Capitalist Extortion in the Pagan Community

bailout, BN Media, capitalism, capitalists, corporatism, extortion, Natural Pagans, Patheos, Patheos Pagan, The Allergic Pagan, troll

Extortionist behavior is not aberrant–it’s a feature of a capitalist system. Not all capitalists will resort to this level of extortion, obviously, but there are no inherent checks to prevent it when they do. It even finds its way even into our religious lives. We can condemn the extortionist behavior, but its not a problem of a few bad apples. We need to get to the root of the problem–the inherently extortionist nature of capitalism. Until we do that, extortion will be an unavoidable part of our lives–and our Paganism.

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The Problem and the Promise of Paganism, and Why One Looks a Lot Like the Other

capitalism, critical thinking, enchantment, gods, groupthink, HP, John Halstead, Ken Wilbur, Latest Posts, Magic, naturalistic pagan, Paganism, positivism, prerational, rational, renenchantment, transrational

In spite of the tendency of many Pagans to confuse the pre-rational with the trans-rational, in spite of the uncritical attitudes and superstitious ideas that haunt a lot of Paganism, I still call myself a Pagan. I am still a Pagan because I believe that Paganism is a door to the trans-rational. I believe that Paganism has the potential to bring together the wisdom of our animistic forebearers and the discoveries of contemporary science in a way that has the power to reenchant the world.

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Community Doesn’t Just Build Itself

Atheopaganism, Creating community

So, there was a blogosphere dustup about whether Paganism is “dying”, complete with defensive denials, gross oversimplifications, and quite a bit of ridicule all around. All of which rather missed the point, in my opinion. My guess is that—in developed nations, anyway— if you looked at any subculture not made up exclusively of the young, … Continue reading Community Doesn’t Just Build Itself

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[A Pedagogy of Gaia] Science in Service to Mother Earth, by Bart Everson

A Pedagogy of Gaia, Bart Everson, Death and Life, HP, Latest Posts, naturalistic pagan, Nature, Nature/Stoicism

Science is, after all, an endeavor of humans and our machines. What would it mean to put this endeavor at the service of Mother Earth? Presumably, our efforts must always be guided by human discernment, in all its fallibility. Who decides what best serves this vision of the Greater Good?

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Ego-Paganism and the Tyranny of Structurelessness

Community, eco-paganism, ego-paganism, freedom, individualism, institutions, Natural Pagans, organizations, Pagan Community, Paganism, self expression, structurelessness, The Allergic Pagan

Opposition to all organization on principle serves nothing but the egos of certain individuals. And it reduces our community to the lowest common denominator — the heckler and the troll. They should not be allowed to define our agendas, because their only agenda is the destruction of all agendas. We need to recognize ego-Paganism for what it is: dead weight for our community. While we need to create space for ego-centered Pagans, we cannot allow them to keep us from coming together to help make the world a better place.

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Atheopaganism and the Future

Atheopaganism, Opinion, Religious history, Science

For thousands of years, since the very advent of human existence, there has been an evolving trajectory of religious history in Western societies. The story passes from the earliest animism and ancestor worship to the rise of belief in gods, the consolidation of authoritarian power under monotheisms, and the complete domination of Western societies by … Continue reading Atheopaganism and the Future

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