The Pagan Path
By Janet and Stewart Farrar and Gavin Bone
Chapters 5 Topics and Summary
Paganism exists in a predominately Christian world. Some Christians are friendly, but others are bigoted Fundamentalists. Paganism has both kinds of worshippers as well. Many Pagans accept that Jesus Christ was a great teacher and spiritual healer. Christians view Jesus as part of the Holy Trinity (three-in-one); Wicca, of course, also has a trinity in the form of the Triple Goddess.
Jesus treated women as equals, but some of his followers treat women as less then equal. In the Bible, St. Paul said that woman is created for the man. At one time the Malleus Maleficarum was created to persecute women and to treat them as evil "witches".
The Gospels were written decades after Jesus' death and the legend of the Virgin birth was contained therein. Many cultures, including Paganism, set the idea that great men were conceived by divine impregnation of the mother. In the Old Testament, (Isiah vii.14), it says "BEHOLD, A VIRGIN SHALL CONCEIVE, AND BEAR A CHILD, AND SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL" In Hebrew this simply meant that the Hebrew people expressed a dream of a Messiah to hold the throne and secure the kingdom for eternity. Also, virgin simply meant a "young woman". Another example of translation of the Bible is in regard to the Three Wise Men. Jesus was born between 8 and 1 B.C. and in 7 B.C. an extraordinary event occurred where the Earth, Jupiter and Saturn formed a "Triple Conjunction" which would have caused an extremely bright light in the sky. (Star of Bethlehem)
Reincarnation was taught in the early Christian days but hierarchical discipline took place and reincarnation was replaced by "Do as the bishop commands, or you will burn in hellfire for eternity." This hierarchy also decided on the interpretation of the four gospels that would be placed in the Bible.
Fossils, carbon dating and our astronomy proves that the Bible may not be wholly true when dealing with creation. Some passages in the Bible actually contradict themselves. The Bible is actually an anthology of tribal legends, poetry, records, spiritual insights, laws for the tribal societies and two completely Pagan books (Song of Solomon and Esther). One example of an older Middle Eastern legend is the "Noah's Ark" story. The Moon Goddess Nueh, whose name masculinized is Noah was associated with water. She prophesied a great flood. It was Nueh that sailed the Ark and released the dove. After the flood she raised her jewels to the heavens causing a rainbow affect. Another example of mistranslation is the story of "Lucifer". His name simply means light bearer. He is associated with the Morning Star, Venus (planet), and tyrant king. Through ignorant reading Satan has been stuck with this name.
There have been many organizations derived to protect the slander and abuse of witches. It seems as if Christians have misinterpreted a lot of the Bible including commands to kill witches. As our world progresses, hopefully we can educate people as to what a true witch is. Many communities and churches (Pagan and Christian) have gathered together to form an understanding of each others beliefs.
Summarized by Sappire Sundove
I've heard it said that the only thing that pagans in general agree on is that we don't agree with Christians. On the other hand, we live with Christians every day. They are our neighbors, our family, our friends, our co-workers. "Yeah," we say, "but they're different, they don't _____." (and we fill in the blanks with whatever behavior or philosophy happens to be bothering us at the moment.)
In Chapter 5, the Farrars point out:
"It is important, therefore, for pagans to be clear- minded about their attitude to both, ["reasonable" Christians and bigoted Fundamentalists] and to the differences between the healthy foundations of Christianity and the dogma and hierarchy (some of it crippling) which have been built upon them."
How do we find a healthy and constructive way to express our disagreement with how some Christians practice their religion without going to an extreme and bashing all aspects of the religion itself?
The Farrars say that most pagans acknowledge that Christ was a significant teacher and healer. If we look at Christ as he is described in the books of Matthew and Mark we can find much to admire. Because many pagans come to this path after a long search, many of them are very familiar with not only a variety of Christian denominations, but also with the bible. Take some time to talk about Christ himself, as a teacher and/or as an historical figure. Can we learn from Christ, his life and work, without getting caught up in the dogma and "fundamentalism" that have come to be associated with Christianity as a religion?
In any debate it is important to know all of the facts. When trying to figure out where we stand in relation to Christianity, and by extension where we stand in relation to Christians, it is just as important that we be well grounded in facts. I could tell you that nothing angers a fundamentalist preaching hellfire more than being contradicted by facts, but the truth of the matter is that the person preaching hellfire is unlikely to listen to those facts let alone acknowledge that they contradict him/her or that s/he might be wrong. Why then, is it important to know about things in the bible which are mistranslated, or that contradict other things? Why should we know or care how St. Paul has influenced modern Christianity, that Paul was responsible for the deification of Christ, that Paul is responsible for the misogynistic tone of Christianity? Is there really any reason to know or care what the differences are between early Christianity and contemporary Christianity?
The Farrars say:
"There are, unfortunately, on the fringe of the Pagan movement elements of Pagan Fundamentalism, too. They tie one universal label round everything from the Vatican to their ordinary Christian neighbors, regarding the whole spectrum as enemies."
The Farrars seem to regard pagan fundamentalism as a dangerous aberration. Why would this be true? Are we sometimes guilty of the closed-mindedness we condemn in Christianity? Do you agree with the idea expressed earlier that "the only thing pagans agree on is that they don't like Christians?" What does this perceived attitude do for our public image? Is a dislike of Christianity really the thing that unifies pagans.
There is a great deal of defensiveness in the relationships between Paganism and Christianity. As in any situation where a person who meets with a defensive reaction doesn't perceive anything they've done as offensive, the response is often to respond even more defensively. As I read the chapter and looked at the cases of discrimination and defamation which were outlined and looked at the number of Pagan Defense/Anti-Discrimination organizations which seem to be springing up and compared that to the couple of examples the Farrars gave of inter-faith/inter- religious dialogues to which representatives of paganism are only now being invited, I was reminded of a quote attributed to Einstein:
"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war."
Which relationship would you rather see Paganism have with Christianity? Peace? War? How are you working towards that relationship? How can we all work towards that relationship?