Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

    As someone who has been a denizen of the internet for quite a while, any time Paganism is mentioned, there just seems to be this collective eye-roll from the public and a dismissal of it as a legitimate religious path. Not dismissing it in that they think it's "evil", but that Paganism is "authentic", "genuine", or "legitimate". Heck, even in real life many people are not shy of dismissing Paganism. I was speaking with a friend at a cultural festival the other day, and when I mentioned Paganism, he treated it as if it wasn't a real religious path or even a real thing.

    Why do you think that is? Why is Paganism (in general) not taken very seriously? What could people do to make it less of a joke in the eyes of many people?

    #2
    Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

    I'd think one of the biggest reasons is that most consider Paganism to be a collective umbrella term not a religion unto itself. Then you have the lack of codified rules and structure that I suppose many find as rebellion more than a path of enlightenment. Though I think that answer will really change based upon age and generation of the person being asked.
    I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

      Originally posted by GardenOfShadows View Post

      Why do you think that is? Why is Paganism (in general) not taken very seriously? What could people do to make it less of a joke in the eyes of many people?
      Because a good number of Pagans don't treat it as something serious.
      Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
      sigpic

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

        Lack of numbers
        Lack of established unbroken tradition
        Umbrella term
        Lack of clear codification
        Thal's point + lack of numbers makes for an image problem because there aren't enough serious Pagans to consistently offset the image provided by the less serious
        life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

        Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

        "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

        John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

        "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

        Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


        Comment


          #5
          Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

          Originally posted by thalassa View Post
          Because a good number of Pagans don't treat it as something serious.
          Agreed.

          I see all do often that one starts down their path, easily finds access to communities online, rides out the initial excitement and then abandons the continual effort towards growth, becoming complacent with what they have found. I do understand that their are many reasonable factors while people stop dead in their tracks and go no further, but I think if a number of pagans would become more introspective, and open to being uncomfortable a bit the community would benefit greatly.

          Paganism as a spirituality, and more so a religion is much different from what we are used to, and if you wish to step out into the real world as a Pagan, the benefit of being another face in the spiritual crowd is not their like it is in many other faiths, there is no back row in the "Church of Paganism" where you can slip in and slip out before service is actually over you have to be brave, and willing to try new things. Many on this forum have probably been solitary a good deal of their lives on their path, and have never felt the wholeness of community in the flesh and that's a shame. I've been there, stood up dozens of times by kindred spirits I've arranged meetups with on the internet and its disappointing but when that person(s) actually show up its wonderful.

          I know this was a bit of a rant but, tl;dr version: I think If a majority of Pagan community and spirituality did not occur inside a glowing monitor like the one I stare at now, I think people would take the spirituality more seriously.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

            Paganism - in its various forms - has always been treated seriously when others want to persecute it.
            www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


            Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

              MaskedOne nailed it. I would add the fact that there is no clear definition on what is a pagan - besides not being Chrisitian - it's what you choosed it to be in fact, so that may cause a lot of confusion. If all someone has ever heard is about Chrisitanity, Judaism, Buddihism - that is established religious organisations - He would have a hard time seeing paganism as any thing more than a set of motley, new agey beliefs. Until further explanations if provided, which even then may not be lead to anything constructive.

              That's why I prefer to define myself has a Panentheist (though I often hover around Deism sometimes) and go on from there. Some recognize the word ''Theist'' so it becomes a bit easier to explain what the ''Panen'' means to me.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

                Originally posted by Wonder View Post
                there is no clear definition on what is a pagan
                This is just an excuse.

                What's the clear definition of what a Christian is?
                Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
                sigpic

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

                  Originally posted by thalassa View Post
                  This is just an excuse.

                  What's the clear definition of what a Christian is?
                  I think it's a reality. Very rarely will a pagan have the same belief systems and worship the same God(s). Some are polytheist, pantheist, monotheist ect. This is even more emphazised by Ecclectic Pagans who select their beliefs from various sources. There is no universal definition, no clear consensus of what a Pagan should be. At the end of the day, it's what you decide it to be.

                  Simply put, Christians can be defined as believing in Jesus as the Christ, in a religion that is based on his teachings. There is a consensus here.
                  Last edited by Wonder; 21 Sep 2014, 08:41.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

                    Originally posted by Wonder View Post
                    I think it's a reality. Very rarely will a pagan have the same belief systems and worship the same God(s). Some are polytheist, pantheist, monotheist ect. This is even more emphazised by Ecclectic Pagans who select their beliefs from various sources. There is no universal definition, no clear consensus of what a Pagan should be. At the end of the day, it's what you decide it to be.
                    There are many things without universal, univocal definitions. Its a phenomenon called a polythetic definition.


                    Simply put, Christians can be defined as believing in Jesus as the Christ, in a religion that is based on his teachings. There is a consensus here.
                    Not really. Any number of Christians don't consider Mormons to be Christian. Any number of Christians don't consider Catholics to be Christians. If there were a consensus, there would not be 38,000 denominations of Christianity. There are agnostic Christians, even atheist Christians (my uncle is an atheist and a regular church goer, on the church board...and his atheism is known in his congregation). There are Christians that are not monotheists--Mormons believe in a Heavenly Mother *and* a Heavenly Father, even if they don't acknowlege the former. The millions of individuals and thousands of denominations of Christianity do not agree on the fallibility of the Bible (or even what its importance should be in their faith), they do not agree on the nature of the divinity of Christ (and in some cases, believe that Jesus was just a person), they do not agree on the nature (or even necessity) of individual salvation, nor do they agree on how worship should take place.

                    Christianity is only slightly less diverse than Paganism. And the only "consensus" is that yeah, somewhere Jesus is probably mentioned. This in no way serves as a universal definition of what an entire set of religious traditions *is*.
                    Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
                    sigpic

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

                      Some people do still someone views pagans as evil worshippers. I met a wiccan high preistess who has her degree to say so tell me wicca is gods will. Pagans are the work of the devil. She took a long distance course. I laugh alot more at this memory now.

                      I thankfully didnt believe her.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

                        Originally posted by loststarshine View Post
                        Some people do still someone views pagans as evil worshippers. I met a wiccan high preistess who has her degree to say so tell me wicca is gods will. Pagans are the work of the devil. She took a long distance course. I laugh alot more at this memory now.

                        I thankfully didnt believe her.

                        LOL! i though in general wiccans didnt believe in Satan...

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

                          She was a christian wiccan she even ran a tarot spread on me. All other dieties were high priestess earned that title by college programs
                          . Witchcraft was devil worship as well. I was disappointed. Wiccans did gods good will. Her goddess was mother nature. But living in the bible belt there were alot of wiccan christians.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

                            I think it's not taken seriously because, as others have said, very few people outside of the pagan community have met a pagan who lives their faith as a serious spiritual path.

                            Also, as others pointed out "Pagan" is a word that says next to nothing about what a person believes or the path they follow.

                            I AM a "Pagan" and I admit, I take people more seriously if they identify what their path is rather than just say "pagan", because it shows they have done some homework, and practice their faith, and give a darn about it.

                            Even if it's an ecclectic faith, they can and do identify what's going on with them etc. Otherwise it often comes off as some la dee da thing like "Oh, I'm a hipster, I was goth a few years ago...and when I was in high school I was preppie..."

                            Some people talk about their spiritual path that way, and it can be hard to take them seriously.

                            When it comes to a one on one basis, I think the people who take their own faith seriously, get taken seriously...when they demonstrate it to others.

                            My friends and family, very few of which are pagans, take my faith seriously, and are respectful of it. When new people meet me and ask what faith I am, I may get an eyeroll, but if they get to know me...

                            And I admit, I do some eye rolling myself when I hear someone belongs to such and such a group or faith. I find some of them hard to take sersiously.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Why isn't Paganism really treated as a serious spiritual path?

                              I think Pagan faiths could use some reforming. Like if a kindred of Asatru decided to get together and buy a building to turn into a Asatru/Pagan temple of sorts. That goes for all Pagan faiths imo, if they had meeting places available and a group going around and having a positive pagan presence in the community,you'd see growth.
                              White and Red 'till I'm cold and dead.
                              sigpic
                              In Days of yore,
                              From Britain's shore
                              Wolfe the dauntless hero came
                              And planted firm Britannia's flag
                              On Canada's fair domain.
                              Here may it wave,
                              Our boast, our pride
                              And joined in love together,
                              The thistle, shamrock, rose entwined,
                              The Maple Leaf Forever.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X