and balanced as you can be.
- My favourite action movie of all time is "Gandhi", although I've recently come across "Invictus" and might put that one in to that category. However, I loathe the stereotypical action movie - and, for similar reasons, I loathe many dramas, which are often emotionally violent, more so in some cases than many war films.
- All of the above - and this blog - could be wrong, or subject to context, perspective, or state of spiritual evolution ...
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger [people]. JOHN F. KENNEDY (who was quoting 19th century Episcopal Bishop Phillips Brooks)
We make our decisions. And then our decisions turn around and make us. F.W. BOREHAM
Females, get over 'cute'. Get competent. Get trained. Get capable. Get over 'cute'. And
those of you who are called Patty and Debby and Suzy, get over that.
Because we use those names to infantalise females – we keep females in
their 'little girl' state by the names we use for them. Get over it. If
you want to be taken seriously, get serious. JANE ELLIOTT
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. (based on writing by) EDMUND BURKE
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." EINSTEIN
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. (based on writing by) EDMUND BURKE
"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." EINSTEIN
We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY
Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW
Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, and the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change." SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY (US Attorney General 1966 Speech)
Too much and too long, we seem to have
surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere
accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we
should judge America by that -- counts air pollution and cigarette
advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. ... Yet
the gross national product does not allow for the health of our
children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It
does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our
marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our
public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither
our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to
our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes
life worthwhile." ROBERT F. KENNEDY 1968
Tags: about me, Buddhism, Christianity, deities, Harmony in Diversity, Lyall Watson, Massacre of Verdun, neochristianity, paganism, peace, sacrifice,
First published: Manadagr, 21st April, 2014Last edited (excluding fixing typo's and other minor matters): Thursday, 5th May, 2014(added the PS)
