Paganism's Future

Though European Pagan faiths date back to far earlier periods, contemporary Pagan revival movements, at least in terms of names and organizations, are mostly products of the twentieth century.

Some ideas on the potential future of these new/old religious groups as they go ahead into the uncertain circumstances of the twenty-first century are worth considering.

Just as the dominant religion of Christianity repressed the ancient Paganism of Europe, it seems that the attitude and strength of the different Christian churches will continue to influence the contemporary Pagan resurgence.

Christianity is losing popularity in most of Europe, but is regaining appeal in the United States.

We can deduce from this divergence that Neopagan religions will likely gain acceptance as one of many forms of religion in Europe and Canada, while continuing to face resistance and reprisals in the United States, particularly in communities dominated by Fundamentalist and Evangelical forms of Christianity.

International contact and collaboration through the Internet and other methods are also anticipated to play an important role in defining the position and status of Pagan religion in relation to Christianity.

As Pagan religious organizations become more established in Europe—as in Denmark, where Nordic Paganism was granted official status in November 2003, with full legal rights to perform marriages and other ceremonies—they will be in a better position to assist embattled Pagans in the United States who are fighting to preserve their communities against conservativists.

In Europe, Christian organisations trying to combat the rise of Pagan organizations may look to American churches for help.

It is conceivable that contemporary Pagans may encounter more opposition from official institutions in Russia, as post-communist government authorities have demonstrated growing partiality for the Russian Orthodox Church.

Any significant increase in membership within a Pagan community is likely to put significant pressure on organizational structures.

Modern Pagans have shown an aversion to centralized leadership and structure, preferring small, local, or regional groups and a tendency to break into even smaller factions when disagreements and personality problems occur.

It's impossible to say if an increase of Pagans will result in greater membership for current organizations or an endless proliferation of tiny breakaway groups.

It's possible that a lot will depend on the quality of leadership provided by certain people, as well as their ability to persuade others to support the ideas and plans they express.

Decentralized, cooperative organizational structures, on the other hand, that avoid individual leaders' domination, may be important for the survival of Paganism.

Both types of leadership may be found in the Pagan groups and associations cataloged. Insofar as they respond to the varied requirements of individuals in different areas for community, identity, and spiritual meaning, the Reconstructionist and Eclectic varieties of contemporary Paganism are likely to remain distinct, viable, and independent choices.

Wicca has thus far surpassed all other varieties of Paganism in terms of popularity, and only time will tell whether it will maintain its lead.

Many members of Reconstructionist Pagan groups have told stories of how they came to this form of Paganism after previously being involved with Wicca.

They claim to have felt a desire for a religious community that was more deeply rooted in the historical religious traditions of a certain period, place, and people, prompting them to seek for a more ethnically oriented version of Reconstructionist Paganism.

It remains to be seen whether this will be a continuing or increasing trend, and whether people in the twenty-first century have a greater need for a broad, universal, and de-ethnicized framework of spiritual meaning, such as Wicca, or religious meaning packaged with ethnic identity, such as Reconstructionist Paganism.

Reconstructionist Pagans will face a huge challenge as societies worldwide, including the formerly closed nations of Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe and the once homogeneous peoples of Scandinavia, become more ethnically diverse through increased travel, immigration, marriage, and other forms of interaction with peoples from other regions, ethnically oriented.

They must choose whether to reinterpret ethnicity to allow immigrants, non-Caucasians, mixed-race people, and others of formerly distant national, linguistic, and racial backgrounds to join their brand of Paganism, or to develop modern Paganism as a last bastion of ethnic purity against the "barbarian hordes" of immigrants and others.

Both inclinations may be seen today, with heated discussions occurring on the websites of Asatru organizations and others.

The motivations for becoming involved with Paganism for the majority of modern Pagans who are either Europeans or descendants of European immigrants range from a desire to reclaim ancestral traditions from the cobwebs of fading familial memories, to a desire to identify themselves with past ethnic and spiritual traditions they find personally meaningful, to an inspiration to blend the spiritual cobwebs of fading familial memories.

You may also want to read more about Paganism here.

Be sure to check out my writings on Religion here.