Is this a fair and honest representation of Paganism as a whole?

[Gjallarhorn]

Now, I have been specifically told that this does not signify Wicca, but in fact all Pagan religions. Given the statement contained within, does this truly correspond with all Pagan religions?

 

[Infinitum]

Well, the pentagram isn't used by all Pagans, but I don't think the writer meant that anyway. From what I know, not all Pagan religions teach that evil comes from evil. There are various ideas of punishment, if any. I wouldn't be sure about the part about the world being interrelated either. It sounds like a very generalized version of classical nature based Neopaganism, but in my opinion it doesn't account that well for Ásatrú, Kemetism and so on.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Not at all. Asatrus and Dark Pagans for example.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

I have also been told that anyone who identifies as Pagan yet does not believe all these things is evil. Would that be agreed to?

 

[Quintessence]

Of course it doesn't, but it's a public relations response in reaction to misperceptions of contemporary Paganism by outsiders. Whenever you engage in such public relations, you tend to oversimplify things to make it easier on the audience. There is a benefit to that, but on the other hand it can replace one set of misperceptions with another. More commentary (with respect to Neopaganism only, not Paganism more broadly):

• Common belief in the sanctity of life ---> this one is true of the overwhelming majority of human beings and is not specific to contemporary Paganism. No group wants to claim the exceptions to the rule, even if they are part of their number.
• Do not sacrifice living things ---> true for the overwhelming majority of contemporary Pagans, for they often misunderstand the importance and nature of living sacrifices as much as outsiders do and steer clear of it.
• Do not worship Satan and do not recognize it as a figure ---> true for the overwhelming majority of contemporary Pagans (syncretists of Neopaganism and Satanic paths notwithstanding; IMHO they're best treated as a different category altogether), so I will not fault the statement.
• Do not cast spells to cause harm ---> patently untrue. Pardon the use of the pejorative, but only fluffy bunny Neopagans steer wholly clear from these kinds of spells.
• Believe causing evil will bring it back to the sender ---> patently untrue. Please quit assuming the Wiccan law of return applies to Neopaganism as a whole. It doesn't, particularly since many Neopagans don't believe in black-white moral conceptions (including "evil").
• Religion based on nature ---> comparatively speaking, generally true, with the understanding that this means a strong recognition of divinity in nature and orienting practices around natural cycles.
• Interrelatedness ---> generally as true; Neopaganism tends towards a holistic worldview rather than a reductionistic one.
• Responsibility ---> a defining characteristic of Neopaganism is a strong emphasis on the autonomy and responsibility of individuals.
• Peace, love, tolerance ---> generally true that Neopagans have more liberal social values, but this is not always the case. Alternatively, this sounds like more fluffy bunny Neopaganism that ignores the fact that we have war gods, chaos gods, etc.

 

[Quintessence]

I have also been told that anyone who identifies as Pagan yet does not believe all these things is evil. Would that be agreed to?

Who is telling you this, exactly?

In my experience, Neopagans rarely characterize things as "evil" as they hold to a non-dualistic worldview. They particularly are not prone to demonizing people who they have theological disagreements with.

 

[Infinitum]

Not at all. Asatrus and Dark Pagans for example.

I don't know where you got this distinction, but it doesn't make much sense to me. Just because a Pagan tradition isn't entirely focused on the "fluffy" side doesn't make them dark or evil.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Who is telling you this, exactly?

In my experience, Neopagans rarely characterize things as "evil" as they hold to a non-dualistic worldview. They particularly are not prone to demonizing people who they have theological disagreements with.

I'm part of a page of a magic products shop/company. They posted the picture. I commented that I didn't think the pentagram was only a Wiccan symbol. They said it wasn't, and that the statements applied to all Pagans unreservedly, and people who were Pagans but didn't believe those things were evil Pagans. So I wanted other opinions.

 

[Quintessence]

I don't know where you got this distinction, but it doesn't make much sense to me. Just because a Pagan tradition isn't entirely focused on the "fluffy" side doesn't make them dark or evil.

It depends on who you talk to. There are differing stances on this. I decided where I wanted to draw the lines in the context of my own practice, but by no means do I expect others to draw them in the same way. My line for the "dark" varieties of Neopaganism is probably considerably darker than where most would put it.

 

[Quintessence]

I'm part of a page of a magic products shop/company. They posted the picture. I commented that I didn't think the pentagram was only a Wiccan symbol. They said it wasn't, and that the statements applied to all Pagans unreservedly, and people who were Pagans but didn't believe those things were evil Pagans. So I wanted other opinions.

Gotcha. It's not a horrible blurb from a PR standpoint, but the attitude coming with it is a little bit worrisome.

 

[Infinitum]

It depends on who you talk to. There are differing stances on this. I decided where I wanted to draw the lines in the context of my own practice, but by no means do I expect others to draw them in the same way. My line for the "dark" varieties of Neopaganism is probably considerably darker than where most would put it.

For me it sounds rather silly to name entire cultures dark. Individual practitioners of, say Ásatrú may focus on darker gods and themes, but that's an entirely different thing.

 

[Erebus]

Now, I have been specifically told that this does not signify Wicca, but in fact all Pagan religions. Given the statement contained within, does this truly correspond with all Pagan religions?

Not even remotely. It doesn't even apply to all Wiccans.

It roughly describes some of the forms of Paganism popular with the occasional hippy

 

[crossfire]

Now, I have been specifically told that this does not signify Wicca, but in fact all Pagan religions. Given the statement contained within, does this truly correspond with all Pagan religions?

Sounds more like Buddhism, belief wise. (substitute Mara for Satan, a wheel or lotus for the pentagram)

 

[Anonimus2]

No, not for me, and for a couple of different reasons:

a) the symbol
b) not all paganism is nature-based
c) not all paganism believes in the Wiccan Rede
d) most pagans aren't persecuted
e) some pagans greatly respect Christianity

I want to make it clear, I love Wicca as a faith, but playing on the persecuted never works no matter what symbol you use. Merry meet.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

This article shows just how pagans can vary, taking Wiccans and Heathens as a case study. The last section is rather amusing.
The pentagram and the hammer