My freshman year in high school, I did extensive research on alternative religions. I have written a paper entitled Alternative Religions: Up Close and Personal. I interviewed fifteen members of different alternative religions. The paper is based on their opinions and practices as well as factual information that I obtained from a variety of other sources. A copy is posted below.
Glossary -
READ FIRST
List of Interviewees
Section 1- Introduction
Section 2- General Beliefs
Section 3- Poll Questions
Section 4- Insightful Quotes
Parting Words
Bibliography
Please read every definition in this glossary. Many of the words in it have more than one or vague meanings. Therefore, I have provided the definitions that I will be using throughout this paper. When these words appear in the text, they will mean nothing other than what they are defined as in the glossary. The names of gods and goddesses will appear in light blue writing.
atheist- A person who does not believe in any deity or supreme being.
deity-The ruling force or forces of nature that are worshipped or communed with by members of all religions.
dogma- A specific set of rules that defines how members of a religion must behave.
magick- The process of exerting natural change upon the physical world through the power of the will.
occult- A term which refers to the beliefs and/or ritual practices of alternative religion members.
pagan- A member of an alternative religion.
ritual- A practice which brings about a change in consciousness.
sabbat- A Wiccan religious holiday. There is a sabbat for each equinox and solstice. There are four major sabbats at each turn of the seasons.
witch- A member of the Wiccan religion.
worship- To make contact with a Supreme Being. Although the general meaning of this word is to bow down in submission, I am using this alternate meaning to better explain the relationship between Pagans and their gods and goddesses.
When you see a quote, there will be a number in parentheses beside it. Match the number with the name on this list. All quotes will be in light green writing.
1. Cory, a 24 year old Wiccan from Michigan. Cory has been practicing Wicca for five months.
2. Julie, a 24 year old Wiccan from Washington DC. Julie has been practicing Wicca for one year.
3. Maire, a 26 year old Pantheistic Pagan from Maryland. Maire has been practicing Pantheistic Paganism for four years.
4. Laphon, a 22 year old Shamanic Druid from Maine. Laphon has been practicing Shamanic Druidism for 12 years.
5. Baraka, a 24 year old Wiccan from California. Baraka has been practicing Wicca for seven months.
6. Robin and Summer Woodsong, two Eclectic Neo-Pagans. Robin has been practicing Eclectic Neo-Paganism for eight years.
7. Joseph, a 65 year old Celtic Wiccan from Texas. Joseph has been practicing Celtic Wicca for 24 years.
8. Jane, a 31 year old Wiccan from Maine. Jane has been practicing Wicca for three years.
9. Sabrah, a 26 year old Celtic Eclectic Wiccan from Maryland. Sabrah has been practicing Celtic Eclectic Wicca for six years.
10. Greg, a 22 year old Wiccan from Ohio. Greg has been practicing Wicca for four years.
11. Dok Tael, a 28 year old Atheist Pagan Michigan. Dok Tael has been practicing Atheist Paganism for three years.
12. Kathi, a 26 year old Wiccan from Vermont. Kathi has been practicing Wicca for five years.
13. Danielle, a 20 year old Neo-Pagan from Indiana. Danielle has been practicing various Pagan religions for seven years.
14. Autumn, a 17 year old Wiccan from Vermont. Autumn has been practicing Wicca for one year.
What are the first questions that come to your mind when alternative religions are mentioned? Here are some typical first questions with straight-forward answers.
Question 1: What is an alternative religion?
Answer 1: An alternative religion is a belief system that can be adopted and practiced by any person, regardless of age, sex, race, or any other physical attribute. Most alternative religions worship more than one deity.
Question 2: Why are these religions "alternative"?
Answer 2: The religions discussed in this paper are alternatives to mainstream religions such as Christianity.
Question 3: What is a mainstream religion?
Answer 3: A mainstream religion is a dogmatic belief system that has a large number of followers.
Question 4: Do alternative religions worship Satan?
Answer 4: NO. Satan is an entity created in the Old Testament of the Bible. The Bible is only used by mainstream religions. Therefore, members of alternative religions do not acknowledge Satan's existence.
This section describes the General beliefs of the alternative religions that I have studied. However, these general guidelines are personalized and suited to each member's needs. There is no "Bible" for any alternative religion.
Wicca- A nature-based religion that recognizes the Goddess and the God. Wiccans celebrate the eight sabbats and hold rituals for the phases of the moon. Many Wiccans believe in reincarnation and practice magick. Wicca is Celtic in origin. Below is the creed of Wiccan philosophy. I used a quote because this man said it rather eloquently.
(7) The "Rede" (credo) of Celtic-Wiccan philosophy will serve to somewhat enlighten as to our interconnections and our interactive human relationships. It is, in somewhat archaic English, "Do as ye wilt, an ye harm none"...'do what you want, as long as you don't harm/hurt anyone else'. Intellectual, emotional, and physical pleasure...as befits a matriarchal philosophy...are the desired means and ends - the pleasure that comes from helping others and from helping our Earth.
Druidism- A nature-based religion which worships or communes with animals and nature spirits. Druidism is Celtic in origin.
Shamanism- A practice that is integrated into other alternative religions. It involves a change in consciousness through ritual.
Atheist Paganism- Only one of the people that I interviewed follows this tradition. Therefore, I shall quote her on her beliefs.
(11) I am an atheist pagan. The only deity in my religion is myself. Everyone should be their own goddess.
I asked each of these questions to different people that I interviewed. The quotes shown here are the most well-spoken and relevant in my opinion.
Question 1: How do you stand on the use of drugs and alcohol in ritual magick?
General Response: Of the fifteen people interviewed, most of them do not use drugs or alcohol in ritual. They did have differing views on the general subject.
(5)Mind altering drugs have played an important part in Shamanic traditions since the beginning of spiritual quest. |
(8) I do not use drugs on the theory that altering my mental state keeps me from experiencing true moments of Divine presence. |
(9) I use natural apple juice myself - tastes better and echoes the holy symbolism of the apple without the bad connotations of alcohol. |
(11) I strongly disapprove of the use of drugs and alcohol in group and solitary ritual magick, because the energy needed for ritual should come from within and be focused. This focus cannot be achieved without clarity of thought, unmuddled by outside influences. |
(12) I feel that the use of alcohol and drugs is a HIGHLY personal thing anyway...no one should EVER be pressured into doing something they aren't 100% comfy with. |
Question 2: Does your religion affect your job or relationships with coworkers?
General Response: I received a wide variety of answers to this question. Some people have no problems at all while others live in fear of persecution. One reason for this wide range is environment. The geographical location as well as type of job are major factors.
(8) Only a few of them know of my religion; some find it troubling, others merely another manifestation of my weirdness. |
(12) Of course it does! They are very curious...I get lots of questions, all the time, but 99.9% of them are respectful, and they are no longer questions rooted in fear, but rooted in wanting to know. |
(13) Not so much coworkers because I keep a lot from them but on relationships it is a pain. |
Question 3: If someone came up to you and asked you if you worshipped Satan how would you respond?
General Response: I answered this question in the introduction myself. However, I wanted to include some quotes on the subject to give you a wider perspective.
(14) Satan is a Christian symbol that I do not believe in, and therefore cannot worship. |
(7) It would be so extraordinary for ANYONE - coworker or not - to be so overwhelmingly presumptuous as to ask such an outré thing...since there is no way that anyone could have any idea of what religion one professed without asking a very personal question...which is not ordinarily done. BUT, if this were to be asked of me, I would simply (and truthfully) answer, "No, I do not". |
(12) I ask them where the concept of satan came from. The usually answer "Well, it's in the Bible". I respond "And WHO believes in the stuff written in the Bible?" The answer, of course, is Christians...and I am not a Christian. That usually makes them stop and consider. I go on to explain that I don't believe in the concept of good/evil as it's outlined in the bible, I don't believe in satan/lucifer/things that go bump in the night, and ask them if they want to know what I DO believe. |
(5) If it is someone who really just doesn't know I will take the time to explain, any public relations I can do will make it easier for Wiccans the world over. But if the question is asked out of spite my usual response is "meet you on the third bonfire to the left" or something to that affect. |
Question 4: What deities do you worship?
General Response: Every answer to this question was different. Most responses were variations on the general belief outlines stated in section two. Therefore, I cannot make any generalization regarding the specific deities worshipped by Pagans.
(5) I believe that there is a type of universal force at work on our planet. It is not male or female, animal or human. It is very close to the concept of "the force" used in Star Wars. A correlation that surprised the heck out of me when I realized it. |
(13) I don't know how to describe it. I guess mutual respect. See I guess I'm more agnostic in the sense of Gods and goddesses I have been taught many things and I'm still figuring a lot of it out. I guess the closest I would come would be to do incantations to the Great Mother for help and inspiration. |
(14) I think of the Goddess and God as a level of consciousness that can take form if it likes. It has always existed and always will. It surpasses immortality. |
(2) Technically infinite, as there are spirits in everything and they are divine. I'm torn at present between a Goddess/God system or a life force system that is not entirely conscious of itself. |
(1) I wouldn't say that I 'worship' in a certain sense, but in certain aspects I do. I have 'relationships' with Diana, Mars, Hephaestus, and a god with no name. |
(4)The deities that I worship is one... called : Spirit, God, Goddess ... one creator with many names, and many faces... |
(3) I don't "worship"...worship implies that I must submit my will to them, and that just isn't how it works for me. (*smile*) I just had this debate with an old friend of mine, so you get me primed just now...) I regard all things on this planet of natural and supernatural origin, and from all planes, to be divine, which means all of us have God and Goddess within ourselves. Therefore the Divine we follow, are to us as parents, and are deserving of honor, and respect, and having their wishes listened to and whenever possible honored, and of having their holy days celebrated. But I don't submit to them in any way; heeding the call of the deities who claim my path was my choice, as it is any person's choice. |
(7) We don't "worship" deities. In Wiccan practice, we respect and acknowledge the natural power of - and seek the aid and guidance of - Gaia, the Earth itself; the Goddess and Her consort, *Pan; the Elements and other Earth or Goddess-related spirit entities. |
Question 5: Where did you learn about your religion (mostly)?
General Response: Every single person I interviewed used books as a main source when they first learned about their religion. Many also had mentors who taught them directly.
(11) I began with a student organization (Ancient Altars) sponsored course at Western Michigan University entitled, "Pagan Ritual Magic." The course was taught for one semester, three hours, once a week, without course credit. From there, I supplemented my education with books and interactions with members of the local pagan community. |
(9) combination of books and friends and family. My mother, and later pagan friends, taught me that it (Wicca) existed and had an atmosphere and emotional feel that I liked; books taught me the details. |
(5) Most of my information comes from research, both from typical "Wiccan" books as well as from as many different sources as I can. I also love to discuss differing views with people in the community. |
I have quoted people in this section who said something during an interview which caught my ear or offers an unusual perspective on any topic.
(5) As a Wiccan I believe that it is the witch's responsibility to become as informed as possible. That means taking chemistry and physics classes to better understand our world as well as tuning into crystals and chanting by the light of a full moon. I am a nurse and therefore have a good grounding in the sciences yet I have no problem with accepting the spiritual side of reality. Many people see them as absolute opposites, while I see it as a continuum of experience. |
(6) The former dominant god was not a deity of discernible behavior patterns, yet we were constantly assured that he was perfect and omnipotent. The conflict was disturbing. and on a psychological level there was no comfort in a view of unattainable divinity. (This was written by Summer Woodsong) |
(3) most of the Celtic deities are enough alike to say they are the same, with different names, much the way the Greco-Roman Juno and Jupiter are the same god. But if I call Ceridwen, she appears slightly different in aspect and has different words for me than if I call Danu, for instance, though in their respective pantheons they are both Crones which show wisdom and guidance, and who take the souls across the veils into death. |
My goal in writing this paper is to inform the reader about the alternative religions mentioned therein and to expel any negative ideas grown out of ignorance; no more, no less. If you wish to pursue the topic of alternative religions further, pick up one of the books mentioned in the next section.
I. Cunningham, Scott; Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (1996); Llewellyn Publications; St. Paul, MN. |
II. Jackson, Shirley; The Witchcraft of Salem Village (1956); Random House, Inc.; New York, NY. |
III. Kinsella, Thomas (translator); The Tain (1970); Oxford University Press; London, England. |
IV. The Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology (1994); Barnes and Noble Inc. |
V. Lyons, Arthur; The Second Coming of Satanism in America (1970); Cornwall Press, Inc.; Cornwall, NY. |
VI. Norton-Taylor, Duncan; The Celts (1974); Time, Inc.; Canada. |
VII. Piggott, Stuart; The Druids (1968); Frederick A. Praeger; New York, NY. |
VIII. Ross, Anne; Druids, Gods, and Heroes from Celtic Mythology; Peter Bedrick Books; New York, NY. |
IX. Savage, Katherine; The Story of World Religions (1966); Walck, Inc.; New York, NY. |