Paganism is a nature based religion following polytheistic theologies. We accept these few basic principles:
1.) We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal quarters and cross-quarters.
2.) We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness with evolutionary concept.
3.) We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called "supernatural," but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
4.) We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting through polarity--as masculine and feminine--and that this same creative Power lives in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.
5.) We recognize both outer worlds and an inner, or psychological world--sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, the Inner Planes, etc.--and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
6.) We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
7.) We see religion, magick, and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it--a world view and philosophy of life, which we identify as Witchcraft, Paganism, or Wicca.
8.) Calling oneself "Witch" does NOT a Witch make--but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with nature.
9.) We acknowledge that it is affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and to our personal role within it.
10.) Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the one true right and only way" and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices and belief.
11.) As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present, and our future.
12.) We do not accept the concept of "absolute evil," nor do we worship any entity known as "satan" or "the devil" as defined by Christian Tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial of others.
13.) We work within Nature for that which is contibutory to our health and well-being.
Traditions
There are MANY different traditions followed by Pagans/Wiccans today. I have listed a few of them below.
Alexandrian Tradition- Founded in England during the 1960's, Alex Sanders referred to himself as the "King" of his Witches. The rituals are said to be modified Gardnerians.
British Traditional Witch- A mix of Celtic and Gardnerian beliefs. Most famous organization at this time is the International Red Garters. British Traditionals move mostly from within the Farrar studies(the famous Witch husband and wife from England.) They too are fairly structured in their beliefs, and train through the degree process. Their covens are also co-ed.
Caledonii Tradition- Formally known as the Hecatine Tradition, this denomination of the Craft is Scottish in origin, and still preserves the unique festivals of the Scots.
Ceremonial Witchcraft- Followers of this Tradition uses a great deal of cermonial magick in their practices. Detailed rituals with a flavor of Egyptian magick are sometimes a favorite, or they may use the Qabbalistic magick.
Dianic Tradition- First pinpointed by Margaret Murray in 1921 in "The Witch Cult in Western Europe," this term appears to include of mixture of various traditions. However, their prime focus in recent years is on the Goddess, as has been pegged as the "feminist" movement of the Craft.
Eclectic Witch- An individual that does not follow any particular Tradition, demonination, sect, or magickal practice. They learn and study from many magickal systems and apply to themselves what appears to work best.
Gardnerian Tradition- Organized by Gerald Gardner in England in the 1950s. Gerald was one of the few people so determined that the Old Religion should not die that he took the risk of publicizing it through the media. He understood that the young needed the Craft as much as the Craft needed a new generation to survive.
Hereditary Witch- One who can trace the Craft through their family tree and who has been taught in the Old Religion by a relative who was living at the same time. Channeling doesn't count. How far one has to go back on the family tree to meet the conditions of the first part of this definition is debatable. Family Trads occassionally adopt individuals into their dynasty. This decision is never a light one, and usually stems from the lack of offspring to carry on the line, or the high regard they hold for the person in question. the ceremony is intricate and important. After all, it is not every day you can pick your relatives. It is much like the marriage of an individual into the family.
Kitchen Witch- You will hear this term every once in awhile. Basically, this type is one who practices by hearth and home, dealing with the practical side of religion, magick, the earth and the elements. There are some who groan loudly at this type of terminology, viewing it as degrading or simply inappropriate. Just remember that the Old Religion started somewhere, and most likely the kitchen was the hub of many charms, spells, healings, and celebrations. After all, where does everyone congregate during the holidays? Grandma's kitchen has always produced magickal memories for humanity; visions of Mother making that something special for a sick child still holds true today for many of us.
Pictish Witchcraft- Scottish Witchcraft that attunes itself to all aspects of nature: animal, vegetable, and mineral. It is a solitary form of the Craft and mainly magickal in nature with little religion.
Pow-Wow- Indigenous to South Central Pennsylvania. This is a system, not a religion, based on 400 yr old Elite German magick. Pow-Wow has deteriorated to a great degree with simple faith healing. Although Pow-Wow finds its roots in German Witchcraft, few practicing Pow-Wows today in Pennsylvania follow the Craft or even know the nature of its true birth.
Satanic Witch- One CANNOT be a satanic Witch because Witches do not believe in satan.
Seax-Wicca- Founded by Raymond Buckland in 1973. Although of Saxon basis, it is authored by Raymond himself without breaking his original Gardnerian oath. Raymond Buckland's contribution to the Craft is a significant one. Not only did he develop a Tradition that is more than acceptable to many individuals, he also has written a large volume of textbooks on different magickal aspects and practices of the Craft, thereby enhancing many lives in a positive direction.
Solitary Witch- One who practices alone, regardless of Tradition, denomination, or sect. Solitaries come in various forms. Some were at one time initiated into a coven and eventually chose to extricate themselves from that environment and continue practicing a particular Tradition or sect by themselves. A solitary can also be an individual who has no desire to practice with or learn from a coven structure, but still may adhere to a specific Tradition or sect through the teachings of another. For example, a member of a Hereditary Family may choose to teach a close friend the art and science of the Craft, but choose not to adopt them as a Family member for any number of reasons. And finally, a solitary Witch can be a person who has decided to tough it out on their own, learning from books, networking, and fellow Witches of different Traditions. These people have the ability to pick themselves up and brush themselves off, and live to try again. More and more individuals are selecting the solitary path rather than that of group interaction. Another name for a solitary Witch is "Natural Witch." You may hear this word from time to time as well.
Strega Witches- Follows tradition seated in Italy that began around 1353 with a woman named Aradia. Of all the traditional Witches, this group appears to be the smallest number in the US; however, their teachings are beautiful and should not be missed.
Teutonic Witch- From ancient times the Teutons have been recognized as a group of people who speak the Germanic group of languages. Culturally, this included the English, Dutch, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish peoples. This is also known as the Nordic Tradition.
Celtic Tradition- The use of Celtic/Druid pantheon mixed with a little ritual Gardnerian, and heavily stressing the elements, nature and the Ancient Ones. They had a vast knowledge of and respect for the healing and magickal qualities of plants and stones, flowers, trees,elemental spirits, the little people, gnomes and faeries.
A Pagan believes in a Dual-Deity system; God & Goddess. We believe we are a part of nature, not opposed to it, or here to subdue & ultimately destroy it because it is in the way of a new parking lot or a condo. We greet all animals as our brothers and sisters, both the four legged and two legged varieties.
We celebrate the cycle of the seasons. Many of us call this the Wheel of the Year. There are 8 big celebrations; 2 Equinoxs, 2 Solstices,& 4 more in which we celebrate
Fertility, Birth, Growth, & Death. Although Death to us is simply the beginning of a new adventure, none of us are in a hurry to start in on it. Grin. Many of us also celebrate the more minor holidays of 13 Full Moons per year.
We do not believe in Hell, or a Devil. Neither do we worship something we disbelieve in. We do not feel guilt for enjoying our lives, or each other on this planet. We Do believe in something I don't think any other religion of this time professes. We do not believe we are the ONLY WAY to contact God/Goddess, as they are everywhere to us. We believe that we can prosper harmoniously without taking anything away from anybody else. We live & let live in the truest sense of the word. Many of us believe in Karma, many of us do not. Many of us believe in Reincarnation, while just as many of us do not. The one thing about us Pagans that most of us CAN agree upon was said best by a character on the Original Star Trek tv show (I think it was Spock(?) "There is room for Infinite Diversity in Infinite Variety." Perhaps that is why i am Pagan. Perhaps not. Grin.
The thing about Paganism to remember is that we each make our own truth, & follow our own path. And no other Pagan will tell you that you are doing it wrong.
Wheel of the year
Yule (December 21) Winter Solstice (December 20-23)the Goddess gives birth to the God. We celebrate the return of the Sun, and the life it will bring.
During Yule my family celebrates by doing many different things. We decorating a tree with ornaments, popcorn, stars and lights. We bring in evergreen limbs for the mantle, setting up a candelabra of sorts holding red, silver and gold candles for each of us. We also decorate a Yule log and each of us tie a different colored ribbon on the log while making our Yule wishes. The night of Yule we build a bon fire and have a celebration. We put the Yule log on the fire. When we are ready to come in we all light a candle from this fire and bring the eternal flame inside to light our own candles on the mantle. It's very symbolic for us all and we hope that it helps our Yule wishes to come true. We also have small presents for the children and they get one for each day of the celebration. Then, of course, Santa Comes on the 24th.
At Imbolc, or Candlemas(February 2) the Goddess has recovered from the birth and the sun's strength is increasing. Imbolc means in the bag. It traditionally marked the calving period, when the animals would begin to bear milk for their young.
On Candlemas we take part in the fire festival. We light candles all over the house. We do candle magic. We celebrate the birth of the new livestock and are thankful for what they bring to us.
Ostara or Spring Equinox (March 20-23), which marks the first day of spring. On this time light and darkness are equal. The young God is now maturing. This is a time of new beginnings as we watch the flowers bloom we are reminded of the wheel of life. We rejoice in the regrowth of the earth.
We do the traditional Baskets of goodies and tell the story of Eostre. We have a spring feast and try to spend the day outdoors looking for telltale signs of spring. During this time we will do our spring cleaning making sure to sweep away the any negativity that may be hidden, and put away our winter coats and hats.
At Beltane (April 30-May 1) The Goddess and God unite. At this time the Goddess becomes pregnant, thus assuring the continuation of life. Beltane is a time of love and great celebration.
On May Day (May 1) We will decorate a May pole. We will have games outdoors for the children. We will build a fire outdoors on Beltane (May eve) and roast marshmellow and hotdogs and be reminded of all that is good and be thankful of the love we have for each other and nature.
Summer Solstice (June 20-23), the God is at the peak of his power. Past now we start towards winter. Today we will feast on the things that the summer has given us. We'll have Watermelons and fruits and other good things. We'll decorate with fresh cut flowers. On this night we will build a fire outdoors and enjoy the warmth. We have fireworks and celebrate all the happy times the summer has brought to us and make plans for the rest of summer. We will be thankful for what has been harvested so far and pray for a good fall harvest.
Lammas or Lughnasadh (August 1) We give thanks for the harvest. This night is the corn festival. We have Mexican food, one of our favorites, complete with Tacos, corn flour tortillas and fresh vegetables from the harvest. We can make corn husk dolls. We will make fresh bread and be thankful of the grain harvest and then give these loaves to friends and neighbors.
Autumn Equinox (September 20-23 The God begins his journey to the Otherworld. final harvest. Once again day and night are equal and we ready ourselves for winter. I treat this time much like thanksgiving. We will have a big meal and be thankful for all the summer brought to us. Also we will make arrangements for winter by putting away our summer clothing and doing a fall cleaning (like spring cleaning only in the fall) Mothers are most thankful at this time because the children have gone back to school and life is a little more peaceful.
Samhian (October 31), the Pagan new year, and commonly know as Halloween. The veil between the worlds of life and death is thin on this night, we take this time to remember our beloved who have passed. The God gives his life up to be reborn again at Yule.
Other than Yule this is our favorite celebration. We tell ghosts stories off and on all day. We throw seed for birds outside and put peanut butter treats and fruit for them and other creatures in the trees. The childeren dress up and go trick or treating. When they are all done they get bed time stories of Halloween and when they are all sleeping my husband and I cozy up by our fireplace and eaten the candy we stole from them : )
Paganism and Christianity... Talking with Pagans as a Christian
For starters, I am not a Christian. I am and have been Pagan (Wiccan in particular) for many years now. So why am I writing this? Because I understand that believing Christians feel they have an obligation to share their religion with others (I was Christian once and participated actively in missionary work at that time). I have also observed over a number of years that believing Christians tend, however unintentionally, to ignore their own strengths, and to consistently put their worst face forward when dealing with those who do not share their faith. This is especially obvious when they are dealing with Wiccans, Druids, or other "pagan" religions. I have thus written this outline in the hope that it will help Christians understand better who and what Pagans really are, and, in the process become more effective in sharing their beliefs.
Don't Attack
First and foremost, never, and I repeat, never attack. I make a point of reading every Christian tract on Paganism I encounter on the Internet or elsewhere, and the overwhelming majority of them are based on attacking Pagan religions, and those who practice them as "evil," "devil-worshippers" and "calling them to repentance before they are doomed to hell forever." I have written to the authors of these tracts, asking exactly what they meant to accomplish by writing what they did. The two purposes that are always mentioned are...
1. to protect Christians from being "lured away" from the true faith.
2. to persuade Pagans to return to Christ.
Unfortunately, attacks such as these usually fail totally on both counts.
To begin with, I have never yet seen anyone converted back to Christianity by threats and attacks on them . I say "back" for a good reason. Unlike the majority of Christians in this country who are raised in their faith and accept it almost as a matter of course, most Pagans have made a conscious decision to become what they are - usually after a long period of study, reflection, and practice. They thus have a strong personal and spiritual commitment to their religion. Remember also that the great majority of Pagans in the U.S. come from Judeo-Christian family and cultural backgrounds, and a scripture-filled attack usually does little more than confirm that they made the right decision in the first place.
Another important point to remember is that, to most Pagans, the need to attack others is viewed as a sign of fear and lack of self-confidence on the part of the attacker. There is an common expression in the Pagan community which runs -"Fear conquers understanding. Understanding conquers fear." It is generally felt that if a person has a strong grounding and foundation in their own religion, they will not feel any need to fear - or attack - others. While a fiery assault on Paganism makes many Christians feel better about their faith, and themselves as a "defender of the truth", the Pagan sees it as a kind of spiritual immaturity on the part of the attacker, and as a result will take neither the person, nor the message, very seriously.
Finally, attacks frequently have an odd way of backfiring. No matter what the pamphlets may say to the contrary, the overwhelming majority of Pagans are fundamentally good and decent people, who live their religion to the best of their ability, and raise their children to become mature, responsible members of their communities. They usually have numerous friends and relatives who recognize them as such, and who often don't appreciate strangers' attacks any more than the Pagans themselves do.
Last year during the holiday season, a young woman in her early twenties and her young son came into the Hope Mission, a local charity organization which provides food and shelter to the homeless. She definitely looked a little different, she had a nose ring on and was wearing a pentagram necklace. A man working at the mission suddenly confronted her and demanded to know why she was there. Before she could answer he saw the pentagram and shouted, "You're one of those witches that was in the park back on Halloween!" He knew because he had participated in a church-organized demonstration against the "open circle" the local Pagan group had held there. He then became very hostile, calling her an evil devil-worshipper in front of everyone present and shouting that "her kind" had no business coming into a Christian center and that she would receive nothing from them. To her credit, she stood her ground, and a moment later several of the other volunteers came to her defense. It turned out that the woman and her son had come to the mission to donate food for the holidays, and after doing so left without a word to the man who had berated her so publicly. The workers who had stood by the woman, however, had plenty to say - mostly about her generosity in donating the food despite his rudeness and how he had had no right to talk to her like that, even if she did belong to a group that the church did not approve of. They seemed to feel his conduct to be "un-Christian" at the very least, and hardly the kind of example that would make the young woman he'd insulted want to come back to church. In the end, he had little choice but to turn away looking like the perfect fool he had been.
Get your facts straight!!!!!!!
If you are going to have any chance at all in sharing your message, it is critical that you understand clearly what Pagans actually believe. You don't have to agree with these beliefs, but it is important that you see Pagans as they see themselves. The tracts I have read are usually filled with a fascinating assortment of pseudo-information regarding Pagan beliefs, usually accompanied by numerous Biblical scriptures, often used completely out of context. They are a poor way to learn about Pagan beliefs, as they are almost always written by hostile outsiders who have little or no personal experience with Pagans.
To start with, Pagans do not worship the devil. The simple fact is that to the great majority of Pagans, the Christian devil has no more meaning than the Christian god does. This may be even more disturbing to many Christians, but to understand Paganism this first point must be clear. I don't doubt for one minute that there are some people in this world who actually participate in "devil-worship" as Christians see it, and that those people may do some very sick, disgusting things, but you might be surprised to find that Pagans are as offended by such people as Christians are.
Pagans do not renounce Christ. There seems to be a common belief the writers of these tracts that when Pagans are initiated into their religion they renounce Christianity. This usually accompanies claims that Pagans are devil-worshippers. Again, while there may be people that worship the Christian devil and such people may renounce Christ, Pagans do not. Neither Christ nor the devil ever appear in Pagan initiations, or in any other Pagan rituals for that matter.
Pagans do not hold "grotesque Satanic rituals" on Halloween. Actually Pagans seldom, if ever, refer to this day as Halloween. To us, it is called Samhain (pronounced sow-en), a word which means "summer's end" To the ancient Celtic people it was New Years day, and many Pagans celebrate the new year at this time. Others celebrate the new year at Yule. To most Pagans Samhain is a sacred day - a time when the last harvests are gathered in before winter's arrival, and the time when family members who have passed away are remembered and honored. It is also considered a time of reflection, a time to look back on the year's accomplishments and make plans for the future. Finally, it is the time when Pagans reflect on their own mortality, and the time when the focus of life turns from physical concerns to spiritual ones. Samhain is only one of eight times of the year that Pagans celebrate - all of them focusing on a particular season or phase of life.
Pagans do not sacrifice children, animals, or anything else on their altars. Tract writers seem fascinated with the idea of animal and human sacrifice and this is always included in lurid descriptions of alleged Pagan rituals. Do modern Pagans sacrifice animals or people? No. Did they do so in the ancient past? Possibly. Sacrifices were part of nearly all ancient religions, the Biblical Hebrews being no exception. There are detailed descriptions in the Old Testament as to exactly what to sacrifice, and how it was to be done in order to be accepted. The idea of sacrificing was and still is that you must give up something valuable to you in order to gain something even more valuable or important. As many people in ancient times took this in a literal, rather than in a spiritual sense, and since they were primarily farmers and shepherds, the logical sacrifices were some of their crops or their animals. In many cultures human life was considered the ultimate value, and a human sacrifice was seen as the ultimate offering to god. According to the Bible Abraham was told by no less than Yahweh himself to take his only son and sacrifice him as a sign of his faith. While this turned out to be only a "test," and Abraham ultimately did not have to do it - it was clear that the idea of human sacrifice and its meaning was not unknown to him - he did as he felt he had been commanded to do. As the concept of personal sacrifice moved from the physical to the spiritual realm, actual physical sacrifices ceased, and is now no more approved of in Paganism than it is in Christianity. Are there individuals and groups who still do it? No doubt. Is it a part of Paganism as a whole? No.
Pagans have no interest in luring your children out of the church. There are two very simple reasons for this. First, Pagans do not proselytize. They have no missionary program. In fact, it is not very easy to become a Pagan. Pagans generally don't teach their religion unless asked to do so by someone who has specifically sought them out. They also tend to carefully screen those who come to them, and many are rejected if they turn out to be seeking instruction for the wrong reasons - rebelling against parents and their parents' faith, desire for power, to be "cool" or "different." Religion is viewed by most Pagans to be a very personal and sacred matter, something never to be imposed on another against their wishes.
The second reason is that Pagans do not generally believe that Paganism is the "only true way." This doesn't mean that they believe that "anything is okay if you are a good person." What it does mean is that Pagans are less concerned with which particular religion a person follows, and more concerned with what kind of person their religion helps them to become. They tend to see religion as a road leading to the summit of a mountain (the summit being the ultimate goal of religion). People tend to start at different points of the mountain's base and work their way up, and there are many roads that lead to the summit. Christianity and Paganism are only two of them. There are many others. The closer to the summit one gets, the closer the roads become to each other, until they all meet at the top. Now, if you are preparing to share the gospel with Pagans, you clearly don't agree with this view, but you need to understand it, as promoters of a "one true way" are often seen through Pagan eyes as "taking the road to be the destination."
A final note. Don't attempt to tell Pagans what they "really" believe in, especially if your information is based on the tracts I've encountered. Imagine being told by a Buddhist that the Last Supper is clear evidence that Christians practice a form of ritual cannibalism each Sunday. When you attempt to explain to them the actual meaning of the Last Supper, they interrupt you to say, "It says right in the Bible that Jesus himself said 'Eat, this is my body' and 'Drink, this is my blood.' Eating a man's body or drinking their blood to take on their attributes is a common idea among savage peoples that practice cannibalism!" They then tell you that you may think that the Last Supper has a deep spiritual meaning, but that it's actually a barbaric rite and quote teachings from the Buddha that "prove" it.. When you press them to tell you exactly how they could possibly "know" such a thing - obviously you, as a practicing, believing Christian, should know far more about the subject than they possibly could - they reply that they read it in a pamphlet called "How to respond to the Christian missionaries" by a well-known Buddhist proselytizing organization (yes, this is a real example from a real tract).
Accept the Fact that there is a Dark Side to Christian history
- and then Focus on the Positive.
When you begin to talk about Christ to Pagans, you are likely to be presented with a number of negative comments about the Christian church (yes, many Pagans are touchy about the attacks leveled on them in the media and, being human, may very well do some attacking of their own - it's not right, but you may well come out understanding why attacks on others just don't work). Some of these comments will include the destruction of many cultures by missionaries - and the armies that always accompanied them, intolerance of other faiths, denigration of women by the church. These negative comments tend to bring out what I call the "defender of the faith" syndrome. They immediately rise to the church's defense, saying that these statements are simply not true, and denying that "real Christians" could ever do such a thing. Every negative allegation is either denied or explained away (there are evil people who used the Lord's name for their purpose, but that doesn't make Christianity evil).
The point here is that when people look at another faith, they are quick to see the negative side and slow to see the positive. The Inquisition (usually called "the burning times" by Pagans) did exist, and many innocent people -Christians as well as Pagans- were burned, tortured, and maimed in the name of "destroying the body to save the soul." Women were denigrated through much of Christian history (there was in fact a major church conference, attended by Thomas Aquinas among others which debated seriously whether women even had souls) and in some sects still are today. The massacre of cultures (and peoples) by missionaries and their armies did happen many times in history (although hardly by Christians alone), and the hate-tracts on Paganism I almost daily encounter on the Internet are clear enough example of the degree to which intolerance exists. I would love to be able to say that Paganism doesn't have it's dark side, but the Celts were not all "loving souls who hug trees, drink herb tea and wouldn't hurt a fly," by any means. There were, and are today, many people who call themselves Pagan and then do some very unsavory and unpleasant things. The Roman emperors who declared themselves gods existed, as well as many other cruel and barbaric customs among different Pagan peoples. There are many unpleasant, negative facts about almost any religious group that does or has ever existed on the earth. But to focus on them is to miss the point.
Rather than becoming a "defender of the faith," focus instead on the transforming power that the Christ can have on individual lives, and the positive factors of the faith. Does it surprise you that a Pagan writer can respect and even revere Jesus? It shouldn't. You will find out rapidly in working with Pagans that very few of them have any hostility to Christ whatsoever. The hostility you will encounter will be towards those who claim to be his representatives, and their unwillingness to let others claim the same right to worship in peace that they demand for themselves. Clearly you will not find this easy to accept, but, again it is crucial to understand Pagans as they understand themselves if you are to have any success sharing your message. There is a powerful and very positive side to Christ's teaching. Pagans are fully aware of both sides. It will be your task to emphasize the positive.
Treat Pagans as People First
In James Michener's book Hawaii, there is a incident where two missionaries, who had been working with the Hawaiians for many years clashed over the impending marriage of one of them to a Hawaiian woman. Despite the fact that the woman was a baptized, believing Christian, the marriage was fiercely condemned. Reverend Hale quoted Biblical scripture on how the marriage constituted "being yoked with unbelievers" and condemned his former friend for "consorting with the heathen." The response to this attack was a strong rebuke to what I have found to be the greatest mistake would-be teachers of the Gospel can make. He stated that "our work here is based upon a profound contradiction. You love the Hawaiians as souls to be saved, but you despise them as people."
Think carefully about this statement. On many occasions Christians have approached me in, what was at first, a friendly manner. Sometimes I was invited to their homes for dinner, sometimes to church social activities or services. There was a conspicuous effort to "get close" to me, and the topic of religion came up very often. This continued until it became clear that I wasn't going to jump into the baptismal pool right away, and that I was firmly committed to my religion. Then the "friendship" cooled off rapidly, phone calls ceased, and many times I was later treated with open hostility by the very people who had taken it upon themselves to approach me.
This is perhaps the most disturbing tendency Pagans encounter in Christians who would share the Gospel with them, and also one of the chief reasons Christians are often bluntly considered to be hypocrites in Pagan eyes. Pagans generally do not approach people solely for the purpose of sharing their religion, and if they become friends with someone it is real friendship, with the person. This is not to say that Christians don't do the same - I have also met many Christians who value friendship, and who accept me, even if they don't like my religions views. But a crucial question that any would-be missionary must ask themselves before they begin is whether they can be a genuine friend to those they would teach - a stay a friend even if those people don't accept their message. After all, one can never be sure where you're going to run into each other. Some of my Christian acquaintances are astonished that, as a Pagan, I support the right of students to meet together for prayer in a public school classroom if they wish to. I then ask them, "why not?" That right applies to all, and I would like to think that if a group of Pagan children wished to have a drumming circle in a classroom after school (much safer than many places I could think of) they would have the right to do so. If Muslim students wanted to meet and discuss their religion in a classroom after school, they should also have this right. And for those who don't have any religious belief - they have the same right NOT to participate.
Accept that You Can't Win Them All
Realize before you begin that you will not convert everyone you meet, and know when to stop. Many missionaries I have met seem to regard it as a personal failure if someone they are teaching decides not to join their church - or as a deliberate rejection of them. In most cases, neither is true. If a Pagan finally tells you that they have found their path, and wishes you well on yours, that simply means that you need to let go, and as one Mennonite pastor I heard put it, 'remember that I cannot see all things, and leave it to the Lord to judge." You don't have to accept their beliefs, or agree with them, but since you never know what the future may hold, suspend judgment. That is the spirit of religious tolerance (which never did mean you have to accept another religion - merely that everyone has a basic right to believe according to their conscience.
In closing, remember the Golden Rule - which in one form or another runs in all religions. Treat Pagans you would teach with the same respect, as people, that you would want for yourself. You may very well find yourself dealing with missionaries of other faiths one day (it happens - evangelical movements are growing rapidly among Muslims, Buddhists, for example). These guidelines should serve you just as well when you stand on the other side of the discussion - as the person they would convert.
