2.20.2008
Continuing the Catholic Anti-Pagan Pile-On
What is it with the Catholics lately? Earlier this month we see stories about an exorcism revival in Europe and Australia that seems to specifically target modern Pagans, and now we get anti-Pagan apologetics from National Catholic Register commentator Mark Shea.
"Finally, in these latter days, 'pagan' has taken yet another turn and is now used in some circles as a compliment. Among a growing number of people, 'pagan' now means 'post-Christian religionist who is attempting to rescue reverence for Nature from the hands of evil Judeo-Christian earth rapists.' The notion behind this version of 'pagan' is that there was once a magical far-off time when humans dwelt in harmony with Mother Earth, everybody was comfortable with their various Jungian archetypes, and all was well as we worshiped the 'gods' and 'goddesses' who both expressed the beauty of Nature and got us in touch with our inmost selves (and lots of libido, to boot). Who needs all that stuff about sin, dying to self and the need for redemption? The great blunder of the human race was when the old gods were swept away by the evil Judeo-Christian God."
You can almost smell the contempt! Shea, like all desperate apologists, vainly constructs a modern Paganism from straw, inflating perceived flaws and minimizing strengths in order to rhetorically vanquish his demonic foe and claim victory for the True Faith (in this case, Catholicism). He references philosophers like Peter Kreeft and G. K. Chesterton without mentioning that both are Catholic apologists, thus building a flawless anti-Pagan feedback loop in which no opposing view can take root.
"Post-Christian paganism is, first and foremost, a search for an escape from God. It is a hunt for the blessings of heaven without the trouble of submitting to heaven. As such, it is ordered toward unreality, though much hampered in the pursuit by the work of the Holy Spirit."
Paganism is a search for an escape from God! A rebellion against submission that ultimately leads to delusion! It doesn't matter that no reputable scholar of religion would echo such a view, we are deep in the land of Catholic doublespeak here, a place where any un-Catholic notion is a symptom of a disordered mind. No doubt Shea's next installment will try to link modern Paganism to nihilism and fascism, following in the footsteps of his Pope.
This new series of columns is just another piece of evidence for an increasingly hostile stance the Catholic Church has been taking towards Pagans. An intolerance that is being instilled in Catholic youth, peddled by the Churches' highest leaders, enacted by "spiritual warriors", and parroted by columnists like Shea. Why us now? Perhaps Pagans, being a small and disorganized lot, seems a far safer target than certain rival monotheisms. They can engage in spiritual "battle" without having to worry about criticism, reprisal, or their leader finding it prudent to apologize. What better way to boost the ego, than to pick on someone smaller than you?
Labels: apologetics, Benedict XVI, Catholicism, Christianity, Mark Shea, Paganism
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