Pagan Perplexity
"The very ink with which all history
is written, is merely fluid prejudice."
-Mark Twain
It is obvious
that many of the Christian denotations derived from 'paganus'
are still prominently used today. However, a new interpretation
has come to the forefront of modern western society. This
interpretation called (Neo)-paganism is of a highly complex
nature that even among its' followers, there seems to be little
mutual understanding. Despite this, it is this interpretation
I will attempt to explain. For brevity sake, the scope of
this article is limited to those "Western Civilizations",
that developed out of Europe. There is no denying the facts
that there are other ancient religions in other parts of world,
which by the Christian definition, are pagan. However, its'
members would not necessarily identify with this term.
Pagan1
noun -s [ME, fr. LL paganus, fr. L, civilian,
country dweller, fr. paganus, adj., of the country,
fr. pagus country, village, district; akin to L pangere
to fix, fasten, pacisei to agree, contract -more at
Pact] 1: heathen 1; especially
a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome)
2: one that has little or no religion and
that is marked by a frank delight in and uninhibited seeking
after sensual pleasure and material goods : an unrestrained
irreligious hedonist and materialist <is a ~ of the
decadence> takes the world with exquisite nonchalance
and prefers a well-ordered dinner to a dissertation on the
immortality of the soul -T.L. Peacock> pagan2
adjective : of, relating to, or having the characteristics
of pagans : heathenish <~ customs>
<represents the earthy, ~ acceptance of life in all
its sensual vulgarity -R.M. Kain> <the ~ concept
of death and oblivion as the natural end of life -Cyril Connolly>
--paganly adverb. paganism
noun -s [ME paganysme, fr. LL paganismus,
fr. paganus pagan + L -ismus -ism] 1a:
pagan beliefs or practices : heathenism <its
conflict with modern ~ --C.J.C. Bergendoff> <the rites
of ~> <powers with which they had ascribed to the gods
of ~ --K.S. Latourette> b: a particular
pagan religion <ancient ~s were all polytheistic, with
dozens of gods arranged in complex pantheons -John Bright
born 1908> 2: the quality or state
of being a pagan (as in attitude or outlook) <the natural
joyous ~ of the Greeks -Hunter Mead>. [1]
To understand the present one should
understand its realization, and so I begin with a bit of historical
background.
Ancient Paganism
When changes happen in history,
they usually begin in the cities and towns. This is attributed
to the greater interaction with outside cultures, usually
through trade and war. Therefore, it is not surprising that
there existed a cultural and social distinction between city
and country inhabitants. Ancient Rome is one such embodiment;
a great conquering nation that assimilated many cultural ideas
and philosophies. This amalgamation was so significant that
eventually what was practiced in the Roman cities (urbs) no
longer resembled what was practiced in the countryside (pagus).
The word, pagus, incorporated this social distinction both
in its agrarian and non-combatant status. Whether or not,
these country dwellers ever identified with the term is doubtful.
Enter the Christians --
Until now, Romans got along with their
"conquered religions" either by assimilating or
ignoring them. So, when the Romans come into contact with
Judaic monotheism, they pretty much ignored it. As a non-invasive
religion, Judaism posed little threat to the Romans. In contrast,
Christianity was far more intrusive and prolific. Unlike Judaism
where you were born into the faith, Christianity accepted
new members through conversion. This did not go over well
with the Romans to say the least. There was no room for assimilation
or compromise because Christianity was the antithesis to Roman's
polytheistic philosophy. This new religion was far more detrimental
than any other religion Rome had ever come across. Rome was
right to worry, for many Romans did convert. It was these
converts who ultimately changed the meaning of paganus from
country dweller to polytheistic heathen. It was these selfsame
converts, along with other historical factors, that finally
changed the power base of Rome.
Christian Rome --
The real Christian versus Pagan dichotomy
probably started around 340 AD when the first "anti pagan"
laws began to take hold. The Christian Emperor, Constantius
II prohibited public pagan worship on pain of death. Although,
there was a brief respite for "pagans" under the
subsequent pagan ruler Julian, the ruling power eventually
reverted to Christianity, where it remained until 381 when
the anti-pagan laws are firmly re-established in the Imperatoris
Theodosiani Codex. There was now zero tolerance for "paganism"
in the Roman Empire and Christianity was declared the only
permissible faith.[2] The "pagan"
persecutions begin, and by 415 AD pagans are banned from Military
and Civic positions. The power base now lies firmly in the
hands of the Christians.
From the 4th century onward, pagan becomes
a pejorative term to indicate one who is not Christian. The
word mutated and adapted throughout Christian history to what
now resides in the dictionaries. Quite often you will see
heathen used as a synonym for pagan. Interestingly enough,
the Gothic haiþnô from which we derive
the word heathen is thought to have followed a similar path
of semantic development as that of paganus.
Heathen is another agrarian term whose meaning changed from
"dweller on the heath" to a non-Christian.
The way I see it; pagan was used as a
prejudicial classification both before and after the introduction
of Christianity and at no time, was it ever a religion (in
and of itself). That is until, 1,600 years later...
Post Paganism
In the Webster dictionary under paganism,
there is a line that, if taken out of context, may give a
clue to what Neo-Paganism means today. The line reads: "state
of being -- as in attitude or outlook". The
question is -- what outlook and what attitude?
Neopaganism was and still is a religious
movement that counters many of the ideologies and beliefs
within society's mainstream religions. As part of the larger
sixties Hippie Counterculture, Neopaganism incorporates many
of their anti-establishment and liberal attitudes. Perhaps,
this is why the framework of their belief systems or traditions
is so polymorphic; making it virtually impossible to find
a single unified religious composite. For this reason, many
do not consider Neopaganism a religion. Nevertheless, there
are those who follow a broader interpretation of religion
and who would define it as such.
Historical Inputs
An assortment of historical developments needed to
come together in order for Neopaganism to evolve.
- The Age
of Philosophy (BCE) - This was the time of speculative
thought, where man studied the meaning and justification
of beliefs, ethics, reality and all aspects of life. For
more on the great thinkers of our time visit: Biographies.
- The
Medieval Cruasdes - Ironically, it was the Crusader
who re-introduced pagan concepts to the Christendom. They
brought back from their travels, an assortment of literary
subjects covering Gnosticism, Jewish Mysticism, and the
ancient works of the Greek and Roman Philosophers. Religious
orders began to form based on these new ideas causing the
Church to instigate their own "internal crusades against
such heresy" called The Inquisitions.
- Renaissance
- During the 15th century, a pivotal shift in thinking set
in motion a whole series of changes that would reverberate
throughout history. When pagan philosophies like, rationalism,
individualism, humanism and nationalism were once again
being discussed and when people started looking to themselves,
instead of the Church for answers.
- Enlightenment
Era - With the Bible no longer being the source of
all knowledge, a need to better understand the world arose.
Human beings began to explore nature through science and
rationalism. Enlightenment was the time for freedom of thought
and the age of reason.
- Age
of Romanticism - Interest in other cultures was emerging.
New ideologies were being introduced into Europe and America
from abroad. Most importantly of these, was the introduction
to Oriental philosophy.
- The Spiritualism
Movement --Interest in other cultures continued to
flourish, especially in the form of archeology and anthropology.
One culture in particular was of great interest -Ancient
Egypt. It provided a great source information for those
interested in witchcraft, mysticism, and other esoteric
practices.
Many of the resources used in Neopaganism
came from this movement. Aradia, Gospel of the Witches
by Charles G. Leland, The Golden Bough, by Sir
James Frazer, and Witch-Cult in Western Europe
by Margaret Murray are the best known.[3] Other important
authors included, but not limited to, are Eiphas Levi,
Gerald Gardner, Aleister Crowley,and A.E. Waite. A great
site for the listing of "the who's who" and
their writings can be found at Primary
Texts.
- The Freedom
Movements -The 1960's was a very turbulent time with
its many Social Movements. Freedom of speech, race and religion
was preached and liberal belief systems, which exceed the
social, political and moral norms are practiced. It is around
this time that the term "Neopagan" is first applied
by Oberon Zell to the religious counter-culture movement
and their individualistic belief systems.[4]
- The
New Age Movement - A broad movement that combines the
metaphysical and spiritual approach with world issues like
health, science, globalization and environmentalism. The
New Age Movement popularizes such practices like holistic
healing, hatha yoga, inner channeling, and alternative medicine.
Belief Structure
In Neopaganism, traditions are often centered on
a particular culture and/or folkloric practice. The majority
of the Neopagan traditions focus on those ancient cultures
in Europe and Middle East that were displaced by the Abrahamic
religions. However, traditions based on other indigenous cultures
like Eastern, Native America and African are becoming popular.
Despite the differing beliefs and practices among the traditions,
there are some common identifiable aspects to Neopaganism.
- Individualism:
Non-authoritarian - The is no centralized organization
that governs Neopaganism. Emphasis is placed on the return
to the simpler direct relationship between the individual
and their divine. A practice long lost in many hierarchical
institutionalized religions. What structuralization that
does exist in Neopaganism is purely social. Non-dogmatic
- There is no sacred book, tenet or doctrine. Within each
tradition, there may exist a writ of their beliefs and tenets
but this is not a universal dogma.
- Humanism
- Focus is on reconnecting with life; living in the here
and now, no matter what the belief structure.
- Spiritual
anarchism - There is no reward or punishment just
consequences. The individual is accountable for his/her
actions. Unlike mainstream religions, there is no atonement
or salvation needed for redemption for there is no sin.
This is not to say there is no socially accepted concept
of "right" and "wrong".
- Nature
- Nature plays an important role albeit in varying degrees
from sacred worship to harmonious interaction.
- Energy
- A concept of an unseen "energy" is prevalent
throughout Neopaganism. However, its utilization varies
among the denominations. This energy is primarily used for
empowerment, self-realization and magic. Additionally, it
may be viewed holistically as a singular divine entity.
It has varies names: the power, primal force, cosmic energy,
universal force, life force, aura, spirit and manna.
Labels
It is a regular quagmire when it comes to identifying
what's what in Neopaganism. While some labels are self explanatory
others can cause confusion and contention. Much of this is
attributed to misinformation, interpretation of history and
personal opinion.
- Traditional
and Eclectic - Often used when describing the
antiquity factor as well as the source. Usually the term
traditional is applied to those denominations that adhere
strictly to one distinct ancient culture as oppose to a
mixture or eclectic. However, the term traditional has been
used to denote those early eclectic orders and secret societies
from the Spiritualism Movement of the 19th century, making
the use of the term 'traditional' ambiguous.
- Modern
and Neo- Commonly used for those spiritual constructs
formed in the later half of the 20th century, even though
it accurately defines all re-constructed traditions in the
Post Christian Era.
- Solitaire
- A designation used to describe what seems to be the
preferred method of practice -solitary. For those who prefer
to practice in groups can do so in covens, brotherhoods,
orders, societies, families and churches.
- Family
is used to describe those traditions with beliefs and practices
that have been handed down within the family generations.
However, there is some skepticism within the Neopagan community
for those who claim their family tradition is older than
three generations.
- Paganism
and Neopaganism - Academically, paganism
is used to refer to the genre of polytheistic religions
that existed before the Christian Era, while Neopaganism
is for the later re-constructions in the Post Christian
Era. Socially, Paganism and Neopaganism are often
used synonymously. The general consensus being, that
Paganism has a more holistic connotation while Neopagan
is more deterministic. <Personally
~ I put no importance on one or the other, except
that they both should be capitalized
when referring to the religion or the movement. Looking
at it from a historical perspective, they are both
modern religions.>
Hybrids
Hybrids, for a lack of a better term, are a combination
of two already existing religions but they are not exactly
traditions. Still, many will classify them under (Neo)Paganism
because one of the two religions is polytheistic. Due to this
syncretic nature, hybrids do not necessarily share all the
characteristics of other Neopagan groups. Vodoun, Santeria
and Candomble are examples where Roman Catholicism mixed with
African and other indigenous religions as a result of slavery.
Divinity
At first glance, one would assume that Neopagans
practice polytheism, end of story. This is not necessarily
the case. It is far more complicated than that. The heterogeneous
nature of Neopaganism allows for all spiritual attitudes towards
divinity. Add to this the extensive list of philosophical
outlooks and the permutations are endless. A better way of
viewing Neopaganism is that it is "poly-theological".
Here is a sampling of a few relational attitudes.
- New
Polytheism - The deities are just Jungian archetypes
created by human need. The deities are but symbols.
- Polytheism
- This is the belief and worship of multiple deities.
These deities are often sentient personification an non-sentient
entity(s), which are beyond human comprehension. This personification
is known as anthropomorphism.
- Duotheism
- The polarity of natural forces are expressed in the deities,
often a masculine—feminine structure. However, they
do not necessarily always represent opposites; they can
indicate harmony and balance.
- Pantheism
- The belief that the entire universe is a divine spiritual
unity, and humans are a part of this divine universe.
- Agnostic
Pantheism - The universe is revered
but not from transcendental divine aspect. This is often
equated to Scientific
Pantheism.
- Animism
- All things in nature have a distinct spirit and when this
extends to inanimate matter, it is called Hylozoism.
Personal Thoughts - If we look
throughout history, we would see that the underlying
principle of the term —pagan, has always been
to indicate "otherness". Neopagans have taken
this "pagan" outlook, and made it their own.
In their self-awareness and spiritual connection to
this concept, which membership is recognized and embraced,
they have created a religion. What was once a derogatory
term, is now a positive word reclaimed by those who
wish to follow the other alternative to the orthodox
religions and in particular -Christianity.
As I see it, the importance of Paganism does not lie in the
actually "re-construction" or even the relational
attitude of worship. ~ Paganism is about linking to a past
set of values long forgotten and lost in many of today's religions.
|
