The War on Reality
The Political Pagan
by
7M ago
One of the greatest dangers of Trumpism is that it it is a war on reality. Trumpers reject most news media reports of Trump's misdeeds because they just want to believe what they want to believe, which is whatever pumps up them with the angry adrenalin that they have become addicted to. If we cannot start to agree on basic facts, Trump will go down in history not just as a destroyer of democracy, but as an assassin of reality itself, and we will be in a very dangerous, unstable world led by mindless but highly emotional propaganda ..read more
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Cockroach Parable
The Political Pagan
by
7M ago
 I came across a satirical piece on religion that I wrote some thirty years ago. Unfortunately, it seems just as relevant today as when it was first written. Parable Exercise: The Virtues of Uncertainty (1992)              There once was a man, otherwise quite unremarkable, who was distinguished by his indecision and uncertainty in matters which most other people considered of the greatest importance. When such a matter was under discussion and this uncertain man was asked his opinion, he would say only that he wasn't sure. When ..read more
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Remarks to the ECER 2023 in Riga Latvia
The Political Pagan
by
8M ago
 On June 29-30, the European Congress of Ethnic Religions (ECER) met in Riga, Latvia. Here is the speech I gave at this gathering. Hello.  I am very pleased to be with you today.  As most of you know, before the ECER there was the WCER (World Congress of Ethnic Religions).  I was at the first WCER  meeting in Vilnius in 1998 when it was initially called the WPC—the World Pagan Congress. I attended several meetings after that, in Athens in 2004 and Antwerp in 2005.  I am not a member of any ethnic religion or Pagan group, officially, but am a scholar with trai ..read more
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Negating Denialism
The Political Pagan
by
2y ago
In ancient Indian philosophy, there was a formula called "neti, neti," which literally means "not this, not this," found in  ancient Hindu texts such as the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The double-N "meme" was used to guide the seeker through a process of metaphysical elimination, ruling out various things that were found to not be the true essence of reality. The goal of this was to gain understanding of what was truly, eternally real, the cosmic Self, the Atman. In our time, we find a somewhat similar process being conducted by right-wing propagandists, who reject the reality of  cont ..read more
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Good Riddance, Donald Trump
The Political Pagan
by
3y ago
Good riddance, Donald Trump. You have been one of the most destructive presidents in American history, devoting yourself to dominating the news cycle with outrageous statements and behavior, catering to racist currents in American society by constantly demonizing minorities and immigrants, telling lies and distorting reality on a regular basis, damaging relations with countries that were formerly America's closest allies like Canada, France and Germany, while expressing admiration for authoritarian leaders from Vladimir Putin of Russia to Viktor Orban of Hungary to Narendra Modi of India to Ki ..read more
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Winter Solstice Poem for Chanting (To Remember What is True Forever)
The Political Pagan
by
3y ago
  To Remember What is True Forever   Tonight we come together to remember what is true forever   On this dark and frozen night we dedicate ourselves to light   In the ice and in the wind we are warmed by a fire within   That is why we have come together to remember what is true forever   In the cold and in the dark we will raise a timeless spark   On this longest night of all we will answer that ancient call   That tells us to come together to remember what is true forever   And to hold in our hearts the light that will see us through the darkest ni ..read more
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False Idols Falling: Hope for the Future?
The Political Pagan
by
3y ago
Over the last six or so months, we have seen our world turned upside down twice.  First came Covid-9 and the sudden shutdown of practically  all societies on earth and a new lifestyle of fear and social distancing that  it brought  in its wake. Then came the worldwide anti-racism, anti-police brutality, pro-social justice protests sparked by George Floyd's cruel, tragic death in Minnesota. Both crises have exposed underlying weaknesses, contradictions and , I have constantly wondered where these twin global crises will take us in terms of how we regard society, the economy ..read more
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Had a Dream
The Political Pagan
by
4y ago
All my life, I have heard people make glowing references to Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. That speech, in particular its most famous line about hoping for a day when all people would be judged "by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin," seemed to be a very popular and pain-free place for politicians and others to stop by to express support for the concept of civil rights and the hope of human brotherhood. Other things that King called for, like economic justice and an end to corporate greed, violence and militarism, are far less frequently-cited the ..read more
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I Hope
The Political Pagan
by
4y ago
Dear Readers in this horrible springtime of pandemic, Right now is the most terrifying period I can think of in my five-plus decades on this earth. The corona virus COVID-19 is a threat to all humans all around the earth, with no one being spared because of their location, their race, their religion, their national origin, or any other characteristic that people may think makes them superior to others or immune from others' concerns and problems. President Trump may call this a "Chinese flu" because of his habitual tendency to always seek a way to express hostility toward non-white peoples ..read more
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Muslims and Pagans
The Political Pagan
by
4y ago
Dear Readers, It is hard to believe that it has been more than a year since I set virtual pen to virtual paper on this blog.  Life has just been too busy and exhausting, and the gruesome reality show that is the Trump presidency has so alarmed, aggravated and depressed me that at times I have not been sure what to talk about here, as there is such a constant cavalcade of erratic and destructive actions and ignorant and hateful rhetoric exploding from the House of Tweet that I find myself at times too overwhelmed to respond. Add to that the rising tide of Trumpian right-wing nationalist politi ..read more
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