Apr
28
2009
An article on CNN.com posted today reports that many Americans are not losing religion, but changing it. The article implies that many of these changes might be within one belief system–i.e., a Christian protestant moving from one sect of Christianity to another. However, this is something I have also noticed consistently among pagans, including myself.
When I started researching paganism, I thought that I was destined to be a Celtic Reconstructionist, but that just isn’t so. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m not as interested in reliving exactly what Celts may have done so much as I am in living with that Celtic spirit, or the core of that belief system, in mind–whether you think it’s fluffy or not!
Among my Christian friends in more religious places such as Michigan and Virginia, I’ve watched the struggle many face when wanting to join a community without giving up any of their own beliefs or ethics. I had the opportunity to witness my friend Michelle and her husband Ben explore are more open-minded church community. As straight allies of the gay community, locating a gay-affirming church in conservative Lynchburg, Virginia was important to them. Continue Reading »
Feb
20
2009
Greetings and Merry Meet to all readers. I just wanted to let you know about the subscription feature. Clicking on the “subscribe” link at the top of this blog will allow you to subscribe to Merry Meet. Thanks!
Feb
14
2009
…or Whatever Happened to Heather Drolet? 
In the first season of Ghost Hunters, The Atlantic Paranormal Society included Heather Drolet, who often used divining rods to work with the paranormal world. In later seasons, Heather’s role on the show was to provide a pagan perspective on the paranormal activity encountered.
TAPS still includes Heather’s “Who’s Who of Demonology ” on their site. Heather concludes her post by relating that all major and minor religious systems tend to indicate an extreme fear of the infernal.
Also writing on the Tattwa , Heather describes her pagan perspective on balance and using the images to open and close a paranormal window.
Generally, Heather seemed to get along with the team and offer some helpful insight. Along with Heather, demonologists were frequently among the TAPS team. While the TAPS founding members remained skeptics first, believers second, they valued what these individuals had to say, and followed their inclinations by pointing their scientific equipment in certain locations.
My question is this: Why is Heather no longer on the TAPS team?
I understand their desire to be scientific about collecting paranormal data, but part of me wonders if the ominous sci-fi channel didn’t have an immediate desire to nix having a pagan on television. After all, I have a lot of Christian friends who either honestly do not think it is wrong to watch Ghost Hunters and think about the paranormal or think it’s wrong according to their beliefs and do it anyway.
What do you think? And whatever happened to Heather, anyway?
Jan
25
2009
The other day, I came across a post from last year, written by Albert Mohler. Mohler explores how pagans have allegedly infiltrated the Religious Society of Friends due to the Friends’ policies of tolerance. Mohler seems to believe that this can indicate a paganization of Christian organizations.
While I don’t fundamentally agree with many of the things posted on Mohler’s site, I agree that he does of course have the right to examine this supposed trend. It is a truth that Quakers are openly non-judgmental whenever possible, which technically goes along well with mainstream Christian doctrine.
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is not exclusively or in any part affiliated with Christianity unlike the Religious Society of Friends, though both openly exhibit a moral obligation to embrace diversity. Because of this, it is possible for those of virtually any non-harm-doing belief system to be accepted by members of both the Fellowship and the Friends–my personal experience certainly provides me with a strong agreement.
The Christian criticism tends to remind me of politics–the way in which John McCain, a moderate affiliated with the GOP, initially lacked support of many far right supporters who leaned more towards politicians like Bush and Huckabee. Similarly, it would seem that more conservative Christian groups might be interested in pulling Christians away from the more liberal Quakers.
There certainly seems to be more than a bit of information to support Mohler’s assertion that there are in fact pagan Quakers out there. Here are some links to help you examine the situation.
What do you think? Is it possible to be both pagan and Quaker? Should Quakers direct a pagan interested in community worship to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship instead? Is it right for other Christians to judge this wave of acceptance? Why or why not?
An article on CNN.com posted today reports that many Americans are not losing religion, but changing it. The article implies that many of these changes might be within one belief system–i.e., a Christian protestant moving from one sect of Christianity to another. However, this is something I have also noticed consistently among pagans, including myself.
