We all need to heed these prophetic and timely warningsand avoid being drawn into this pagan revival! "[165] [lower-Greek 3] Based on the most recent survey by the Pew Forum on religion, there are over one million pagans in the United States. . These conflicts sometimes. The first comprehensive study of its kind, this fully illustrated book establishes Paganism as a persistent force in European history with a profound influence on modern thinking. [91], The Romantic movement of the 18th century led to the re-discovery of Old Gaelic and Old Norse literature and poetry. [89] Positive identification with paganism became more common in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it tied in with criticism of Christianity and organized religion, rooted in the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment and Romanticism. [11] This perspective has been critiqued, given the lack of core commonalities in issues such as theology, cosmology, ethics, afterlife, holy days, or ritual practices within the pagan movement. This usage has been common since the pagan revival in the 1970s. [170] The modern pagan writer Christopher Grard has drawn much inspiration from Hinduism and visited Swarup in India. Neopaganist beliefs and practices are extremely diverse, some tending towards syncretic melding of once-diverse practices and beliefs, others bordering on the historical reenactment of meticulously . Criticisms of specific neopagan groups range from criticisms of their belief in gender essentialism[181] to criticisms of their belief in Nationalism[182] to criticisms of the worldly focuses of pagan organizations.[165]. Regarding to European paganism, In Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives Michael F. Strmiska writes that "in pagan magazines, websites, and Internet discussion venues, Christianity is frequently denounced as an antinatural, antifemale, sexually and culturally repressive, guilt-ridden, and authoritarian religion that has fostered intolerance, hypocrisy, and persecution throughout the world. [19] To avoid causing offense, many scholars in the English-speaking world have begun using the prefixes "modern" or "contemporary" rather than "neo". [65] Among many pagans, there is a strong desire to incorporate the female aspects of the divine in their worship and within their lives, which can partially explain the attitude which sometimes manifests as the veneration of women.[]. In 1964 Ross Nichols established the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. [50] While Wicca is identified as an eclectic form of paganism,[51] Strmiska also notes that some Wiccans have moved in a more reconstructionist direction by focusing on a particular ethnic and cultural link, thus developing such variants as Norse Wicca and Celtic Wicca. [174], Some Christian authors have published books criticizing modern paganism, [35] while other Christian critics have equated paganism with Satanism, which is often portrayed as such in mainstream entertainment industry. His parents are buried in the parish church where only Christians can be interred. [178] In April 1996 a larger conference dealing with contemporary paganism took place at Ambleside in the Lake District. [], In 2006, there were at least 6804 (0.164%) pagans among New Zealand's population of approximately 4 million. [110][111], Goddess spirituality, which is also known as the Goddess movement, is a pagan religion in which a singular, monotheistic Goddess is given predominance. . [60][73] In contrast, some contemporary pagans believe that there are specific spirits that inhabit various features in the natural world, and that these can be actively communicated with. Having suffered years of oppression through Soviet secularism and facing an ongoing threat from the current government, the Mari people are unique and strong. Wicca has been described as a polytheistic religion. It is, in fact, unique among Pagan paths. Later that year, attacks on immigrants reportedly doubled. Hanegraaff suggested that whereas various forms of contemporary paganism were not part of the New Age movement particularly those who pre-dated the movement other pagan religions and practices could be identified as New Age. National holidays are often accompanied by fireworks, and sometimes processions and official ceremonies. [149] Magliocco came to a somewhat different conclusion based upon her ethnographic research of pagans in California, remarking that the majority were "white, middle-class, well-educated urbanites" but that they were united in finding "artistic inspiration" within "folk and indigenous spiritual traditions". But it didn't arise out of the blue, as it results from a long . Cities such as New Orleans, Edinburgh, and Drogheda, Ireland, have commercialized their pagan festivals, but there are still places where one can find ancient celebrations held outside of modernity; where traditions have remained locally-kept secrets passed down for generations. Studies in Contemporary European Paganism (2012) 2012 Adam Anczyk. Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Africa and the Near East. The last pagan revival was under the Western Emperor Eugenius, who was a puppet of the Pagan magister millitum Arbogast. Capitalizing the word, they argue, makes "Paganism" appear as the name of a cohesive religion rather than a generic religious category, and comes off as naive, dishonest or as an unwelcome attempt to disrupt the spontaneity and vernacular quality of the movement. Thus, with only a few possible exceptions, today's Pagans cannot claim to be continuing religious traditions handed down in an unbroken line from ancient times to the present. Pagan-specializing religious scholar Christine Hoff Kraemer wrote, "Pagans tend to be relatively accepting of same-sex relationships, BDSM, polyamory, transgender, and other expressions of gender and sexuality that are marginalized by mainstream society." "[13], Discussing the relationship between the different pagan religions, religious studies scholars Kaarina Aitamurto and Scott Simpson wrote that they were "like siblings who have taken different paths in life but still retain many visible similarities". [151], The western LGBT community, often marginalized and/or outright rejected by Abrahamic-predominant mainstream religious establishments, has often sought spiritual acceptance and association in neopagan religious/spiritual practice. This female-only, radical feminist variant of Wicca allows cisgender lesbians but not transgender women. The establishment and growth of the Internet in the 1990s brought rapid growth to these, and other pagan movements. I am somewhat under the impression that paganism, as practiced in Europe, tends to often have a more ethnocentric bend to it because in Europe various pagan sects could be seen as "indigenous" religions. "[155][156], Transgender existence and acceptability is especially controversial in many neopagan sects. One reason was increased contacts with areas outside of Europe, which happened through trade, Christian mission and colonization. In Wicca, male and female deities are typically balanced out in a form of duotheism. I'd rather beA Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;Or hear old Triton blow his wreathd horn. [120], Some Unitarian Universalists are eclectic pagans. Neo-druidism. [179], The relationship between pagan studies scholars and some practising pagans has at times been strained. [59], Religious studies scholar Graham Harvey noted that the poem "Charge of the Goddess" remains central to the liturgy of most Wiccan groups. Interest in the Norse myths revived, as elsewhere, in the late 19th . European nationalism (including the British Order of Druids), but most . Acceptance. A total of 22,497 people stated Other Religion in the 2006 census; and a rough estimate is that there were 2,0003,000 practicing pagans in Ireland in 2009. Theologian Jone Salomonsen noted in the 1980s and 1990s that the reclaiming movement of San Francisco featured an unusually high number of LGBT people, particularly bisexuals. [30], The term "neo-pagan" was coined in the 19th century in reference to Renaissance and Romanticist Hellenophile classical revivalism. 12 October 2016. Why is Paganism and other Occult beliefs booming in Europe, America and beyond? On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Witchcraze was a Neo-Pagan movement in 19th century Europe that attempted to rehabilitate healers and midwives. [11], Contemporary paganism has been defined as "a collection of modern religious, spiritual, and magical traditions that are self-consciously inspired by the pre-Judaic, pre-Christian, and pre-Islamic belief systems of Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. [82], The belief in magical rituals and spells is held by a "significant number" of contemporary pagans. [167] Similarly, the New Age movement typically propounds a universalist message which sees all religions as fundamentally the same, whereas paganism stresses the difference between monotheistic religions and those embracing a polytheistic or animistic theology. ", Letcher (2001) "The Scouring of the Shire: Fairies, Trolls and Pixies in Eco-Protest Culture", Arena - Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia, Europe's Last Pagans Worship in Mari-El Grove, "Christians! [104] While potentially considered a peculiar form of Tengrism, a related revivalist movement of Central Asian traditional religion, Vattisen Yaly (Chuvash: , Tradition of the Old) differs significantly: the Chuvash being a heavily Fennicised and Slavified ethnicity and having had exchanges also with other Indo-European ethnicities,[105] their religion shows many similarities with Finnic and Slavic paganisms; moreover, the revival of Vattisen Yaly in recent decades has occurred following neopagan patterns. | Roz Kaveney", "Oh, My Pop Culture Goddess: Transgender Issues in Wicca and Paganism", Neo-paganism and nationalism. Great God! The up-to-date handbook introduces you to a breadth of Pagan traditions and core beliefswelcoming you to this inclusive movement with a myriad of ways to deepen your personal spirituality. Is a Pagan revival possible in Europe? As this secret wisdom can almost always be traced to recent sources, tellers of these stories have often later admitted they made them up. [101], Many Heathen groups adopt variants of Norse mythology as a basis for their beliefs, conceiving of the Earth as on the great world tree Yggdrasil. Who were the last pagans in Europe? Rowman Altamira. ", Religious studies scholar Michael Strmiska[93], The rise of modern paganism was aided by the decline in Christianity throughout many parts of Europe and North America,[91] as well as by the concomitant decline in enforced religious conformity and greater freedom of religion that developed, allowing people to explore a wider range of spiritual options and form religious organisations that could operate free from legal persecution.[94]. of human rights inhibited the faithful from living in accordance with their beliefs and indeed would lead to a neo-pagan revival. Mari fled here from forced Christianization in the 17th to 19th centuries. [33] He further suggests that the term gained appeal through its depiction in romanticist and 19th-century European nationalist literature, where it had been imbued with "a certain mystery and allure",[34] and that by embracing the word "pagan" modern pagans defy past religious intolerance to honor the pre-Christian peoples of Europe and emphasize those societies' cultural and artistic achievements. Asatru is the name of a 20th-century revival of Norse paganism. [22] Other terms some pagans favor include "traditional religion", "indigenous religion", "nativist religion", and "reconstructionism". [57], Dennis D. Carpenter noted that the belief in a pantheistic or panentheistic deity has led to the idea of interconnectedness playing a key part in pagans' worldviews. Although animal sacrifice was a common part of pre-Christian ritual in Europe, it is rarely practiced in contemporary paganism. [68], It is its inclusion of female deity which distinguishes pagan religions from their Abrahamic counterparts. [137], According to Helen A. Berger's 1995 survey "The Pagan Census", most American pagans are middle-class, educated, and live in urban/suburban areas on the East and West coasts. [61], One principle of the pagan movement is polytheism, the belief in and veneration of multiple gods or goddesses. And a way to connect with all kinds of peoplegay, bi, straight, celibate, transgenderin a way that is hard to do in the greater society. [91] These attitudes would also be exported to North America by European immigrants in these centuries. False. George Watson MacGregor Reid founded the Druid Order in its current form in 1909. Many years after the last inscriptions to the Eastern divinities had been dedicated in the provinces, such dedications were sufficiently numerous at Rome, particularly so during the closing years of the fourth century, when the pagan revival reached its culmination. What affects one of us affects us all. Pagan beliefs have survived alongside Christianity. [99], The 1980s and 1990s also saw an increasing interest in serious academic research and reconstructionist pagan traditions. [32], According to Strmiska, the reappropriation of the term "pagan" by modern pagans served as "a deliberate act of defiance" against "traditional, Christian-dominated society", allowing them to use it as a source of "pride and power". [80], Sociologist Margot Adler highlighted how several pagan groups, like the Reformed Druids of North America and the Erisian movement incorporate a great deal of play in their rituals rather than having them be completely serious and somber. This movement of God also crossed the ocean . [65] Many pagans believe adoption of a polytheistic world-view would be beneficial for western society replacing the dominant monotheism they see as innately repressive. [42], "We might say that Reconstructionist Pagans romanticize the past, while eclectic pagans idealize the future. Description. [15] ", Religious studies scholar Sarah Pike. Paganism is the ancestral religion of the whole of humanity. Its statistics service only collects limited religious information each decade. [90] The publications of studies into European folk customs and culture by scholars like Johann Gottfried Herder and Jacob Grimm resulted in a wider interest in these subjects and a growth in cultural self-consciousness. Religious studies scholar Sarah Pike asserted that in the United States, there was a "significant overlap" between modern paganism and New Age,[163] while Aidan A. Kelly stated that paganism "parallels the New Age movement in some ways, differs sharply from it in others, and overlaps it in some minor ways". [16] They noted that in these latter regions, pagan groups placed an emphasis on "the centrality of the nation, the ethnic group, or the tribe". Some academics who study the phenomenon treat it as a movement that is divided into different religions while others characterize it as a single religion of which different pagan faiths are denominations. Of multiple gods or goddesses 156 ], it is rarely practiced in contemporary European (! Immigrants reportedly doubled of humanity Wicca, male and female deities are typically balanced out in a form duotheism... Wicca and paganism '', `` we might say that reconstructionist pagans the... Order in its current form in 1909 a larger conference dealing with contemporary paganism took at. Has been common since the pagan revival in the Norse myths revived, as it from... 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