Solstice Series: Pagan Religious Education

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in December we will be asking people questions about Paganism and Pagan religions and culture. Want to weigh in? Find the next question at the bottom of this post!

If you could pick three concepts or ideas that should form the core of Pagan religious education, what would they be?

Illiezeulette responded:

I’m not entirely sure if we’re talking about education for Pagans themselves, or to the general public, but I’m going with the former. My picks are by no means exclusive and can be expanded upon:

1) History: Many new Pagans don’t understand their own religious roots, from the Christian persecution of Pagans and the Pagan persecution of Christians, to further back concerning the migration of Celts into Ireland, the diaspora of the Roma from Northern India, and more. Seriously, how many new Wiccans believe that Wicca is an ancient religion? History can also be recent, like the surge of Neo-Paganism in the 60s, and its influence on our Pagan subculture today.

2) Understanding the Natural World: and especially the local flora, fauna, and basic astronomy. It’s so important to connect with the land you live on and the natural world around you, especially if you follow an Earth-centered path. Connecting with the gods and other spirits on a physical level, and not just an abstract level, is critical for a comprehensive and deep relationship with Divinity.

3) Interfaith Dialogue: Many Pagans don’t have a solid grasp on the tradition they’re attempting to leave or the traditions they’re excluding by joining a new tradition. Learning to communicate with members of your old faith, your new faith, and traditions totally alien to yours is so important for members of a very small spiritual minority for survival and knowledge. Interfaith communication can help us learn spiritual etiquette, such as the fact that many Native Americans/First Nation people don’t like the fact that the New Age movement has watered-down, stolen, and commodified their traditions and marketed “native” products in their stores. Some Irish Celtic Reconstructionists I know feel the same way. Interfaith dialogue can also help create bridges of understanding and coexistence that are badly needed in the struggle for a peaceful world.

As for me? I agree that history and interfaith dialogue are important but I think for a third I would choose Tradition. Sometimes we spend too much time worrying about what the ancients did or what other faiths do, and don’t spend enough time grounding in our own faiths. I’d rather be an excellent modern Wiccan, Heathen, Hellenist, Kemeticist, Druid, etc… than be extremely knowledgeable about ancient Pagan history. It’s been said that some of us talk about religion more than we do religion, and I think that’s an important thing to keep in mind. We should be practitioners first and scholars second. In the end it matters more that you are offering strawberries to Freya than whether the lore says strawberries are a traditional offering to her. Learning our own traditions, and in learning deepening them and expanding them, should be the first and foremost goal of Pagan religious education. At least, that’s how I see it.

Next question:

Are there ever times when you doubt your spiritual path? What place and use does doubt have in your spirituality?

If you’d like to weigh in just e-mail me your short response (250-500 words) before Dec 29th. It’s sfoster at patheos.com.