Few if any NeoPagans have been more active than Don Frew in our interactions with the wider religious world. Given that so much of our history is unavailable except orally, or in very specialized venues, I offered him an opportunity here to comment on interfaith issues and defining Pagan religion. Read more
Despite many similarities and considerable overlap at a personal spiritual level, New Age religion is not Pagan, and exploring the differences between their story and ours explains why. Read more
Jesus could become a part of a Pagan narrative, and from my perspective, he is welcome to join us. But the core stories of Paganism and Christianity are ultimately incompatible. Read more
The most convincing evidence supporting the definition of Pagan religion that I have discussed in this series is traditional Pagan peoples’ reactions when they meet modern NeoPagans in interfaith work. We are one of the world’s great religious traditions and by far its oldest. We should take deep satisfaction and pleasure in that fact. Read more
When I write about "Pagan religion," I am writing about religions with the oldest roots of all. That is also one reason I argue Pagan religion is at its core a "nature religion." We are part of a tradition that first recognized and encountered the Sacred in and through nature and never really stopped doing so. Read more
Categories arise from out of the questions we ask and are only as useful as the issues they illuminate. Here, I suggest one potential religious taxonomy that can help us understand Paganism. Read more
Theology arises from people trying to figure out the abstract concepts behind the basic story of their religion. They agree about the story, and they never agree about the theology, but the theologies always seek to shed light on the story. Read more
We are undergoing a fundamental shift in humanity’s spiritual orientation: from one rooted in agricultural ways of life and focused on individual salvation, to one rooted in technology and emphasizing harmony between people and their world. This shift is as deep as the earlier shift from hunting and gathering cultures to agriculture, and its religious impact will be as great. Read more
Gus diZerega is featured in Patheos' new Public Square, a new discussion space designed to bring people together at the intersection of 'current concern' and 'ultimate concern.' Read more
Samhain and Day of the Dead celebrate the end of the cycle of physical life, but today I think they might be something even more. They are paradoxical signs of a badly needed new beginning for our society. Read more
Pointedly Pagan
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In