Paganism In Our Own Image: The Modern Mythology of the Pagan's Last Stand (original) (raw)
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This article argues that the concept of paganism, though originally theological in nature, came to be used in the Enlightenment and its secular thought as a term for non-Abrahamic ‘religions’. Discussions on paganism were conducted in an environment where concerns about religious plurality had become central. As such, these discussions, and their subject – paganism, also served as a means to find solutions for concerns about religious plurality. This article will focus on three componenets of the discussion on paganism: (i) the origin of idolatry, (ii) the nature of gods, and (iii) the nature of pagan worship. This article argues that purportedly secular concerns regarding paganism expressed by Deist and Enlightenment scholars were in fact rooted in Christian theology. This article is divided into four sections. The first section gives a general account of relevant discussions taking place in the seventeenth century. The second section discusses the father of English deism, Herbert of Cherbury, and his notion of paganism. The third section discusses Herbert’s successors. The fourth section discusses David Hume and his work on paganism. The article argues that internal theological concerns in the seventeenth and eighteenth century gave rise to a specific conceptual language used in thinking about and discussing paganism. This language was later adopted by Neopagans in the twentieth and twenty first century. As such, the article argues, in any study of the phenomenon referred to as “paganism” the present framework inevitably leads one to theological questions and answers. As a result, while the discussion on paganism continues to be a theological one, the phenomenon being studied remains inaccessible.
Introduction: Paganism and its others
Religio: revue pro religionistiku
Miroslav vrZal-scott siMpson-Matouš vencálek Growing from roots including 19 th century Romanticism, Romantic Nationalism, and the occult revival, Modern Paganism is a highly diverse movement manifesting in a dazzling range of shapes and forms. Modern Pagans seek to build a valid continuation of ancient traditions and belief systems in the contemporary world, but they do so in various ways. The source material employed by any individual or community can range from meticulous readings in carefully-curated history and archaeology, to inspirations from science fiction and fantasy. Their ultimate goals can be just as varied, with some seeking liberation for their nation and others seeking liberation for their gender or sexuality. Quite often, when faced with such a broad and diverse field, academic questions arise about where the borders of this field should lie. What is properly within the borders of "Modern Paganism" and what should be demarcated as "other" fields? Furthermore, as this diverse, vital, and continually-evolving movement has grown over the past decades, it has found itself entering into interaction with an increasing array of other "others". Every expansion into new territory brings new actors, institutions, and ideas onto its horizon. These "others" may at times be political parties or governments, or they may be entrenched religious organisations that do not welcome competition. And as Modern Paganism becomes more visible to the public eye, we also see representatives of Modern Paganism thrust into new public roles as they react to climate change or war. Sometimes, the "other" may also be academia peeking in to see what Modern Paganism is up to. In 2016, the desire to explore these interactions led to an international conference entitled Paganism and Politics held at the Department for the Study of Religions at Masaryk University in Brno in the Czech Republic. The conference, organised by Matouš Vencálek and Miroslav Vrzal in collaboration with Michael Strmiska, one of the leading contemporary scholars in the field of Pagan Studies, was itself a continuation of a series of conferences Neo
Review of European Paganism: The Realities of Cult from Antiquity to the Middle Ages by Ken Dowden
Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 2007
List of illustrations x Acknowledgements xii Foreword xiii How to use this book xvii Authors and events: a time-chart xx 1 Approaching paganism 1 Pagans, so primitive 1 Christian ending 4 Roman government 4 Germanic invaders 8 Beyond the Roman pale Beyond the Byzantine pale Evidence Latin and other languages Greek and Roman windows on barbarian culture 2 Dividing the landscape 25 Location Focus and area Physical features (absolute position) Relative position Ownership: public and private Power The god in the stone? Strength in numbers: tree, stone, spring 3 Focus I: spring, lake, river 39 Spring and well What a spring is Prevalence CONTENTS vi Purity and health What happens at springs and wells Saints, the conversion of the aniconic, and heads Other water Lake River Water worship 4 Focus II: stone and tree 58 Stone What a stone is Feelings about stones Personalising stones Stones and permanence Stone as the object of cult What happens at stones Tree What trees are like Personalising trees Notable trees What happens at trees Pagan tree and Christian objectors 5 Area I: land 78 Hill and mountain What mountains are like Worship on mountains: lightning and fire Shore and island Sea: shore and promontory Islands Cave 6 Area II: growth 89 Meadow Grove What a grove is like Grove and temple-culture The feel of natural groves Grove and garden Groves and barbarians 101 Groves and placenames 104 CONTENTS vii The power of groves Ancient groves Inviolability On the Dusii demons… Divine ownership Inside the grove 7 Technology: statues, shrines and temples Statues The place of statues Impressive statues and Christian destruction Temple, fanum, ecclesia What a temple is The shape of temples Contents and decoration Shrines, vocabulary and placenames Temples in less developed cultures Continuity Instances What are Christians to do with temples or fana? Destroy the fana! Build churches! 8 Christian paganism 149 Christian knowledge Textuality: coming down from Sinai Specificity What pagans do Eating and drinking Dance Particular customs New Year's Day Thursday The moon Laurel Catechism: renouncing what?
Conference: The American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, 2006
Debate continues about how to define Paganism, but it is generally agreed that it is a 'nature religion'. Unsurprisingly, Pagans are widely supposed to be environmentally active, and the Dictionary of Contemporary Religion in the Western World goes so far as to say, "Paganism is an ecological faith tradition, a nature-centric spirituality that seeks to break down hierarchies." (Partridge, (ed.), 2002; 326). However, most ethnographic research shows that in practice, Pagans are not especially ecological, and only a minority of eclectic 'Eco-Pagans' are involved in direct action (Adler, 1986, pp. 399-415). Smith Obler concluded that although Pagans' language and beliefs speak of a love for nature, their behaviour is no more environmental than anyone else's (2004), and Adler found that "quite a few" Pagans were actually against environmental activism (1986; 400). We focus on this apparent paradox at the heart of the movement: If Paganism is a 'nature religion', why are so few practitioners environmentalists? The obvious answer is that belief does not always translate into practice, but we offer a more useful hypothesis based on existing research and recent ethnographic work. We make sense of this apparent inconsistency by tracing the genealogy of Paganism, which reveals diverse currents of influence. While Contemporary Paganism originated from esoteric magical traditions, we trace how an ‘earth-based’ Paganism emerged from folk Romanticism and the Free Festival movement. These currents are not isolated but nevertheless carry distinct ideological characteristics and attract different socio-political groups. Although our argument focuses on UK Paganism, the fundamental cross-cultural influences between the US and the UK mean that our analysis is relevant to both countries.
The Pagan Thinker: some aspects of Modern Western Paganism.
The Pagan Thinker: some aspects of Modern Western Paganism., 2021
Modern Pagans and Heathens in the UK, Europe and N. America do not need anyone to tell them what to do. There are, however, many accepted ideas within Paganism that are rarely discussed and analysed in depth. As a result, we are in danger of creating an orthodoxy without realising it! This book seeks out some relevant topics to consider, whether you are an established Pagan, Druid, Heathen, Shaman, Witch or a beginner thinking about your path. It is also of vital interest to the academic trying to understand the rapid changes in the esoteric scene over the last decades: what issues cause distrust or disinterest by Pagans seeking authoritative sources of information? Amongst the topics are identity, ethics, magic, community, deities and sacred places. Theology, leadership, rituals, symbology and the very future of Paganism are also examined. This should give you something challenging to consider and a way of evaluating the overload of available information and its sources. Without being told what to do or think, you should then be able to make up your own mind.
In: James R. Lewis and Jesper Aa. Petersen (eds.), Controversial New Religions, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2014., 2014
This paper appears in a volume I co-edited with Carlos Steel called 'Paganism in the Middle Ages. Threat and fascination' (Leuven University Press, 2012), but it was written in 2006. It presents in brief form my thinking, at that stage, about how some medieval authors reacted to the problems raised by pagan wisdom and virtue, especially with regard to pagan salvation. It needs to be supplemented by the much fuller and more considered view I give in 'Pagans and Philosophers' (Princeton University Press, 2015).