The Denigration of the Pagans

Over the past few months we have witnessed an escalating tendency of the religious right to use the word “pagan” in rhetoric that attempts to fabricate an insidious creeping re design of American cultural and spiritual sensibilities.

It has been pointed out that these references do not refer to us “big P Pagans” but rather to the march towards a post Christian society. This line of reasoning urges us not to perceive these statements as a direct confrontation of our collective religious identity.  Meanwhile the public is being bombarded with the demonization of the word Pagan with out any information to dispel these statements.

Our community cannot afford to jeopardize the progress we have made by choosing to not confront those whose intent is perceived as “not talking about us”.  Such a course of action will only result in more misplaced distrust and discrimination. This attempt by the religious right to frame the conversation in a way that replicates the “satanic panic” of past decades provides a perilous framework for future discourse.

While I am not arguing that every such utterance deserves the response of the Pagan community en masse, I do believe that these statements deserve to be corrected with well reasoned and non confrontational information about what ‘Pagans” really are. Our statements could read something like:

Upon reading your recent statements in (insert Publication) I was alarmed to discover your reference to “Pagans”. By the context of your statements it is clear that you are not aware that Pagans, as a religious community, are involved in and highly active in many local, national, and international interfaith activities with Christians and other major faiths. Like any other faith community we have an interest in religious freedom, both yours and ours. There are hundreds of examples of Pagans leading efforts to address homelessness, hunger, educational access, disaster relief, environmental degradation and freedom of religion.

It is my sincere hope that, after some research, you will decide that the use of the term “Pagan” in a context that defines our religious community in a way that does not reflect the reality our beliefs and actions will have no place in your future contributions to public discourse.

Should you desire any further fact based information about our spiritual community please feel free to contact me at any time.

To the general public, the intellectual exercise of differentiating between big P and little p Pagans does not exist. In defense of all we have collectively accomplished we must respond if we wish to avoid being marginalized by a reframing of the debate that has the potential to diminish our community’s voice.

In no way am I advocating that our community responds in outrage, organizing protests, petitions, and mass email and phone call campaigns. Such actions waste valuable resources, energy and intent that can be put to much better use in addressing the many issues our community is involved in.  What I am strongly suggesting is that statements that denigrate the word “pagan” be responded to with dignity, education and the expectation that attacks on our spiritual identity are inappropriate.

Doing nothing, however, is the worst possible option.