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| Witchvox Chapter: Wren's Nest News | Chapter Page Views: 54,933,225 |
 Paganism, Just Another Religion For Military And Academia Author: Samuel G. Freedman Source: New York Times Title: PAGANISM, JUST ANOTHER RELIGION FOR MILITARY AND ACADEMIA If personal tradition holds, just before sundown today, Michael York will stand before a colonial-style wooden cabinet in his bayside town house here and light a candle. As night falls, it will illuminate the surrounding objects — tarot cards, Tibetan silver bowls, a bell, and statues or icons of deities from the Greek earth-mother, Gaia, to the Lithuanian thunder god, Perkunas. While facing the altar, if past practice holds, Mr. York will invoke the names of the ancestors and loved ones who have died. He will often write down their names, too, and keep that piece of paper in the cabinet. One can mourn on any day, as Mr. York put it recently, but on this occasion, “the veil between the worlds is understood to be thinnest.” The day that most Americans know as Halloween, a commercial bonanza and secular holiday with only the faintest remnants of its pantheistic origins, Mr. York celebrates as Samhain, the autumnal new year for Pagans. And for Mr. York, Paganism is indeed a proper noun, connoting a specific religion that he has observed for decades. | |
| Community Thoughts: There are 6 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| ... | Nov 2nd. at 9:55:36 am EST |
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Draken (Bronx, New York) - Email Me - Web **...Paganism is indeed a proper noun, connoting a specific religion that he has observed for decades.** It's about time the media recognized this fact. Paganism is a proper noun when referring to the umbrella term surrounding Pagan religions. |
| A Pitfall Of Organized Religion..... | Nov 1st. at 12:04:52 pm EST |
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me Like christianity which is made up of different sects and beliefs, many which have their own rituals. Paganism is made up of various paths, some more ritualized than others and no one path is for everyone. The worst thing we can do for ourselves is to fall into the same trap as christianity has by proclaiming one or two paths are more valid than anyone else's, otherwise, we will wind up being no better. Wicca, Heathens, Asatru and Druidism are good paths to be sure, but they are not the only ones, and with any luck, not likely to be. |
| Mine Is Better Than Yours | Nov 1st. at 1:23:46 am EDT |
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Reaver (Lebanon, Oregon) - Email Me Is the first thing I heard from a Druid, who basically told me if I wasn't worshiping his way I wasn't truly a Pagan - wow, sounds just like any Christian preacher or Muslim Imam, doesn't it? |
| It Is Not | Oct 31st. at 3:16:12 pm EDT |
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Ken Ra (Minneapolis, Minnesota) - Email Me " Paganism is indeed a proper noun, connoting a specific religion " Paganism is not a proper Noun it is a place marker that doesn't mean anything. Ask four pagans what paganism is and you will get at least six radically different answers of what it * IS * their main agreement is about what it is not ( Xianity) Other answers are that it is an earth based religion as if any religion is based off of Jupiter. Wicca is about the balance and cooperation of Male and Female From the Gods down to us and is often inspired by the natural world. I object to pagans who have no religion of their own leeching off of the good reputation that was hard earned by Wiccans, Asatru .Heathens and Druids. |
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