When Paganism Ends...

[kevyn]

My deep philosophical question for the season:

Is it possible to be an Atheist (or Agnostic), and be a Pagan at the same time?

I don't have an answer, I'm just mulling it over in my mind. I used to think "yes," and identified as such, but since then I've had Pagan friends I trust and respect tell me I can't be both at the same time.

Sorting out belief...

-Hagrid

Comments

[backrubbear.livejournal.com]

Human belief and understanding is the ultimate parasite or symbiote. Regardless of how we came to assimilate something, it often becomes *ours*.

Remember that not all of the early absorption of Christian belief into european pagan cultures was one way. There are reasons why we still have our rabbits for "Easter", our fir trees for Christmas (Saturnalia), etc. You can readily point out that Christianity made off with previous pagan holidays in order to ease the integration of Christianity. You can also point off that there were pagan elements that just can't be killed and have thus survived Christianity. :-)

Put yet another way, even Christians aren't as close to each other as they'd universally claim. Pick 10 Christians from different parts of the country and ask them to form a Church. The fireworks about what would make them Christian and the foundations of their Church would be quite interesting. :-)

[kyooverse.livejournal.com]

Oh, we could argue that point... whether something assimilated -- and let's not forget that "assimilated" in this case does not really get across the horror of subjugating one man's belief system upon another -- belongs to the Self. Because there are a lot of scholars out there who beg to differ. What you are saying is convinent to the "winners," but it leaves a lot out.

Also, you should remember that the absorption of early ethnic european traditions were stripped of there meaning (to get a better idea of what I am getting at, either remember or read Jean Baudrillard's (Simulacra and Simulation)... so although it can be traced or argued to a source does not mean it has the same meaning it had or that when people put their rabbits everywhere or hoist their Christmas trees that it has anything to do with those earlier traditions anymore.

I understand that Christains aren't *really* as close as they claim, however, over the last couple of years, I have witnessed how they are able to unite under the aegis of "Christian" when they want or need to. For example, did you know that before the last presidential election, white christians went into the churches of B/black christians (I read about this happening in place like Detroit for example) and asked them to put aside their differences to do the work of god and keep them/us homosexuals from getting married? What someone believes, in a sense, matters less than what someone can do by saying, "If you are, then you will agree...".

Watching their fireworks would be more interesting if it didn't always come at the expense of my freedom.