Paganism in Today's World (part 3)

There are quite a few problems that neo-pagans face today. I will be the first to say that. However, much of it could be corrected by neo-pagans themselves. In fact, if more neo-pagans would do as a few have done, then many of the problems would not now exist, or at the least, not be so harsh.

Misunderstanding seems to be the biggest problem, at least that I have seen. Misunderstanding happens because of too little information, or because of conflicting information. I fear that there will always be those who give inaccurate accounts of neo-paganism, some for personal gain, some to avoid ostracism, and others simply because they do not know any better. The problem can at least partially be solved by neo-pagans being more willing to, openly or anonymously, inform others of who and what they are. Things I have personally seen, mostly in chat rooms and forums online, are people ignoring or outright criticizing those who ask something about the religions. I have seen it too often, and am really getting sick of it. Where there is a chat or a forum for people to go to who are of the religions, then people should be able to get an answer, even if it is simply a website or a book you think would be better able to answer their questions. Without some sort of guidance, these people will come to the idea that we are rude, ignorant, and elitist, which is what many of them think already. Even I have, several times, left such chat rooms and forums in disgust because of this. The other side of this, that there is not enough information available, can easily be corrected. What I am doing with these articles, for instance, is to give the general population an idea of what we are and who we are. The same is true of many websites and books one can find, but some of these are full of what one of my high school teachers called "fluff", or useless information that serves only to clutter the mind and take up otherwise good space. This is actually the next problem.

There is too much fluff and not enough real content in many websites and books on neo-paganism, and the specific religions within it. Specific things are a high amount of spells, and rituals, in a site or book that is stated to give general information about paganism, neo-paganism, or any of the religions within these two categories. If the site or book is going to be made mostly of spells and rituals, then make sure that the site name or description at the very least implies that much. It is nearly impossible to find any real information when you have to sift through spell after spell or ritual after ritual, to find even a single item of history or belief. Religion is not about power or magic, not even pagan or neo-pagan religions. In fact, there are many who do not practice magic, or who practice it separate from their religion. This needs to be corrected. If the site or book is going to be mainly a spell site/book then give your readers the courtesy of letting them know that. If your aim is to provide information, then by all means it is not a "sin" to include some spells, but do not put ninety percent of your content into spells.

The hardest problem to correct is the fact that there are those out there who come to the religions, not for a desire to be enlightened, or to worship the deities, not to show their faith. There are some who turn to paganism, or neo-paganism as a means of escaping from the harsh reality that is life, or even worse as a way of rebelling against family, their religion, or authority in general. They see the reclusive nature, or the dark clothing, or the mysterious deities, or the wonders of magic as being an inherent part of these religions. They do not want to be "normal" any more; they want to have a reason to cry out "injustice" or to exclude themselves from society. This is not paganism, nor is it neo-paganism. Many of us are just normal people, who do not wear outrageous jewelry and clothing. Many of us have children, jobs, husbands, wives, school, and other "normal" aspects to our lives. We have belief in our religions, and we do not exclude ourselves from society in general, we simply do not worship the same deities, or in the same ways as the majority of the populace do. There is nothing mysterious about us, no inner substance that makes any better, or different, from your next-door neighbor, who could in fact be a neo-pagan and you might never know it. If this is your aim, please do yourself and everyone else a favor, a find a good psychologist, or counselor, who can help you work out your problems.

The only solution for these problems is to make information available, not just spells and magic. Moreover, to denounce those who think that making a joke of our religion will help them forget about their problems with life, or with whomever or whatever bothers them. Write to newspapers, submit articles on the internet, and design websites, all of which contain accurate content, without the fluff. Inform those around you as to what the truth is, instead of stewing and complaining to others about how persecuted you are, and how no one understands you or your religion. If we want people to be informed, then we must be the ones to inform them.