Paganism and the New Religiosity
Wednesday 18 October 2023
Are we seeing a new situation where people are reluctant to identify with established institutional religions, but, in the words of Peter Nynäs, ‘combine spiritual and religious positions with secular values into authentic and unified outlooks on life’?
- Start Date:
- Wednesday 18th October 2023
- Start Time:
- 7:00PM
- Location:
- Zoom
- Contact:
- Marianne Mead
- Speakers:
- Denise Cush
- Host:
- Sea of Faith
- Cost:
- Free
For many decades I have been interested in contemporary forms of Paganism, not just because they are interesting in themselves, but because they seem to me to be the most coherent, describable and accessible examples of a much wider phenomenon, a new way of being religious or forming a worldview. Though contemporary forms of Paganism such as Wicca, Druidry and Goddess spirituality are very diverse and lack centralised organisation, I contend that we can see shared values, practices, identities and culture, many of which also characterise a wider, more diffuse trend of contemporary religiosity, including people who would not identify as Pagan or in some cases even as religious. Part of this development includes Pagan ideas and practices gradually becoming more common and ‘normal’ beyond the Pagan community. Are we seeing a new situation where people are reluctant to identify with established institutional religions, but, in the words of Peter Nynäs, ‘combine spiritual and religious positions with secular values into authentic and unified outlooks on life’?