Yet again we see an article that attacks a minority religion (Paganism) by linking it to immorality, hedonism, egotism, greed, violence and more – which will inevitably contribute to the violence and social marginalization of Pagans by those in the privileged religion in America, stoking Christian Nationalism and bigotry.  Sound familiar?  Of course it does, especially today.  But this isn’t from the common Christian Nationalist sources on the far right.  It’s not even from FOX news.  It’s from the (usually) solidly liberal Atlantic!

We all have blind spots

What!?!  The Atlantic published that, really?
Yes.  While we know we are almost unanimously hated by the right, it’s sad to see that we are far from being fully accepted by many progressives as well.  We all, as humans, have all kinds of blind spots, and being progressive myself, I’m often struck at how well some progressives can see things like male privilege, or white privilege, and then turn around and support Christian privilege or Monotheistic privilege.  Well, I at least knew that there was a lot of anti-Pagan feeling among progressives 15 years ago, but had hoped that things have gotten better.  Maybe they have, maybe not – cultural inertia changes only very slowly (usually), and many of us are in cultures with traditional Christian supremacy.  This comes up, of course, as a result of the vicious article by Rabbi Wolpe in the Atlantic (details on his article itself are farther below).

Real Action to Help Fellow Pagans and our Future

Whether you already know, (or if you didn’t already know and you just now skipped down to read the detail, and are now reading back here), then there is a lot you can do to help make slow headway towards greater public acceptance and safety for Pagans.  We can be openly, publicly Pagan (when safe!  It’s different for each of us, and it’s our personal choice to assess that) to family and friends (and rarely, even coworkers), we can be politically and socially active, we can vote, we can raise our kids Pagan and contribute to the education of the next generation to be aware and accepting of non-harmful religious paths, and so on.

In the near term, I encourage everyone to take real action, with at least an email or to the Atlantic regarding the harm they have done and especially what they specifically can do to help make up some of that harm beyond what is irreparable.  To do so, you might want to first look over some of the responses and/or my letter to the Atlantic (I’ll add it as soon as it’s sent, but don’t want to make you wait for me before posting this), and then use this link to send either an email or a webpage comment to the Atlantic.  In addition, one can comment on the article’s facebook post at this link as well (I don’t know if anyone bothers to read the facebook page, which is why an email or webpage comment should be sent in any case).  In addition to your letters to the Atlantic, remember also that Rabbi Wolpe is faculty (a visiting scholar) at Harvard Divinity School, which has a rich, diverse and inclusive divinity program – which explicitly includes Paganism.  HDS has published a response to Wolpe’s attack on Paganism (here, which is much better than no response – even if it is a bit mealy-mouthed) and their pluralism division would also likely benefit from hearing from Pagan voices such as yours (as with the letter the Atlantic, I’ll add it as soon as it’s sent, but don’t want to make you wait for me before posting this).  You can email them at this address (staff@pluralism.org). 

Sending a letter to the Atlantic is much more important and impactful than a personal post on your private facebook page or a text to a Pagan friend.  While those are good too, the Atlantic averages around 30 *million* downloads every month, (reality check – that’s more than Time, The NewYorker, DailyBeast, Economist, etc. – and no Pagan sites, such as TheWildHunt, or Pagan blogs have enough readership to show up on the radar – probably not even close).  By contrast, a text to a friend is seen by 1 person who likely already agrees with us anyway, who hence can’t shift their view to bring about greater acceptance of Pagans.  We need to face the reality that all of our combined posts on Pagan blogs (and there are already a lot of them) in response to the harmful Atlantic article amount to very little compared to the number of people who have already read the Atlantic article itself.  If we can even make a tiny shift in the likelihood of The Atlantic continuing to publish harmful, anti-Pagan articles, then that’s worth a lot.  Many of us have recognized the gulf, in modern Paganism, between the goals of making a better world and wallowing in self-centered, feel good navel gazing.  Speaking out, especially to those at The Atlantic, is critical if we are ever to be anything besides a societal punching bag.

The Latest Attack on Paganism – details

The short version is that The Atlantic published an article by Rabbi Wolpe where he used the word “paganism” to attack things he didn’t like on the political right (the use of force) and the left (the veneration of the natural world), and in doing so, repeated and reinforced many false and negative stereotypes of Pagans.  You can probably save time by reading the many Pagan responses (such as the one by Jason Mankey here, John Beckett here, The Wild Hunt here and here before reading the drawn out string of lies and fallacies which is the article itself.  Like so many others in our Pagan community, I won’t link to it and thus give The Atlantic click-credit, which would boost the article itself – but instead offer this link to the same article at MSN).  The Pagan responses bring up many excellent points (especially in showing how completely wrong Wolpe is on the actual history), so I’ll try to avoid repeating all of them here.

An attack is still an attack

When contacted (by Holli Emore) about his untruthful attack, Wolpe said “…The article did not and does not address the current pagan communities nor was it intended to.”, and refused any further dialog with anyone about it (source).  We’ve heard that one before.  It’s one of the first lines used, and if the pressure continues, is often followed by “you are blowing it out of proportion”, then “I meant no harm”, then “it was an honest mistake”, then “let’s just forget about it and get on with our lives”, or “it was just a joke, you have no sense of humor”, and so on – all to avoid admitting the harm caused, and to further denigrate the group by continuing to suggest that attacking them is OK.  These are the same lines used when one repeats hurtful lies about other minorities, like African Americans, LGBTQ people, immigrants, Jews (you would think Rabbi Wolpe would be more aware of the use of hurtful lies to stoke hate, but apparently not), and so on.  I was going to give one of many examples (including the slurs used for the chosen group), but on reflection didn’t want to repeat harmful stereotypes – of any group.  In fact, it’s no coincidence that these are the same lines used in defense of Trump’s similar attacks on immigrants, disabled people, etc., or to defend Trump’s support of the KKK, Charlston or January 6th rioters, and more.

A regular person using the above “excuses” (and hence amplifying the harm they caused by denying that they did anything wrong) would be bad enough – but Wolpe is by no means a regular person.  He’s literally a prominent religious leader, and is even part of the faculty at Harvard Divinity School.  He certainly can’t claim ignorance of the existence of a major religious group in the United States.  How “major” is Paganism?  Are “Presbyterians” a significant group?  There are around 1 to 1.5 million Pagans in the United States.  That’s likely more than the number of Presbyterians (at ~1.1 million back in 2021 and dropping every year), well more than groups like Ba’hai, Sikhs, UUs, Adventists, and more, while being comparable to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Episcopalians, etc.  Plus, Paganism is constantly under attack by the right wing propaganda machine – another reason why Wolpe’s support for their right wing hate speech is inexcusable.  Can you imagine if he wrote a piece centered around how Presbyterians are immoral, hedonistic, egotistic, greedy, violent and more?  Or Buddhists?  But attacking Pagans is OK?

The fact that “I didn’t intend to attack that group” is a common defense of many attacks on minority groups, and that Rabbi Wolpe is a religious leader, are both reasons why this fake response rings hollow.  If he really didn’t want to harm the Pagan community, he’d jump at the chance to help repair his damage with at the least a series of interviews where he can fully apologize and retract his statements, as well as a similarly published piece (remember, his attack on the Atlantic’s platform reached literally millions of people) also fully retracting his attack and pledging to do better.  The fact that he’s refusing any of that – not even having a single discussion – speaks volumes.

Religious Privilege

The main thing that this article says to me is that monotheistic privilege is still alive, well, and harmful in America today, being a driving force on the right and still very present on the left.  It shows that it’s still quite socially acceptable, due to our overculture of monotheistic privilege, to foment the disparagement of Pagans through spreading lies – and indeed, often not socially acceptable to point out that this is what is being done.  There are many religious groups that, if Wolpe had attacked them with the same set of false stereotypes, doing so would have cause a reaction that could have had serious repercussions on Wolpe – or that he would have felt deserve at least a real apology.  There are others, Paganism among them, for which it’s perfectly fine with most people to see them attacked, and hence Wolpe is unlikely to offer a real apology, and the Atlantic is likely to continue promoting religious bigotry – but only against selected and approved targets.    While in America, this privilege is by far most  commonly Christian Privilege, Wolpe shows that it’s not limited to Christianity. 

It’s very different to say that one doesn’t agree with a set of beliefs – and to say why.  That’s discussing things in a free and open society.  That’s also very different from saying that the members of a religious group worship the use of force, or are egotistical, or are Nazis (yes, Wolpe literally attributes Nazism to Paganism – when in fact the Nazi’s had the support of Christian churches, wore belt buckles that read “God is with us”, and Hitler himself stated “In our ranks we will not tolerate anyone who violates the ideas of Christianity,… or who poses as the hereditary enemy of Christianity. This movement of ours is indeed Christian.”).  As pointed out by many of the responses to Wolpe’s article, again and again throughout his article he projects a lot of the worst of Monotheism onto Paganism.  For instance, from the Harvard Divinity School response:

…the main message of his article is that “paganism,” not monotheism, is mostly responsible for the faults of the contemporary West. Given the cultural dominance of monotheism over the past two thousand years, this is an odd and ungenerous choice. Trump and Musk, communism and fascism all sprouted from monotheistic soil. They may not represent the best of monotheism. But monotheists who find them troubling would do well to begin their analysis with a careful look in the mirror. 

Sadly, I’m sure this won’t be the last time, even in the next year in all likelihood.  Some of this is likely by people who just have learned a sub-conscious anti-Pagan view from their parents.  Others may be actively anti-Pagan.  In the end, it really doesn’t matter much which type of bigotry exists in each case.  What is important is that we continue to notice, and continue to speak out, so we can eventually get to an open and accepting society.

-Jon Cleland Host

Postscript.
In addition to the responses mentioned above, here are some additional excellent takes on this.

•  White Rose Witching: Reclaiming The Pagan Cultural Narrative
•  Paganism is not the Problem, by Sabina Magliocco, a scholar of religion
• By Alythia of the Ash: Blaming Pagans For Your Pride and Pleasure
• The Return of an 86 Year old Thesis about Paganism, by John Halstead
• A story about the word “Pagan” on Facebook, by Byron Ballard

Starstuff, Contemplating by Jon Cleland Host

We are assemblages of ancient atoms forged in stars – atoms organized by history to the point of consciousness, now able to contemplate this sacred Universe of which we are a tiny, but wondrous, part.

Dr. Jon Cleland Host is a scientist who earned his PhD in materials science at Northwestern University & has conducted research at Hemlock Semiconductor and Dow Corning from 1997 – 2018, and at GKN since 2018.  He holds eight patents and has authored over three dozen internal scientific papers and eleven papers for peer-reviewed scientific journals, including the journal Nature.  He has taught classes on biology, math, chemistry, physics and general science at Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University.  Jon grew up near Pontiac, and has been building a reality-based spirituality for over 30 years, first as a Catholic and now as a Unitarian Universalist, including collaborating with Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow to spread the awe and wonder of the Great Story of our Universe (see www.thegreatstory.org, and the blog at evolutionarytimes.org).  Jon and his wife have four sons, whom they embrace within a Universe-centered, Pagan, family spirituality.  He currently moderates the yahoo group Naturalistic Paganism.

Heather is a parent and a scientist raising her four children to explore the world through scientific understanding and with spiritual appreciation of the Universe. She has a Master of Science degree in Physics from Michigan State University, a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of the Arts degree in English Literature, also from the University of Michigan. She teaches physics as an adjunct instructor at Delta College, runs the Math Mania program at a local elementary school, has worked at Dow Corning as an engineer and at NASA as an intern, and she has led science outreach workshops for K-12 students through joint programs between NASA and the University of Michigan. She is a naturalistic non-theist, whose faith has been shaped by her childhood within the Episcopal Church, her adult membership in the Unitarian Universalist church, and through Buddhist meditation.  She has a passion for bringing science and spirituality to everyone in a fun way, both for her own family and for the wider community of the Earth.  She is a co-author with Jon Cleland-Host of Elemental Birthdays: How to Bring Science into Every Party.

See Starstuff, Contemplating posts.

See all of Dr. Jon Cleland Host’s posts.