Why do you call yourself “Pagan”? — A Call for Articles at HumanisticPaganism.com

Next month, HumanisticPaganism.com will be publishing articles and essays about why we call ourselves “Pagan”, why we don’t just call ourselves humanists or atheists.

The month of October is a fitting time to discuss this. On October 12, atheists and secularists will observe “Freethought Day”. This day coincides with the anniversary of the effective end of the Salem Witch Trials. And of course, the month of October culminates in Halloween, which is commonly associated with witches, and Samhain, which is perhaps the most well known Pagan holiday. This juxtaposition offers us an opportunity to discuss how the unique intersection of rationality and religion that is Humanistic Paganism.

Lately, there have been many theistic Pagans on the internet who have been arguing vociferously that “Atheist Pagan” is an oxymoron, that literal belief in gods is a necessary condition of calling oneself “Pagan”. But for every one of those people who has said we can’t be an atheist and a Pagan, I have met another person — perhaps someone like you — who has found a sense of peace and belonging in this small but significant community. Whether you call yourself a Humanistic Pagan, a Naturalistic Druid, an Atheist Witch, an Atheopagan, or by some other similar name — if you identify as part of the Humanistic Pagan community, we want to hear from you.

Tell us why you call yourself “Pagan”. Tell us what Paganism adds to your commitment reason and science.

Send your articles and essays to humanistic paganism[at] gmail [dot] com.