Problems Within the Pagan CommunityAuthor: Scott, From
WitchVoxThe present-day Pagan community is a diverse and rich spectrum of paths -- or at least, it is supposed to be. There are so many varieties of different paths within the Pagan umbrella, ranging from Wicca to the many Reconstructionist paths, and everything in between. However, we do have our fare share of those who warp Paganism into whatever they want it to be with no respect for tradition, and spread the misinformation that seems to plague our community.
The popularity of Wicca is undeniable, and with a trend comes people who want to profit off of it. The new age section in any bookstore is littered with these “Pagan” books, some of which are good, some of which are complete garbage. The thing about Wicca is, it is a mystery tradition – and like mystery traditions of the past, it was never meant for mainstream consumption. Unfortunately, Wicca is becoming widespread in a generic and diluted form, lacking in the mysteries that are characteristic of the tradition.
There still are many traditional covens who keep Wicca alive in it’s true form, yet there are probably still more people (many of them teenagers) who read a few books and think they can call themselves Wiccan if they believe in “the Goddess” and cast a few spells.
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I don’t mean to say that within a coven is the only acceptable way to practice Wicca, or insult solitary worship in any way. All I truly mean to say that it is less likely to fall upon misinformation if a person is trained by experienced individuals who know what they are doing, rather than being self-taught by reading books by dubious authors.
Perhaps another problem that arises within the Pagan community is the use of labels, and uncertainty about which beliefs constitute which paths, which makes for a lot of confusion due to the eclectic nature of mainstream neo-Paganism.
Many people claim the label “Pagan” to describe their religious beliefs, although that is equal to a person saying they are “Abrahamic”, which includes the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as well as their offshoots. “Paganism” is a very general umbrella term that includes many VERY different religions, and of course, Wicca is the most widely known.
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