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Post by Scruffy Brooky on Feb 16, 2011 18:37:05 GMT
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Post by Scruffy Brooky on Feb 18, 2011 8:58:07 GMT
Yeah I guess they do mean Charmed etc. Although it doesn't matter what your entry point to Pagan ideas is. It's what you do with it once you've found it that counts.
The Mail article, as you rightly point out, is a review of the book you reference. I just can't help but read it in the context of what I see as a barrage of anti-Pagan propaganda that the Mail has been spouting recently - most (if not all) of which I have linked to on here.
I agree that pointing fingers get us nowhere and would never call for retaliatory action by anyone including the PF. I just think that Pagans being aware of how we are being inaccurately portrayed in the popular media - and from other bodies such as the Catholic Church -, prepares us for the reactions of others.
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Post by Scruffy Brooky on Feb 18, 2011 12:31:36 GMT
Pagans need to state clearly and in a positive way, what they stand for, and the advantages of those beliefs. In principle this would be vastly advantageous. The problems are numerous. Many Pagans, including myself, are solitary. Many of these, including myself, aren't really happy with anyone else speaking for them, or to speak for anyone else on such matters. This is partially because there are vast difference between the organised faces of Paganism, never mind us disorganised ones. Anyone trying to speak for Pagans faces the problem of being taken seriously in the mainstream media. For example as is mentioned on another thread we were vastly outnumbered by Jedi on the last census, which is an easy cop out for not taking Pagans seriously. Also an attempt to set the record straight could be perceived by some Pagans as an attempt to convert, as you have pointed out in previous posts this is not generally acceptable to Pagans. Worse it could be spun as this by those wishing to damage the credibility of Paganism. Part of me wonders if making a fuss generally doesn't do Paganism more harm than good. For example a recent Daily Mail piece was bemoaning Paganism's right to be taught on the National Curriculum for R.E. If we'd never fought for such rights, and left it for people to find Paganism if it was right for them that would be one less negative press story. In a perfect world I shouldn't have to think like that and we are as valid as any other religion/belief system, and should be free from discrimination. Sometimes you have to choose your battles though. Personally I don't care if Paganism can be taught in schools, so I possibly wouldn't hve stuck my neck out on that one.
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tim
Earth Dreamer
Posts: 24
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Post by tim on Feb 19, 2011 11:22:24 GMT
I'm glad that the tone of this discussion has become more positive. We surely must continually remind ourselves just how lucky we are today, living in a country where we can practice our beliefs without persecution and hold these discussions openly without fear?
This environment has developed over many centuries and we owe our gratitude to the thousands of Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Pagans and people of other faiths who have given their lives so that we have this privilege. I haven't done the arithmetic but I suspect that it is a privilege that the majority of the world's population do not share.
I say this because we must be careful. At a time when, for the past 40 years our leaders have adopted policies that undermine our stable society, we all share the responsibility to defend it and must cherish what we have. Yes, we should be vigilant and I agree that we should be more proactive in correcting the distortions of our beliefs propagated over the centuries. But we should also be respectful of others' beliefs because that is what we are asking for ourselves.
This is what we have to be grateful for. It is not inconceivable that our existing levels of tolerance could deteriorate rapidly unless we behave in a way that respects the sacrifices of our ancestors and respects the beliefs and sensitivities of our neighbours.
A sobering thought. If someone had stood in the street 500 years ago and shouted that one of the central beliefs of Christianity was a myth, they would be dragged away, tortured over a very long period of time before being killed in a very gruesome way.
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