The intolerance of the pagans.
Writing a book review for the San Francisco Chronicle, Don Lattin makes two shockingly inconsistent statements.
Noting a particularly cruel example of tyranny carried out by Christians who were in 415 AD newly running the Roman Empire, having displaced the paganistic practices and emperor worship that came before, Lattin writes: “Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.”
By the end of the review, Lattin writes:
Paganism, with its worship of a variety of gods and goddesses, tends by its very nature to be more tolerant of other faiths than monotheistic religion.
(*) Before Lattin said that Christians and pagans are morally equivalent. Later he says that monotheists (Christians) are more intolerant. Ergo, Christians are worse.
Of course, Lattin fails to mention the crucifixions, the gladiator matches, the maulings by wild animals, and the other punishments inflicted under the pagan rule of Rome on Christians. Apparently, paganism is capable of much intolerance as well.
Let us also pause for a moment to consider the human sacrifices, the child sacrifices, the cannibalism, the mass murder, and all the other memorable deeds done by pagans. It’s not just a bunch of people singing songs and burning incense while “skyclad” out in the woodlands.
A proper comparison of religions would compare doctrines. The errors and failures of believers should be a factor, but not the only factor under consideration.
Update: 25 March 2004. Kalblog links. (†) He makes good points.
March 22nd, 2004 at 23:21
Pagans
While most pagans, wiccans, and other new-agers I’ve met are nice enough people, I’ve always suspected that many of them hold their religious beliefs out of perversity instead of any real conviction. Granted, anyone can argue that religion is all…
April 1st, 2004 at 09:49
Pagans&Wiccans
Do you actually believe that pagans and wiccans sacrifice babies and children, that we have mass murders. I really hope not. Most pagans and all true wiccans, do not believe in harming anything, alot of are vegitarians, how could we stand with watching children die. I am quite young, 15, but I am alot older I believe in spirit I know what is right and what is wrong, I know how to deal, and I know what is evil and what isn’t. Yes there are afew factions of paganism, Satanism, vampires(whom I really don’t believe in) and such who have been known for this, but not most of us. Where I live we have a mojor problem with satanists, dogs go missing and show up on some evil altar in the woods or in the basement of a house, and it is all really creepy, but the pagan and wiccan community who does not consort with evil are really worried what the effect of this will leave on us. To many people assort nature, and life loveing paganism, and wicca with evil, but We love nature, and all life, I even have problems killing spiders now. We aren’t evil, and when people finally realize this the less we will have to come out and oppose the beliefs of those who hate us.
Bright Blessings,
Emma
April 3rd, 2004 at 17:04
The sacrifice of children as carried out by pagans is extensively documented. For example, the Book of Jeremiah in the Bible speaks of children sacrificed to Molech. History is replete with such horrifying acts committed by pagans.
Modern pagans do not apologize for the historical crimes carried out by their predecessors.
I know very well that there are modern pagans and Wiccans who do not commit acts of violence. I am friends with such people. What is unacceptable to me, however, is to portray these beliefs as somehow free of the crimes and the violence that they have been responsible for throughout history.
Whenever a Christian does something wrong, that is said to impugn the whole religion. If Pizarro murdered a number of Incans several hundred years ago, all of Christianity is supposedly implicated. Yet, if Attila the Hun left untold numbers of murdered people in his wake, that is said not to implicate the paganistic beliefs generally, even though Attila the Hun was paganistic in his beliefs.
Of course, I would be willing to consider a compromise. If pagans would stop blaming today’s Christians for the errors committed in the name of Christianity long ago, it would be fair for Christians to not blame today’s pagans for the crimes committed in the course of their beliefs long ago, even though the crimes of the pagans are far greater in magnitude and heinousness than those of Christians.
April 6th, 2004 at 23:28
One could suppose that human self preservation, on the scale of discrete social groups, is a means where weak individuals may find protection from real or perceived threats. The control of groups, found in leadership authority (strong men) may be colored in terms that satisfy the cultural framework that binds that group. It seems as if humans need a supernatural overseer to grant power to leadership, and the voice of that supernatual power may be found where individuals, vested with the authority of a traditional social movement, oftimes use the power of their office to inspire the mass of a society in persuit of earthly political power. Religion, that “science” of irrational thought, presumes to give men life after death. For some individuals, whos earth bound existance is meager,the option to be in heaven with god than on earth with the rest of us may seem a prize worth any cost. Religion is nothing more than another form of institutionalized mind control, as is any social dynamic where group discipline is neccisary for order and control of individuals. Be it popes that wish to reclaim a holy city, or a president that struggles against an “evil empire”, the means to the ends could be simply stated as “we would be better off if we killed those people”. The advantage of killing “those people”, stripped of high flown ideals like “a greater islam”< OR SUCH< MAY BE "IF WE KILL THOSE PEOPLE< WE GET TO KEEP ALL OF THEIR EARTHLY RICHES">THIS AUTHOR HAS NO IDEA HOW TO END THIS< OTHER THAN A GENERAL PLAN OF MATERIAL DISTRIBUTON WHEREBY ALL OF THE MATERAIAL WEALTH OF THE WORLD IS DIRECTED TO PEOPLE WHO NEED OR WANT THINGS>AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE HAPPENING REAL SOON>
April 27th, 2004 at 15:54
What the heck? I’m a Pagan and I don’t sacrifice ANYTHING. Christians do prosecute Pagans, much much more! Pagans don’t prostletize and burn Christians!
April 27th, 2004 at 18:43
At the very least, pagans did burn Christians in the past, including in ancient Rome.
And of course pagans proselytize Christians, not that there is anything wrong with proseyltization.
October 3rd, 2004 at 20:46
Coming from an eclectic “pagan” point of view: Why can’t everyone just shut the hell up and take each person on an individual basis? I’ve met Christians who are quite possibly the nicest people i’ve ever come across, and pagans who are arrogant bigots. When it comes down to it Christians and pagans aren’t all that different. Don’t get me wrong - I’ve had my fair share of attacks from fundamentalist Christians - some more vehement than others, but if you’re going to generalize Christians and shout “Persecution!” in the same breath, you aren’t much better.
To Christians and Pagans alike: Shut up. An ignorant person is an ignorant person, regardless of religion. And who the hell cars what they think? Nobody will ever change anyone’s opinion, nobody is any more or less superior than anyone else, and in the end everyone ends up looking like a childish dumbass.
Also, I refuse to apologize for what my ancestors did in the past. I also do not wish to have an apology from christians. The pagans & christians of today have nothing in the least bit to do with the pagans and christians of the past, nor their “atrocities.”
The past is the past, and the people alive today are in no way connected to what took place in it.