Activism and Paganism

Activism and Paganism

One of the things that I think a lot of people in the pagan community need to do right now is stand up and be visible. A lot of what is going on right now has to do with so called Puritanism and "Christian values" that aren't so much in in line with actual Christian teaching and more in line with the upholding of the patriarchy.

Now, this isn't an article to bash any religion. I truly believe in the freedom of religion, and if that religion is Christianity, that's your choice in the matter. What the issue is, of course, IS the concept of freedom of religion and Freedom FROM religion.

Our founders were Deists. They were not Christian, and sometimes, this gets forgotten in the slew of other situations going on. People will say "the founders intended" this and "the founders wanted" that, but then name some value that is held up by what they call "traditional beliefs." The question is, of course, who started that tradition?

Traditional Beliefs

So, let's dive into this question. What do people mean when they cry out about traditional beliefs? Well, this is a complex situation, because in essence, traditional beliefs benefit a select group of people and really no one else.

Let's examine what those beliefs (usually) are. Note: these can vary according to where you find your information.

• Devotion to religion, in particular Christianity.

• Nationalism and patriotism.

• Nuclear families which include a mother, father, and children.

• Father is the "breadwinner," mother is the household manager.

• Respect for authority, even when that authority is unfair or wrong.

• Limited government interference in daily life (no social programs, no social net).

• Complete independence and no reliance on others (unless you are a woman or child).

• Spare the rod, spoil the child (often combined with corporal punishment AKA abuse).

• Authoritarian parenting techniques which include "not being their friend."

• Strong social order and hierarchy.

• Supremacy of those who "can" (of course, those who can are white, cishet Christian males)

• No deviation from heterosexuality or cisgenderism.

• No relationship structures other than the nuclear family.

• "Pull yourself up by the bootstraps" mentality.

• Poverty is the result of minorities not being able to do as well as the white majority people.

• Everyone can be successful if they try hard enough.

• Working hard is the answer to any problem including mental health problems.

Those are just a quick list I've compiled for this article. There may be others, in fact, I'm sure there are. One thing we should notice about this list is that everything is based in the idea of upholding the patriarchal structure of society that elevates the white, cishet, Christian man.

What do we do?

The question becomes what do we do, as people that don't fit this above list? Just by virtue of being pagan, we are on the outside of this list. That one thing sets us in opposition to everything this ideology believes. This is something that we, as pagans, need to address. There is a great misconception that "everyone" in the United States is Christian, and there are movements to enforce it as a state mandated religion. This should be extremely important, and now more than ever, those of us who are NOT Christian need to be loud and vocal.

To deal with the ongoing assault on freedom of religion, individuals and communities must start engaging in proactive measures. First of all, as pagans, we must be fostering dialogue among diverse pagan groups as well as other religions that we can relate to, because this can promote mutual understanding and respect. We can also start organizing educational workshops that highlight the importance of religious freedom is vital. This is essential in the US since so much of our basis is on the concept of freedom of religion. We need to advocate for policy changes that protect religious expression in the government immediately; this includes lobbying for laws that specifically safeguard other minority faiths from discrimination. This includes advocating for other larger faiths no matter how small your own faith community is. Working with civil society organizations can help these efforts, creating a united front against intolerance. Finally, utilizing social media platforms to share stories and experiences can help in building solidarity and pressure for change. These things, especially social media, can help immensely.

Be loud. Be visible. Be seen.

What if I can't do that?

Some of us are in the broom closet. A lot of times, it is a safety issue, but you can still advocate for religious freedom without revealing your pagan roots. Just stating that you believe in freedom of religion doesn't out you as a pagan or a witch, it just means you have strong belief in the constitution of America. And you can definitely emphasize that fact. Do the above things, but don't reveal your truth if you are not safe to do so.

Christians can help too.

If you are an ally to those of other faiths, step up. Make certain to do what's necessary to protect the freedom of others. Call senators and house members. Put pressure on local governments. Foster relationships with other religious leaders in your local community. To be honest, Christians are in a position to USE their Christian privilege to do something great. Christians are a large swath of people in our country, and by leveraging that privilege to speak out, Christians can help lead the charge of change.