Freedom of Speech
Is necessary to Freedom of Religion
In taking classes toward my Masters of Divinity at Cherry Hill Seminary, one of the required courses was on Interfaith work. I did it grudgingly. I was far more interested in figuring out my own practice and in the intricacies of Pagan group relationships. I just didn’t see myself taking the time to engage with people of other religions.
Politics changed that.
Specifically, I recognized that the trend toward Christian churches* loosing membership was about to reverse, and indeed the 2020 Pew study showed the decline had ceased. One can argue that this is only a pause, but I don’t believe so. The rise in popularity of writers such as Jordan Peterson who has an 8.7 million following on YouTube and fills stadiums for his lectures, speaks to American hunger for spiritual meaning. Meaning which shrinking churches are only too happy to provide once more.
This has been a cause for anxiety among Pagans. At Mystic South, in Atlanta, Cherry Hill is sponsoring the presentation and discussion, Rites of Resistance: Modern Paganism Responses to Christian Nationalism and Authoritarianism. From the blurb:
“As authoritarianism and Christian nationalism gain momentum across the U.S. and beyond, Pagan communities are facing increasing threats to intellectual and religious freedom and democratic values.”
After the 2024 election, I plunged into local polyticks with enthusiasm, knowing that it would require that I interact with Christians. This led me to start asking questions like: Why did I leave my childhood religion? Why did I stay Pagan and not return to my roots or convert to Judaism? What do I value? What is my moral framework?
I’ve written extensively on those subjects both here and on my other blog, Cauldron. If I was going to talk to Christians, I need them to know WHY Christianity didn’t work for me. Which could also serve as a friendly criticism. Christianity has some issues, and it’s not up to me to fix them. Christians have to do some self-examination in order to do that.
But Pagans too need some self-examination.
I’ve been interacting with Christians quite a bit in the last two years. I have never once deliberately hidden my Paganism. My handle on X/Twitter is @SelinathePagan and my writing on Cauldron is also quite open. In my experience, Christians are far more accepting and curious about my religion than Pagans are of my politics. As much as we might fear “increasing threats to intellectual and religious freedom” my experience during covid [and before] was that I was angrily ostracized by my fellow Pagans for disagreeing with lockdowns, masks, and mRNA shots. I’ve also taken heat because I don’t agree that transwomen should be allowed in women’s sports, bathrooms, or dressing rooms, and because I don’t think children should have medicalized treatment for gender dysphoria.
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I’ve lost Pagan friends over this. We’re a small community so that becomes noticeably painful. But why is it that I’m less concerned about being a Pagan among Christians than I am about holding some conservative views among Pagans? I am not alone in the Pagan community for having these opinions. Even though the majority of Pagans lean to the left, not all of us do. Politics is not religion. As Pagans, the kind of spirited discussion that CHS is organizing is what we need to engage in, rather than assuming the worst because someone holds a different opinion.
That isn’t a Christian value, it’s a Western value and a specifically American value.
My answer to how we as Pagans deal with Christians is not just to have well-articulated reasons why want to be separate from them in our religious practice, but what we have in common as Americans.
One of my Pagan friends on X is working on a specifically Americanized form of Pagan practice, ** attempting to ground meaning and symbolism in the land where nearly all of us were born and raised. I find her efforts exciting. Nationalism in itself shouldn’t frighten us. Nationalism is nothing more than a group identity. What, exactly, is wrong with having pride in an American identity? Paganism could not have thrived in the US [or other Western countries] without the Western values that allow for freedom of speech and the separation of church and state.
Can these things be overwhelmed? Yes. But it wasn’t Christians who were advocating for censorship during covid. It isn’t Christians who are crushing women’s rights and pretending we don’t exist as a group. During covid, I had Pagans I knew who talked on social media about calling the cops on their neighbors for having a gathering. I knew Pagans who wanted everyone to have a vaccine passport to go to events.
If we, as Pagans, are concerned about freedom of speech, then we need to be able to have spirited ie. Spiritual, discussions about our moral frameworks. I challenge anyone’s moral stance that men can be women or women can be men.*** I challenge anyone’s moral stance that people should be forced to have injections. I challenge anyone’s moral stance that governments should be the enforcer or financial supporter of their personal morality.
The balance here is that we must have SOME level of social agreement both with Christians and our fellow Pagans, or we have nothing. Without the protections of the American Constitution, Paganism will go back underground. If we want the majority of Americans to support our protections, whether or not they go to church, they need to see us as fellow travelers rather than a threat.
The first step is understanding what has the Christians upset.
The second is taking a good hard look at what has constituted ‘Pagan moral behavior’ and teasing it out from the various political movements that have influenced our religion. For example, the politics of environmentalism versus what actually works. That would be windmills and lithium batteries versus nuclear power and permaculture. As a Pagan I’ve been promoting permaculture and good health practices for over a decade. I used to be scared of nuclear, but I’m not anymore.
Christians don’t want the slave labor that comes with lithium mining. We should also have a problem with this, as well as with the terrible pollution of a mining process done in China and Africa with zero concerns about waste.
Christians don’t want to see children damaged by surgery and opposite sex drugs. [Don’t think that happens? Leave a comment below and I’ll post a pile de-transition links from YouTube. Or be an adult, look them up for yourself, and go cry for a while.]
Christians want women to be safe in their dressing rooms and bathrooms. Yes, most Pagan transwomen aren’t dangerous. But not all of them are safe to be around either. A Pagan friend of mine knew someone in her Goth community who was raped by a transwoman. If the Pagan community is less likely to have this problem, it’s a real issue in mundane space.
For those who would disagree, then make the argument that subsidizing wind and solar is a religious value rather than a political value
Make the argument that cutting off genitals and causing infertility is a Pagan religious value.
Make the argument why erasing women is a Pagan religious value.
American politics is - or should be - about figuring out what works for the longest time for the most people with the least amount of interference so we can all thrive together.
Religion is about being present with the sacred and practicing meaningful action.
If Pagans want to retain our freedoms, then we need to have the tough conversations.
*I was informed that Catholics do not call themselves ‘Christian,’ but I include them in the umbrella term whether they like it or not.
** Check out and follow Brigantia on X and YouTube.
*** Which is not to say that trans people don’t have a place in Pagan community. Paganism is a far better spiritual fit for people with gender dysphoria than Christianity and trans people are just as in need of spiritual connection as any other human being. But there still has to be boundaries.
If you’re curious about Paganism/Heathenism/Wicca/Druidry, please feel free to message me and I’ll be happy to answer questions.
Selina Rifkin, M.S. [Nutrition], LMT, has been Pagan since she was 14 [which was a long time ago] and been to Hades in a handbasket. More than once. This has given her some opinions. She has direct communication with her gods and they’ve always given her answers when she asks. [One does have to ask.] Like most of her generation [X] she’s okay with snark. Most days she tries for good writing. But the snark, and side comments creep in. Be warned.
Pagan Organizations
Most excellent Selena. Good Christians understand that Jesus was a Jewish rabbi and relied heavily on the essenes rather than the Pharisees for development of his theology. He was certainly as good a pagan As You Are. Unlike Constantine who co-opted and wiped out as many religions as possible to create the new fake Constantinople Christian Church in the 300 ad. Time frame Jesus would simply have made friends with everybody and talked with anybody about anything.. I don't think of Jesus as a specific son of a specific God in somebody's set of over-edited books but as one of many ascended masters that have gifted us over the years with their presence and lessons. He was far more a man and a complex multi-traditional spiritual being than this dope Constantine constructed him to be several hundred years later based on the comic books written so far. There is so much more but most importantly? Good work and tell your whiny baby friends who don't know how to express themselves emotionally to get a therapist medication meditation or or a pet. Certainly one of these will help them work off their Anonymous derangement syndrome which gives them permission to alienate anybody from them. Be big!
Fantastic read!