Blind faith makes me uncomfortable; as a Pagan, I feel happier with an emphasis on consciousness and questioning. In the New Testament, Jesus does not cry out for self-awareness, clarifying his perspective of the old sixth commandment teaching, elucidating that simply to be angry with someone is tantamount to murder in the eyes of the divine. However this can easily take us back to the problem of behaviour being guided by the fear of a god one must believe in; without that belief, the precepts can be abandoned as meaningless restrictions.

As a priest myself, it might be expected that I would give equally clear rules based on my own understanding of the principles of Pagan Druidry. However, one of the many characteristics that so clearly distinguishes Paganism from the revealed religions is the lack of necessity to believe blindly in anything at all. As a spiritual tradition founded on the power of nature, the tenets guide the individual not into belief but into genuine experience, in order that each person may saviour life’s sanctity through his or her own physical, emotional, spiritual senses. The emphasis is on personal reality within a web of connectivity.

It could be argued that this is simply mysticism, and so can be found at the heart of every faith. As a spirituality crushed by persecution for centuries. Remaining true to itself only amongst dedicated individuals, Paganism in part has avoided corruption by the politics and platitudes of everyday life. As it continues to grow at speed, though, it is already possible to see its ideals being dulled by both secular and institutionalised spiritual values.

Even with this steady dilution, my hope is that the key difference remains ever sharp; the lack of a divine command. This absence of supreme authority is significant in my motivation to explore the subject of ethics within the tradition. Where around me, in the ethical landscape, behaviour is guided or affirmed by an authoritative force, asserted regulations, and religious fear, a Pagan mind like my own instinctively seeks out and questions the current of nature beneath the rule. Curious to find the flow of nature’s power that drives the need to do or not to do, I am perpetually troubled by what seems to be a yawning gap in reason. It is the lazy parent’s reply to a child’s waking wish to understand: “just because”.

To the Pagan mind, rules are there to be questioned. It is never sound simply to follow, for to do so is to abdicate our personal and sacred responsibility as an individual and also as a part of society. Sharing the existentialist’s suspicion of the individual’s submersion into the collective, the Pagan emphasizes retaining personal moral responsibility. That’s an uncomfortable path to walk. However, if we question and we agree, we are making a personal choice as to how to respond and behave in every situation from an informed position. If we disagree, we have still been through the process of considering another’s perspective and needs. Some rules exist simply to express this general level of social consideration and common sense, clearly delineating for those unable to see for themselves, such as young children. There are many rules, though, that are the result of somebody else’s fear, and fear is never an intelligent motivation.

………………………….killing for food is ethically dubious; killing for beauty is beyond tolerance. The Pagan would be ethically unable to buy toiletries, from lipstick to shampoo that had been tested on animals or contained animal products. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the dirtiest in the world, in terms of ethics, and the Pagan would carefully have to weigh up priorities before taking drugs forged by these companies. Petrochemical companies, the car industry, electrical appliances – all these the Pagan would think twice about supporting, always looking to find the most renewable, recyclable, low consumption alternatives.

As he honours the spirit of others around him, so does the Pagan honour his own health and well being. Here, ethics are about stepping beyond the self-destructive habits that our secular society considers acceptable, from drugs and alcohol to overeating and apathy. The Pagan will celebrate his own body as an expression of his creativity, regardless of how others might judge it. As he takes responsibility for his own living, so would the Pagan take responsibility for his own dying, retaining the right to end his life if he should so choose, though ever-conscious of the web of relationships to which he is connected. He honours that others have the same right, most usually when disease makes living too painful to bear. Once again, ethical decisions are based on acknowledging the pure spirit of life.

What causes us to fail to make ethical choices is often lack of information or understanding, and an important part of a Pagan’s spiritual journey, therefore, is education. Conscious choice is critical, and so is continual learning. We must keep our minds open to watching, questioning, engaging, ever-seeking understanding. The Pagan ethic here is based on the responsibility of the individual to be aware and act appropriately.

As a parent, the pagan doesn’t delegate responsibility for his child’s education, but takes care that the child is in environments that nurture her growing vision, allowing her the confidence and self-esteem to express her own truth and creativity. For me, that means home education, ensuring that my daughter has opportunities to explore and discover in her own way, following personal interests in her own time, at her own pace, unbatterd by the culture of competitive bullying.

Beyond our own direct actions, what could be more important than to bring up our children as human beings who are awake and responsible, who will care for this earth and bring beauty to others?

What would happen if everybody started telling the truth?

Religious Fundamentalism and Dogma: Bigotry

It is in our children in war-torn countries, brainwashed into hating one another without knowing why. It is the arrogant racist who believes in an imperialist, white supremacy that presumes anything can be bought. It is in the neo-Nazi and the Ku Klux Klan, Fundamentalism is in the office worker next to you who feels her faith is superior to yours and that you will go to hell and she, heaven. Fundamentalism is the reason people mail anthrax to abortion clinics because they don’t believe woman have a right to choose. Fundamentalism is the man who bullies, beats, or represses his wife because he believes woman are inferior – the source of wickedness – and passes on seeds of tyranny to his children. Fundamentalism is the people who mock same-sex love; people who shun unwed mothers, the poor, and those infected with the AIDS virus, calling such things ‘the wrath of god. It is those who smile politely to those of another race in public, but condemn them in private purely because of the colour of their skin or their religion. Fundamentalism is in everyone who labels people as feminists, socialists, communists, and other boxes and throws them down the river.

Religious fundamentalism: religious laws, rules, arrogance, and moral condemnations …..It’s a good way of controlling people, don’t you think?

A future where wonder is revered and the wisdom and the beauty of life is honoured, where such terms as ‘Man conquers….’ ‘In the battle to control……….’  And ‘In the war against………..’  are no longer used to discuss natural phenomena like mountains, space, death – actually, let’s not use this terminology for anything!

Religions? What is valid about them? Whom do they serve? Why do a vast percentage of humans insist on bowing to seemingly omnipotent and, to be honest, terrifying deities that have no connection with the rest of nature unless ‘he’ uses it to wreak havoc on ‘his’ enemies?!

Whatever happened to ‘Shit happens’? Why seek cause or blame that are human dysfunctions and impediments? What about the big picture? Does it not come down to fear of death and the idea that it is unnatural?

I have no problem with the theory of religion, except in the hands of humans! This writer is a witch and a priestess of a magical way of living, but not a religion.

Religions demand worship. They demand divisions and employ dualisms like good and evil, us and them, sacred or profane. Them and us. Why? Religion and the words worship and faith, beliefs all go together. Inherent within these words is possibility of doubt.