Why are Pagans hated?

Originally posted by KrazyIvan
hardly anything that actually needs to be demonized hardly ever is demonized.

Oh how true that is...

That was a beautiful post-- thanks.

And to even consider that there might be an essential truth inherent (but not totally encompassing) to the thoughts and beliefs that someone else is loyal to, would mean some sort of unforgivable treason in the arena of their own personal doctrine.

That's probably the best explanation of that specific dynamic I've seen.

All too many people adopt a viewpoint, whether religious or political or cosmological or what-have-you, then can't or won't even tolerate alternative views. It seems that they define themselves too much by those viewpoints-- they invest too much of themselves, or at least their self-image, into those beliefs, and that self-image is therefore at risk if they were to even entertain the notion that even some small facet of that belief was even potentially in error.

I like to use a visual analogy for that process. Imagine each individual as an orb. This orb defines both their self-image and their image as conveyed to others. It's composed of all of the individual beliefs and values and ideas that they have, all interlocking (to some degree or another) to form a whole that defines the extent, the borders and the shape of each individual's persona.

In most instances, the various pieces that comprise this whole don't entirely fit. Some of them are truly defective-- they're false beliefs or irrational desires or whatever-- while others are reasonably stable pieces, but don't fit particularly well with the other pieces out of which the individual has built her/his life. Some few people have a facility for finding those pieces and replacing them with ones that fit better, most people can do this at least in extreme cases, and some people simply can't or won't even examine the pieces that make up their orbs, much less attempt to repair or replace them. So every orb is, to some degree or another, unstable or incomplete, but in some cases, this instability is so pronounced that the person inside the orb has to take action to protect that orb from the ravages of the world. They use any number of tactics to do this, one of which is to attack any belief or viewpoint that might serve to cast a negative light on one which they already hold. As you say, their hearts become stony-- they create a series of walls and wires and traps and buttresses and supports and barriers to protect these ill-fitting pieces from examination and potential destruction.

And these walls and barriers, designed to keep the outside world out, come to be a prison, just as inviolable from inside as from without.


And the ironic thing is that the truth shall indeed set you free. The whole thing is based on an irrational fear-- for whatever reason, these people feel that any threat to any piece of the orb they've built around themselves is a threat to them, when the reality is that it's the ill-fitting pieces themselves that are the threat. It's entirely painless and ultimately quite simple to remove the ill-fitting pieces and replace them with others that fit better, and doing so makes the entire structure that much stronger and the person inside it that much more stable and safe. I truly don't understand people who refuse to do such a simple and ultimately beneficial thing.


I liked your reference to the Bible too. While I'm comfortably agnostic, I too hold the Bible as the single best source I've ever seen for simple advice on how to live one's life. While it's a shame that it has been subverted by power-hungry people for their own purposes, that's no legitimate condemnation of the message. All creeds, all beliefs, all organizations, easily fall prey to the machinations of power-hungry people. If more people honestly examined their beliefs and their viewpoints, rather than simply ascribing to them, inserting the appropriate pieces into their orbs, and defending them at all costs, that would not only serve to dampen the misplaced blame that the anti-religious place on religion for the actions of those who manipulate it for their own gain, but would serve to make the followers of those religions-- those who stand idly by while those same power-hungry people engage in their manipulations-- more able to stand against them without fearing that going against their leaders equates to going against their faith.


And, as a final note-- all of the above is just as true of political and social issues as it is of religious ones. The same deliberate closed mindedness is behind partisan divisions, racial divisions, class divisions... In all of these, as you so succinctly expressed it, "to even consider that there might be an essential truth inherent (but not totally encompassing) to the thoughts and beliefs that someone else is loyal to, would mean some sort of unforgivable treason in the arena of their own personal doctrine."

Why are Pagans hated?

Fear.


If not fear, then how can anyone justify their hate, for it was their fear of loosing something/someone they love that enabled them to justify their hate.

If "God" worshippers "Hate" it is because their "Fear".

If "God" worshippers "Fear" it is their "Fear" that demonstrate the weakness of their "God", for their "God" has failed to deminish their "Fear", thus their "God" is the "God" of cowards who's teachings are inept to free them. If only they would follow their "God's" teachings. . . . . . . . . . .

Fear.. that is what it is always about.

Anytime you want to sell something that is B.S. to the public it is done with fear. The truth never has to have fear behind its motive. I don't know about anyone else, but my belief removes all fear.

My way of living though is a tall order, but emcompasses everything. Harm none, do what you will.

To harm none, that means in any way shape or form.

To not have fear is because I know God/Goddess will never throw one of their children to a place called hell.

The fear and bigotry against me though is frightening, I can never wear a Pentacle in front of the people in my community. I would be completely singled out in our small village of Baptists, and some Methodists, but mostly Baptist community, they would never talk to me again.

The R.C.C. did a good job of nuking it, but Hollywood was the best mode for smearing it into what the public percieves of it today.

Pagans never need fear. Because living with nature is what is the truth.

[edit on 6-12-2005 by LoneGunMan]

Originally posted by LoneGunMan
The fear and bigotry against me though is frightening, I can never wear a Pentacle in front of the people in my community.

I cut non-intrusive minority religions (such as neopaganism) slack simply because of what you are talking about. I'd love to display a "Saturn is the reason for the season" sticker or an evolution fish on my car, but I know some zealous nutjob would throw a brick through the window, or make snide comments like "i bet this guy believes in hell now" if they ever pull my lifeless body from the car - or worse yet, they might let their predjudices get in the way of medical care.

I tend to respect pagans who display it openly only because they have more guts than I.

Originally posted by LoneGunMan
Because living with nature is what is the truth.

If your gun is not loaded with the truth, then you are shooting blanks.

Since you are shooting the truth, then you are never alone.

Nice post.