I hope this doesn't upset anybody

[Chatelaine]

I've had more than a few people tell me that I wasn't "allowed" to be Pagan or follow certain Pagan religions (it escapes my mind at the moment the exacts on what they said) but there reason for that was... I'm black.  

I wonder if those people would consider Afro-Caribbean religions non-pagan. (Perhaps they think that using saints as orisha avatars makes them offbeat but basically okay Christian offshoots?) Or that such faiths are unsuitable for Caucasian people.

I share the view that you have fallen foul of the cultural heritage thing. On the other hand, I believe that deities call their people. I'm a British mutt. My primary goddess, Hecate, comes from the eastern Mediterranean. If she finds me suitable, it's no human's business to say otherwise.

[Angi]

Okay short blurb. I'm not Pagan. I'm here because I want to find out and learn about the different beliefs, people, dynamics, ideas that fall under the term Pagan. I keep getting drawn into wanting more knowledge on it so I'm here to find out what info I can and get questions answered and my hopeful end result is finding what works for me and growing and getting into it... now that being said my first question/issue/concern or what have you....

I've had more than a few people tell me that I wasn't "allowed" to be Pagan or follow certain Pagan religions (it escapes my mind at the moment the exacts on what they said) but there reason for that was... I'm black.  

Hi,
I'm new to Paganism, but I have found that most of the Pagans I have met have kind of been of the live and let live mindset. I also think that Pagans in general are more open minded to one anothers differences. That being said, I don't really care what color your skin is, and I hope that people learn to judge a person by their character instead of their skin color. Thank you for asking this question, and good luck in whatever path you decide to follow.

[sephira]

You will find small minded people everywhere

 
Don't you know I just went to a pagan gathering (I am white) and they made me feel like I was invading their turf? Really!! It was like they had their clique and there was no room for me which totally boggled my mind because Pagans are few and far between down this way and my experience has always been with Pagans is that they are generally a lot more accepting, and friendly, towards other people. They made me feel totally uncomfortable and I couldn't wait to get out of there! So I don't think race is always an issue, there are just small minded people, like hufflee said, everywhere, for whatever reason.
They just can't help themselves!

Good Luck in you endeavors ComplicatedMe!

[Malkin]

Unfortunately some people use folkish traditions to justify their own racism.  (Note to folkish folk here, I am not saying that all folkish types are racist or even that many are, but we all know racists will use any tool to try and justify their stance; just look at the furore regarding the casting of a black actor as Heimdall in the recent Thor movie).

I hope you'll find that most of us are not like that, whether folkish or not, and hope you'll feel as welcome here as I have.

As to having the "correct" ancestry in order to be allowed to follow the path, just how far back are we allowed to go?  Isn't it said that something like one in eight Westerners have distant blood roots leading to Genghis Khan?  And what about people like me, who can't trace their family lines back any further than, at absolute best, the late 1800s?  Seems to me, if you feel like you want to explore a path, no one should get to tell you whether you should or not.

 
IAWTC.

While I can understand the reasoning of sticking with your own cultural legacy...the point where people bring "blood" into it strikes me as a logical fallacy. And not just for the reasons you mention; how many mythological paradigms out there actually consider gods and mortals to be of the same "race?" I don't think it's a very simple question, tbh.


(Also, on a tangential/mildly inappropriate note: The funniest remark I ever saw regarding the issue of Idris Elba in the Thor movie was from an anonymous commenter who said, "Now, I'm pretty racist. But I've got to admit. That guy did a GREAT job playing Heimdall!")

[Figment99]

I've had more than a few people tell me that I wasn't "allowed" to be Pagan or follow certain Pagan religions (it escapes my mind at the moment the exacts on what they said) but there reason for that was... I'm black.  

I was told that a lot of what I would meet is scorn and general dislike even so far as refusal to accept or teach me because I'm black.  I figured this just couldn't be the case.  But I have a VERY limited knowledge of the inner workings and feelings of the Pagan community so I figured here would be good place to find out are there any prejudices out there with race and Pagan religion? Are there certain religions or beliefs unavailable to minority? Was I just a victim of small minded or unlearned people? Is it just a stereotype?  

 
I'm sorry you had to be a victim of such narrow mindedness. It is shame that people think that way and have actually told you that.

Spirituality is open to all, your skin color doesn't matter.

In fact, I know several Witches and Pagans that are black or mixed. I met most of them in college in Louisiana and they were very knowledgable and taught me a lot.

Have fun and good luck on your spiritual journey. Ignore the small minded and ignorant people, they don't matter in the long run anyways.