It’s the Enemy Voice in our heads: you’re stupid. You’re crazy. You’re weak. You’re sinful. You’re damaged. You’re wrong. About everything. That voice is the Enemy. It is the soul-killer. We inherit it from parents and teachers and classmates, from religious leaders. We internalize it, make it our own, until it almost seems it is … Continue reading Doubt
Read moreImagine
Ours is a vision of a better world. So let’s imagine it. In the world we seek to build, kindness is paramount. None are “Other” or “lesser”, be they queer or disabled or poor or differently colored in skin tone. And those who are unfortunate are helped: our society leaves no one behind, guaranteeing a … Continue reading Imagine
Read moreThe Magic of a World Without Magic
Atheopagans are what is called in philosophical circles naturalists. That means that we believe that everything is a part of nature, is composed of natural material, and is subject to the laws of physics. Everything. Accordingly, barring the arrival of a substantial and compelling body of evidence in support of the idea that rituals and mental … Continue reading The Magic of a World Without Magic
Read moreWhat is a religion?
To start with, no one can tell you conclusively, because there is no universally accepted definition of “religion”,nor of “spirituality”. Those who tell Atheopagans that ours is “not a real religion” are speaking from a position of ignorance. That said, I propose a functional model which I believe applies to all religions in the world. Under this … Continue reading What is a religion?
Read moreTowards a Spirituality of Responsibility
Paganism is fun. It is: it’s playful, humorous, creative, sexy, joyous, and results in communities which are often wonderful to belong to*. Atheism isn’t so fun—often, it’s stuck in fascination with being “right”—but it is grounded in reason and evidence and, thus, in what we can say with confidence is reality and not fantasy. Putting … Continue reading Towards a Spirituality of Responsibility
Read moreThe Atheopagan Way, and What It Isn’t
It’s not dressing as if you’re at a Renaissance Faire. Nor goth/BDSM/ aesthetic, all black and “witchy”. Both are fine, if you want to indulge in them. But they’re not relevant to the path. It’s not a commercial platform for selling crystals, oils, tinctures, potions, tools, incenses, candles, Tarot cards, workshops or books. It’s not … Continue reading The Atheopagan Way, and What It Isn’t
Read moreBeing Rooted and Transcending the Overculture
Contemporary Paganism in the English-speaking world suffers from multiple contaminating ideas carried over from the overculture that suffuses that world. A part of our effort at liberating ourselves from these assumptions and paradigms through Atheopaganism must, therefore, lie in choosing and adopting different models for understanding ourselves in relation to our Universe and the very … Continue reading Being Rooted and Transcending the Overculture
Read moreThere is No Resurrection
This week, Christians are celebrating their belief that someone rose from the dead, and—for unclear and not entirely logical reasons—that they are therefore absolved of a moral stain they believe they were born with. I do not subscribe to any of that. I don’t believe in original sin. I don’t believe in life after death, … Continue reading There is No Resurrection
Read moreAtheopaganism: An Introduction
In recent months, hundreds of new Atheopagans have joined the Facebook group and followed the blog. Lots of folks viewing our path with new eyes, and many wondering how to get started. Accordingly, I thought I’d provide an overview of this Pagan path. Today I posted a video, “An Introduction to Atheopaganism”, to the Atheopagan … Continue reading Atheopaganism: An Introduction
Read moreOur Story Thus Far
In 1987, a friend invited me to an autumnal equinox circle with his Pagan coven. I had been an atheist all my life: a rational, naturalistic believer in science and reason. But I went. I still don’t entirely know why. It was…odd. There was drumming. The standing-in-a-circle-holding-hands was a bit uncomfortable. There was talking to … Continue reading Our Story Thus Far
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