Community
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The Pagan World is Different (Adult)
This post is really meant most for those who have come to check out Atheopaganism from the atheist/skeptic community. Thus far, the material on this blog has all been “family-friendly” from the standpoint of mainstream Western society. Even my post on the 10th Principle was more cautionary than encouraging, though at its core is encouragement that people take pleasure in the sensory experiences they encounter in life. This reflects a goal on my part: I want Atheopaganism to be an inviting path for those coming from the skeptic/atheist community as much as it can be for those coming from the Pagan community. While much of the Pagan community is cheerfully open…
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Report: Atheopagans at Pantheacon 2015
I’ve just returned from Pantheacon (PCon), the largest indoor gathering of Pagans in North America. Running from Thursday through Monday over Presidents’ Day weekend in February each year, PCon attracts 3,000 members of every conceivable tradition to conduct and attend workshops and rituals, to share information and fellowship, and to discuss issues facing the community as it evolves. I have attended it perhaps a dozen times since the early 1990s, and for the past two years I have worked the convention as a staff member. My overall experience with this year’s PCon was splendid! I saw and visited with many friends and loved ones, met new friends, attended fascinating discussions and…
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I Couldn’t Say It Better
John Halstead has a great post over at The Allergic Pagan on Patheos that I think any Atheopagan will find worth a read, thoughtfully challenging the pitfalls of thinking that can arise when those with a naturalist/humanist approach to Paganism consider their sisters and brothers who believe in gods…and vice versa. In the wake of this year’s Pantheacon—and there is so much to say about my experiences there that I will probably have several posts about it—I encourage you to take a look. Even as Atheopaganism and other paths of Paganism with a naturalistic approach to cosmology grow, become more visible and take their places in the constellation of Pagan…
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Come See Us at Pantheacon!
We’re doing three events at Pantheacon, all in the Pagan Scholars’ Den (Room 967): Godless Pagan Meet and Greet (lunch and wine served): Saturday, 12-3:00 PM Godless Bless: A Panel on Atheism and Paganism: Sunday, 1:30-3:00 PM Atheopaganism: A Workshop and Ritual: Sunday, 3:30-5:00 PM Hope to see you there!
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WE EXIST.
Recently, I’ve participated in online discussions both on Facebook and over on John Halstead’s blog on Patheos, “The Allergic Pagan”, relating to a rant by Rev. Cathryn Platine of the Maetreum of Cybele, the background on which can be found here (including the comment thread Platine deleted, apparently finding it too threatening). The upshot of Rev. Platine’s quite abrasive screed is that people with a naturalistic view of the world can’t be Pagans: in fact, that without “polytheistic devotionals”, no one can be. She suggests we all toddle off and become Unitarians. I have news for Rev. Platine: we exist. I exist. And among our number happen to be some rather well-known Pagan…
