Pagan theology - a contradiction in terms?

Yvonne Aburrow

“Pagan Theology” is a contradiction in terms. Traditional theology seeks to provide answers to some pressing questions like “Why are we here?” (the meaning of life), “Where did we come from?” (teleology 1) and “Where are we going?” (eschatology 2). There is no Pagan theology as such because Paganism has no dogma or doctrine, so there is no need to expound the received truth to the “faithful” - truth is regarded as coming from within, and each Pagan seeks their own understanding. But there is a need for discussion of these issues, providing a vocabulary for the expression of the search for meaning. We could call this Theasophy, Goddess wisdom.

Why Theasophy? Theology is derived from two Greek words, Theos (God) and Logos (Word). These two concepts are (to my mind) inextricably bound up with a rationalistic and dualistic view of the universe.

Theos (God) is given the primacy because he is the assertive agent (often visualised as external to the universe) and Logos (Word) implies knowledge, book-learning, ideas that can be acquired like commodities, except when it is used by Heraclitus to mean harmony (Ted Lumley, pers. comm.).

Thea (Goddess) is the feminine principle, yin, potentiality, darkness, and space. Space is the hidden inductive influence which is ignored in rationalistic accounts of events. Sophia (Wisdom) is usually personified as feminine (and for good reason) because wisdom is tacit knowledge that stems from experience, not from a priori assumptions.

The landscape of Pagan thought is complicated by its history. To classical Paganism, ritual acts were more important than beliefs. If a few sophisticated intellectuals did not believe in the gods, it was not a problem as long as they continued to make offerings - all Romans were free to think what they liked about the gods, as the important thing was what religious actions they performed3. This meant there was no dogma, and it makes classical Paganism difficult to summarise in a way that reflects the broad spectrum of beliefs within it. Late classical Paganism, in answer to the rise of Christianity, developed Neo-Platonism, a radical departure from classical Paganism. Neo-Platonic thought fed into the magical tradition, which eventually gave rise (in part at least) to the modern Pagan revival 4. The contemporary resurgence of Paganism is a phenomenon which has arisen from many strands of thought, being both a development from and a reaction to Protestantism 5. It also stems from a yearning for Nature, arguably a response to the industrial revolution (itself a product of Protestantism), coupled with a growing ecological awareness; and a response to the loss of the divine feminine. It is possibly also a development from the Romantic fascination with the wild forces of nature.

When Pagans think about our religion, we do so in a contemporary mindscape. Most Pagans desire to remain “reasonable” in our beliefs, regarding them as working hypotheses rather than articles of faith. So our theological or theasophical climate includes an awareness of evolution (a theory which profoundly influenced early 20th century folklore studies, which were another big influence on the renaissance of Paganism 6). It includes a strong feminist strand. It is largely post-modern in that it tends towards the idea that truth depends on your perspective. Having been brought up in a largely Christian society, most Pagans are in some measure influenced by Christianity, whether their thinking has developed from it or is a reaction to it. The legacy of fifteen centuries of Christianity is a complex one. Many Pagans are strongly influenced by literature, e.g. the writings of the two most famous Inklings, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis; Rudyard Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill; Ursula Le Guin's Wizard of Earthsea trilogy; the novels of Dion Fortune; Marion Zimmer-Bradley's Mists of Avalon; and many more. The underlying ideas of contemporary Paganism draw quite a lot from the writings of CG Jung and Joseph Campbell. Some of these ideas have been adapted from other similar religions, like Hinduism and Taoism (where we know that ancient Paganism had an idea or would have developed along these lines, but the details are lost to us).

Mnay Pagans would say that one cannot be converted to Paganism – it is not a revelation from without – rather it wells up from within. John Male once said to me that Paganism can never be destroyed. If all the Pagans and their writings were eradicated, Paganism would still return because it is in the land and people's relationship with it. It may “go underground” for a thousand years, but it will return. We know this because it has already happened once.

But contemporary Paganism is not simply a reconstruction or a revival, it is a response to the world that comes from within, an expression of the yearning for communion with Nature, the search for understanding, and the awe and wonder inspired by the universe: “the beauty of the green Earth, the white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters.” 7

References

1. “Teleology is the philosophical study of purpose (from the Greek teleos, perfect, complete, which in turn comes from telos, end, result). One of the classic arguments for the existence of God is the teleological argument, which says that the world (and particularly living things) has clearly been constructed in a purposeful (telic) rather than a chaotic manner, and must therefore have been made by a rational being.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleology

2. “Eschatology literally means the study of the eschaton, the times of the end, 'last things', or 'end times.' In Zoroastrianism, Christianity and in Norse heathen theology, eschatology is a theology concerning the end of the world, as predicted in the prophecies of these faiths, and as recorded in their sacred texts. Eschatology also refers to the study of general afterlife concepts of other religions, especially the western monotheistic faiths. In this broader sense, eschatology can refer to the messiah, a messianic era, the afterlife, and the soul in religions which have such beliefs.” -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology

3. R M Ogilvie (1969), The Romans and their Gods In the Age of Augustus, Ancient Culture and Society, Chatto & Windus, London. SBN: 7011 149677

4. Ronald Hutton (2003), Witches, Druids, and King Arthur. Hambledon and London, London.

ISBN: 1852853972

5. Frederic Lamond (1997), Religion Without Beliefs: Essays in Pantheist Theology, Comparative Religion & Ethics, Janus, London. ISBN: 1857563417

6. Bob Trubshaw (2002), Explore Folkore. Heart of Albion Press, Loughborough. ISBN: 1872883605

7. Doreen Valiente, Charge of the Goddess.