Friends and Enemies
Some time ago I wrote a Musings for Fire & Ice that seems relevant to the current wave of rather hysterical posts here in all_heathens. Please note the subject and the content before blasting me...
Wulfy's Musings
These are the thoughts of a Heretic Wulf. It matters little if you agree or disagree with them. There is no judgement of right and wrong here, just thoughts. If they stimulate thought and discussion, then their job is done...
Friends And Enemies
Why do we always seem to be on the defensive? I frequently hear Wicca-bashing or Christianity-bashing on lists and somewhat on IRC, too. We use these names to insult other Heathens and to bemoan the way we're attacked by them.
So who are our friends and enemies. I don't think it's as simple as "us and them". Innangeard and útangeard are portrayed in simplistic way... too simplistic. Let's take a look at how I see it... :@)
1a) Inner Innangeard:
I see this as the many "denominations" of Heathenry. We've proved that it's possible for all of us to come together and not explode... that's what A Heathen Thing is all about! We are different, yet we *can* get along. We don't *have* to agree on all things, just enough to *talk* to each other.
1b) Inner Útangeard:
Yes, we have enemies within, those who would pervert and steal our symbols and rites.
On the one hand, we have the racists who only use our religion as a cover for their political agendas. They take the legitimate beliefs of the Folkish and push them to the extreme and in so doing forget that it's been done before with disastrous results.
On the other, we have those "Universalists" who believe we're really all the same so lets go to the Spiritual Supermarket and mix-n-match. It doesn't matter, it's all the same...
In the Elder Days, there would have been some mixing at the edges. Those tribes that lived closest to the Celts, the Romans, the Slavs and others would have seen different ways of doing things and may have adopted some of them. The cultural boundaries were not solid or rigid. The difference today is that we no longer have the culture to form a judgement on what's appropriate and what's not. The Elder Heathens would have known the boundaries that may not be crossed instinctively.
2a) Near Innangeard:
Here I see the other polytheist religions, both the recons and those which have survived intact. Why are we not sharing techniques and problems of Reconstruction with others who face the same problems we do, sometimes with a lot less than we have? Why do we call them "pagans" as if the term is somehow an insult? Why are we not working together to get the rich diversity of spiritual life available to all who would seek it?
What about those religions that have survived? Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and so on. Can we make alliances with them? Can we leverage the fact that they are recognised by the Christians and mostly not seen as threatening to our mutual advantage?
2b) Near Útangeard:
Who are the enemies here?
Well, all the recons have the potential problem with racists. I believe it's hit Celtic Recon already. We need to recognise common problems and hopefully find a solution.
Equally, the "mix-n-match" types here would also be a problem for the other recons.
3a) Middle Innangeard:
Here I see the many and various forms of (Traditional) Wicca and other Magical Religions. Many among us would relegate these to being the Enemy, which is sad. They are different. They are not polytheists in the same way we are. Is that a crime? Most of them have an initiatory system that requires hard work to get through. Most of them are respectful of others who think differently than they do... or could be. These are not the Pagan == Wiccan brigade.
3b) Middle Útangeard:
The enemies I see here are the "fluffy bunny, I read half a chapter of X's book and I'm self initiating to 1st, 2nd and 3rd Degree this weekend" types. The ones who believe "Pagan" means "Wiccan" (as in the neo-Wiccan claptrap of Llewellyn Books). They don't want to learn. They don't want the discipline that goes into the initiatory structure that traditional Wicca (and others) demand. But even here, if they are teachable and believe these things because no-one has told them any different, then we can turn these "enemies" into friends.
4a) Far Innangeard:
This is the hardest one to accept, yet it is, perhaps, the most important.
We live in a Christian Society. Most of the people around us will be Christians of some kind, even if it's only on forms that ask their religion. (Here the standard answer for "none" is "CofE" [Church of England, Anglicans, Episcopalians].) How much of a threat is Christianity to us? Ninety percent of Christians don't even know we exist! When they hear of us, it's usually through the bad things that happen in our name - "Asatru prisoner kills fellow inmate for Odin", "Satanic cult brainwashes kids, Social Services to remove them to safety" - outrageous! But why is that? It is because we are isolationist, I believe. Different and strange are only scary when they are unknown. If we don't show how *normal* we are, in fact just like everybody else apart from the fact we worship different Gods, we'll always be in danger of being confused with "Satanists", "Devil Worshippers" or whatever the "in-phrase" is with sensationalist journalism at the time.
Also here I would place the Jews and Muslims. All of the ones I've met have been respectful, kind and not aggressive. The Jews don't go in for proselytising. They make it hard to convert. I don't think the Muslims do either, though I may be wrong about that.
4b) Far Útangeard:
Here are the Christian and Muslim Fundies who believe that we have no right to exist. They are so stuck in their Absolute Truth that they can't see that diversity is the Way of this universe. These are the ones we have to show that we're different from. If we can't accept that other world views are possible, even if they seem wrong to us, then what makes us different from these Fundies?
Summary:
In my view, we have a lot more potential friends than we do real enemies. Why do we think that other religions are nothing to do with us? Why are we not reaching out to make strategic alliances with the other recon religions? With Alexandrian and Gardnerian Wicca and the other serious Witchcraft Religions? Yes, even with mainstream Christianity, Judaism and Islam? The enemies we all face are not "other religions" but fundamentalists and extremists in *our own* and other religions. We must learn to differentiate between merely different and an enemy. I believe we need to learn about other religions, what the mainstream of those religions actually believe (not the Fundy rhetoric or the fluffy bunniness of the "Llewiccans"). We don't have to agree with what they believe. We certainly don't have to convert. But we need to realise that most people just want to believe what they believe and try to relate to their God(s) and get on with their lives. Most people don't want to convert you. Most people don't want to kill you. We need to stop and think - do we want to alienate the majority of people just because we don't like what they believe? If we can prove to the majority of Christians that we're more like them than their Fundies are, they will side with us against them.
Wulfy's Musings
These are the thoughts of a Heretic Wulf. It matters little if you agree or disagree with them. There is no judgement of right and wrong here, just thoughts. If they stimulate thought and discussion, then their job is done...
Friends And Enemies
Why do we always seem to be on the defensive? I frequently hear Wicca-bashing or Christianity-bashing on lists and somewhat on IRC, too. We use these names to insult other Heathens and to bemoan the way we're attacked by them.
So who are our friends and enemies. I don't think it's as simple as "us and them". Innangeard and útangeard are portrayed in simplistic way... too simplistic. Let's take a look at how I see it... :@)
1a) Inner Innangeard:
I see this as the many "denominations" of Heathenry. We've proved that it's possible for all of us to come together and not explode... that's what A Heathen Thing is all about! We are different, yet we *can* get along. We don't *have* to agree on all things, just enough to *talk* to each other.
1b) Inner Útangeard:
Yes, we have enemies within, those who would pervert and steal our symbols and rites.
On the one hand, we have the racists who only use our religion as a cover for their political agendas. They take the legitimate beliefs of the Folkish and push them to the extreme and in so doing forget that it's been done before with disastrous results.
On the other, we have those "Universalists" who believe we're really all the same so lets go to the Spiritual Supermarket and mix-n-match. It doesn't matter, it's all the same...
In the Elder Days, there would have been some mixing at the edges. Those tribes that lived closest to the Celts, the Romans, the Slavs and others would have seen different ways of doing things and may have adopted some of them. The cultural boundaries were not solid or rigid. The difference today is that we no longer have the culture to form a judgement on what's appropriate and what's not. The Elder Heathens would have known the boundaries that may not be crossed instinctively.
2a) Near Innangeard:
Here I see the other polytheist religions, both the recons and those which have survived intact. Why are we not sharing techniques and problems of Reconstruction with others who face the same problems we do, sometimes with a lot less than we have? Why do we call them "pagans" as if the term is somehow an insult? Why are we not working together to get the rich diversity of spiritual life available to all who would seek it?
What about those religions that have survived? Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and so on. Can we make alliances with them? Can we leverage the fact that they are recognised by the Christians and mostly not seen as threatening to our mutual advantage?
2b) Near Útangeard:
Who are the enemies here?
Well, all the recons have the potential problem with racists. I believe it's hit Celtic Recon already. We need to recognise common problems and hopefully find a solution.
Equally, the "mix-n-match" types here would also be a problem for the other recons.
3a) Middle Innangeard:
Here I see the many and various forms of (Traditional) Wicca and other Magical Religions. Many among us would relegate these to being the Enemy, which is sad. They are different. They are not polytheists in the same way we are. Is that a crime? Most of them have an initiatory system that requires hard work to get through. Most of them are respectful of others who think differently than they do... or could be. These are not the Pagan == Wiccan brigade.
3b) Middle Útangeard:
The enemies I see here are the "fluffy bunny, I read half a chapter of X's book and I'm self initiating to 1st, 2nd and 3rd Degree this weekend" types. The ones who believe "Pagan" means "Wiccan" (as in the neo-Wiccan claptrap of Llewellyn Books). They don't want to learn. They don't want the discipline that goes into the initiatory structure that traditional Wicca (and others) demand. But even here, if they are teachable and believe these things because no-one has told them any different, then we can turn these "enemies" into friends.
4a) Far Innangeard:
This is the hardest one to accept, yet it is, perhaps, the most important.
We live in a Christian Society. Most of the people around us will be Christians of some kind, even if it's only on forms that ask their religion. (Here the standard answer for "none" is "CofE" [Church of England, Anglicans, Episcopalians].) How much of a threat is Christianity to us? Ninety percent of Christians don't even know we exist! When they hear of us, it's usually through the bad things that happen in our name - "Asatru prisoner kills fellow inmate for Odin", "Satanic cult brainwashes kids, Social Services to remove them to safety" - outrageous! But why is that? It is because we are isolationist, I believe. Different and strange are only scary when they are unknown. If we don't show how *normal* we are, in fact just like everybody else apart from the fact we worship different Gods, we'll always be in danger of being confused with "Satanists", "Devil Worshippers" or whatever the "in-phrase" is with sensationalist journalism at the time.
Also here I would place the Jews and Muslims. All of the ones I've met have been respectful, kind and not aggressive. The Jews don't go in for proselytising. They make it hard to convert. I don't think the Muslims do either, though I may be wrong about that.
4b) Far Útangeard:
Here are the Christian and Muslim Fundies who believe that we have no right to exist. They are so stuck in their Absolute Truth that they can't see that diversity is the Way of this universe. These are the ones we have to show that we're different from. If we can't accept that other world views are possible, even if they seem wrong to us, then what makes us different from these Fundies?
Summary:
In my view, we have a lot more potential friends than we do real enemies. Why do we think that other religions are nothing to do with us? Why are we not reaching out to make strategic alliances with the other recon religions? With Alexandrian and Gardnerian Wicca and the other serious Witchcraft Religions? Yes, even with mainstream Christianity, Judaism and Islam? The enemies we all face are not "other religions" but fundamentalists and extremists in *our own* and other religions. We must learn to differentiate between merely different and an enemy. I believe we need to learn about other religions, what the mainstream of those religions actually believe (not the Fundy rhetoric or the fluffy bunniness of the "Llewiccans"). We don't have to agree with what they believe. We certainly don't have to convert. But we need to realise that most people just want to believe what they believe and try to relate to their God(s) and get on with their lives. Most people don't want to convert you. Most people don't want to kill you. We need to stop and think - do we want to alienate the majority of people just because we don't like what they believe? If we can prove to the majority of Christians that we're more like them than their Fundies are, they will side with us against them.