Why I Am a Pagan

Last updated on: December 27, 2014 at 1:05 pm by Christine Kraemer

Why I Am a Pagan 2014-12-27T13:05:58-05:00 Christine Kraemer

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My reasons for being a Pagan have changed over the course of the years. In the beginning, was attracted to Paganism because I felt divinity in the earth and in my body. I was attending an earth-centered Christian church at the time, and the people there were the first ones to tell me I was Pagan—not in an attempt to make me go away, but as a celebration: “How wonderful you’re here helping us!” I have had a sense that both that community, and the Christian spirits I had tried to worship, gently and respectfully handed me over to the primal and sometimes terrifying gods I honor now.

For some years after that, my Paganism was largely about self-development, so that I could better be of service to others. Pagan traditions gave me both the tools to find joy and ecstasy and a theological understanding that pleasure was my birthright. Without having found joy in myself, all my attempts at helping others were poisoned.

Now, I am Pagan because no other way makes sense. The living world speaks to me in every moment. My Paganism teaches me how to listen to that world, and also how to respond.

This post is a contribution to Patheos’ Blogger Challenge, asking writers to explain their religious choices in 200 words or less.

Other responses from the Pagan Channel: Steven T. Abell, Yvonne Aburrow, John Beckett, Aine Llewellyn, Angus McMahan, Jason Mankey, Jen McConnel, Kathy Nance, Sarah Twichell, Sam Webster, Gus diZerega.

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