Paganism And Satanism

The instances of schoolteachers in the United Kingdom and the United States who were fired without reason because of their Pagan connections demonstrate how volatile the subject of contemporary Paganism can be in public life.

The widespread connection of Paganism with Satanism, which is constantly maintained by Fundamentalist Christians and other opponents of alternative faiths and repeated in the mainstream media , is one reason that has contributed to this state of things.

In these selection of articles I examine a broad variety of contemporary Pagan groups spanning two continents and none of them are focused on the worship of the biblical Satan, show that this charge is unfounded in general.

The Nordic White Power Pagans, who blend pre-Christian Scandinavian mythology, Nazism, and Satanism in a broad mélange of anti-Jewish and anti-Christian symbols and beliefs, are the only exception to the fundamental incongruity of Satanism with contemporary Paganism.

However, as previously stated, such Neo-Nazi Pagans constitute an outlier, although worrisome, and are not involved in the vast majority of instances in which Pagans are accused of Satanism. Paganism's widespread connection with Satanism is the result of media mythology and anti-Pagan propaganda triumphing over truth.

For many Christians, and even a significant number of non-Christians living in Christian-dominated societies, the Christian image of the devil has come to represent any notion of god outside of the Christian monotheistic-trinitarian paradigm.

The author of the previously mentioned book Spirit Wars, which attacked the rise of modern Paganism, took pains to quote a number of Neopagans and feminist witches who denied that their religious beliefs and practices were linked to Satanism, but then he went right back to repeating the allegation:

“There is a continuum in Paganism that ends in Satanism, i.e., open worship of Satan.”

All that can be said is that certain witches are dangerously close.

It's understandable that for many people who are unfamiliar with the actual content of modern Pagan religions, the simple explanation that these religions are forms of Satan worship is a quick and easy way to categorize these strange religions into a familiar, if slightly titillating, conceptual category.

Horror movies like Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Omen, The Seventh Sign, The Devil's Advocate, Judgment Day, and many more have promoted the idea that non-Christian faiths are likely to be Satan worship at their core.

News organizations that cater to a mostly Christian audience have discovered that dramatic stories of suspected Satanism are likely to attract viewers and increase the popularity of news programs.

As a result, it's all too easy for news agencies to jump on accusations that Pagans are really Satanists who secretly practice dark and evil rituals.

Such misconceptions are likely to persist unless news organizations and other popular media are ready to dedicate airtime and ink to a more thorough and less sensationalistic examination of Pagan faiths.