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

PANTHEON

Home
Pagan
Columbia and The Wicker Man: Embracing The Barbaric?

Columbia and The Wicker Man: Embracing The Barbaric?

Last updated on: July 13, 2010 at 10:29 am by Star Foster

Columbia and The Wicker Man: Embracing The Barbaric? 2010-07-13T10:29:34-04:00 Star Foster

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.

I think modern Paganism is far too diverse, autonomous and too adamant about the separation of religion and government for there to be any worry that Columbia hearkens an era of blind faith in government or theocracy.

Next, is Columbia a Goddess or an egregore? This could become a very long post on the nature of the Gods so I’m going to skim over this quickly. For all practical purposes I don’t think it matters one bit. Columbia represents the ideals of American government and society, not the reality. If she is a Goddess then she will do what she must to protect those ideals whether we worship her or not. If she is an egregore, then our active interaction with her is productive in keeping those ideals alive in America. Should we treat an egregore as a Goddess? Well, if she is an egregore then identifying that egregore with Libertas, a Roman Goddess, only serves to strengthen and guide it. Columbia may very well simply be our name for Libertas, and the practice of gifting Gods with new names and titles is one the ancients knew well.

Lastly, should we worship a Goddess associated with white colonialism, genocide and slavery? Well, those things aren’t merely associated with Columbia, they are associated with our country, our ancestors, and the very land we walk on. Columbus Day is a national holiday and our government meets in the District of Columbia.

We can’t very well replace her with Selu, the Cherokee Corn Mother. I have Cherokee ancestry and live on the land where the Trail of Tears began, yet even I am cautious and respectful of how I approach and worship Selu.

How do we reconcile the barbaric with spiritual ideals? All religions have barbarism in their past, sometimes in their present. A good example of how Pagans deal with the barbaric elements of their past and reconcile them in their modern spirituality is our reaction to The Wicker Man.

I recently watched this film for the very first time and absolutely loved it. Why? It’s hardly good publicity for Paganism. A community lures a man to his death for religious purposes, an act which is reprehensible and not at all in keeping with modern Pagan traditions.

Continued —>

Go back Continue Reading

Previous Post

July 12, 2010

An Interview with Anya Kless, author of "Lilith: Queen of the Desert"

Next Post

July 14, 2010 Bella and SkyCat: Memories of PSG

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category alexandrian asatru astrology ATW Audio books btw ceremonial magick chaos classics community conversion cosmology dianic discordian druid dvd eclectic equinox ethics family feri festivals film Fully Inclusive Events gardnerian gender issues glbt heathen hellenismos history humor initiation interfaith magick meditation Military movies music mysticism myth networking news Open Thread Pagan Pagan 101 Paganism passings polytheism Polytheistic Religion polytheology praxis Reading List religio romana review ritual sabbats santeria service solstice symbols tools values wicca witchcraft

Select a Month July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: The mystery hidden for ages is Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE