Pagan Misconceptions

[Tamina]

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I'm a student at the College of Charleston doing a paper on Paganism. My paper will specifically focus on misconceptions/stereotypes of Paganism and then the actual beliefs and practices that counter those misconceptions. The paper's aim is to show that these misconceptions, such as devil worship, are NOT what Pagans believe in or practice. I was wondering if you all could answer a few questions:

First, there is no way you're going to peg down what we do or don't believe in a few simple sentances. Some of us don't even call ourselves pagans. I only call myself a pagan when I'm talking to someone who doens't know what I'm talking about.

-What misconceptions have friends, coworkers, or even family asked about Paganism? For example, has anyone asked you if you worship the devil or some other untrue practice? (If no one has asked you about stereotypes, what misconceptions are Pagans most aware of?)

I don't get questions as much as I get the assumption that I'm just going to go to hell.
I would like to point out though that, with the exception of my family, most of my friends have not been surprised or asked me any questions about it. They just accept it because it doens't surprise them about me and my beliefs.

-What effect have misconceptions had on potential new members of Paganism?[/QUOTE]

I"m not sure what you're looking for. We don't actively recruit people, like the Christians do.

-What do Pagans do to try to counter these misconceptions and to get the truth of Pagan practices and beliefs out into the world or do most Pagans stay uninvolved in spreading the true practices and beliefs?

I do my best to educate people who ask me questions.

-How do Pagans feel about their portrayal in television, movies, and the media?

Mostly I find myself frustraed and annoyed. Even when you see pagan's on reality shows or talk shows, they choose people who only fufill a tiny segment of the population. I watched a talk show the other day where the Witch they had on the show was also a vampire who drank blood during sex. It's like when they portray someone from Texas as an in illertate, inbred, sheep-*&*%^^* hick.

I've been having a hard time with time management this semester as I've added a second part time job to my schedule. The paper is due this Wednesday. I've been speaking with local Pagans and covens but would like a larger sample. I understand that some here might not want their names or other info in my paper and can confirm that I am willing to keep any identities anonymous.

Thanks!

If you would, only use my screen name if you need to use a name.

[Tamina]

Depending on where ones lives in the country, it may not even be safe to openly talk about pagan faiths.  For example when I lived in Florida near Alabama, I had a Born Again Pagan Bumper sticker.  I received a note left on my windshield wiper that said "May God have mercy on your soul" once.  Luckily I did not have any further incidents, but if you look at the instances of ignorant behavior in an area, such as homophobia, racism, sexism, and so on, it behooves one to be cautious about broadcasting something very alien to the norm.  The more "guns and Jesus" messages I see, the less likely I am to open up on this matter in public.

 
Living in Southern Louisiana (and not New Orleans) and not being from the area (we're military and travel frequently from place to place) is exactly why I'm afraid of actively seeking out people in the area.

I can't even bring it up to my husbands friends or their wives, because I'm afraid of how it would affect him at work. (He's the one enlisted.)

[Owl]

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I'm a student at the College of Charleston doing a paper on Paganism. My paper will specifically focus on misconceptions/stereotypes of Paganism and then the actual beliefs and practices that counter those misconceptions. The paper's aim is to show that these misconceptions, such as devil worship, are NOT what Pagans believe in or practice. I was wondering if you all could answer a few questions:

-What misconceptions have friends, coworkers, or even family asked about Paganism? For example, has anyone asked you if you worship the devil or some other untrue practice? (If no one has asked you about stereotypes, what misconceptions are Pagans most aware of?)

-What effect have misconceptions had on potential new members of Paganism?

-What do Pagans do to try to counter these misconceptions and to get the truth of Pagan practices and beliefs out into the world or do most Pagans stay uninvolved in spreading the true practices and beliefs?

-How do Pagans feel about their portrayal in television, movies, and the media?


I've been having a hard time with time management this semester as I've added a second part time job to my schedule. The paper is due this Wednesday. I've been speaking with local Pagans and covens but would like a larger sample. I understand that some here might not want their names or other info in my paper and can confirm that I am willing to keep any identities anonymous.

Thanks!

First, Pagan is a term that refers to many different religions.  On this board it is anyone NOT of the Abrahamic (Jewish, Christian, Muslim) religions who self identifies as pagan.  Some of the big non-Abrahamic religions such as Hinduism as not big on being labelled pagans.  That is their choice.

I do not have pagan tattooed on my forehead, so most people I know at work or as family or casually have no clue what my religious beliefs are.  I have had people assume I am Wiccan (which I am NOT), but then I have know people who assumed Catholics aren't' Christian so I try not to be annoyed and just educate them.

Many people finding an initial interest in non-Abrahamic religions assume that Wiccan is the only choice.   Then there's one of my sisters who, upon realizing that my then 16 year old daughter had a vampire anime DVD, asked if she was Wiccan in the voice you use with the mentally insane.  My daughter and I both looked at her like she was a moron and I said no while my daughter said "it's just a vampire movie!"  I don't know why my sister assumed that a vampire movie would mean Wiccan, but she's a little weird about controlling her kids and they are much younger (8 years) than mine.

I don't bother much with countering any mis-conceptions.  I would go far to protect the freedoms we have in this country, and those freedoms mean I can choose my spirituality and it's nobody's damn business.

I don't care much about media representations.  They will portray what sells.

[SkySamuelle]

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I'm a student at the College of Charleston doing a paper on Paganism. My paper will specifically focus on misconceptions/stereotypes of Paganism and then the actual beliefs and practices that counter those misconceptions. The paper's aim is to show that these misconceptions, such as devil worship, are NOT what Pagans believe in or practice. I was wondering if you all could answer a few questions:

-What misconceptions have friends, coworkers, or even family asked about Paganism? For example, has anyone asked you if you worship the devil or some other untrue practice? (If no one has asked you about stereotypes, what misconceptions are Pagans most aware of?)

I live in Italy where paganism and its symbols are not often approached with an open mind, since Catholicism has an heavy hand even in politics (exemple: we had referendums on approving reseach on staminal cells- Church ran interference at any chance it got with intense propaganda on how approving that equaled at approving clonation. Same spiel with referendums over the morning-after-pill and even artificial fecundationi) so i keep a very, very low profile. Only my parents and brother and a few fellows pagans i knew through internet know about my religion.
My brother was already familiar with Wicca when i started practicing, so that was never a problem. I explained straight away to my parents that there was nothing 'satanic' in my religion, and they seemed to take that in quietly. Their main preoccupation seemed to be that, since this conversion occurred when i was in college, some strange cult had recruited me to exploit me economically and brainwash me. Once they understood that i had every intention of keeping to practice alone, they were very reassured. They even were worried that i was going to make it public- they were afraid of people reacting violently to this against me (to be fair, they fear the very same thing for my gay brother).
Keep in account that the first openly pagan shop in the town i live in was forced to close within a few months from its opening because of the frequent vandalism and their neighbours hostility.

Two interesting questions i got from my family at the beginning was 'So, if there's a baptism or a wedding, you won't be attending with us?' and 'Come on, are you sure you are not doing this as a reaction to those integral Catholics friends of yours?'
They were under the impression that you had to be extremely frustrated with Church in order to embrace something so different from it... in the sense that i was only pagan, because i was anti-catholic. While i was a bit frustrated with certain extremesz of Catholicism, i still quite liked certain parts of it, so i was far from being 'anticatholic'.

-What effect have misconceptions had on potential new members of Paganism?

I think the association of paganism with satanism in italy is still strong -i know there were a few pagan meetings in my area that were even put under surveillance by police- so people who might be interested are afraid of making questions, and afraid to even show interest or take pagan beliefs seriously.

-What do Pagans do to try to counter these misconceptions and to get the truth of Pagan practices and beliefs out into the world or do most Pagans stay uninvolved in spreading the true practices and beliefs?

With strangers and in public, i tend to be quiet. I do let my family know that they are free of asking anything they want, because i got nothing to hide from them, and that i'm available to explain as honestly and clearly i can.

-How do Pagans feel about their portrayal in television, movies, and the media?

 

Iam often frustrated. The show 'Supernatural' got me all enraged because it basically transfomed every single pagan god or goddess that starred in it in a people-eating demon. 'The Secret Circle' was a bit better but not by very much - again, there you find demons going on to possess witches and a few references to wicca framed within a very dualistic and Christian-oriented context. I was strongly affected by a scene where a group of devoutly Christian witch hunters captured witches and burned them praying to God to save their souls... that could be actually a good idea to open debate of religious discrimination, but it was completely downplayed and maybe even accepted as a sensible belief, since one of those witch hunters was actually a witch convinced that witchcraft was evil and it bred death.

Literature and movies are a bit more pagan-friendly, and you can find movies and books with sense of pagan spirituality even if they are not litterally pagan.

[SatSekhem]

To be honest though, some of us DO.  My closest friends will attest that I would be happy to dance naked under the moon.  Although that's not that likely this time of year.  A bit cold for being naked outside and at night.  I might do it if there were a sizable bonfire nearby though.

Oh, I know there are pagans out there who do. However, my entire family knows what a huge prude I am. Not to mention, they always ask in the dead of winter... It's never like, you know, around Beltane or Litha.

[Catherine]

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You've already gotten lots of really great answers, so I just want to address a few things.

-What misconceptions have friends, coworkers, or even family asked about Paganism? For example, has anyone asked you if you worship the devil or some other untrue practice? (If no one has asked you about stereotypes, what misconceptions are Pagans most aware of?)

I don't get many questions about it at all. I never talked about religion in the work place because I think it's an inappropriate topic. All of my friends know what I'm about. As far as my family goes, as long as I show up for weddings and funerals, they don't care what I believe in.

Also, it's been pointed out already that pagan is an umbrella term for many different religions and spiritual practices. Even though I'm not a Satanist, neither are most of the pagans that I know, lots of Satanists do identify as pagan. That's not an "untrue practice", just another group under the umbrella. So, there's another misconception for you.

-What do Pagans do to try to counter these misconceptions and to get the truth of Pagan practices and beliefs out into the world or do most Pagans stay uninvolved in spreading the true practices and beliefs?

Most of the time, I don't do much because it rarely comes up in my day to day. When it does, I'll make corrections and answer questions to the best of my ability.

-How do Pagans feel about their portrayal in television, movies, and the media?

I can only speak for myself. There's a difference between pagan religions and witchcraft, so it depends on what's being portrayed. If it's an actual religion, like Wicca for example, I'd like to see it portrayed accurately just like I would any other religion. If it's witchcraft, I prefer it to be more sensationalized. Honestly, a TV show about witches like me would be unbelievably boring!

Good luck with your paper!

[SunflowerP]

For instance, many pagans hate the movie The Craft, saying it portrays witches and pagans as evil but I do not see this to be the case when I watch the movie.  I see a movie where there is a "Good Witch," a "Bad Witch" and two who get caught up in it all.  It at least addressed actual ideas of Wicca, such as the Threefold Law, and shows the consequences of misusing magic.

 
Heh... whereas I see a movie that has exactly one person who might be a practicing witch (or who might just be an unusually practical and down-to-earth New Ager), and she's a supporting character, not one of the main ones (the woman who owns the shop).  Other than that, it doesn't portray witches at all; what it portrays (fairly accurately to my experience of them) are teenagers who are fascinated/obsessed with anything weird and ooky-spooky.

Sunflower

[Darkhawk]

-What misconceptions have friends, coworkers, or even family asked about Paganism? For example, has anyone asked you if you worship the devil or some other untrue practice? (If no one has asked you about stereotypes, what misconceptions are Pagans most aware of?)

Mostly I run into the assumption that I'm Wiccan, which is wrong in about eight different ways.

However, I run into that even more often and more persistently from other pagans, some of whom are apparently Deeply Offended that not everyone thinks Samhain is a liturgical new year - or even celebrates it at all.

-What effect have misconceptions had on potential new members of Paganism?

I neither know nor care.

-What do Pagans do to try to counter these misconceptions and to get the truth of Pagan practices and beliefs out into the world or do most Pagans stay uninvolved in spreading the true practices and beliefs?

On a serious note, I'm a theologian, not a marketing director.  People will believe damnfool things on their own time and their own dime.  My concern is primarily with my religious communities - which isn't 'all pagandom' - and making my religious work functional, healthy, and more comprehensive.

Spreading religion isn't very popular among pagans, especially those who come out of evangelistic backgrounds where they felt that they were spiritually threatened and coerced into feigning belief.  As a general attitude, I expect that most figure that a given person's relationship with the spiritual is that person's responsibility, and I certainly decline to take that over.

Sometimes people give interviews or talk with researchers or whatever else.  Sometimes people suggest that as minorities we have an obligation to educate (to those people I say "I am not your dancing monkey").  But it's all on individual people's free time.

-How do Pagans feel about their portrayal in television, movies, and the media?

Can't speak for pagans, but I mostly feel darkly amused.

[Nyktipolos]

Heh... whereas I see a movie that has exactly one person who might be a practicing witch (or who might just be an unusually practical and down-to-earth New Ager), and she's a supporting character, not one of the main ones (the woman who owns the shop).  Other than that, it doesn't portray witches at all; what it portrays (fairly accurately to my experience of them) are teenagers who are fascinated/obsessed with anything weird and ooky-spooky.

Sunflower

 
Pretty much what Sunflower said. We don't see a lot of background or what their lives were like after the final showdown.

There was a deleted scene I wish that had stayed in, where Sarah had visited Bonnie in the hospital after her experimental surgery and was using magic (well smudging + words) to try and help heal her. These little things I think would've helped make it a better movie, as well as showing their own experiments with magic outside the group.

(This witch, however, really loves watching this movie. It's cheesy and terrible but I love it. Sigh.)

[Robert Cannon]

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I'm a student at the College of Charleston doing a paper on Paganism. My paper will specifically focus on misconceptions/stereotypes of Paganism and then the actual beliefs and practices that counter those misconceptions. The paper's aim is to show that these misconceptions, such as devil worship, are NOT what Pagans believe in or practice. I was wondering if you all could answer a few questions:

-What misconceptions have friends, coworkers, or even family asked about Paganism? For example, has anyone asked you if you worship the devil or some other untrue practice? (If no one has asked you about stereotypes, what misconceptions are Pagans most aware of?)

-What effect have misconceptions had on potential new members of Paganism?

-What do Pagans do to try to counter these misconceptions and to get the truth of Pagan practices and beliefs out into the world or do most Pagans stay uninvolved in spreading the true practices and beliefs?

-How do Pagans feel about their portrayal in television, movies, and the media?


I've been having a hard time with time management this semester as I've added a second part time job to my schedule. The paper is due this Wednesday. I've been speaking with local Pagans and covens but would like a larger sample. I understand that some here might not want their names or other info in my paper and can confirm that I am willing to keep any identities anonymous.

Thanks!

-We really worship the devil. What these people do not know is that most pagans place great value on truth, so that alone exludes the notion that we follow the "father of lies".

-Pagans are uncivilized barbarians. If you practice Asatru, Odinism, or Wotanism, you are especially probably familiar with this accusation.

-Pagans are hardcore liberals and neo-hippies. To a certain extent, this is true, but it is not always the case. Many Teutonic heathens, for instance, embrace far-right views, such as David Lane, Varg Vikernes, and Ron McVan. And let us not forget that the amount of folkish heathens is growing in Europe. I believe the Golden Dawn of Greece is made up of several Hellenic pagans.

[PrincessBurrito]

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I'm a student at the College of Charleston doing a paper on Paganism. My paper will specifically focus on misconceptions/stereotypes of Paganism and then the actual beliefs and practices that counter those misconceptions. The paper's aim is to show that these misconceptions, such as devil worship, are NOT what Pagans believe in or practice. I was wondering if you all could answer a few questions:

-What misconceptions have friends, coworkers, or even family asked about Paganism? For example, has anyone asked you if you worship the devil or some other untrue practice? (If no one has asked you about stereotypes, what misconceptions are Pagans most aware of?)

Many people seem to think we all work with crystals, tarot cards, incense and smudge sticks.
That we all wear velvet and pentagram necklaces.

I dont work with crystals, I got tarot cards I've never touched (I only use runes) and I only burn incense and smudge sticks because they smell nice and get me in "the mood" before meditating.    

I work in a trendy fashion shop, so I most definitely DONT wear velvet. And the only necklaces I wear that really mean something to me is Thor's Hammer (aka: Mjolnir)
I wear an Ankh necklace a lot, but I just really like what it symbolizes, it doesn't reflect my views, nor am I affiliated with Egyptian Gods whatsoever.

Anyway, sadly I dont really socialize with the local pagans in my area, because they all create this stereotype, and I really dont want people to think I'm one of them, because I'm everything but.


**Also, the reason why people think paganism is devil worship comes from Christian brainwash. It is seen extremely sacrilegious to worship Heathen Gods by choice especially in a Christian country. Since Christians only believe in God and Satan, if you chose not to worship God, that automatically means your Heathen Gods are just Satan in disguise.