In a passing conversation I was asked if my religious beliefs influence my political beliefs. Initially, I was dismissive of the idea. I mean these are distinctly different things. One is sacred and one is muddled with grime and sticky situations. How could I bring something sacred into a tainted well of politics? As the discussion carried on I noticed myself having relatively strong opinions around abortion rights, wildlife preservation, global warming initiatives, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. The sentiment quickly shifted to, ‘in what way doesn’t my religious beliefs play a part in my politics?’
This week’s article comes to you at the beginning of June. This month is greatly significant for me and many other people (Pagan and non-Pagan alike). This month celebrates Pride month, which owes memory to the brave demonstrations of the Stonewall riots. June is also when many Pagans celebrate the Summer Solstice. The Solstice is the longest day of the year and the point which we slowly begin to return towards the darkness. It feels appropriate to release an article at the beginning of the month instead of closer to the Solstice. This is because June is quite literally the month that symbolizes my two worlds in calendar form.
Without the actions represented in the celebrations during June I would not have seen the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, the celebration of life after suppression, the fight against the AIDS epidemic, my first initiation into a Pagan tradition, my own marriage, and I wouldn’t have the Solstice. It seems poignant that June is also the month when most places in the United States are reaching goals for vaccination, which allow us to embrace this season. June is special, June is beautiful, and we need to acknowledge this month for its blessings.
I’m Not That Radical
Shifting back to the conversation around politics, I tried to piece my policies on pen and paper. At a glance, my life appears to be radical to the right-wing conservatives. I’m gay, I’m a socialist-liberal-democrat, I have protested, oh and I am Pagan. To my friends who know me, I am probably the most low-key guy you could meet (yes, that was fancy for boring). I am a nerd who loves reading, the outdoors, and happens to be Pagan. I’m really not a radical leftist who wants to bring down the government. I’m less Viva La Revolution and more Viva La Brunch!
My political persuasion is equally simple as my lifestyle. Again, on paper it looks pretty radical. However, by practice it is congruent with my actions in life. My desire for better wildlife preservation is as simple as, this is our home, and we should treat it well. My views on abortion rights are also super simple. That isn’t my body and therefore I have no rights to tell a person what to do. If you like the notion of live and let live, how could you not be liberal?
Oftentimes, I get quite a bit of unsettled feedback for my views, especially living in Utah. Lately, we’ve made ourselves known in the news for unwanted but familiar faces like Mike Lee. We’ve had a terrible reputation for crossing the lines between government and predominant religious involvement. We also have a history of problematic people damaging some of the most gorgeous landscape in this nation. I don’t think that my respect for other humans or the land we live on makes me all that radical. If anything it makes me someone rather simple. I like the paved way that is easier and less damaging.
This Isn’t the Only Way
Things get a little more sentimental when we begin to discuss our faith, doesn’t it? We often do not realize how much our religious beliefs saturate all areas of our life. Yet that is the goal and what we read about in Pagan books. We are advised to observe nature, make bonds with gods, revere nature spirits, and create a daily practice that benefits our lives. If we are practicing the Pagan path and have a bond with nature, it is only natural that we would want to protect nature. Our values begin to shift, if they weren’t already aligned to begin with.
The Paganism that I know and love has always kept a heart that is open, ears that listened, and eyes that observed. My sexual orientation wasn’t an issue or deviation. I was welcomed and encouraged the same as my hetero-counterparts. The same extensions were given to people of color. There is absolutely nothing that says a Hispanic witch is more in-tune than an Asian witch. The Pagan community I am involved with is diverse, colorful, beautiful, and filled with people who just want to get down with the gods and have a great spiritual experience.
Conservative Pagans do exist; that is a fact. It is also a fact that some Pagans have voted in a way that harm people in the community they love. Though I have tried to understand the dichotomy, I couldn’t. The Paganism I described isn’t the only way and neither is the contrasted version I am giving now. When we strip away the rainbows and sunshine, we are left with fallible human nature. Just as we are different in practice, we are different in political beliefs. Humans have a tendency to complicate the unnecessary and that shines brightest in the political theater.
You Have a Bad Habit…..So Do I
We have a bad habit of falling into a cycle of speaking negatively and then playing it on repeat. In fact, I almost lost the whole point of this article. I have been focusing on the ways we are different and establishing that I am a very very VERY nerdy gentleman who doesn’t find his views radical. So what is the point of this article again? Ah, yes, we are discussing the ways in which my religious views impact my political views.
My faith is one of the many Pagan faiths; we have established this. We’ve also established that our home is our planet and that protecting her is our responsibility. This argument is a bit of a no-brainer even if you are conservative. What about supporting equality for LGBTQ+ marriage, job protections, and the right to adopt a child? That line isn’t so clear and doesn’t actually have religious affiliation. How about the topic of abortion? That doesn’t have a Pagan religious backing written anywhere either. In fact, you won’t really find arguments that condone or condemn much of anything political throughout Paganism.
Where do we begin to assemble the link between Paganism and politics? I think it is within our common experiences as Pagans. One such connection is in our shared negative experiences. Paganism is unique and often we are treated as outsiders for our beliefs. I don’t think there is a single Pagan out there who doesn’t know “the look” when you tell someone about your faith. When this happens, do you feel that sense of being an outsider? Or perhaps you even feel that twinge to build the wall of defense.
Those momentary feelings are precisely why I have found most Pagans tend to support LGBTQ+ equality. We know all too well what it feels like to be treated differently for practicing something we love (though one is a choice, the other is not). Within Paganism we aspire to treat every gender as equal. This plays into a lot of our views regarding the topic of abortion. Women have a right to make a decision about their body and life without having to defend that decision. Religion is not a tool that gives us the right to tell any person how they should live or about the choices they make.
My Paganism finds the webs that connect every person, every particle, and every part of the universe. My religious beliefs have made it clear to me that the way I choose to act or react will create a vibration in the web. That means I have to choose what I react to and how I choose to do it. I take on the responsibility for my actions and have to live with the outcome that I created. This same philosophy also applies to you, like it or not. Every single choice you make will have a reaction. It is important to make choices that create a positive vibrations or at least lessens the negativity as much as possible.
It is June, Baby!
It’s June, baby, and you don’t need the negativity in your life this month. At the beginning of this article I covered some very important events in history, including the one we are now in. June is about the celebration of life and we can see the labor of our love come into fruition. As Pride celebrations begin to return around the nation, take a moment to learn about our oppression of the LGBTQ+ community. Not just the Stonewall riot but the murders of trans-persons that still take place. Or the fact that marriage was not an option for millions until June, 2015 (let that sink in, please). Then to celebrate, fly our colors, be an advocate, and help continue to make a difference.
Once the Solstice arrives, take in your own life, and celebrate the triumphs you have faced. You have survived a pandemic and have so much to be thankful for. This need not be a somber celebration but equal in fun as Pride (colors, eco-glitter, and wings all over the place). I genuinely want you to be happy and celebrate the wonder that is life. Create positivity within yourself and share that with the world around you, we all could use some of it right now.
I know this article doesn’t have a tone of austere-serious-political saturation and that is my whole point. My religion and my politics are built around the celebration of every human being and our planet. I celebrate people’s heritage, culture, backgrounds, failures, and happiness. Each of us will face a dark moment in life and my hope is that there are people around you who support versus suppress.
My religion plays a massive part in my politics and it only took recognizing the good deeds around me to see the influence. I wish that supporting wildlife, fighting global warming, and getting vaccinated weren’t politicized topics. If these areas weren’t politicized, I am not so sure my religion would have much to say about politics but that isn’t the world we are in. Until equal rights are accepted as human rights and global betterment is the new human nature, I solemnly remain a radicalized social-liberal-democratic gay Pagan. Viva La Brunch!
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