Give me that old-time religion
The surprising return of paganism
By Gerry Bowler • Special to ChristianWeek
When the gay liberation movement began in the 1960s one of the more popular slogans of these sexual revolutionaries was: "Out of the closets and into the streets!" Recently another hitherto-despised minority has adopted that cry and given it a wry twist. "Out of the broom closet" is the motto of Canadian pagans who seek a new respectability for their old, once-discredited, religions.
An Alberta group, the Covenant Church of Gaia, defines paganism as any earth-centred or nature-based religion and Wicca as "the revival of the worship of the Earth Mother, Triple Goddess and the old Gods in a modern context."
Wiccans are certainly the most publicity-conscious and articulate of the nation’s pagans. Loosely organized under umbrellas such as the Pagan Awareness League, the Ontario Pagan Collective, and the Pagan Federation of Canada, their congregations practise a pseudo-antique spirituality harking back to an imaginary pre-Christian earth religion. Though they take "magick" names such as Ravenfeather or Star Hawk and often use the term witch or wizard, they are adamant that they have no connection to devil-worship. Their prime directive is: "If it harms none, do what you will."
Other North American pagans are not impressed by the mock medievalism of Wicca with its self-consciously quaint language or any other New Age rip-offs of old faiths. These groups insist that ancient religions not be trifled with. In 1993, for instance, a meeting of Canadian and American Sioux decried the appropriation of their spirituality by "hucksters, cultists, commercial profiteers, and self-styled ‘New Age shamans’" and declared war on all purveyors of pseudo-paganism.
Pre-Christian pantheons
Avowedly more serious than Wiccans in their search for the old gods are a number of reconstructionist religions which seek to revive, as closely as possible, the worship of a variety of pre-Christian pantheons–some of whom might surprise you.
One such effort comes from the Julian Society (named for Julian the Apostate, the last non-Christian emperor of Rome who died in battle 1600 years ago). Their aim is a simple one: "to work toward reestablishing Pagan spirituality as a major religious system in the modern world."
These devotees of the "Religio Romana" do not undervalue such a return to the worship of Jupiter and Apollo. According to one believer: "It is a faith that demands steadfastness and devotion to duty. It involves working in harmony with the eternal gods and with universal order, for the benefit not only of ourselves but also the world around us; with right action and attitudes towards the gods, both the State and the individual will prosper."
Other reconstructionist faithful want to revive the gods and goddesses of Egypt, Scandinavia, Celtic Britain and even Sumeria, professing to find in these deities old truths about humanity and the universe that should be restored to public consciousness.
Does any of this really matter? Aren’t these neo-pagans just bored Yuppies with too much time on their hands? In fact, the attempt to connect to ancient faiths (or even make up new ones in the guise of old) tells us something important about the state of religion in Canada in the late 20th century. It tells us that there is spiritual hunger abroad that is not being met either by Christianity in its diverse forms or by secular consumerism.
It also says that ecological concerns (mentioned by almost every one of these groups) form a part of the religious sensibility of many of those who hunger, as does a yearning for community and sharing. There is also a reaffirmation of Reginald Bibby’s description of a cafeteria mentality among religious Canadians–we like to pick and choose in matters of faith and are losing old loyalties.
When the government of Canada can designate the summer solstice–sacred to most pagans–as a day to annually celebrate aboriginal achievement and choose native spirituality as the religious ceremonial with which to open international conferences or exhibits we must accept that we are not living in a post-Christian era so much as a pre-Christian world. It’s deja vu all over again.
Gerry Bowler is a Winnipeg writer and historian.
