weird dream

This morning I dreamt that I was in a part of South America that was formerly colonised by Greeks (I knew this because there was Greek writing on the buildings) with a bunch of Pagans, and we were adding a small trilithon-like entrance to an ancient burial mound, which had also been augmented by the symbols of other religions on stones around the perimeter wall.

Probably my subconscious's reinterpretation of some difficulties with local interfaith events.

Obviously this all took place in some alternate reality where a part of South America had been colonised by Greeks in the 19th century and its pre-colonial inhabitants built burial mounds that look roughly like European ones.

disestablishment and pluralism

Rethinking religion in an open society
Though the role of religion in society has come back onto the agenda with a vengeance in recent years, the political, spiritual and intellectual resources at our disposal for handling the issues involved seem perilously thin on all sides in public life. This paper aims to reconstruct some key terms in the debate and to offer a positive case for a 'disestablished' form for religion within a plural social and political order. In particular it suggests that the alternative to hegemonic religion or attempts to exclude religion from public life lies in the rediscovery of an alternative form of politics rooted in practical 'goods' and 'virtues' derived from different communities and traditions, accompanied by the development of a 'civil state' framework.

I would recommend reading this, regardless of whether you are an atheist or a person with a religion or a spiritual path.

In this article, Simon Barrow takes a long hard look at the current debate on who gets to keep control over public life, and tries to move beyond the over-simplified "atheists versus religionists" picture peddled by the media.

I think he is right that we are now in 'post-Christendom' and I think this is a good thing. I think Christianity lost its claim to credibility when it got into bed with the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire, and ceased to be a radical critique of the status quo at that point.

Likewise, ancient paganism lost its credibility (in modern eyes, anyway) when it became a state religion where you had to sacrifice to the numen of the Emperor. All the excitement was located in the mystery religions.

Theocracy is a bad idea anywhere - established religion is always a conservative force, because it is run by the rich and powerful, who have a vested interest in preserving the status quo. It's the small radical groups like Quakers, Unitarians, the Metropolitan Community Church, Soulforce, Wiccans, eco-Pagans, Sufis, Hasidim that challenge inequality and promote justice (for LGBT people, peace, the environment, etc.)

Recently some Pagans have started to liaise with the government over various issues, which is great, but the problem is that the government wants Pagans to "speak with one voice" and I don't see how we can do this, when there are many different Pagans with many different agendas and ideas. I guess we can try to reach a consensus among ourselves and then relay that to the government, but owing to the distributed nature of Pagan networks and communities, it is difficult to canvass everyone's opinion.

What Simon Barrow suggests instead of the established church is a polity based on values and virtues instead of beliefs - an eminently sensible idea, and something that is compatible with many religions, including Paganism, Unitarianism, and Buddhism, to name a few - all of which are based on values and not on beliefs. There is disagreement about beliefs both within and between traditions, but most people can agree on a set of values and civic virtues - inclusivity, tolerance, social welfare, justice, equity, charity (all good Heathen and Roman virtues), and so on.

He does not mention Paganism (though he does mention small new religions and non-aligned spirituality), and so I wonder what his proposed model might be like for Pagans - I think it would be a good thing, because it would be based on values which we can all subscribe to, and there might be less of the governmental mindset that insists on consulting one specific religious organisation and assuming that it represents the views of everyone in that group. It could also mean that Christianity might no longer be seen as a model that other religions must be like, or conform to, in order to be regarded as religions.

Bristol Interfaith Midwinter Circle

We went to the Bristol Interfaith Midwinter Circle last night, and it was fabulous. Each community representative lit a candle on the main table before offering their contribution.

Muslim contribution – Samina Aslam & children – relating to the Prophet Ibrahim & the Hajj, also a Sufi poem by Rumi. This was great, because Samina told the story of Hagar / Hajar from the perspective of Islam, and it is slightly expanded from the Biblical version. I always thought it was sad that Hagar was sent away, so was glad to know that she was looked after (it mentions the spring and the idea that she was the ancestor of a nation in the Bible).

Progressive Jewish Congregation contribution – Rabbi Ron Berry – celebration of Chanukah, and about the Hanukiah. The Chanukah story is always rather moving, and also he lit a candle next to the Muslim candle, which was deeply symbolic in many ways.

Christian contribution – June Ridd – telling us about the significance of Advent. I never knew that each of the four Advent candles stood for something different: the first week is the Prophets, the second week is the Patriarchs, the third week is John the Baptist, and the fourth week is the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais contribution – Angela Parr – a reading & a poem. She read from Baha'ullah and then a poem by John Masefield, Laugh and be merry.

So we must laugh and drink from the deep blue cup of the sky,
Join the jubilant song of the great stars sweeping by,
Laugh, and battle, and work, and drink of the wine outpoured
In the dear green earth, the sign of the joy of the Lord.

Buddhist community of Lam Rim contribution – Mike Austin – he read from the Capala Sutra, which reminds Buddhists how to stay awake.

Hindu contribution - an explanation of the daily Aarti ceremony and how it employs the symbolism of the five elements (sky, air, fire, earth, water); a mantra that goes with it; and a reading about the spiritual journey in Hinduism, which culminates in moksha, union with the Divine.

Pagan contribution – Yvonne Aburrow and Nick Hanks – a brief overview of the Pagan customs of Yuletide, past and present. I talked about Saturnalia as the inversion of the usual social order; Yule as the turning point in the wheel of the year, and the oldest known symbols of Yule, which are the antlered man and the old woman; and the Pagan origins of decking the house with greenery and exchanging gifts. Nick talked about how Pagans celebrate Yule now, and about the symbolism of the Christmas tree.

Unitarian contribution – Bernard Omar read a piece about the interfaith significance of the scouting movement, and the interfaith commitments of Unitarianism. He also had the lights turned out during his reading, and read by candlelight, and invited us to imagine we were sitting around a large bonfire, like the Scouts!

Sokka Gakai contribution – Will Grealish led the chanting of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, a mantra from the Lotus Sutra.

Sikh contribution – Mr Singh Bisla & priests - singing accompanied by harmonium & tabla. This was very beautiful and full of yearning for the Divine.

Colours of Paganism

I have a guest post up at ColourLovers.com: The Colours of Paganism. It's part of a series on the colours of religion - the symbolism, mythology, and festivals and the colours that go with them.

The photos came from the CreativeCommons licensed photos on flickr.

I think this is my favourite, the one I chose for Beltane:

by yksin

is this really necessary?

Just seen this link to a Christian organisation posted on Facebook, and to be honest I found it to be a completely pointless organisation.

By bringing God's values, His Kingdom into the way we work, the way we build-up our relationships, the way we deal with our bosses, our customers, our suppliers and colleagues, we can truly make a difference.

I say pointless because there are already many groups trying to make a difference and bring respect, tolerance, freedom and other humane values (common to all religions, not just invented by Christianity), such as unions, multi-faith chaplaincies, international offices, equal opportunities committees and the like. I can't imagine many evangelical Christians wanting to work constructively with people of all faiths and none, or with LGBT people, for example. And I think most people would feel excluded by the evangelical Christian language.

Of course many workplaces need transforming into more ethical places, but why does it have to have a specifically Christian label? Only 10% of people in this country are actually practising Christians, so most people would regard this as a blatant attempt to impose a specifically Christian worldview, or to convert people to Christianity, even if it were not specifically evangelical (which it is). Also, I would hope Christians were already putting their values into practice at work (though not in the sense of discriminating against LGBT people and people of other faiths or none, or trying to evangelise their colleagues, of course).

The idea of wanting to transform workplaces into nicer places to work and where ethics were of prime importance would have a lot more credibility if it was a multi-faith (including humanist) alliance. And why can't Christians join existing organisations to make workplaces better?

I think the chief reason why this organisation annoys me is the sheer smug self-righteousness of it, as if ethics were invented by Christians. As a matter of fact, the first Western person to think in depth about ethics was Socrates, six centuries before Yeshua ha Notsri. And in the East, Siddharta Gautama also preached compassion about the same time as Socrates.

Personally, I'd like to see more Buddhist values in the workplace: compassion, tolerance, respect for the environment, right conduct towards customers, time off for meditation, respect for other people of whatever faith, and better décor.

what religion am I?

According to the Belief-O-Matic:

1.	Neo-Pagan (100%)
2.	Liberal Quakers (91%)
3.	New Age (91%)
4.	Mahayana Buddhism (90%)
5.	Unitarian Universalism (86%)
6.	Reform Judaism (75%)
7.	Sikhism (73%)
8.	Jainism (72%)
9.	Theravada Buddhism (71%)
10.	Baha'i Faith (70%)
11.	Taoism (67%)
12.	Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (66%)
13.	Hinduism (63%)
14.	Orthodox Quaker (61%)
15.	Secular Humanism (59%)
16.	New Thought (58%)
17.	Scientology (58%)
18.	Orthodox Judaism (51%)
19.	Islam (44%)
20.	Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (40%)
21.	Nontheist (32%)
22.	Seventh Day Adventist (30%)
23.	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (30%)
24.	Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (29%)
25.	Eastern Orthodox (19%)
26.	Roman Catholic (19%)
27.	Jehovah's Witness (17%)

There you go, I am 100% NeoPagan, 91% Liberal Quaker, 90% Mahayana Buddhist, and 86% UU. Maybe I am a Quaking Penguin, er sorry, Quaker Pagan. I resent being 91% New Age, though. And I'm only 67% Taoist, that's strange. I find it significant that my top 11 religions all acknowledge the validity of other religions as paths to the Divine (that's a big issue for me).

label, schmabel

Why I couldn't call myself a Christian under any circumstances

• Christians have persecuted too many heretics, witches, people of other faiths, and sexual minorities - and they're still doing it
  
• The Christian tradition is far too focussed on celibacy and asceticism
• I don't want to "die to the world" - I love the Earth and nature
• I don't believe nature is fallen; nor do I believe in original sin
  
• Christians must submit to the authority of their creeds and churches; to me, authority comes only from the Divine, heard as the still small voice within, though possibly mediated through the interpretations of others which may give insight
• They are too keen to convert others to the faith, and too many of them think it is the only truth
  
• The Alpha course (it annoys me so much!)
  
• I don't believe in the second coming as a literal event (and don't even get me started on those nutters who go on about the Rapture)
  
• I don't have a problem with the Trinity, exactly, but nor do I have a problem with the Unity, Duality, Quaternity, or any other numeric representation of the Divine.
• I can't believe Christ is the only way to the Divine source - and if you look at Yeshua's words in context (John ch 14), he doesn't seem to have been saying that

Why I am having trouble with being labelled Pagan

• I'm fed up with the reburial issue - why are people worrying about the ancient dead when the Earth is taking a hammering from consumerism and industrialisation? and I'm interested in the individual stories of our ancestors discovered through archaeology, not the relationship of their bones with the landscape
  
• I'm fed up with the constant bickering about what colour your candles should be, and lack of interest in theology and community values
• Neither duotheism nor hard polytheism really work for me as models of the Divine - if you divide the Divine into genders, it implies that there is a "normal" way to be male or female; and the problem with hard polytheism is that it insists that you must view the Divine in a particular way - to me, it's a unity and a multiplicity
  
• It is difficult to account for the problem of evil within Pagan theology
• I'm fed up with the selfish attitude of people who think it's OK to turn up to a festival and drum, sing and play the didgeridoo all night without regard for the needs of others
• I'm not sure any more if ancient deities can respond to contemporary needs - or rather, I am not so sure if religion should be about the interaction of people and gods, but rather between people and the universe and all its inhabitants
  

Why I am still a Wiccan

• I love Wicca - it is my spiritual home: its rituals, festivals and people stir the depths of my soul
• It is liberating and empowering for both men and women
  
• I am an initiate of Wicca, and proud of it
  
• Wicca has got me this far on my spiritual path, why should I abandon it now?
• I feel responsibility to my trainees
• It is an amalgam of Christian and Pagan themes
• It acknowledges the validity of all paths to the Divine
• You don't have to leave your sense of humour or your brain at the door
  

Why I am exploring and enjoying Unitarianism

• It acknowledges the validity of all paths to the Divine
• It feels like another spiritual home
  
• It's the ultimate heresy, and I've always loved the heretics and mystics (must be some kind of British-sympathy-for-the-underdog thing)
• In one of their leaflets they quote from Life of Brian - "you must all think for yourselves"
  
• Some of the people I most deeply admire were Unitarians - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Erasmus Darwin, S T Coleridge
• Even non-theists can join
• They have cool hymns (and a saying that they sing badly because they're always looking to the next line to see if they agree with it - hey, I do that!)
• They espouse the values of Yeshua but not necessarily subsequent accretions of doctrine (particularly the Trinity)
• They regard Yeshua as a great soul, like other great souls such as Buddha
• I want to explore my relationship with Kwan Yin as well as Yeshua
  
• They have a "build-your-own-theology" kit (what a refreshing change from things like the Alpha course)
• People are welcome, but they don't proselytise
• They are not anti-LGBT (indeed, they co-founded the Lesbian and Gay Switchboard)
• They love nature
  
• They build links with other faiths and seek to make peace
• They draw on science, the arts and other spiritual traditions for inspiration
  
• I find the Tao Te Ching to be the most meaningful holy book - this wouldn't be a problem for Unitarians
• They don't tell you what to think, they just put forward ideas for reflection
• You don't have to leave your sense of humour or your brain at the door
• They like discussing theology (but they don't have dogma)
  

favourite mystics

Khalil Gibran - author of The Prophet, one of the most inspiring books I know; and less famously, of Jesus the Son of Man, a prolonged meditation upon the Christos with a poem about him from each of the people who encountered him in his life. Gibran was a Maronite Christian from Lebanon, but moved to New York fairly early in life.

Faith is an oasis in the heart which can never be reached by the caravan of thinking. -- Khalil Gibran

Ram Mohan Roy - a deist, interfaith activist and campaigner for the abolition of suttee (widow-burning), who also promoted education. One of his disciples was Dvarkanath Tagore, the father of Rabindranath Tagore, the mystical poet. Ram Mohan Roy died on a visit to Bristol (UK) and is buried in Arnos Vale cemetery. I have visited his grave.

Black Elk, holy man of the Lakota. He had several visions of the spirit that guides the universe, including one where he saw the unity of the four colours of humanity (red, white, yellow, black). The circle was particularly significant in his visions.

Joan of Arc - one who followed her vision, and was not afraid to die for it.

One of the most interesting things about mystics is that they affirm Divine Love, and that all religions are paths to the Divine.

Why not make your own list of favourite mystics and add a link to it in the comments?

the Green Man

The Green Man is often claimed as a Pagan symbol (even in church guidebooks these days). Presumably this is because a very small number of them appeared on Roman and Greek temples. But then there was a huge gap before they reappeared on churches in the Middle Ages.

It could be argued that sticking leaves on something is a Pagan impulse, because Paganism "is" nature spirituality. Well, neoPaganism is focused on nature, but ancient paganisms were generally about propitiating hostile nature spirits.

The figure of the Green Man seems to me to be a little bit Sufi - it reminds me of Al-Khidr, the Green One who is a friend of the soul. On the other hand, it could be a little bit Hindu, since the heart chakra is often represented as green. Or it could be a little bit Christian, since Christ represents Tifereth (the equivalent of the heart chakra in Kabbalah) and is certainly the friend of the soul. Or the Green Man might represent the greening of the soul in response to Divine inspiration. The vines or branches coming out of the Green Man's mouth might represent the truth being spoken (and there is a saying that the Holy Spirit speaks through everyone who speaks the truth, and She certainly speaks through Nature). Or it may represent a renewal of spirituality.

So let's not be too quick to claim that the Green Man is an exclusively Pagan symbol - it has resonance for people of all religions and spiritual paths. Especially now, when we all need to get into right relationship with Nature.