Naturalistic Paganism
“Why ‘Pagan’? An Atheist Pagan’s Response to a Theist” by John Halstead
Over at the Heathen blog, Jön Upsal’s Garden, the author of the blog has addressed “A Question for John Halstead”.
His question is essentially “Why the heck do you call yourself Pagan?” The author calls himself “Jön Upsal’s Gardener.” Gardener question is a genuine one, and it is one I have heard several times in the past. Gardener question is addressed not just to me, but to other atheist Pagans and Humanistic Pagans out there, so I encourage others to send their responses here to HumanisticPaganism [at] gmail [dot] com. The blogger, NaturalPantheist, and social media coordinator for HumanisticPaganism.com has already posted his response here.
So the question is: Why do we call ourselves “Pagan”? Why not just call ourselves atheists or humanists? What does the “Pagan” label add to our identity? Implicit in Gardener’s question is the assumption that the term “Pagan” implies a belief in the literal existence of gods. And it is that assumption that I need to address first. Read More
“Well, why not both?” by Mud & Magic
This essay was original published at Mud&Magic.
“Jön Upsal’s Garden” put out a challenging question: “… anyone who identifies as a pagan atheist, or humanistic pagan, or religious humanism, or whatever the heck they call themselves. Why do you include the word “pagan” in your self-identification?”
The post was mostly directed at The Allergic Pagan, who responded quite eloquently here, and another powerful response has already been put out by Nature is Sacred, but I thought it was an interesting question to engage with as someone from the middle.
Despite my skepticism, slippery beliefs, and uncertain faith, I am deeply committed to my identity as a Pagan. To me, it brings together things I can’t find together any where else: Read More
The Spiritual Naturalist Society now has a podcast!
The Spiritual Naturalist Society now has a podcast: “Spiritual Naturalism Today!” They have just released their first podcast where they talk about what Spiritual Naturalism is. Click on the image below to go there now.
“Why ‘Naturalistic Pagan’?” by NaturalPantheist
NaturalPantheist’s blog has recently moved to www.naturalpantheist.com. Remember to update your bookmarks and subscriptions! This essay was originally published naturalpantheist.com.
As you know, there has recently been a kerfuffle in the blogging sphere between Naturalistic/ Humanistic Pagans and Hard Polytheist Pagans. Now I follow many bloggers both Naturalistic Pagan and Polytheist Pagan, and a Heathen blogger has recently written a blog addressed to John Halstead (and any other Naturalistic Pagans) asking why we identify as Pagans, rather than just atheists/ humanists ect. This is a very valid question and so I’d like to respond with my own story and thoughts …
Why am I a Naturalistic Pagan?
Let’s start off with why I don’t call myself an atheist. I was most definitely an atheist for a while after I left fundamentalist Christianity. In the immediate aftermath of the death of a friend and the searching it led me to engage in, I was first a liberal Christian and then very soon became atheist, thanks to watching many Youtube videos and reading books by prominent atheists. But that wasn’t the end of my religious journey. I was hungry for more.
When I found the World Pantheist Movement, I became a Pantheist – one who sees the universe as divine and the earth as sacred. This was religion without the supernatural. I still consider myself a Pantheist. I see the Earth as Mother Nature, something to be honoured, revered and, yes, worshipped. I even pray to the Earth. It is our duty as children of the Earth to honour and look after her. This to me is the essence of Paganism. Read More
Reserve Your Copy of “Godless Paganism” and Support the Wild Hunt!
We’ve reached our funding goal in just 16 hours! Thank you to everyone who contributed. But we’re not done …
But you can still order your copy of “Godless Paganism” and take advantage of the other perks. All profits over and above our funding goal will go to The Wild Hunt’s fall funding campaign!
To reserve your copy of “Godless Paganism”, go to the campaign page and click one of the perks:
- All contributions of $20 or more will get a copy of “Godless Pagans: Voices of Non-Theistic Pagans” hot off the press (hard copy plus ebook/pdf).
- All contributions of $45 or more will their name or the name of the organization of their choice listed on the acknowledgments page of the book AND a copy of “Godless Pagans: Voices of Non-Theistic Pagans” hot off the press(hard copy plus ebook/pdf). There’s still 8 more of this perk left!
- All contributions of $100 or more will get a graphical ad (165×165) at HumanisticPaganism.com linking to the website or blog of their choice AND their name or the name of the organization of their choice listed on the acknowledgments page of the book AND a copy of “Godless Pagans: Voices of Non-Theistic Pagans” hot off the press (hard copy plus ebook/pdf). There’s still 3 more of this perk left!
Shipping outside the U.S. can be arranged by contacting humanisticpaganism@gmail.com directly.
And don’t forget to:
- Send your articles and essays about non-theistic Paganism to humanisticpaganism@gmail.com for consideration for inclusion in the book. It can be something you have shared before or something new. Poetry, photography, and other art is also welcome.
- Share this on Facebook and other social media.
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Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
Naturalistic Paganism 