I suppose it is an inevitable question.


Quick thought from a weirdo

But it caught me off-guard last week. It's the first time that I got asked it directly.

"Why are so many Pagans weirdos?"

The simple answer is that most Pagans are non-conformists. But that is too simple, especially since certain of us are very conformist in non-conformity.

Maybe the difference is that American Neopagans chose to walk their path instead of "going with the flow" expected by the mainstream. That's naturally going to attract more people who are "out of the box" to begin with. It also means that we're going to have more than our fair share of the "walking wounded" because we offer some places that shield people from the mainstream.

It's not perfect of course. GLBT Pagans are accepted, mostly. But certain political beliefs will still get you shunned.

America is a place where the mainstream WANTS to believe in something beyond. We've been called the most religious nation on the planet because religion in America is a voluntary act that most of us embrace. Even outside a religious context, we have our faith and dreams. We're the nation that was "conceived in liberty." We're the nation that vowed to put a man on the moon within a decade. We're the land of comic books and Hollywood, of Nashville and Boston. We've got San Francisco and Chicago, Indianapolis and Orlando.

I think a dream is the real reason. Paganism gives us an excuse to manifest our hope. In the right time and the right place, that can change us the world.

Works for me.

Happy Samhain everyone.

Posted: Tue - October 30, 2007 at 11:52 AM
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