A House Divided

The great Abraham Lincoln once said, "A house divided can not stand." He was referring to our nation during the Civil War, but it is just as applicable in things we see happening today among some in the Pagan Community. We see Pagans chewing at each other and quarreling about whose way is best and, worst of all to us, whether some forms of Paganism are religion or scientifically based. To us, that is a non-argument.

According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary religion is "1) The service and worship of God or the supernatural 2) commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance 3) a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices 4) a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith." By these definitions, science can be considered a religion and makes the "Wicca is more science than religion" a moot point.

Pagans are starting to splinter and that's the last thing we need to do now. The Pagan Community needs to stay unified and strong to counter the attacks on it from people that don't have any knowledge or understanding of what it is to be Pagan.

One of the thirteen principles of Witchcraft states: Our only animosity towards Christianity or any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent that it's institutions have claimed to be "the one true and right way" and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices and beliefs. The Council of American Witches at their Spring Witchmeet wrote these principles in 1974. This principle is as relevant today as when it was written, if not more so.

We need to pull together and stop the bickering. How can we expect John Q. Public to recognize us and take us seriously if we are nit-picking each other to death? How can we expect mainstream America to see us as anything but crackpots if we can't find common ground? We thought the statement "of like minds" meant something.

Some worry that there are those out there that would bring back the burning times. To this we have one thing to say: No one needs to bring them back since for all intents and purposes we're doing it for them.

We as a community need to get a hold of ourselves individually, not each other. Talk TO each other, not AT each other. Benjamin Franklin once said, "A man convinced against his will is of his own opinion still." Think about it folks, to coin a phrase…United we stand, divided we fall.

Written by Mike Manning and Silvlaro
© Copyright 2001