Demystifying Paganism (part 2)

Merrie Meet

Here is the 2nd part of the piece that I began yesterday on the subject of Demystifying Paganism taken from a sermon by the Rev.D.Edwards.

If you try to force someone into your beliefs or force them to accept what you are saying that IS persecution, it is a mental persecution, as much as slapping someone’s face is a physical persecution.

Most people who condemn Pagans do not realize just how much they actually have in common, how much common ground the two beliefs actually hold for example, every time Christians celebrate a Pagan holiday.

Christmas is celebrated on 25th December but this was not the birthday of the person Jesus. He was actually born in or around August / September time, nobody really knows the exact date but anyone who has actually studied the subject will know that he was not born in December.

So why celebrate in December? Well a Roman emperor declared that 25th December would be a celebration to help integrate the followers of Mithra into Christianity. Mithra was an ancient Pagan religion that preceded Christianity by some 600 years and 25th December was already a holiday that these people celebrated.

An interesting thought here is that Mithra was a Pagan deity whose birth day was 25th December, he also had 12 disciples, was born of a virgin, he was sacrificed to redeem mankind and before he died he had a last supper of bread and wine with his 12 disciples and at the end of his life he said that he would return again to redeem mankind.

So therefore, how can Christians pass judgment on Pagans saying that they worship the devil? Christians have more in common with Pagans than they could ever know.

Whenever they decorate a Christmas tree, whenever they sit their children on Santa’s knee, whenever they hunt for an Easter Egg or send a Valentine’s card they become practitioners of Paganism!

If they were confronted with this insight most Christians would reply that it is all in the meaning, that the meaning is what is important.

For example they may say that the star on the top of the Christmas tree represents the Star of Bethlehem.

However if this statement that it is all in the meaning is true and the Christians say that they are not worshiping the Devil then by what right can they tell Pagans that they are worshiping the Devil. This sort of comment is hypocrisy at its very best.

A Christian may also resort to discussions about rituals and spells that Pagans perform.

A ritual is nothing more than a performance of a visual prayer it gives the practitioner something to focus on, a focal point for the energy released in prayer.

A spell is simply another way to pray to the Divine as in Islam where they bow 7 times a day. It is also the same as burning incense in a church (another parallel here). There are the rituals of performing baptisms, christenings, communion or marriage – they are all strictly symbolic and mean NOTHING without intent.

Research has indicated that “Pagans” who do fit the stereotypical image of paganism tend to grow out of it by the time they reach puberty.

Paganism is a way of life more than it is a religion, it is possible to follow any number of religions and still be a Pagan. There are, in fact, Pagan Christians. They practice Paganism using Christian style names for their Deities. There is such a thing as Christian Wicca where God and Goddess terminology is replaced by Father, Holy Spirit and Son.

Pagans can be guilty of the same things as Christians, they will scream “persecution” but will ignore a Christian just because of religion.

If that is you then how are you any different from the others?

Pagans should become more responsible for creating awareness of their beliefs. They cannot expect people to understand if they are not told about it. This does not mean standing on soapboxes on street corners preaching Paganism to all and sundry but it does mean that if you wear a Pentacle, be proud. Do not hide it away under your shirt, blouse or jumper, people will often ask you what it means, and don’t be afraid to explain. Shed light and dispel darkness and myth.

The moral of this whole piece on demystifying Paganism (and Christianity) is to stop believing everything that you are shown on TV, in films, in the papers – take the time to investigate for yourself.

Learning will bring knowledge which will create understanding and once you understand something it will bring unity and peace

Blessed Be

Merlin