Sunday Reading: Selections from the Patheos Pagan Channel (and More!)

While you enjoy your brunch, why not peruse some interesting articles and essays to be found at our Pagan channel?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1g0Z0APed0

• “A Typology of Pagan Groups” by Aidan Kelly: “Given the commonality of the basic Gardnerian liturgical pattern, it is useful to propose a typology based on how closely the various Pagan groups resemble the Gardnerians, resemblances created because it was the “Gardnerian magnet, as Chas Clifton labeled it, that set off the Pagan Renaissance in the 1960s.”
• “Encountering Pagan Deities” by Gus diZerega: “One important respect among several where NeoPagan practice differs from mainstream American religion is our relation to our deities. We consider the sacred as immanent in the world, whether or not we also include a transcendent dimension as well. (I do.) The sacred is around us, all the time, if we but have the eyes to see it, ears to hear it, and heart to feel it.”
• “The Indigeny Debate” by P. Sufenas Virius Lupus: “The present column’s subject at this juncture is likely to be one that many people vehemently disagree with me on. And many of those who disagree will be people whose work I enjoy, whose views I respect, and whose beings I love, and who (needless to say) I know personally. I don’t mean this to be offensive toward them in any manner; I am merely seeking to nuance a certain term’s usage, and to inject what I think is a needed critical note into a usage that doesn’t get as much attention or questioning as I think it deserves.”
• “Paganism Beyond the Warm and Fuzzy” by Teo Bishop: “All things have their place, and there is certainly a place for the warm and fuzzy in Paganism. But I think it’s also necessary to remember that there are parts of nature, and aspects of the Kindred we worship, that can be violently cold, fiercely wild, and terribly awe inspiring.”
• “Best Man” by Eric Scott: “This is not the first wedding where I have been part of the bridal party; for that matter, it isn’t the first Catholic wedding I’ve been a part of, either. I like being in the wedding, and I am genuinely honored to be asked to play such a role for my friends. But it leaves me uneasy, too. I have never managed to enter a church without someone making a perfunctory joke about me bursting into flames the moment I enter the nave. The jokes may be in fun, but there’s a nugget of truth in them: there’s something genuinely incongruous about my presence here. However lovely the building, I don’t belong in it.”

BONUS: Remember all the fuss back in 2010 over  Christine O’Donnell‘s candidacy? The infamous “I’m not a Witch” ad?  O’Donnell completely dominated the election news cycle that year thanks to comments made over ten years ago that she had “dabbled” with “witchcraft”. The abundance of mean-spirited mockery had some in our community questioning why “dabbling” in a minority religion is such a deal-breaker for political office.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGGAgljengs

Now, talk show host Bill Maher, who released the “witch” comments from an old show, apologized personally to O’Donnell this past Friday, saying that “I don’t agree with your ideas but it shouldn’t have hung on that stupid witch thing.” O’Donnell, for her part, admitted that some of the damage was self-inflicted, and that she may run for office again in the future.

That’s it for now, have a great day! Looking for something to listen to while you read? Why not check out my A Darker Shade of Pagan podcast?