Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Salt City Pagan: My Paganism and My Politics

Salt City Pagan: My Paganism and My Politics

Last updated on: June 1, 2021 at 4:06 pm by Tyson Chase

Salt City Pagan: My Paganism and My Politics 2021-06-01T16:06:09+00:00 Tyson Chase

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In a passing conversation I was asked if my religious beliefs influence my political beliefs. Initially, I was dismissive of the idea. I mean these are distinctly different things. One is sacred and one is muddled with grime and sticky situations. How could I bring something sacred into a tainted well of politics? As the discussion carried on I noticed myself having relatively strong opinions around abortion rights, wildlife preservation, global warming initiatives, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. The sentiment quickly shifted to, ‘in what way doesn’t my religious beliefs play a part in my politics?’

This week’s article comes to you at the beginning of June. This month is greatly significant for me and many other people (Pagan and non-Pagan alike). This month celebrates Pride month, which owes memory to the brave demonstrations of the Stonewall riots. June is also when many Pagans celebrate the Summer Solstice. The Solstice is the longest day of the year and the point which we slowly begin to return towards the darkness. It feels appropriate to release an article at the beginning of the month instead of closer to the Solstice. This is because June is quite literally the month that symbolizes my two worlds in calendar form.

Without the actions represented in the celebrations during June I would not have seen the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, the celebration of life after suppression, the fight against the AIDS epidemic, my first initiation into a Pagan tradition, my own marriage, and I wouldn’t have the Solstice. It seems poignant that June is also the month when most places in the United States are reaching goals for vaccination, which allow us to embrace this season. June is special, June is beautiful, and we need to acknowledge this month for its blessings.

We need to acknowledge June for its blessings. Image by the author.

I’m Not That Radical

Shifting back to the conversation around politics, I tried to piece my policies on pen and paper. At a glance, my life appears to be radical to the right-wing conservatives. I’m gay, I’m a socialist-liberal-democrat, I have protested, oh and I am Pagan. To my friends who know me, I am probably the most low-key guy you could meet (yes, that was fancy for boring). I am a nerd who loves reading, the outdoors, and happens to be Pagan. I’m really not a radical leftist who wants to bring down the government. I’m less Viva La Revolution and more Viva La Brunch!

My political persuasion is equally simple as my lifestyle. Again, on paper it looks pretty radical. However, by practice it is congruent with my actions in life. My desire for better wildlife preservation is as simple as, this is our home, and we should treat it well. My views on abortion rights are also super simple. That isn’t my body and therefore I have no rights to tell a person what to do. If you like the notion of live and let live, how could you not be liberal?

Oftentimes, I get quite a bit of unsettled feedback for my views, especially living in Utah. Lately, we’ve made ourselves known in the news for unwanted but familiar faces like Mike Lee. We’ve had a terrible reputation for crossing the lines between government and predominant religious involvement. We also have a history of problematic people damaging some of the most gorgeous landscape in this nation. I don’t think that my respect for other humans or the land we live on makes me all that radical. If anything it makes me someone rather simple. I like the paved way that is easier and less damaging.

I like the paved way that is easier and less damaging. Image by the author.

This Isn’t the Only Way

Things get a little more sentimental when we begin to discuss our faith, doesn’t it? We often do not realize how much our religious beliefs saturate all areas of our life. Yet that is the goal and what we read about in Pagan books. We are advised to observe nature, make bonds with gods, revere nature spirits, and create a daily practice that benefits our lives. If we are practicing the Pagan path and have a bond with nature, it is only natural that we would want to protect nature. Our values begin to shift, if they weren’t already aligned to begin with.

The Paganism that I know and love has always kept a heart that is open, ears that listened, and eyes that observed. My sexual orientation wasn’t an issue or deviation. I was welcomed and encouraged the same as my hetero-counterparts. The same extensions were given to people of color. There is absolutely nothing that says a Hispanic witch is more in-tune than an Asian witch. The Pagan community I am involved with is diverse, colorful, beautiful, and filled with people who just want to get down with the gods and have a great spiritual experience.

Conservative Pagans do exist; that is a fact. It is also a fact that some Pagans have voted in a way that harm people in the community they love. Though I have tried to understand the dichotomy, I couldn’t. The Paganism I described isn’t the only way and neither is the contrasted version I am giving now. When we strip away the rainbows and sunshine, we are left with fallible human nature. Just as we are different in practice, we are different in political beliefs. Humans have a tendency to complicate the unnecessary and that shines brightest in the political theater.

Public domain photo via Creative Commons.

You Have a Bad Habit…..So Do I

We have a bad habit of falling into a cycle of speaking negatively and then playing it on repeat. In fact, I almost lost the whole point of this article. I have been focusing on the ways we are different and establishing that I am a very very VERY nerdy gentleman who doesn’t find his views radical. So what is the point of this article again? Ah, yes, we are discussing the ways in which my religious views impact my political views.

My faith is one of the many Pagan faiths; we have established this. We’ve also established that our home is our planet and that protecting her is our responsibility. This argument is a bit of a no-brainer even if you are conservative. What about supporting equality for LGBTQ+ marriage, job protections, and the right to adopt a child? That line isn’t so clear and doesn’t actually have religious affiliation. How about the topic of abortion? That doesn’t have a Pagan religious backing written anywhere either. In fact, you won’t really find arguments that condone or condemn much of anything political throughout Paganism.

Where do we begin to assemble the link between Paganism and politics? I think it is within our common experiences as Pagans. One such connection is in our shared negative experiences. Paganism is unique and often we are treated as outsiders for our beliefs. I don’t think there is a single Pagan out there who doesn’t know “the look” when you tell someone about your faith. When this happens, do you feel that sense of being an outsider? Or perhaps you even feel that twinge to build the wall of defense.

Those momentary feelings are precisely why I have found most Pagans tend to support LGBTQ+ equality. We know all too well what it feels like to be treated differently for practicing something we love (though one is a choice, the other is not). Within Paganism we aspire to treat every gender as equal. This plays into a lot of our views regarding the topic of abortion. Women have a right to make a decision about their body and life without having to defend that decision. Religion is not a tool that gives us the right to tell any person how they should live or about the choices they make.

It’s June, baby, and you don’t need the negativity in your life this month. Image by the author.

My Paganism finds the webs that connect every person, every particle, and every part of the universe. My religious beliefs have made it clear to me that the way I choose to act or react will create a vibration in the web. That means I have to choose what I react to and how I choose to do it. I take on the responsibility for my actions and have to live with the outcome that I created. This same philosophy also applies to you, like it or not. Every single choice you make will have a reaction. It is important to make choices that create a positive vibrations or at least lessens the negativity as much as possible.

It is June, Baby!

It’s June, baby, and you don’t need the negativity in your life this month. At the beginning of this article I covered some very important events in history, including the one we are now in. June is about the celebration of life and we can see the labor of our love come into fruition. As Pride celebrations begin to return around the nation, take a moment to learn about our oppression of the LGBTQ+ community. Not just the Stonewall riot but the murders of trans-persons that still take place. Or the fact that marriage was not an option for millions until June, 2015 (let that sink in, please). Then to celebrate, fly our colors, be an advocate, and help continue to make a difference.

Once the Solstice arrives, take in your own life, and celebrate the triumphs you have faced. You have survived a pandemic and have so much to be thankful for. This need not be a somber celebration but equal in fun as Pride (colors, eco-glitter, and wings all over the place). I genuinely want you to be happy and celebrate the wonder that is life. Create positivity within yourself and share that with the world around you, we all could use some of it right now.

Once the Solstice arrives, take in your own life, and celebrate the triumphs you have faced. Image by the author.

I know this article doesn’t have a tone of austere-serious-political saturation and that is my whole point. My religion and my politics are built around the celebration of every human being and our planet. I celebrate people’s heritage, culture, backgrounds, failures, and happiness. Each of us will face a dark moment in life and my hope is that there are people around you who support versus suppress.

My religion plays a massive part in my politics and it only took recognizing the good deeds around me to see the influence. I wish that supporting wildlife, fighting global warming, and getting vaccinated weren’t politicized topics. If these areas weren’t politicized, I am not so sure my religion would have much to say about politics but that isn’t the world we are in. Until equal rights are accepted as human rights and global betterment is the new human nature, I solemnly remain a radicalized social-liberal-democratic gay Pagan. Viva La Brunch!

About Tyson Chase

Tyson Chase is a practitioner of Wicca, living in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is a business professional by day and an avid amateur researcher by night. His research includes over 15 years as a practitioner of Wicca, Witchcraft, history, comparative religion, quantum physics. He is frequently caught creating fantastical concoctions for his guilty indulgences in the world of kitchen witchery. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

May 28, 2021

Between Two Worlds: Honoring Our Veterans and Ancestors

Next Post

June 16, 2021 Salt City Pagan: How Pagans Celebrate the Summer Solstice

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Noah's father?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Abel Seth Lamech Enoch