Pagan

Notes toward a Pagan Theology of Fiction

May 17, 2013 By Christine Kraemer 29 Comments

Pagans widely agree that fiction has spiritual power. In their interviews of Pagans, Margot Adler (Drawing Down the Moon) and Sarah Pike (Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves) both found that Pagans often cited science fiction or fantasy as important inspirations for their spiritual life. In religious studies scholarship generally, there’s an enormous amount of material on how people have engaged novels, films, and other media for spiritual purposes (one good recent example is Invented Religions; … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: fiction, heroes, Pagan, Paganism, popular culture, popular culture and religion 29 Comments

Context is everything

May 15, 2013 By yvonne 2 Comments

The inner work and the outward sign Viewed outside the context of their meaning and purpose, rituals can often look silly. When I first saw a CUUPs ritual online, I thought, why are they lighting a candle in a chalice? This was because I was viewing the ritual through a Wiccan lens, and in Wicca, a chalice represents water, and is used for drinking consecrated wine. Whereas if you view the lighting of a chalice through the lens of Unitarian and UU symbolism, it makes perfect sense. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: apologetics, context, diversity, inner work, interfaith, Pagan, Paganism, tradition 2 Comments

The argument from desire

May 2, 2013 By yvonne 4 Comments

I am currently reading a biography of C S Lewis by Alister McGrath. In the chapter on Lewis' Christian faith, McGrath argues that Lewis came to believe in God because he recognised that there was something he desired that was always out of reach. This "argument from desire" occurs in Lewis' well-known sermon The Weight of Glory; in his first novel, The Pilgrim's Regress; and in his autobiographical work, Surprised by Joy. This desire is not simply a want, or a need for wish-fulfilment; it is not … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: apologetics, C S Lewis, embodiment, eros, Pagan, Pagan theologies, Pagan theology, Paganism, spirituality, William Blake 4 Comments

News and Notes – Pagan Theology and Scholarship

April 30, 2013 By Christine Kraemer Leave a Comment

Cherry Hill Seminary sponsored a well-received conference this month at the University of South Carolina. Entitled "Sacred Lands and Spiritual Landscapes," the conference featured historian Ronald Hutton as a keynote speaker and a range of papers on topics such as pilgrimage, the lesbian land movement, witchcraft in urban landscapes, ecotheology, and more. Our own blogger at A Sense of Place, Elinor Predota, presented a paper entitled “Into the Sacred Woods: The Inner and Outer Value of a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Announcements, Pagan Studies, Theology Tagged With: academic conferences, Cherry Hill Seminary, Pagan, Pagan studies, Pagan theology, Paganism Leave a Comment

The varieties of religious experience

April 29, 2013 By yvonne 8 Comments

Rainbow At Maraetai Beach New Zealand, by Haley Sulcer

There has been much talk (in the Pagan blogosphere, and on forums and mailing lists) about the problem of an overall Pagan identity erasing and subsuming particular traditions within it, which have their own distinct identities, mythologies, values, and theologies.There is a way in which these groups can come together without those distinct identities being erased, however. If you look at campaigning coalitions (such as the American Civil Liberties Union in the USA, the Accord Coalition in the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: diversity, eclecticism, interfaith, Pagan, Pagan theologies, Paganism, pantheism, polytheism, religious identity 8 Comments

The Pagan umbrella is leaking

April 24, 2013 By yvonne 30 Comments

In two posts back in January, Jason at Raise the Horns discussed the pros and cons of the word Pagan being used to include polytheist reconstructionist traditions, Wiccans, Heathens, Druids, Humanist and Naturalist Pagans. The first post had 198 comments; the second had 62 comments. This is clearly a hot topic. January 8, 2013 Running From the Word Pagan January 11, 2013 Big Tent Syndrome (Or Running To the Word Pagan) In a previous post, I answered "five questions about Paganism", … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: big tent, defining Paganism, family, Pagan, Pagan umbrella, Paganism, squabbles 30 Comments

Metaphors can kill

April 22, 2013 By yvonne 10 Comments

In a ground-breaking book called Metaphors We Live By, Lakoff and Johnson pointed out the underlying metaphors used in many figures of speech. For example, the underlying metaphor "Argument is War" has us talking about winning an argument, wiping the floor with our opponents, and so on. Imagine how different arguments might be if the underlying metaphor was "Argument is Dance". Another example they give is "A Relationship is a Ship", where we talk about marriages foundering, being on the rocks, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: atheism, gender, gender binary, metaphor, mythology, Pagan, Paganism, transgender 10 Comments

Tradition

April 20, 2013 By yvonne 3 Comments

Tradition is something that grows and evolves. It is not set in stone, but is more like a discourse; if you start with a particular set of premises, ideas and values, you will get further ideas and practices that are consistent with the initial set of ideas. Religious traditions evolve according to social, cultural, and political circumstances. For example, a Catholic community in India had the tradition of having a procession in honour of the Virgin Mary. It was a particular honour to carry a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: Pagan, Paganism, polytheism, religious identity, tradition 3 Comments

Today in Boston

April 19, 2013 By Christine Kraemer Leave a Comment

I'd intended to write more about academic (specifically Pagan studies) publishing today, but since I, like everyone else in Boston, am wholly distracted by the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspect going on in my city, continuing with business as usual seems entirely inappropriate. My prayers have been with those who were killed or seriously wounded in the bombing. Traumatic events like these can change the lives of individuals and their families forever, and I can only hope that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Boston Marathon bombing, death, news, Pagan, Paganism, safety Leave a Comment

Fundamentalism

April 18, 2013 By yvonne 9 Comments

What is fundamentalism? Is it all bad? Can the term 'fundamentalist' be applied to Pagans? What is fundamentalism? The term fundamentalism originated in Christianity, when a series of books called The fundamentals was published, outlining five beliefs that the author considered it essential for Christians to hold. In that context, the term originally meant someone who adhered to these five beliefs. The movement was created in response to liberal theology and higher criticism; so in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Pagan Studies, Theology Tagged With: academia, fundamentalism, Pagan, Pagan studies, Pagan theology, Paganism, religious identity 9 Comments