I received an email from my college sweetheart today, after he received my email telling him (again) of my conversion to Christianity. Funny how that happens; it’s happened a couple of times, actually. I’d tell someone I’ve converted, and it was like they didn’t even hear me. Tell them again a few months later, and it was news to them!

Sheesh. “Conversion” is such a strange word to describe changing your whole life around. It sounds like something you’d do to a car. “Honey, I’m taking the car in for a conversion, be back in an hour.”

ANYWAY. Among other things in the letter, he asked me “what was it about paganism that you feel is wrong?”

It’s not that I think paganism is wrong, per se. It was just wrong for me.

You know, every person on this planet, thinks THEY are right about what they believe. If they didn’t think they were right - they’d believe differently! We Christians think we’ve got it right, Muslims think they got it right, Jews think they got it right, Pagans think they got it right, right on down the line. The truth of the matter is, no one really knows. How could we? We’re not omnipotent. Maybe we’ve all got it wrong, or more mind-blowing still, maybe we’ve all got it right. I think the truth lies somewhere in between.

THAT BEING SAID, I can find a lot of fault with a lot of things revolving around Paganism itself. And it’s not just me, either. I’ve heard the same things said by pagans and pagan leaders.

Now here’s where it gets sticky. When I talk bad about pagans & paganism, NO, I’m not talking about YOU. I know lots and lots of pagans who are wonderful people, live their beliefs, help others, and are true to their faith. So I’m not going to cast a wide net and say that all pagans do this, or all of paganism believes that. I’m not a masochist.

But some of those hairy-toed pagan-hobbit feet DO fit into this shoe I’m about to throw out to into the blog-o-sphere, and if the glass slipper fits, Princess, wear it.

There is a LOT “wrong” with Paganism in general. Besides the fact that, well, it’s not Christian (see above about how we ALL think we’re right) it’s got it’s own unique set of problems and issues. It’s special, like a snowflake.

One: It’s a very immature faith. Yes, I know, modern paganism is a “new” set of religions (if I may call it that) - and yeah, it shows. Many pagans, and many pagan paths, are little more than selfish two-year olds who only think of themselves. “What’s my god going to do for ME?” “What spell can I do to get what/who *I* want?” “I want spiritual enlightenment, and I want it NOW!”

But you know what? Every other religious group on the planet, measures the religious-osity¹ of other religions - by how it’s practitioners help others. In my experience, most pagans and pagan groups, are woefully behind in that regards. Pagans, and Paganism, will never be taken seriously by anyone outside of Paganism, until ya’ll start doing just that. Helping others.

Stop Spiral Dancing long enough to feed the hungry, dammit!

A few years ago, my friend Michael and I went to hear Jim Towey, who was President Bush’s head of the Faith-Based Initiatives Program. He came to FSU, brought in by the Catholic Student Union, to discuss (wait for it….) faith based initiatives. And during that speech, he made a comment on how, once he was asked - “Are ALL religious groups eligible to receive funding? What about pagan groups?” His response was, of course they were eligible, but he didn’t know of any Satanists who ran soup kitchens. He didn’t know of any pagan groups, either. Now that’s sad.

Secondly. Each individual in paganism, needs to start getting your friggen act together. No more using a pendulum to figure out what bills you’re going to pay this month. Get a decent job, stop wasting all your money on ugly silver celtic knot jewelry, take one of those free classes on how to manage your money offered by your local bank, and learn how to balance a checkbook. It’s not hard, I promise! Hell I’m financially illiterate and I learned how, you can too.

Thirdly, stop being so mean to each other. I’ve met more back-stabbing sumbitches in Paganism, than I ever did in any other religion. You bad-mouth each other, you belittle each other, you talk about other people behind each other’s back, and then you wonder why no one wants to come to circle anymore.

Gah.

Grow. The. fuck. up.

That’s my message to the Pagan “Community” today.

Grow. The. Fuck. Up.

Until that time, no more whining about how “The Big Three” don’t take paganism seriously. How can we, when you don’t even take yourselves seriously?