The Language of Praise

A short rumination

I was listening to an interview of a guy who got out of the mob. Like many people who lived a life that didn’t respect the rules of civil society, his path out involved the adoption of religion. When he spoke about it, he had an expression on his face that I’ve seen many times in people who are devout Christians. It’s a look in the eye, a tone of the voice, meant to convey absolute faith in how they experience deity. It’s something I’ve seen over and over.

And I always, every single time, find myself uncomfortable in the presence of that expression and tone. This isn’t something I have seen only on Christians, I’ve also seen it on Muslims, although much less often in Jews. But I can’t recall that I’ve ever seen it in Pagans.

I don’t like that it makes me uncomfortable. I’m a firm believer that how people experience the unseen world is their business, and uniquely valid for them. But my gut just doesn’t line up with my head. Why should that be so?

One reason might be that the person I’m observing has some doubts and they’re doing the equivalent of ‘fake it until you make it.’ I think that’s a valid approach to religious thought. But during that phase of understanding, the person’s own discomfort with the process can come through. I’ve never seen a Pagan do this. [Have you?] But nearly every Pagan I know already experienced the unseen world directly and discovered that there were other people who felt the same rather than adopting a belief system. While there are a few who don’t feel it, they don’t try to fake it. Pagans are already fringe. ‘Faking it’ can be an attempt to fit in and our standards are much looser than the monotheistic religions.

A second reason could be a defensive posture against the fact that discussing matters of religion and spirituality is frowned upon in our culture, and for perfectly good reasons. In the past, our human tendency toward tribal behavior could make religious discussion a minefield. [I think the groupishness once reserved for the discussion of theological matters has been transferred to politics.]

However, religion can still be a sketchy topic. Not because of the likelihood of arguing with people over the validity of one’s religion, but because religion itself has been on the decline, at least, in the West. Believing in the unseen world is not stylish, or trendy. It might get one labeled crazy.

Crazy, or possibly stupid.

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Humanism, the idea and there is nothing greater than humanity, is popular and deeply integrated into our culture. The language of praise when one speaks of religion, is rife with the expressions of the greatness of god. There is a humility in such language that modern people find embarrassing. After all, what can god do for us that we can’t do for ourselves? Even among some of the pagan gods, humility isn’t considered a virtue depending on the culture. [Which doesn’t mean you can’t get your ass kicked.]

Perhaps the last uncomfortable things is false humility. The ‘I'm more humble and thus better than you’ mentality is one I've observed in both Christian and New Age communities. No one likes that, but whether or not it’s challenged is purely a matter of the status of the person displaying false humility.

All the discomfort aside, I think the genuine virtue of humility should be encouraged, and the language of praise more normalized. Belief in the divine shouldn’t be labeled crazy. [I’ve lived with a schizophrenic and she was an atheist.] More exposure to such talk gives us a chance to distinguish between real devotion and insanity.

There are few humans who wouldn't benefit from a reminder that the unseen world can kick our asses at any time. This is the nature of conservatism in its most primal sense. Reaching too far risks what we have managed to achieve at great cost in time and effort. Our engineering and medical achievements have saved countless lives [not just human ones] but they rest on both those who have built before us, and on a complex supply chain. As we've seen in the age of covid, disruptions in those paths of productions can cause problems. For us, in the developed world, those problems are inconvenient. But consider that they’re life and death for people in poor countries.

Whether one believes in an unseen power[s] greater than humanity or not, humility is a wise choice.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the language of praise.

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

Cherry Hill Seminary

Sacred Well Congregation