Belief vs. Worldview

I’ve been reading with interest (and at times annoyance!) about the next round of debate over the place within the “Big Tent” of Paganism of folks who variously identify as Atheo-pagans, Humanistic Pagans, Naturalistic Pagans et al. To begin with, I’ll just say, like it or lump, these folks exist, and they can and will believe what they want, call themselves what they want and practice as they choose, whether it fits with other people’s personal or collective visions of What Paganism Really Is ™ Here are some of my thoughts sorting out things that I think actually matter, and things that we should not waste our time worrying about. Civil questions and comments that add to the discussion in a constructive way are encouraged, from a variety of viewpoints.

Belief vs. Worldview– I consider myself loosely, an agnostic with a polytheistic worldview. I use agnostic in a broader sense that I’m not sure about the existence of deities, or if they exist, what their nature is. Most agnostics have a monotheistic worldview- they are unsure or believe the existence of one god is unknowable. But leaning towards a polytheistic worldview, feels right to me in a way that a purely scientific materialist mindset does not. I frankly also have stronger leanings towards atheism when I am feeling depressed, but a healthy spiritual life seems to help me with my mental health. I think there are a lot of Pagans out there, who if it really came down to brass tacks, are a bit more tentative in their beliefs in deities, spirits and ancestors. But they practice, and they have some type of Pagan worldview. I think this would be an important question to (politely!) ask non-theistic Pagans- is your worldview primarily Pagan, as you understand the term, or is it primarily scientific materialism with some Pagan elements included? I could also ask the same question of Christo-Pagans, Buddho-Pagans, Judeo-Pagans, and UU Pagans. 

Lived Values Follow Worldview– hopefully after developing a worldview, or during the process of developing one, values and ethics come to be a lived part of one’s life. This has been primarily what I have been focusing on this past year with my Self-Care Virtues project- the virtues are based on Celtic and Norse polytheistic worldviews, and there are also influences from my UU values. I know other folks who have a non-deity focused philosophy that use other starting points- Humanistic Jews still use Judaism as a starting point for their worldview and value system, UUs who identify as Christians, Jews and Buddhists draw from those traditions and so forth.

Your Tradition/Organization/Ritual etc. Your Rules– I can tell some people are getting worried about the Wrong Kind of Pagans joining their traditions, rituals, organizations et al. OK, this is something that has not changed- every Pagan tradition and organization has its own rules and requirements for membership, initiation and so forth. While it’s true Pagans tend to focus less on theology, and more on practice, most groups still have some philosophical concepts that they expect prospective members to agree to, though they are often more like principles than creeds. In some pagan groups, belief in magic and astrology might be more important than literal belief in deities. We’ve already had for a long time, included people in our communities with these beliefs- ceremonial and chaos magicians and witches alike, can be of many different theologies, but it is their magical practice that draws them together. I think the brouhaha is that people are becoming more assertive in their beliefs and in using labels that specifically describe them.

Rituals, even open public ones, still will often state borders and parameters that participants agree to- like for example, this ritual requires consumption of alcohol, standing for X period of time. Most Asatru are not going to want you to raise the horn to Zeus, and most traditional Wiccans are not going to want you invoking the Flying Spaghetti Monster.  Likewise, we may end up having rituals run by humanist pagans that won’t appreciate someone asking for healing energy or prayers in the middle of it. Many traditions and groups also may have different expectations for what’s appropriate belief-wise for basic layperson or guest participation vs. being a candidate for initiation, clergy or leadership positions.

Superior ain’t Just a Lake– Other grumpiness surrounds perceptions (whether distorted or accurate) of non-theistic pagans claiming superiority, that their paganism is better, more rational and other people should jump on their bandwagon. In case that this is true, this is indeed contrary to accepted norms of Pagan-dom, however they are not the only ones making these claims. Others have stated variously that monism, hard polytheism, and particular traditions are the Real Wicca, the Real Heathenry, Hellenismos, Druidry or Paganism in general.

Science, Critical Thinking, Reason, Logic et al are Good Things and Should be Part of Paganism!  Many folks have stated that they became humanistic pagans in part due to widespread problems with sloppy thinking, bad scholarship and hostility towards science in Pagan communities. Interestingly, many polytheists and reconstructionist, the very folks who often argue the loudest with HPs, share many of the same concerns. If we stop shouting at each other, we might actually find some commonalities! However, non-theistic pagans and non-theists in general do not have a monopoly on logic, intelligence, being scientific etc. and many religious people are scientists and do not see an inherent contradiction.

Cultural Imperialism and other Isms which can influence science, Pagans, Christians, and atheists/humanists alike Are Bad!  This is another one where examining our worldviews is really important- science can be a useful tool for many things, but are beliefs that can’t be proven by science necessarily bad? Religion and spirituality are inseparable parts of many cultures, and the cultural identity of individual people. I think a failure to recognize and appreciate this, is in part a major reason for the overwhelming whiteness of the organized atheist movement. Atheism can be the ideological flip side of monotheism (some say the next evolutionary step) and science can be used in oppressive and unethical ways, as can every religion human beings have created.

Cultural imperialism is also a big problem for Pagans- with issues of cultural borrowing or theft, labeling of indigenous religions as “Pagan” when they may not identify with that term, and so forth. Is use of the term Pagan by humanists and atheists cultural appropriation? I think that may depend on their relationship to Pagan communities. If they are participating and contributing in positive ways, and not tearing down other’s beliefs, while standing up for their own, no. Frankly I will take 10 atheist pagans who reliably show up to rituals and events on time, help set them up, publicize them, answer questions the public asks, plays nicely with pagans of other traditions, over 1 pious polytheist, Goddess-praisin’ Wiccan or what have you that just bitches and moans on the internet.

Links to others folks thoughts on these matters (linkage does not imply my personal agreement, just showcasing other views)

Atheism & Paganism– Ian Corrigan, ADF Druid

Religion & Smart People- A Reasonable Response to Unreasonable Smugness– John Beckett, UU & OBOD Druid

In Support of Theologically Diverse Community– Lon Sarver, Dionysian Hellenic polytheist

An atheist Pagan, an animist and a devotional polytheist walk into a ritual– John Halstead, Jungian neo-pagan/ humanistic/naturalist pagan

Stop It!– Matt, naturalistic pantheist and ADF member

Atheopagans & Scientism– Finnchuil, Celtic polytheist

*edited for formatting & readability