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Pagan Still A Dirty Word

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Contributed by: Holly Heiman on 12/29/2007

After thousands of years, and supposedly superior education, people still consider Pagans vile and scary. It's so frustrating it makes me want to act out, like one of those bad kids I recall my 5th grade teacher always ordering to sit in the desk off in the corner. Say 'Pagan' to most regular people and they envision a pentagram on your forehead. Of course, that's not to say there's anything wrong with being a Wiccan witch, but that's not me!

What really amazes me is that few people even know the actual meaning of Pagan. The literal, or original term came about from Late Latin paganus, meaning country-dweller. Someone who lives close to the land. Like us farmers and organic gardeners.

Those long ago country-dwellers loved the earth so much, they worshiped earth deities, like Pan, that horned & horny pipe-playing guy, also known as the Green Man, who lives in the deep forest and provides fertility and growth for all living things.

The word 'panic' comes from Pan, and was coined by those long ago conquering cultures who were mostly Christian. The Christians in particular used the word to describe what they felt upon entering the Pagan's 'wild dark forests,' areas which needed 'subduing' through organized religion, proper scripture and tree-clearing to make way for 'civilized' folks. This same ethic of 'manifest destiny' is what founded our country and created the homicidal genocide of native tribes, which continues today,

I often wonder where in the bible (or any other religious text) it talks about destroying all of God's creation for the commercialization and pollution of God's Earth. Could anybody clue me in? Anyway, the organized, civilized religious groups found many ways to destroy the 'country-dwellers' belief systems. Changing words and deities was a small part. Torture, clear-cutting, stealing belief systems (like Yule) helped conquer and subdue. I doubt Jesus would have approved.

That may seem like old news, but this kind of forced assimilation continues today. Its the way things are in this country, where anybody who doesn't conform to an organized (and accepted) religion could be a weirdo, perhaps even having hidden horns, or might even be a terrorist.

'Pagan' actually includes ANY and ALL beliefs that are NOT Christian. Nope, you don't have to be a witch to be Pagan! This includes the Jewish faith, Islam, Buddhism, and yes, Catholicism! All the Catholics burning incense and worshiping Mother Mary are about as pagan as they come! Hurrah! I guess Catholics aren't so bad...except maybe the head Catholics in the Vatican.

So, all in all, boys and girls, it's really not so bad to be a Pagan, is it?

I mean, we Pagans are probably the majority on this earth!

I happen to consider myself a TRUE Pagan, and have had to outgrow my own weird prejudice against Christians in particular, not due to bad family experiences, but because of all I've learned about the history of indigenous and tribal people. Oddly enough, I developed my own temperance after meeting a born-again young Christian woman, who told me that because of my partial Jewish background, I could be the next chosen one! I found myself embarrassed every time she made this simple statement. We worked briefly together for the Colorado Park system, so I saw her every now and then. One of those times, she convinced me to go to an event held regularly in Fort Collins, called, "Praise in the Park".

This event is a huge musical, rock-n-roll, prayer meetup, and everyone gets really happy.

I've avoided it like the plague for all my other years in the Fort, but I hesitantly went with her, making sure my fuel tank of prejudice was fully loaded.

But, being a Pagan as I am, and coming from a unique backgrounds, I also carry around an open mind. I believe this is the only way for a human to evolve, especially if your conscious of your need to evolve. Prejudice is as nasty a word as hate.

So, stepping into the aura of the Praise in the Park, I felt this high energy of jubilation, joy, and oddly enough, acceptance. Granted, they didn't realize they had a polytheistic earth worshiping goddess lover walking amongst them, and heaven knows, someone tried to push me to the stage where they were 'saving' people...But still. It was joyful. The feeling was good. People were beaming.

It was quite different from what I'd experienced in the past. Ever since my teeny-bopper years in Florida, I had been exploring churches, wondering about the special feeling I got in places of worship. Of my own accord, I rode my bike to various churches and asked to meet the minister or preacher. I even agreed to be saved by a couple of them, I had no concept of how important 'saving' was. My favorite was the African American church - all that singing and dancing and even an electric guitar! But the vast majority showed me that in order to be accepted and approved of, I had to accept Jesus as my savior, and this goes against much of what I've always believed in. Even as a child I understood the possible hypocrisy of Sunday church-goers who profess love for all through Jesus and then become something else the other 6 days a week.

Anyway, because of that day in the park, and my born-again friend, I gave up prejudice against Christians in general, but not those who practice their faith poorly. In fact, I've met many who beam with the kind of love I've seen in Buddhists. I've come to believe that Jesus as a Jew, was a rebel, and probably extremely outspoken and quite unique in his day. And therefore, as someone who stood up for his beliefs, and also worked diligently to make positive change in his world, I realize I'm a lot like him, as are many activists and people who take a difficult stand in the face of disbelief, and I respect and appreciate his message, and base my morals on the Golden Rule
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Thankfully, I'm meeting more Christians these days who are opening up their minds and allowing pagans to have their space. But one on one conversations with firm believers are usually strained.

While I attended Colorado State University from 1995-2000, we were assailed by radical Christian groups, including 5-year-olds, picketing outside the student center, brandishing signs painted with burning, screaming humans, and handing out fliers describing why if you weren't a Christian you would end up like one of Stephen King's main characters. And if you were a Buddhist, Hindu or Jew, the pamphlets showed images of the hidden demons inside your body.

Luckily, the gentle Krishnas were also usually around, and I gravitated toward them since all they want to do is pray for peace through song, dance and free food. I learned their mantra quickly and joined them after class, out on the lawn, whenever I could. To this day, I encourage others to experience a musical round of Hare Krishna, and break away from the old Hare Krishna stereotype of giddy, brainless dancers handing out red paper flowers at airports.

These days, I'm a little older, a little bolder, and a lot more likely to open my mouth and speak my truth, as I was taught by a few wise Native American women. Living in Colorado Springs, has probably exemplified these characteristics.

Whoever asks, or whenever a form requests it, I state that I'm Pagan. If people judge me by the word alone, they'll probably think that means I'm a witch. They won't know it means I'm a devout activist for protecting the Earth and its animal life, or that I practice many beliefs and am a Naturalist. However, if they do inquire, I'll let them know, with a little laugh, that I'm a Buddhist Pagan Gypsy Jew!

Author's Note: This essay by no means is all inclusive, historically or religiously, and is a purely subjective piece. No offense is intended, and I hope all can learn to live in peace one day.

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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments

Submitted By: Patricia Moore

posted on 1/22/2008 @ 7:54:02 PM

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Yes, I have had a feeling that it is time for us to stand up more than ever. Great article!

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Submitted By: Jennifer Caress

posted on 12/30/2007 @ 2:06:40 PM

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Very well written! It seems our only options at times are either to stay in the Pagan closet, or come out and have to constantly defend myself and my beliefs. For me, the most frustrating part of the whole thing is how quick christians are to play the victim. Oh sure, history shows a different picture, but that somehow doesn't matter anymore. Thanks for writing this. It was a pleasure to read for this weary ol' Pagan.

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CONTRIBUTOR INFO

Holly Heiman

Green Mountain Falls , CO

Holly Heiman has posted 12 stories and 4 comments since joining on 6/28/2007. Holly Heiman 's average story rating is 4.62.

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