You Worship Satan

“YOU WORSHIP SATAN!”

(And other misconceptions about Pagans)

“You worship Satan!”

No, we don’t. We don’t even BELIEVE in Satan, the Devil, or whatever else Christians care to call him. Satanism is NOT Paganism, but is, instead, a perverted Christian sect.

In years past, when Christianity was young, the Christian priests had trouble with Pagans who continued to worship the old gods. They were especially upset with some of the old gods, such as Pan, who embodied free and unfettered sexuality. Those old gods became “devils” in the Christian eyes, and were ultimately gathered into one, Christian entity called Satan.

“You run around naked, having sex and calling it religion!”

Damn – I’ve been missing out on this part of it all.....

Seriously, no, we generally don’t dance around naked. Some groups may wish to worship naked (or “skyclad,” as we call it), but they are the exception to the rule. And when they do, it is not a sexual thing, but rather that clothing can interfere with the raising of energy needed for a particular ritual.

As far as sex is concerned, while Pagans may be more open about their sexuality, sex in and of itself is not a part of the majority of rituals. However, in order to raise energy, sexual magick between consenting partners can be a part of private Pagan worship. The operative term here is “consenting partners.”

Anyone who says you have to be naked to participate in a Pagan ritual, or that you have to have sex with him/her in order to participate, should be treated like any other sexual predator – stay as far away from him/her as possible!

“You worship trees!”

Actually, those are the Pantheists – aisle 3, on your left.....

“You are godless atheists!”

Now, that’s interesting. First, you claim we worship Satan, trees, etc., then you say we’re godless. Actually, we have plenty of gods and goddesses to go around....

But the real question here is, what DO Pagans worship? And that question has as many answers as there are Pagans. Some of us have felt “called” by a particular god or goddess to worship; others have no named deity which they follow, only “The God” and “The Goddess.” Most of us believe, however, that all gods are one God, and all goddesses one Goddess, and both are faces of the greater, unknowable Divine.

And another point: Just as there are various Christian sects – Catholics, Methodists, Baptists – there are individual Pagan sects – Wiccan, Dianic, Asatru. Pagan is the overall term for all of these individual sects.

“You sacrifice animals!”

Only for the potluck supper after most rituals....

Just kidding! Animal sacrifice is NOT part of modern Pagan rituals. Indeed, a large number of Pagans are also vegetarians.

“Okay, then – what DO you believe?”

I can only speak for myself here, and to a certain extent, for the Circle of the Crystal Grove. If you ask 20 Pagans this question, you’re liable to get 25 different answers! But, in general:

* We worship the God and Goddess, in their various faces. As the patriarchal (Judeo-Christian) religions belittled the power of women, we feel that a strictly matriarchal (Goddess only) worship belittles men. We look for balance in our worship, understanding that all people are children of the God and Goddess.

* We believe that each person is ultimately responsible for their own religious life and is the final authority for the beliefs that he/she holds to be true. We will not tell you what you must believe, but will gladly share our individual beliefs with us, if you ask.

* Most of us agree with, as well as abide by, the Wiccan Rede ("An it harm none, do as thou will") and most of us understand the concept of the three‑fold law (“For good or ill, whate’er you do, three times will return to you.”)

* We believe in the interconnectedness of the world and all that is in it. We have a deep and lasting respect for Nature and mark the passing seasons with rituals of worship.

* We believe in Magick and have a healthy fear about its use. It is not to be used for a whim.

* We also tend to subscribe to the idea that "all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals."

Blessed be!

by Donna Hagen, Priestess