Paganism as we N. Americans and N. Europeans know it has always been the "enemy" of the christian church. I am not surprised that an RC priest would go gospel when the subject was brought up. Islam and Oriental religions are not a direct threat to the christian church. They may restrict further expansion of the church in to Asia and Africa but are not likely to take away from the NA and European power base. One only has to see the similarity in celebration dates, and religious ceremonies. It was part of a hearts and minds campaign. Pagans celebrate at Yule/Christmas and Eostra/Easter. Pagans have sacraments, altars, burning of candles and incense, and magical incantations to invoke their gods. I use gods in a gender neutral fashion encompassing the various goddesses. Christianity historically has always attempted to stamp out paganism. Crusades directed at Islam only attempted to wrest control of Jerusalem and the "Holy Land". Christianity succeeded in North and Soth America only after the colonially practiced genocide of the native American people and was able to step in to a vaccuum created by the massive death toll and by incoming immigrants. Asia and Africa immune to whiteman's diseases was able for the most part to resist the chritianization of their countries.
Paganism is not new but it may not resemble the old ways much as surviving documentation hardly exists. Some Grecian and Roman artifacts survived. Egyptologists rediscovered some through study of hieroglyphics. Norse paganism was the last to be eliminated in the northward march of christianity and so some literature survived. Paganism is having to rebuild from almost zero with no references to guide it. Who is to say what form it may take in a hundred years. Maybe it will go into decline like many of the worlds major religions as the world turns away from spirituality and towards the worship of money and personal gain.
Paganism is an attempt by some to find a spiritual path back to a more environmentally friendly way that many of the major religions do not address. Native spirituality comes from native people only now being able to climb back from cultural genocide inflicted by European invaders and rediscover their roots. Who are we to say how native culture may have progressed without Europeans on the scene. Technologically they may not have been as industrialized. Agriculturally they were more advanced. Warfare was not unknown to native culture but matriachal and elder led communities led to
slower pace of progress with nature more in mind. Another thousand years could have given the world a truly great civilization ranking up there with Rome and Greece for its thinkers and social progress.
Time will tell. Just as most christian have moved beyond intolerance and inquisition, paganism may mature in to an organized earth friendly spiritual path.
Paganism is not new but it may not resemble the old ways much as surviving documentation hardly exists. Some Grecian and Roman artifacts survived. Egyptologists rediscovered some through study of hieroglyphics. Norse paganism was the last to be eliminated in the northward march of christianity and so some literature survived. Paganism is having to rebuild from almost zero with no references to guide it. Who is to say what form it may take in a hundred years. Maybe it will go into decline like many of the worlds major religions as the world turns away from spirituality and towards the worship of money and personal gain.
Paganism is an attempt by some to find a spiritual path back to a more environmentally friendly way that many of the major religions do not address. Native spirituality comes from native people only now being able to climb back from cultural genocide inflicted by European invaders and rediscover their roots. Who are we to say how native culture may have progressed without Europeans on the scene. Technologically they may not have been as industrialized. Agriculturally they were more advanced. Warfare was not unknown to native culture but matriachal and elder led communities led to
slower pace of progress with nature more in mind. Another thousand years could have given the world a truly great civilization ranking up there with Rome and Greece for its thinkers and social progress.
Time will tell. Just as most christian have moved beyond intolerance and inquisition, paganism may mature in to an organized earth friendly spiritual path.
