Pagan Soup: Demons, Druids and Westboro Baptist

The most amazing thing about the internet is that a rich ecosystem of Pagan media is flourishing. I find myself consistently inspired and amazed by not only the great writers on Patheos but all across this virtual Pagandom we’ve created together.

So before I run off to work on my own scribblings I have to share some of the most amazing things from the Pagan web this week:

Pagan Centered Podcast is fabulous. I’m a huge fan, even when they go off on weird tangents. This week they happened to be particularly brilliant. Their topic was “What can we learn from Westboro Baptist Church?” I know, seems like a really weird topic, but it became a fabulously deep discussion of how we prevent similar groups from forming in Pagan communities. I think we can all agree a Pagan version of WBC is something none of us wants. This is also the show that gave birth to to Pagans Who Get Stuff Done, a great networking group on Facebook. So kudos to Dave and the gang! Listen to the Westboro Baptist Church episode of Pagan Centered Podcast!

Damh the Bard just released the latest Druidcast featuring music from the musicians of the Pagan Spirit Gathering and interviews with Jason Pitzl-Waters and Arthur Hinds. If you aren’t already listening to Druidcast you should give it a whirl. It’s always a fabulous mix of poetry and music. Great way to check out what’s up musically on that side of the pond.

Jason Pitzl-Waters may be the busiest man in Pagan media. He’s posted two things recently that I think are particularly awesome. A Darker Shade of Pagan podcast features music that isn’t always my cup of tea. However, this last episode I found particularly groovy. I’m addicted to Brendan Perry’s “Utopia” and that song starts off a set of just really fab music. On The Wild Hunt, Jason posted a great piece today on how Catholic subcultures are viewing us as demon-possessed and the implications of that. For those of us who remember the SRA scares this is serious stuff and we need to be paying attention. I may be writing more about this in the near future.

Also thought-provoking is the recent post on Pagan+Politics by Cara Schulz about the Iraq war and balancing the scales. Her insight on this is sobering, especially as she has a son entering the armed forces.

Here on Patheos some awesome things are in motion. The first week of August we will focus on polytheology: the nature, origins and behavior of the Gods. If you want to sound off on this please drop us a line. On August 23rd the Future of Paganism debuts. You may have been following the Future of Religion series as it winds it’s way through the major faith traditions, but if you haven’t check it out and be sure to stop by for contributions by Pagan authors and leaders regarding where they think Pagan religions are going, and where they think they should be going. Going to be good stuff!