theology

Five questions about Paganism

April 10, 2013 By yvonne 8 Comments

Pagan handfasting ceremony at Avebury (Beltane 2005) - source: ShahMai Network

From Michael York: In preparation for a paper for the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion’s annual conference, I am seeking answers from pagan practitioners to the following questions. The title of my presentation is “Religion and Theology: A Contemporary Western Pagan Perspective on Identity Formation and Modern Policy.” The analytical framework I propose to use is one that differentiates paganism (broadly of course) from Abrahamic, dharmic and secular religions or perspectives, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Pagan Studies, Theology Tagged With: deep ecology, interfaith, Pagan, Pagan studies, Pagan theology, Paganism, religious identity, sexuality, theology 8 Comments

Religion and humour

April 8, 2013 By yvonne 6 Comments

Part of the function of humour is to subvert the accepted order of things. Whenever an individual or a group take themselves too seriously, humour -- especially satire -- cut them down to size. For example, humour was really important for subverting the Puritan hegemony in 17th century England. In ancient paganism, there were feasts and processions which inverted the accepted order. Men wore large fish-shaped penises in one ancient Greek procession. The Roman festival of Saturnalia had an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: embodiment, eros, humor, humour, theology 6 Comments

Deities and divinity

March 31, 2013 By yvonne 9 Comments

Ivory panel depciting the apotheosis of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus (c 340-402), the greatest orator of his day, a prominent pagan and opponent of Christian hegemony and intolerance. (Source: British Museum)

There has been a lot of talk about the nature of deities on Patheos Pagan blogs recently - for example an excellent article on Raise the Horns about the way that deities change over the centuries. This makes sense to me - I am a big fan of process theology, which suggests that the divine changes in response to the world, and I am also a polytheist, so I do not see why deities wouldn't change too. The Hindu and Buddhist traditions have deities reincarnating in different avatars. In … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: deities, monism, Pagan, Pagan theology, Paganism, polytheism, the Divine, theology 9 Comments

Those who are not against us are with us

March 27, 2013 By yvonne 4 Comments

Sweet chestnut forest (source: Wikipedia)

I have always felt it would be better to define Paganism and Pagan traditions on their own terms. If we draw a contrast with some other tradition's theology, we always reinforce a simplistic outsider's view of that tradition. For instance, if you always say "our tradition is polytheist, unlike Wicca which is duotheist", then you are denying and erasing the existence of polytheist, animist, pantheist, and atheist Wiccans. You are also over-simplifying what it is that Wiccans actually practice … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: interfaith, Pagan, Pagan theology, Paganism, religion, theology 4 Comments

Theology Is Hard; Let’s Go Shopping

February 8, 2013 By Christine Kraemer 11 Comments

As those of you who have been reading along know, I've spent the past three and a half years on an academic theology that's going to be called Eros and Touch from a Pagan Perspective. I'm at the teeth-pulling phase, where I'm trying to revise the introduction to give the right amount of context to a diverse readership (college-educated people with interest in GLBT issues, body theology, and/or Pagan studies, none of whom have the same starting vocabulary) without boring anyone to death. For … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: eros, Pagan, Pagan theologies, Pagan theology, Paganism, the erotic, theology, touch 11 Comments

Heavy Metal Torah Exegesis

January 31, 2013 By Christine Kraemer 11 Comments

I am so pleased that Yvonne, my co-writer here at Sermons from the Mound, has been holding down the fort and posting solid content while I’m finishing the last (I hope!) revision of Eros and Touch from a Pagan Perspective: Divided for Love’s Sake. I also just booked an artist to do the cover, which I hope to be able to share with you when it’s done! Also of note today: a new blog, Jewcraft. Despite this blog not being about Pagan scholarship or theology, I think many of its potential … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: Judaism, Pagan anti-Judaism, Pagan anti-Semitism, religious intolerance, theology, Torah 11 Comments

Truth

January 30, 2013 By yvonne Leave a Comment

Truth is a much-debated concept. There is (presumably) an objective underlying reality which is the same for everyone. But perspectives on it, and perceptions of it, differ. Psychologists talk about qualia: sense perceptions which we know have an objective referent, e.g. what red looks like, what celery tastes like. But we can never be sure if another person's experience of qualia is exactly the same as ours. The universe is infinite and we are finite (located in a particular … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: perspective, theology, truth Leave a Comment

What is theology?

January 1, 2013 By yvonne 20 Comments

The Young Cicero Reading by Vincenzo Foppa (fresco, 1464), now at the Wallace Collection

The term theology was coined by Cicero in 45 BCE in his book, De Natura Deorum ("On the nature of the Gods"). The book presented three different perspectives on theology - the skeptical, the Epicurean, and the Stoic, and was presented in the form of a dialogue between the three viewpoints. What can we learn from this? Pagan theology can be discursive and involve dialogue between different schools of thought. It can include skepticism and non-theism. It does not lay down dogma or doctrine, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: Pagan, Pagan theologies, Pagan theology, Paganism, theology, Yvonne Aburrow 20 Comments

Yvonne Aburrow Joins “Sermons”; Gender and Sexuality Article

December 14, 2012 By Christine Kraemer 2 Comments

Two pieces of exciting news today: First, Yvonne Aburrow is joining Sermons from the Mound as a contributor! Yvonne is the longtime editor of the Pagan theology wiki Theologies of Immanence. Her recent book, Many Names, is a collection of earth-centered prayer and liturgy for Unitarian Universalists Pagans and others working in a multi-faith environment. She has also published several books of folklore and a poetry anthology focusing on place, the seasons, and the sacred. I'm excited to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Announcements Tagged With: gender, Pagan, Pagan theology, Paganism, queer theology, sexuality, theology, Yvonne Aburrow 2 Comments

Opening a Pagan Theological Dialogue

December 7, 2012 By Christine Kraemer 51 Comments

Paganism is focused on practice rather than on belief. Ritual – whether we perform the rituals of a particular tradition, innovate our own, or a bit of both – is at the center of most Pagans’ religious lives. We build altars, sing chants, leave offerings, drum, and dance. But the ritual of reciting a creed, a doctrinal statement of belief, is notably absent. Pagans may recite liturgy together, but none of it begins with “I believe.” Unfortunately, in our attempts to distinguish … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: Pagan, Pagan theologies, Pagan theology, Paganism, theology 51 Comments