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
8.22.2007
The Noxious Gases of Paganism
Generally speaking I don't seek out anti-Pagan rhetoric from conservative Christians. I know it's out there, and it is easy enough to find if you know where to look, but reporting it does nothing to change their minds or further our causes (which is why I rarely comment on the "news" that emerges from places like WorldNetDaily). But occasionally you come across something that is so explicitly aimed at your community you can't help but comment. Such is the case with the recently released anthology "Only One Way?: Reaffirming the Exclusive Truth Claims of Christianity", in which a group of evangelicals compose an apologetic defending Christianity against "postmodern relativism".
"Each chapter proclaims, defends, and explains the Christian truths that are most directly challenged by postmodern relativism. Our God is the God; Jesus is not merely a savior, but the only Savior; and the truth revealed in the Bible is divine truth. As readers grasp these essential ideas and their implications they will be able to witness powerfully by articulating these claims with clarity, conviction, and love."
Even still, I hardly keep track of the Christian publishing industry, and I wouldn't have noticed this title if it weren't for the fact that they cite one of my favorite books concerning polytheism "The Deities Are Many: A Polytheistic Theology" by York University professor Jordan Paper. Paper's book is referenced in the section "One God" by Peter R. Jones, who is one of the truly rabid anti-Pagan crusaders and who spares no time abandoning reasoned discourse to heap insults on perceptions of the divine outside his rigid boundaries.
"These [pro-polytheistic] trends signify a genuine threat to the world that is presently emerging. These ideas are like noxious gases escaping from the first small crack in the earth's crust before a major volcano breaks open a massive fault line, and the burning lava consumes all around it. In the appearance of this marginal alternate spirituality we are witnessing the first signs of a major religious revolution that threatens to sweep all before it."
In addition to comparing the growth of Paganism to a deadly volcano that is spewing poisonous gas, Jones also heaps scorn on Bill Clinton, the UN, ancient Pagan cultures, and the practice of preserving pre-Christian ceremony and culture in our modern era. People like Jones represent the "shadow" side of the Christian call to Witness. A "calling" that won't rest in combatting anything outside a "Biblical" world lest the (often invoked) days of a Christian minority under a Roman pagan yoke emerge once more.
"We and our children in the planetary empire of the twenty-first century must be ready, like our faithful Christian forebears, to face a new form of that ancient imperial decadence, similarly clothed in enabling power of occultic pagan spirituality."
One would think Christians like Jones would have bigger worries, but Pagans, Heathens, Witches, and other "heretics" have always been a popular scape-goat for the world's ills in certain Christian communities. Though some Christians, including author and apologist Anthony Horvath feel that better Paganism than the true horrors of secular atheism.
"As I recall, C.S. Lewis was once asked if he feared that Britain was turning to Paganism and responded "If only she were." I might say the same about America. You see, 'pagans' actually believe in something beyond the materialistic world, but it is philosophical naturalism winning today, not paganism. If paganism were the threat du jour, that would actually be an improvement."
While it would be nice to see a day when Christians of Jones' stripe can acknowledge our right to exist and thrive, but I fear the polytheist world view threatens their core belief systems so deeply that we can be nothing other than tools of Satan bent on subjugating the Christian world. When the exclusivity of truth is the cornerstone of your theology, any other claimed truth becomes fair game for demonization and aggressive "mission" efforts to remove the threat. But I suppose it is a step in the right direction that they are reading excellent books on polytheism.
Labels: Anthony Horvath, apologetics, Christianity, conversions, Jordan Paper, Paganism, Peter R. Jones, Polytheism
