Heathenry is spread out across northwestern Europe, North America and Australasia, where the descendants of historic Germanic-speaking people now live. But it didn't arise out of the blue, as it results from a long . [91], The Romantic movement of the 18th century led to the re-discovery of Old Gaelic and Old Norse literature and poetry. Wicca has been described as a polytheistic religion. Pre-World War II neopagan or proto-neopagan groups, growing out of occultism and/or Romanticism (Mediterranean revival, Viking revival, Celtic revival, etc.). | Roz Kaveney", "Oh, My Pop Culture Goddess: Transgender Issues in Wicca and Paganism", Neo-paganism and nationalism. The 19th century saw a surge of interest in Germanic paganism with the Viking revival in Victorian Britain[] and Scandinavia, and the Vlkisch movement in Germany. Thus, with only a few possible exceptions, today's Pagans cannot claim to be continuing religious traditions handed down in an unbroken line from ancient times to the present. [150], The sociologist Regina Oboler examined the role of gender in the US pagan community, arguing that although the movement had been constant in its support for the equality of men and women ever since its foundation, there was still an essentialist view of gender engrained within it, with female deities being accorded traditional western feminine traits and male deities being similarly accorded what western society saw as masculine traits. Expect More. [8] Most scholars describe modern paganism as a broad array of different religions, not a single one. Religio Romana is a modern Pagan reconstructionist religion based upon the ancient faith of pre-Christian Rome. [87] Various folk beliefs have periodically been labeled as pagan and churches have demanded that they should be purged. They have also suggested that these could all be included under the rubric of "paganism". [179], The relationship between pagan studies scholars and some practising pagans has at times been strained. OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE View All Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism[1] and neopaganism,[2] is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Africa and the Near East. At the other end are eclectic movements, which blend elements of historical paganism with other religions and philosophies; examples are Wicca, neo-Druidry, and the Goddess movement. [49] "[72], Another pivotal belief in the contemporary pagan movement is that of animism. Aby Warburgbibliophile, scholar, library founderhas become known as one of the most original and brilliant art historians of the twentieth century. In places like the UK pagans like Druid and Wiccan's doubled in size from 2001 and 2011 and definitely still growing. [174] For instance, Strmiska highlighted instances in both the US and UK in which school teachers were fired when their employers discovered that they were pagan. [132] Mari intellectuals maintain that Mari ethnic believers should be classified in groups with varying degrees of Russian Orthodox influence, including syncretic followers who might even go to church at times, followers of the Mari native religion who are baptized, and nonbaptized Mari. National holidays are often accompanied by fireworks, and sometimes processions and official ceremonies. Although the movement is small, there is a religious movement attempting to revive the worship of the ancient Greek gods . . He claimed to have been initiated by the New Forest coven in 1939, and that the religion he discovered was a survival of the pagan witch-cult described in Murray's theory. [57], Dennis D. Carpenter noted that the belief in a pantheistic or panentheistic deity has led to the idea of interconnectedness playing a key part in pagans' worldviews. ", Religious studies scholar Michael Strmiska[93], The rise of modern paganism was aided by the decline in Christianity throughout many parts of Europe and North America,[91] as well as by the concomitant decline in enforced religious conformity and greater freedom of religion that developed, allowing people to explore a wider range of spiritual options and form religious organisations that could operate free from legal persecution.[94]. "[155][156], Transgender existence and acceptability is especially controversial in many neopagan sects. [152][153], In response, groups and sects inclusive of or specific to LGBT people have developed. [139], Based upon her study of the pagan community in the United States, the sociologist Margot Adler noted that it is rare for pagan groups to proselytize in order to gain new converts to their faiths. [47], Strmiska nevertheless notes that this reconstructionist-eclectic division is "neither as absolute nor as straightforward as it might appear". [82] Common pagan festivals include those marking the summer solstice and winter solstice as well as the start of spring and the harvest. Faith, ethics and loyalty . [11], Contemporary paganism has been defined as "a collection of modern religious, spiritual, and magical traditions that are self-consciously inspired by the pre-Judaic, pre-Christian, and pre-Islamic belief systems of Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. [62] They are therefore not seen as perfect, but rather are venerated as being wise and powerful. Goddess Spirituality revolves around the sacredness of the female form, and of aspects of women's lives that adherents say have been traditionally neglected in Western society, such as menstruation, sexuality, and maternity.[112]. [97] The 1979 publication of Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon and Starhawk's The Spiral Dance opened a new chapter in public awareness of paganism. It's pretty clear from the context that this is the sense in which the pope is using it. She further recounted her mother's abandonment of Sioux religion and the unsuccessful attempts of a "native preacher" to get her to attend the village church. [92], "The rise of modern Paganism is both a result and a measure of increased religious liberty and rising tolerance for religious diversity in modern societies, a liberty and tolerance made possible by the curbing of the sometimes oppressive power wielded by Christian authorities to compel obedience and participation in centuries past. In both beliefs, divinity and the material or spiritual universe are one. It was organised by two British religious studies scholars, Graham Harvey and Charlotte Hardman. [166] Various differences between the two movements have been highlighted; the New Age movement focuses on an improved future, whereas the focus of Paganism is on the pre-Christian past. The last pagan revival was under the Western Emperor Eugenius, who was a puppet of the Pagan magister millitum Arbogast. Many years after the last inscriptions to the Eastern divinities had been dedicated in the provinces, such dedications were sufficiently numerous at Rome, particularly so during the closing years of the fourth century, when the pagan revival reached its culmination. [62] These deities are typically depicted in human form, and are viewed as having human faults. As a result, pagans believe the essence of their spirituality is both ancient and timeless, regardless of the age of specific religious movements. Golden Dawn ended up winning 18 seats, making it the third-largest party in parliament. The establishment and growth of the Internet in the 1990s brought rapid growth to these, and other pagan movements. Contemporary paganism has sometimes been associated with the New Age movement, with scholars highlighting both their similarities and differences. This is connected with a belief in either pantheism or panentheism. [89] Positive identification with paganism became more common in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it tied in with criticism of Christianity and organized religion, rooted in the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment and Romanticism. According to the most recent Pew poll, only 71 percent of Europeans still identify as Christian, though 81 percent were raised in the faith. Cities such as New Orleans, Edinburgh, and Drogheda, Ireland, have commercialized their pagan festivals, but there are still places where one can find ancient celebrations held outside of modernity; where traditions have remained locally-kept secrets passed down for generations. From its beginning, thanks to Christensen, this revival had a National Socialist component, but Gardell gives attention to others who helped create what he dubs "Aryan revolutionary paganism," including Wyatt Kaldenberg, "Jost" Turner, and Wotansvolk, created in 1995 by David and Katja Lane and Ron McVan. [134], A study by Ronald Hutton compared a number of different sources (including membership lists of major UK organizations, attendance at major events, subscriptions to magazines, etc.) In discussing Asatro a form of Heathenry based in Denmark Matthew Amster notes that it did not fit clearly within such a framework, because while seeking a reconstructionist form of historical accuracy, Asatro nevertheless retains a strong christian influence; with a modern construction of dogma, practices, religious titles, literature & an over emphasis on acknowledging & the worship of only the sir gods; as well as strongly eschewing the emphasis on ethnicity that is common to other reconstructionist groups. Download Free . Contemporary paganism has therefore been prone to fakelore, especially in recent years as information and misinformation alike have been spread on the Internet and in print media. I am somewhat under the impression that paganism, as practiced in Europe, tends to often have a more ethnocentric bend to it because in Europe various pagan sects could be seen as "indigenous" religions. 12 October 2016. [][][], Heathenism, also known as Germanic neopaganism, refers to a series of contemporary pagan traditions based on the historical religions, culture and literature of Germanic-speaking Europe. [15] The various pagan religions have been academically classified as new religious movements,[16] with the anthropologist Kathryn Rountree describing paganism as a whole as a "new religious phenomenon". EU-wide celebrations are indicated in bold. In Iceland, the satrarflagi, or sir faith, represents the contemporary continuation of Norse paganism. Among the young, the situation is worse. The evidence of the religious activities of the prehistoric inhabitants of western Europe is remarkable: on the Gower Peninsula, near Swansea in Wales, the Paviland caves have revealed one of the earliest magico-religious sites in the world, where around 26,000 years ago a group of humans carefully interred a skeleton, wrapping the body in red cloth or rubbing it with . In fact, while the Nazis initially tried to coopt Christianity, their goal was to. This is due to Dianic belief in gender essentialism; according to founder Zsuzsanna Budapest, "you have to have sometimes [sic] in your life a womb, and ovaries and [menstruate] and not die". [56], Eclectic paganism takes an undogmatic religious stance [57] and therefore potentially sees no one as having authority to deem a source apocryphal. [121], In 1925, the Czech esotericist Franz Sttler founded the pagan religion Adonism, devoted to the ancient Greek god Adonis, whom Sttler equated with the Christian Satan, and which purported that the end of the world would come in 2000. [84] Nevertheless, common to almost all pagan religions is an emphasis on an agricultural cycle and respect for the dead. [] The overall numbers of people self-reporting as pagan rose between 2001 and 2011. [80], Sociologist Margot Adler highlighted how several pagan groups, like the Reformed Druids of North America and the Erisian movement incorporate a great deal of play in their rituals rather than having them be completely serious and somber. Paganism represents a wide variety of traditions that emphasize reverence for nature and a revival of ancient polytheistic and animistic religious practices. [61], One principle of the pagan movement is polytheism, the belief in and veneration of multiple gods or goddesses. [144] They have also been supported by Pagan studies scholar Graham Harvey. [160], "Neopagan practices highlight the centrality of the relationship between humans and nature and reinvent religions of the past, while New Agers are more interested in transforming individual consciousness and shaping the future. Some academics who study the phenomenon treat it as a movement that is divided into different religions while others characterize it as a single religion of which different pagan faiths are denominations. "[13], Discussing the relationship between the different pagan religions, religious studies scholars Kaarina Aitamurto and Scott Simpson wrote that they were "like siblings who have taken different paths in life but still retain many visible similarities". [106] Today the followers of the Chuvash Traditional Religion are called "the true Chuvash". We all need to heed these prophetic and timely warningsand avoid being drawn into this pagan revival! [35], For some pagan groups, ethnicity is central to their religion, and some restrict membership to a single ethnic group. Religious studies scholar Sarah Pike asserted that in the United States, there was a "significant overlap" between modern paganism and New Age,[163] while Aidan A. Kelly stated that paganism "parallels the New Age movement in some ways, differs sharply from it in others, and overlaps it in some minor ways". In the early medieval ages, these religions were influential, and, in some cases, they were even the official . Due to this legacy, the Mari reject the word "pagan". [168], Because of their common links to the Proto-Indo-European culture, many adherents of modern paganism have come to regard Hinduism as a spiritual relative. The animistic aspects of pagan theology assert that all things have a soul - not just humans or organic life - so this bond is held with mountains and rivers as well as trees and wild animals. [172] Some pagans have claimed that Christian authorities have never apologized for the religious displacement of Europe's pre-Christian belief systems, particularly following the Roman Catholic Church's apology for past anti-semitism in its A Reflection on the Shoah. [102], Beit Asherah (the house of the Goddess Asherah) was one of the first neopagan synagogues, founded in the early 1990s by Stephanie Fox, Steven Posch, and Magenta Griffiths (Lady Magenta). Most are non-practicing. [65] Many pagans believe adoption of a polytheistic world-view would be beneficial for western society replacing the dominant monotheism they see as innately repressive. There is "considerable disagreement as to the precise definition and proper usage" of the term modern paganism. Strmiska also suggests that this division could be seen as being based on "discourses of identity", with reconstructionists emphasizing a deep-rooted sense of place and people, and eclectics embracing a universality and openness toward humanity and the Earth. [60] The English academic Graham Harvey noted that pagans "rarely indulge in theology". One is eclecticism or syncretism, in which elements of historical ethnic religions such as the ancient Norse religion are combined with modern movements such as Wicca, Theosophy or other New Age philosophies. Eastern European area, 2011 Census, Key Statistics for Local Authorities in England and Wales, "2011 Census QuickStats: All people usual residents", Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, "QuickStats About New Zealand's Population and Dwellings", Castro culture/Proto Gallaecian-Lusitanian, INFORM (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements), Academic study of new religious movements, Religious discrimination against Neopagans, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Modern_paganism&oldid=1141001863, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing cleanup from November 2022, Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from November 2022, Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from November 2022, Articles containing Chuvash-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2011, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Articles lacking reliable references from March 2013, Articles with incomplete citations from December 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Claimed to have completed some college or less, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 21:30. 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