Pagans like all religious groups have troubles, there is nothing we can do to escape it. In my experiences with online groups, pagans are better off in small groups. When we get so big we fight and argue over the smallest things. I have recently interacted with a Celtic pagan group on facebook. Some of my posts were troublesome for some of the members. This group's most active members are Celtic Recon, people that try to base their Celtic pagan beliefs on historically proven facts, with as little modern interference as possible. Because my views are more liberal and open to many types of pagan, they were not welcomed warmly.
What is bothering me greatly is the way the handful of members treated the posts that I made. They stated that there were standards and that I wasn't meeting their standards. If your group is called 'Celtic Paganism" and the posts are relating to Celtic paganism in general how could they not be valid to the group. I tried to have discussions with the members of the group and names I used as references were laughed at. Raymond Buckland and Isaac Bonewits were looked down on. I learned from Scott Cunningham that everyone is a teacher and that everyone had information to learn from. So I am starting to see this group as too closed minded to work with and be a part of.
So I think about how this reminds me of the Lutherans versus the Southern Baptists. How two groups that share so much can be miles away at the same time. They are both christian denominations, they both use a version of the Catholic bible, They both talk about accepting jesus as their savior. But because of a different view points here and there, the two groups have members that speak badly of the other. There are families divided because one member is of a different christian denomination.
I then look at all the pagan online groups that I have been a member of and I see the same thing happening. Paganism like Christianity is a blanket term for a collection of similar groups that have a similar theme and structure. A handful of pagans can get together and build a wonderful group. Once the group gets big enough, egos and differences of opinions butt heads and some cracks appear and the foundation starts to fall apart.
So you don't like wiccans, you think they are a joke. That was the opinion of one member of this group. Wiccans do share many traditions that have Celtic roots. How can you laugh and abuse people that are honoring the same people you do in a different but similar manner? That is like a Methodist laughing at catholics when they pray. We are supposed to gain strength through our differences. We are supposed to live with our fellow man to make this world a better place. And yet the attitudes of this group shows a complete lack of consideration for any pagan outside of their mental set.
Pagans like to say that we are better than that, several love to explain that pagans should take the high road. We are human just like the christians and the muslims are, we will have personality clashes and ego trips. But that doesn't mean that we can't try harder, open our minds to a new way of thinking. If you want to be part of a larger community you have to be part of the community and work with those that differ in the community. So what if you are a wiccan, if you walk a Celtic path like me in many ways, there are grounds for us to share information and be stronger together.
If you are going to be reclusive in your pagan path and only share with those that think just like you, you are just like those gated urban developments. You only become part of a community when it fits your needs. Outside of the gate, nobody really knows you and wants to be a part of your group. I seen people in this group act as if they were superior to many others. They said what others should be reading and what others should know. These are the elitist Celtic pagans of facebook.
I posted a Pagan book list from my group onto this other group. and I was told outright that it was a 'crappy list', but the person that posted that comment stated she couldn't do much better. My book list was too wiccan. My pagan group is open to all pagans and no pagan path is alienated. A list of books that contains information about the Celts in some form was rejected in a "Celtic Paganism" group . A group of Celtic pagan elitists passing judgement on something that was meant for the whole group. Over 900 members to this group and 5 say that it is not worthy to be in the group.
I hope for the day when this sort of thing stops. We can and should have differences of opinion on many topics in life, but who are we to judge what is worthy for everyone else. It is your life, live by your own standard of ethics, but never impose them on others. Don't be an elitist over other pagans, try understanding their way of thinking and remember how much you dislike people holding rules over yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment