Yeah, But They Did.... v. 1.0(Page 1)
by Iain Mac an tSaoir

I. Disgust with Religion.

   Well the Church did _______, and Christians did __________, and the Christian priests (!) and the Rolex wearing jetsetting prophets in Armani suits (!). Yeah, they often times have done exactly what they have been charged with. I have to state right up front that this was a major stumbling block for me as well. I was disgusted with what I saw. As should every other person in whom is a shred of decency.

   You and I are on the same page with that. Again, we are just sitting here, me in the privacy of my home typing this, and you in your own private reading place. So I say again, you and I are on the same page with that disgust. And so you rightfully ask, "Iain, how could you embrace a religion that teaches or allows what Christianity has done?" To that question there is a two part answer.

   The first part of the answer is simply put, "hypocrisy". There is of course the hypocrisy of those who would claim to be Christian then do all sorts of evil. That evil has ranged from the murders of the Inquisitions, to small pox laced blankets being given to indigenous peoples, to the political intrigues of supporting the Nazis, to bilking billions of dollars a year from sincere believers, to raping children. Those and so many more vile acts are evil. And because those things are taught by the Bible to anathema to G-d, those acts are not Christian acts. At best it is a hypocrit doing something like that. Most probably it is someone who self identifies as Christian but who really isn't. Let me be concise here, Christianity neither teaches nor condones any of those behaviors. In fact, Christianity is steadfast against any behavior of those sorts. And much what is taught by people who do those things is pure hogwash that the Bible also actually condemns!

   That is not, though, the direction I am pointing my finger towards hypocrisy. I am pointing my finger at myself. You see, I realized that it was hypocritical to apply a standard to one collective of people but not to the collective of my own general grouping of people. To again be more concise, it was hypocritical to expect Christians as a collective to live up to a standard but then to not apply that same standard to Neo-Pagans (of which I was one at the time.). It is hypocritical. Think about it.

   If you have been around the collective Pagan community for any time at all then you will know what I am about to write is true. If you are new to Paganism, simply contemplating it, or been solitary, then perhaps you may not know. If that is the case then I implore you to ask around. Don't tell people that Iain Mac an tSaoir put you up to it. Just quietly ask around.

   If you ask around you'll find out about how pedophiles are hidden in the Pagan community. Their identities and crimes are hidden by so called "Elders" even while children frolic at the gatherings. If you ask around you'll find out about the political power plays. If you ask around you'll find out about the priestesses and priests who set up sham organizations that sells pilfered writings of others in collections. Even if you don't yourself use, you'll see how illegal drugs and bootleg alcohol is sold and used at gatherings. You'll find out about those whose groups in every way qualify as a cult. You'll find out about elders and 3rd degrees who demand "Great Rite" (sexual) initiations never telling their students (victims) they are HIV positive. You'll find out about those who rewrite history for political expediency. You'll find out about how much of Neo-Paganism has been created, or at least hijacked, by those who utilize religion to forward their personal politics.

   Every one of those and more are true. Those things have occurred in every major geographical area. I could quote names and places. And its true from the Southeast where I live, to Arizona where I have visited, to Washington State and beyond where I've given workshops and lectures. It is true because in most of Neo-Paganism there is the idea that "there is no black and white only shades of gray". I know you must be reeling right now. But if you are sincerely seeking truth, then look into it. And when you learn the truth, or acknowledge it, then you too will see that it is hypocritical to apply a standard collectively to the Christian faith that isn't equally applied to Neo-Paganism.

   When we start seeing certain behaviors not as indicative of a certain religion, but rather as being indicative of certain types of people, we can then start looking at what a particular religion actually teaches. When a person stops looking at Christianity through the lens of anger, the smoke of battle disappears. What emerges is that Christianity, peopled by fallible humans, is a religion. Furthermore, we see that Christianity as a Faith that isn't about religion for the sake of religion. Rather, we come to see that Christianity is a religion designed to reestablish and nurture a relationship with G-d. And that is the second part to the answer.

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