Pagan Theology
Pagan Theology: Paganism as a World Religion is a
In Pagan Theology, York presents his controversial theory that the term "paganism", originally a pejorative term to refer to non-Christian religions, should instead be used by scholars to refer specifically to those religious movements who share the common characteristics of
Academic reviews of York's book were mixed, with reviewers making note of the ambitious nature of Pagan Theology, but some believing that it failed to present an entirely convincing argument. As a result of this, not all of them agreed with York's proposed categories, citing various reasons why they believed that it should not be employed. In the wider field of Pagan studies it has been criticised, most notably by Michael F. Strmiska, who argued that it contributed to the cultural oppression of indigenous peoples.
Background
At the time of writing, York was a self-proclaimed "pagan practitioner" as well as a religious studies academic.[1] Commenting on his own personal religious and spiritual beliefs, York related that:
- If I had to name my own denominational predilection, I would say that I am a "religionist." I believe in religion itself and its central role in expanding human consciousness above and beyond immediate daily concerns. I see religion as an ongoing dialogue that questions the purpose of life and our terrestrial incarnations. In my own pursuit and love of religion as religion, I have been particularly attracted to paganism not only as the source and origin of all religion but also as an organic alternative to the institutionalized and parochial insularity that much religious expression has become.[2]
Synopsis
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In his introduction, York explains his approach to religion, which he chooses to define as "a shared apprehension of the world, humanity, and the supernatural and their interrelation". He proceeds to use a map as a metaphor for religion, noting that both help the individual to navigate their own way through the world. Exclaiming that paganism should be seen as a religion in itself, he criticises earlier religious studies scholars for failing to devote time to a discussion of this term, whose etymology he then explains.[3]
In the next chapter, entitled "Paganism as Religion", York argues that religious studies scholars should not use "paganism" in reference purely to pre-Christian religions in Europe or
Arguments
Redefining "paganism"
In Pagan Theology, York exclaims that his purpose is to "expand the concept of paganism."[5] Noting that the term had been originally employed by the early Christians of the Roman Empire to describe adherents of non-Jewish religions, he notes that the pre-Christian and pre-Islamic beliefs of Europe that this initial description covered are similar to other Indigenous religions across the world, and so should also be considered to be "pagan".[6] As such, York argues that religious studies scholars should define "paganism" as a religion utilising five specific criteria, all of which were exhibited in the pre-Christian religions of Europe:
- "[P]aganism includes (1) a number of both male and female gods, (2) magical practice, (3) emphasis on ritual efficacy, (4) corpospirituality, and (5) an understanding of gods and humans as codependent and related."[7]
York argues that many of the world's religious movements fit these criteria and should therefore be labelled "pagan". This includes the original pre-Christian religions of Europe, and the
.Utilising the figures for global religious adherence that were published by David Barrett in his World Christian Encyclopedia (1982), York argues that by the year 2000, 6% of the world's population would be "pagan" under his definition of the term.
Reception and recognition
Academic reviews
"This is a highly complex and sometimes elusive book written, perhaps, more for scholars than for undergraduates. Its burden is more taxonomical than informative. Nonetheless, I have little doubt that it will reinvigorate not only the debate over the definition of religion but, perhaps more significantly, the debate over where one religion starts and another ends."
Melissa Raphael, 2004.[9]
In her review for the
In her review for the
"Pagan Theology will appeal to an international audience of scholars and practitioners of Paganism, similar to that of The Pomegranate, but should also be of interest to scholars of religion more broadly, since York examines paganism in a global context, and as it occurs within other world religions, as root religion."
Barbara Jane Davy, 2004.[11]
Writing in
Reception in Pagan studies scholarship
Chas S. Clifton and The Pomegranate
Writing in volume 6.1 of
Michael F. Strmiska
"Indigenous peoples share a common experience of immense devastation and suffering under colonialism and racism, a universe of suffering visited on them by Euro-American Caucasians; the same people who comprise the majority membership of such modern Pagan religious movements as Wicca or Asatru. Modern European-derived Paganism and Native American and other Indigenous religions of non-European origins involve similar elements, such as reverence for nature, polytheistic pantheons, and life- and body-affirming worldviews, but there are differences as well, stemming from their different cultural, linguistic, and historical backgrounds."
Michael F. Strmiska, explaining his opposition to York's ideas, 2005.[14]
Writing in the opening paper of his edited academic anthology Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives (2005), the American religious studies scholar Michael F. Strmiska, then working at Central Connecticut State University, commented on York's argument in Pagan Theology, noting that it was the same as that made by the political scientist and practicing Wiccan Gus DiZerega in his book Pagans and Christians: The Personal Spiritual Experience (2001).[15]
Although considering such a theory to be "thought provoking", Strmiska ultimately rejected it because he felt that "blurring together the religious identities of these many different peoples, with their vastly different historical and contemporary situations, does a disservice to Indigenous peoples' struggles for postcolonial self-determination by conflating them with the very peoples they see as their oppressors and colonizers."[15] Although accepting that "modern Euro-American Pagans" were often "sympathetic" to Indigenous peoples and "interested in learning aspects" of their "cultural and religious traditions", Strmiska noted that the "contemporary situations" between the two ethno-cultural groups was "quite different" and that this "brutal social reality and the immense historical, economic, and political realities that lie behind it cannot be bridged by a simple labelling process or ameliorated by a unilateral proclamation of spiritual unity between modern Pagans and Indigenous peoples."[14]
Strmiska also felt that it was "worth observing the simple courtesy of calling people by the names they wish to be known by and not calling them by names they reject or are uncomfortable with. The designations Pagan and Paganism, let alone Neopagan or Neopaganism, are not the terms of choice that Native Americans or other Indigenous peoples usually apply to themselves and their religious traditions."[16] He proceeded to argue that "[d]isagreements over terminology may seem petty or trivial, but they are not if we consider what is at stake for modern Pagans." In particular, he noted both the historical persecution of those labelled pagans and the continued "legal and political" oppression of modern Pagans.[16]
References
Footnotes
- ^ York 2003. p. 4.
- ^ York 2003. p. ix.
- ^ York 2003. pp. 1–7.
- ^ York 2003. pp. 8–65.
- ^ a b York 2003. p. 8.
- ^ York 2003. pp. 5–6.
- ^ York 2003. p. 14.
- ^ York 2003. p. 10.
- ^ a b c Raphael 2004.
- ^ Neitz 2004.
- ^ a b c Davy 2004.
- ^ Clifton 2004. p. 6.
- ^ Clifton 2004. pp. 7–8.
- ^ a b Strmiska 2005. p. 12.
- ^ a b Strmiska 2005. p. 11.
- ^ a b Strmiska 2005. p. 13.
Bibliography
- Academic sources
- Clifton, Chas S. (2004). "The Pomegranate Returns from the Underworld: A Letter from the Editor". The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies. Vol. 6, no. 1. London: Equinox. pp. 5–10.
- Strmiska, Michael F. (2005). Michael F. Strmiska (ed.). "Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives". Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives. Santa Barbara, CAL.: ABC-CLIO. pp. 1–53. ISBN 978-1-8510-9608-4.
- York, Michael (2000). "Defining Paganism". The Pomegranate: A New Journal of Neopagan Thought. Vol. 11. pp. 4–9.
- ISBN 978-0-8147-9702-0.
- York, Michael (2004). "Paganism as Root-Religion". The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies. Vol. 6, no. 1. London: Equinox Publishing. pp. 11–18.
- Academic book reviews
- Davy, Barbara Jane (2004). "Review of Pagan Theology". The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies. Vol. 6, no. 1. London: Equinox Publishing. pp. 138–140.
- Dundzila, Vilius Rudra (2005). "Review of Pagan Theology". Journal of the American Academy of Religion. Vol. 73, no. 2. Oxford University Press. pp. 591–594. JSTOR 4139832.
- Clifton, Chas S. (2007). "Review of Pagan Theology". Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. Vol. 11, no. 2. pp. 130–131.
- Neitz, Mary Jo (2004). "Review of Pagan Theology". Sociology of Religion. Vol. 65, no. 3. Oxford University Press: New York. pp. 313–314. JSTOR 3712262.
- Raphael, Melissa (2004). "Review of Pagan Theology". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Vol. 43, no. 4. p. 556.