Temples typically facilitate organized worship, and thus bring the community together. They provide a sense of fellowship (to borrow a Christian term) for members of the religion and provide education for those wanting to practice the religion (both members and curious outsiders). Temples provide a place for regular worship, as well as events significant to the religion itself (such as feast days) and to the individuals practicing the religion (such as rites of passage).

While regular get-togethers are important for networking and fostering a sense of community, having a temple allows for a build-up of energy which becomes quite tangible after a sufficient period of time. Such an energy build-up allows for powerful spiritual experiences. Those who practice ceremonial magick are very aware of the benefits in having a dedicated personal space / temple for private practice. Working within a space repeatedly, perhaps by first tracing a magick circle, enhances the containment and concentration of energy which invariably arises within rituals. A public temple theoretically allows for a much greater build-up of energy as long as the participants are sufficiently dedicated.

Historically, pagans have had the most beautiful temples ever built – the temples of Egypt, Greece and Rome stand as eloquent testimony. While contemporary pagans don’t have anything rivaling the temples of our ancestors, steps are being taken to redress the issue.

A recent announcement from Minnesota declared that a Celtic Pagan temple called the Irish Cottage Building, in Northeast Minneapolis, will be opening to the public on September 18, 2010.

This is by no means the only pagan temple in the US. There are doubtless many on private property which are made available to a select few, but there are also a few public ones.

The Kemetic Orthodoxy community have Tawy House in Southwest Michigan, which is a former convent featuring a full-size temple chapel and library. There is also The Temple of Goddess Spirituality Dedicated to Sekhmet in Nevada, which is used for various events.

The Dianic community have their Goddess Temple of Orange County as well as a number of other temples.

ADF have their Cedarlight Grove, in Baltimore Maryland, which is available for various events and education.

Probably the most spectacular temple we have had in the US was the Nuwaubian Temple in Athens, Georgia. It was set up by the Nuwaubian sect, but was eventually abandoned and sold after their founder was imprisoned for money laundering and child molestation. It’s a shame that the site wasn’t purchased by a pagan or Kemetic group and preserved. There are short films on YouTube which show what the site used to look like from the front and while driving by, and what it looks like now – a plantation.

For the truly magnificent, we have to look overseas to a modern Hellenic temple in Thessaloniki, Greece. While it can be difficult to conclusively tell from photos, this temple appears to come close to capturing the feel of an ancient Hellenic temple. Former marathon runner, Aristoteles Kakogeorgiou, has created an amazing legacy that is already being used for worship by YSEE (The Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes) – a contemporary group engaging in Hellenic revivalism.

It will be quite some time before pagans have access to the sort of money that various Christian groups have, such as the ambitious project by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, who will be building a replica of Jerusalem’s destroyed Temple of Solomon in eastern Sao Paulo, Brazil, in a four-year, 113-million dollar construction project. When completed, the temple will have a capacity for 10,000 people.

Every temple which we as pagans build fosters a sense of community and facilitates devotion to our deities. I look forward to the day when we have sufficient numbers of temples to require guidebooks for the pilgrimages which will doubtlessly ensue.

Tony Mierzwicki

The delegation were on their way to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre, wherein almost 22,000 Polish officers and intelligentsia were executed by Soviet troops in 1940, burying the victims in the Katyn forest. Somewhat ironically the executions were discovered by Nazis in 1943, who used them as propaganda material against the Soviets. The Soviets denied the charges and blamed the Nazis. It was only in 1990 that Mikhail Gorbachev, who was the last head of state of the USSR before its collapse in 1991, admitted that the NKVD (the Soviet Secret Police) had executed the Poles. He also confirmed two other similar burial sites.

As often happens at disasters like these, one person missed the flight. Those who believe in fate will argue that it was not this person’s destiny to die. Perhaps this person still has an important mission to fulfill? Was this person’s guardian angel looking out for them? So what about the guardian angels who were supposed to be looking after the others? Are guardian angels not able to overcome fate?

Not only did the plane crash occur while the entourage were on their way to commemorate an anniversary of the Katyn massacre, but it was the 70^th anniversary. 70 is a very interesting number, being a product of 7 and 10. The number of planets known to the ancients was 7, while 10 was a number of completeness, thus 70 can be seen as a number of perfect spiritual order. It was also the number of disciples sent out by Jesus.

The next few weeks will see detailed investigations taking place. Some are already suspecting sabotage, but the presidential plane, was a Tupolev Tu-154, which has a rather poor safety record. Our prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims, as Katyn claims yet more Polish lives.

Tony Mierzwicki

“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

The US has a long tradition of promoting religious freedom. In 1779 Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, in which he supported the separation of church and state. The Statue emphasized that:

“No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burdened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.”

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, states:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .”

The practice of paganism should be protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, but is it really?

In The Complexity of Religion and the Definition of “Religion” in International Law published in the Harvard Human Rights Journal, T Jeremy Gunn identified two types of coercion in religious discrimination:

Firstly, there is coercion that disrupts or interferes with religious services, causes harm to religious buildings, shrines, and symbols, or threatens the lives of others. The actions may be taken for the purpose of expressing hatred, destroying a religious community, or forcing it to flee.

Secondly, there is coercion that enforces or promotes religious (or cultural) conformity in a community. This is a feature of certain theocracies, where security forces may be called upon to enforce religious standards, using various degrees of force.

Religious discrimination against pagans, who are invariably a religious minority, occurs throughout the world. In most cases this discrimination takes the form of the first kind. However, the second kind does occur, as in a recent case in Saudi Arabia, where a man was sentenced to death for the practice of sorcery.

In the US, much progress has been made with regard to allowing prisoners access to paganism and the recognition of Wicca by the armed forces, but there is still much more to do. It is timely to remember the plight of pagan chaplain Patrick McCollum, currently embroiled in his challenge to California’s discriminatory “five faiths” policy, which limits the hiring of paid chaplains in the prison system to Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and Native American adherents.

It is a sad state of affairs when the US government produces reports scrutinizing religious freedom internationally, when in the US itself there is still a long way to go before all religious minorities can enjoy the freedom which is their right.

Yours in Freedom,

Tony Mierzwicki

The defense is arguing that “traditional” faiths are first tier faiths and that those faiths were meant to have equal rights and protections under the United States Constitution, but that all of the other faiths (including pagans) were second tier faiths, and were not meant to have the same equal rights and protections under the United States Constitution as the first tier faiths.

A conservative activist organization called WallBuilders, argues that Patrick has no standing because modern pagans aren’t guaranteed the same Constitutional rights and protections as Christian or monotheist citizens:

“The true historic meaning of “religion” excludes paganism and witchcraft … paganism and witchcraft were never intended to receive the protections of the Religion Clauses.”

Should this argument be accepted, the equal protection of all religious minorities in the United States could be cast into doubt. The First Amendment is supposed to guarantee religious freedom. What is happening is clearly unconstitutional.

The most comprehensive outline of the whole situation can be found at the Wild Hunt, and is essential reading for all pagans. Elysia Gallo of Llewellyn has added her voice. Cherry Hill Seminary has issued a press release supporting Patrick. Circle Sanctuary has expanded upon the recommendations in the Wild Hunt for action to be taken.

This case highlights the absolute necessity of the need for pagans to stand together. As a recent example of what can be accomplished when we stand united, was the Air Force Academy chapel agreeing to add a worship area for followers of Earth-centered religions. The military has been adopting a more liberal attitude towards minority religions over the past few years. To quote a member of the Sacred Well Congregation, “If we speak together, we are a chorus to be heard. If we whisper alone, we are but a sigh in the dead of night.”

Patrick suggests that we should write our demands to Jerry Brown, the California Attorney General, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Mathew L Cate, the Secretary of the CDCR (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation).

The time to act is now. We must demand equal treatment, equal accommodations, and equal access to our religious items for institutionalized persons. Once the rights we take for granted are taken away, it will be too late.

Tony Mierzwicki

A magnitude-7.0 earthquake on January 12 killed an estimated 200,000 people, left 250,000 injured and made 1.5 million homeless in Haiti, according to the European Union. Following this, there were 49 aftershocks of magnitude-4.5 or greater. January 20, saw a magnitude-5.9 aftershock send already frightened Haitians racing into the streets, collapse buildings and crack roads.

Governments worldwide have pledged nearly $1 billion in aid, and thousands of tons of food and medical supplies have been shipped. Only a fraction of those in need have been reached, and the situation remains critical. Inadequate supplies are resulting in unnecessary deaths in hospitals. There are thousands of US troops in Haiti assisting with the distribution of aid. Search and rescue missions are still searching for survivors. There are security concerns with outbreaks of looting.

In stark contrast to the frantic efforts to assist the survivors of the tragedy, American Christian televangelist, Pat Robertson, said that Haiti had been “cursed by one thing after another” since they “swore a pact to the devil” to free themselves from the yoke of the French. He added that Haitians need to have a “great turning to god.” Robertson has perverted a tragedy to suit his religious agenda. As a Christian, Robertson would be familiar with the Bible’s Book of Job, clearly shows that bad things can happen to good people. There is in fact a common theme in the old testament showing that evil doers appear to prosper, while the righteous seem to remain unrewarded. It is obvious that compassion plays little role in Robertson’s version of Christianity. A concern worth pondering is just how much influence Robertson has on the thinking of fundamentalist Christians.

Florida-based Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has docked a ship on private Haitiian beach 60 miles from where people are trapped beneath the rubble. Passengers “enjoy jetski rides, parasailing, and rum cocktails delivered to their hammocks” as well as pass their time “shopping for trinkets at a craft market” under the watchful eyes of armed security personnel. Since 1986, the Royal Caribbean line has provided the largest source of tourism revenue to Haiti, paying the Haitian government $6 per passenger and employing about 300 locals, including security guards, beach monitors, waiters, cleaners, as well as some managers. Approximately 200 more locals find work here selling their wares or by providing entertainment.

While the ship admittedly brought in 40 pallets of relief supplies and there is an injection of capital from tourists buying trinkets, the whole thing seems somewhat distasteful. To quote one passenger, “I just can’t see myself sunning on the beach, playing in the water, eating a barbecue, and enjoying a cocktail while there are tens of thousands of dead people being piled up on the streets, with the survivors stunned and looking for food and water.” I find myself thinking about World War II with townspeople just outside concentration camps living their lives totally desensitized to the suffering of those whose only escape from their torments was through the crematorium chimneys. An unfair comparison perhaps, but the same sort of desensitization is required.

Profiteers have already launched aid scams for those suffering in Haiti. Those wishing to donate should stick to reputable aid agencies as there are scam artists attempting to capitalize off the Haitian tragedy. There are email and telemarketing scams to be watchful of. There is good advice available on-line including that from the FBI.

I find it heartening that in the face of disaster there is a surge of compassion from so many people. I am, however, prevented from putting on my rose-tinted glasses by those who are profiteering from the tragedy, either monetarily or ideologically.

Tony Mierzwicki

I had the privilege and pleasure of chatting to Patrick McCollum yesterday about the PWR definition of paganism. Patrick was in attendance at the PWR and so has first hand knowledge of what actually transpired. Without going into details, Patrick, in my opinion, is a true pagan leader, having engaged in numerous legal battles for pagan recognition and rights.

Patrick states that Andras was quoted out of context regarding his definition of paganism. Andras did actually mention the now infamous Eurocentric definition as his own personal definition when explaining his activities to outsiders. It should be noted that this Eurocentric definition is just one of many that have been bandied about in academic circles over the last few years. However, Andras then went on to outline its inadequacies and he proceeded to discuss several of the groups which had been omitted. In the end, Andras and several other Pagans present in the Parliament discussions, continued conversations over who we are and how we should define ourselves, and as is generally the case throughout the Pagan community, no conclusions or particular language was given more credence than any other. The main point here, is that what was said was part of a discussion, and not some kind of, edict or authoritative statement officially defining Paganism as it is being portrayed on a number of blogs.

I personally feel that the positive outcome of the controversy is that many people have started thinking seriously about what paganism actually is, and who should be included under the pagan umbrella.

Patrick’s idea of who the pagan umbrella encompasses is virtually identical to mine, as he would like as many people included as possible. Patrick includes many indigenous religions as pagans, particularly those who see themselves falling within that umbrella. I had always included those who take up the shamanic practices taken from various indigenous religions, but I can see the wisdom of Patrick’s idea, and am happy to embrace it.

Patrick stressed that the more people we have under the pagan umbrella, the more seriously we will all be taken. There is no reason to compromise our beliefs, as we can all agree to differ. What matters are sheer numbers.

Patrick told me of one really exciting occurrence at the PWR. A key representative for Hinduism stated that he would like to see his religion included under the pagan umbrella. Hinduism has grown to become the world’s third largest religion, after Christianity and Islam. It claims about 837 million followers – 13% of the world’s population.

Patrick estimates that in the US we have roughly 1.2 million pagans, with another 200,000 worldwide. Incorporating Hindus into our ranks would greatly swell our numbers giving us much more political clout.

Hinduism is the world’s oldest organized religion and consists of thousands of smaller religious groups. There are numerous similarities between Hindu and pagan practices. In addition, there are numerous aspects of Hinduism which have been incorporated into eclectic spiritual systems, including yoga and the concepts of chakras, karma and reincarnation.

These are indeed interesting times. Modern pagans have more rights now, than they have ever had, but there is no excuse for complaisance since there are those who would take our rights away from us in a heartbeat. It is important to stay visible, keep demanding equal treatment, be inclusive rather than exclusive, and minimize infighting (as this weakens us collectively), so as to achieve our common goals.

While I would love to take credit for the idea, Patrick came up with an absolutely brilliant suggestion. If all of us were to present our own definition of Paganism in our own terms, we could then attempt to combine those components. Upon achieving majority agreement, we could come up with at least a preliminary statement that more accurately reflects the whole community’s view of how paganism should be defined.

Tony

Organized mainstream religions have the benefit of hierarchies with clearly defined leaders. It is thus very easy for such religions to send either leaders or spokespersons to events, so that all their members can be spoken for. Would it be possible to have generally agreed upon leaders or spokespersons representing pagans in a similar fashion?

In my last couple of posts, I’ve discussed my displeasure regarding the Eurocentric definition of paganism proposed by the PWR, and have pushed my own idea of paganism being an umbrella term for the many small religious groups outside of the world religions. However, because the term pagan was initially one of derision, there are some people who I would consider to be pagans, who dislike the term and refuse to use it.

There are obvious advantages in terms of gaining recognition in being a part of a large group. Consider for instance the victory won by wiccans in the military who are now allowed to have pentagrams on their gravestones. This came about due to tireless lobbying by numerous dedicated individuals and the undeniable fact that wiccans make up the lion’s share of the pagan community. I believe that non-wiccan pagans should “piggyback” the wiccans so that their sheer total numbers enable them to have the recognition that they would be unable to have on their own.

Wiccans can be thought of as either solitaries or as members of covens. There is no one person who could rightfully claim to be the leader of all of the wiccans. Yet this has not been an insurmountable obstacle for wiccans in gaining recognition because of their sheer numbers.

Non-wiccan pagans similarly are either solitaries or become members of small groups. These groups, in general, are not affiliated with each other, and so there is no universally agreed upon leadership for pagans.

How should wiccans and pagans be represented? Could a democratic process such as a vote be used? It is commonly stated that working with pagans is like herding cats – there is great truth in this, and I cannot imagine an election of any sort ever taking place. And even if it did, most voters would be running on pagan time – read late!

There are a number of pagans who have dedicated themselves to working for their community. Some have fought protracted legal battles for pagan recognition and rights. Some of these people are very open about their work whereas others tend to work behind the scenes. There are others who have busied themselves in interfaith work enabling meaningful dialogue with mainstream religions. I believe that it can be argued that their long-term dedication makes them very appropriate as representatives, and legitimizes their claims. Altruistic selfless spokespersons focused on the greater good of the pagan community would appear to be the most appropriate choice.

Assuming that the pagan community was blessed with a number of altruistic spokespersons, would all pagans be happy with their representations? Given the extremely diverse multifaceted nature of the pagan community, I think that there will always be some who will feel like they are being overlooked. How do we stop pagans from feeling overlooked? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, all who want to be included within the pagan umbrella should be included.

Tony Mierzwicki

Reconstructionists and those within rigidly defined orders, covens and other magickal groups have a set curriculum – a very structured system of lessons to assimilate. While it is true that many reconstructionists are self-taught, the reality is that they are largely poring over the same source texts.

There is, however, a rather large group of pagans, called eclectic solitaries (or solitary eclectics), who have the benefit of being totally flexible when cobbling together their personal magickal system from often disparate sources. While there was a time when eclectic solitaries operated in secret and perhaps surreptitiously attended the occasional gathering, the internet is now providing numerous avenues for semi-anonymous interaction.

It may be pertinent to ask just how prevalent is an eclectic approach to spirituality? Is it a characteristic of paganism, or is it far more ingrained?

On 9 December 2009, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a very relevant report entitled “Many Americans Mix Multiple Faiths.” A rather entertaining outline of the report was produced by Charles M Blow for The New York Times. It is important to note that the sample within the survey was overwhelmingly Christian (primarily Protestant and Catholic), as that is representative of the American society.

The report indicated that many Americans Christians were blending their faith with “Eastern or New Age beliefs.” Roughly one quarter believed in reincarnation; yoga as a spiritual practice; spiritual energy in physical things such as mountains, trees, crystals; astrology; and the ability of some to cast curses.

The report also indicated “sizable minorities” claimed supernatural experiences, specifically feeling like they were in touch with the dead; encountering ghosts; and consulting fortune tellers or psychics.

I really feel for those surveyed who had to differentiate between being in touch with the dead and encountering ghosts, as there can be quite a lot of overlap between the two.

Mr Blow neatly summarized the report as showing that growing numbers of Americans are “bending dogmas to suit them instead of bending themselves to fit a dogma. And this appears to be leading to more spirituality, not less.” While a few people in the past left mainstream churches in their quest for deeper spiritual experiences, it seems that now there are growing numbers wanting to have their cake and eat it too.

The idea of mixing multiple sources, or eclecticism is certainly not new, and has been prevalent in philosophy since ancient times. Eclecticism, or more precisely syncretism, gave rise to very progressive spiritual systems in late antiquity, most notably Gnosticism, Hermeticism and Neoplatonism.

Religions which employed syncreticism at their inception include Greek, Judaism, Christianity, Druze and Baha’i. Another example is Buddhism which in part owes its success as a world religion to its flexibility in blending with pre-existing practices where ever it spread. In Asia today, Buddhism is often practiced non-exclusively alongside many other religious traditions. If all religions had this level of tolerance towards others, just think of how much more peaceful our world would be.

Other examples could be cited, but it seems that syncretism appears to be part and parcel of the formation of many, if not all, religious systems. The religious systems eventually crystallize, whereupon orthodoxy can rear its ugly head, and further syncretism is frowned upon. Progressive thinkers have always dared to challenge the religious establishment, sometimes paying a horrible price for their outspokenness, as the chilling example of the Inquisition all too clearly shows.

Those solitaries in society today who describe themselves as eclectics are actually tapping into a spiritual approach that may well be universal – it can be seen in the formation of numerous spiritual systems over thousands of years all over the world. The internet, once rather appropriately referred to as the information superhighway, is a great starting point for information on virtually every spiritual modality that may whet the appetite of the ardent seeker.

Returning again to the PWR definition of paganism, why would any eclectics wish to limit themselves to European spiritualities when there are so many avenues to explore just a mouse click away?

Tony Mierzwicki

The pagan contingent at the PWR sparked off controversy in allegedly proposing a very restricted definition of paganism. The information was provided by Ed Hubbard in his on-going commentary on the PWR:

http://paganmichigan.ning.com/forum/topics/updates-from-the-parliament-of

The core definition was:

“’Paganism’ is a collective term that most aptly defines Indigenous cultures of pre-Christian Europe, the Celtic and Germanic Tribes, The Balts, The Scandinavians, The Basques, The Slaves [sic] and many others.”

The problem with this definition is that it limits itself to reconstructionists and those lucky enough to be part of still living family traditions in Europe (such as family traditional witchcraft or hereditary witchcraft). The “art” of the reconstructionists involves recreating dead pagan religions, but not necessarily as they were once practiced, as they should be relevant to contemporary society. It should be noted that reconstructionists and those coming from family traditions make up a very small minority within the pagan community.

Further to this, EarthSpirit founder and Parliament Board of Trustees member, Andras Corban-Arthen, was quoted as saying that Wicca could not be seen as an indigenous Pagan faith practice and was instead a modern syncretic movement. Under this description Wicca “would not fall under the definition of Pagan, and would be squarely a New Religious Movement…”

A few days later, The Wild Hunt provided a statement from Andras Corban-Arthen, where he confirmed some of the things which Ed Hubbard wrote, but refuted others. Importantly he stressed that he did not state that Wiccans weren’t pagans, but rather neopagans. Corban-Arthen actually proposed three categories of paganism:

Traditional paganism (survivals of Indigenous European beliefs and practices)

Reconstructionist paganism (modern recreation through the study of literary, historical, linguistic, and archaeological sources)

Neopaganism (syncretic modern forms)

These groups were apparently in keeping with categories normally used in the interreligious community.

While I can understand the desire of the pagan contingent at PWR to “fit in” with the other participants, I am somewhat surprised by the strong European focus which somewhat artificially narrows the categories.

The traditional paganism category should include shamanism from all over the world. Whilst numbers are admittedly small, I have come across Westerners engaged in practicing shamanism from Asia (India, Mongolia, Tibet and Indonesia), South America (Amazonian entheogenic explorations) and African (particularly South African).

The reconstructionist paganism category should include those recreating American (Aztec, Incan and Mayan), African (especially Egyptian, e.g. the Kemetic faith) and Middle and Near Eastern (Sumerian, Babylonian and Canaanite) faiths.

The neopagan category opens a can of worms, as it is heavily influenced by the plethora of contemporary occult writings.

The influence of “The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn” pervades many contemporary occult writings. The Golden Dawn was founded in the late 19^th century fusing Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Qabala, Hermeticism, Alchemy, Theosophy, Enochian magick, medieval grimoires, as well as ancient Egyptian and Greek elements. This was essentially a mish mash of influences incorporating almost everything esoteric that was known at the time, the scope of which went way beyond Europe. There is Golden Dawn influence in derivative systems of ceremonial magick (such as Aleister Crowleys’ Thelemic Magick and Nema’s Maat Magick), Wicca, witchcraft, and various other neopagan systems.

Many of the eastern teachings we take for granted now (such a chakras, karma, reincarnation) were introduced by Madame Blavatsky into her Theosophical teachings. Eastern teachings are also very pervasive in contemporary occult writings.

It is evident that many contemporary occult writings are saturated with concepts which are not of indigenous European in origin, which will find themselves being incorporated into many eclectic spiritual paths.

My concern is that quite a number of people who I consider to be pagans, but who have non-European influences in their spiritual practices are effectively squeezed out of the definition. On a personal note, I remember being upset a number of years ago when I spoke to a sociologist who informed me that her definition of a pagan was someone who practiced an earth-based spirituality and worked with the wheel of the year. While some of my reconstructionist practices tap into an agricultural calendar, it is different to the Wiccan wheel of the year, while my Graeco-Egyptian and ceremonial magick workings were certainly not earth-based. I was effectively excluded.

Perhaps we should investigate what paganism really is.

The genesis of the term pagan goes back to roughly the 4^th century and originally meant “country dweller.” Historically it has been used as a derogatory term by adherents of Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) to indicate a disbeliever. Applying this definition to a contemporary worldwide concept would mean that all non-Abrahamic religions – including world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism and so on – are pagan.

Historically, however, the term pagan has been applied to small indigenous polytheistic religious groups. I personally do not think it is appropriate to refer to the non-Abrahamic world religions as pagan. To me, paganism is an umbrella term for the many small religious groups outside of the world religions.

While pagan groups tend to be polytheistic I personally do not see a problem in incorporating monotheism or henotheism. For example, the Pharaoh Akhenaten venerated the sun god Aten above all others gods, but did not deny their existence. Perhaps one day a group of reconstructionists will follow in his footsteps?

Coming back on track, while the various PWR definitions of paganism may make sense in bridging the gulf between pagans and other religious groups, they leave out significant numbers. The sad reality is that pagans are a religious minority and are hence subject to discrimination. The only way that all pagans can negotiate recognition and proper treatment is by banding together. The most appropriate logo I have come across for this is unity in diversity. It would be ideal if pagans could come together for political reasons while maintaining their own individual practices and beliefs.

Those who are negative towards paganism can readily use a “divide and conquer” type approach. Why should we help them by dividing ourselves?

Tony Mierzwicki

The SCRIP fundraising programme has been used extensively by schools, churches and non-profit organizations of all kinds. CHS has two separate SCRIP programmes:

• Simplified SCRIP to purchase store gift cards from hundreds of merchants all over the country and online
• CHS eMall for online shopping

Every time you shop using these programmes, CHS will receive a percentage of your purchase at no extra cost to you as it will be coming from the merchants you are shopping from.

The money that CHS actually gets from each transaction is quite small, but if enough people use the programmes, it will all add up. Both programmes are accessible through the above links.

It is also possible to donate straight to CHS.

Tony Mierzwicki