That Old Time Pagan Passion (for money, that is)

A while back, the Pope condemned the "unbridled "pagan" passion for power, possessions and money" as a modern-day plague.

I had no idea. So this is our fault.

You bad, bad Pagans. How dare you make such a mess of things? No 401K for you. Seriously, Did I miss something? Were we in charge of the money these last 2,000 years?

What about the last 8?

Austin Cline writes:

Christianity has always had a schizophrenic relationship with wealth and power....Christianity's survival is due in large part to its union with the Roman Empire, a union which necessarily led to a close relationship with power, money, and wealth. Defense of the status quo was inevitable and became part of Christianity's very nature.

...This means that there is a strong impression of contradiction and hypocrisy when such a powerful, well-off organization presumes to not only tell others that they should stop loving wealth and power so much, but actually dares to describe such attitudes as "pagan." Love of wealth and power is human, not pagan, which means that it can be found in every religious, political, and economic system. Benedict's denunciation might as well have been of "Jewish" idols, but how would that have gone over?

Now I'm not saying we wouldn't screw it up if we had the chance. Greed is a human thing and Pagans - as a group - are just as greedy, feckless, gullible and short sighted as anyone else I know. But I also know the other kind of Pagan, the kind that, if they had Oprah money, wouldn't bother trying to become the great and powerful Oz but would give most (if not all) of it away to animal shelters, food banks and groups that help kids. (Silly, charity minded Pagans. No fancy robes or golden thrones for you!) If this monetary crisis teaches us anything, it is that handling money badly isn't limited to any one political party, religion, country or culture. We got here globally, as a group, and that's how we have to fix it.

On the fantasy side of things, wouldn't it be fun to see how Pagans would actually do if we had as much cash as some other groups we could name? As a lady once said:

All I want is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy.

Sia

Related Articles:

Pagans and Money

Image: Vintage photo: Exotic dancer

Everywhere Hope

It was reported today that the Obama campaign has quietly called in the calvary to deal with swift boat-style attacks by McCain.

A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.
- Winston Churchill

Meanwhile, Beliefnet notes that prospect of Sarah Palin as VP may be frightening to many Jewish voters in swing states. Trust me, she's it's not nearly as frightening to Jewish voters as she to the Pagan ones, or for that matter, anyone who has ever read The Handmaid's Tale.

Sia

Related Articles:

Obama Accuses Republicans of Swift Boat-style Politics

Palin Scaring Jews: And Why It Matters

Is Sarah Palin Bad for the Jews?

Paganism

Photo: An art piece title Sign Post for Change, auctioned off by MoveOn.org on Ebay to support the Obama campaign. Click here to see more of the art pieces available for sale.

A New Understanding of Orisas

Today I would like to share a post about the Orisas by the collective blog Ile Emi Ifa

I found this note refreshing:

...reverence isn’t measured by how many times a devotee falls to their knees, recite rote prayers, sing a little ditty of praise, dance a little step or two, or anything else so basic and rather juvenile. Orisas should find such displays appalling. In the new philosophy of Ifa a devotee’s true reverence is measured by the depth of their integrity, the strength of their trust, the accuracy of their understanding, and the intensity of their drive to truly learn as much as possible and apply those lessons learned to our lives.

As always, take what you need and leave the rest.

I am sometimes asked if I really worship a Goddess or set of Goddesses. The short answer is this: I do not worship anything. I choose celebrate and cherish Her gifts as I understand them. As far as I'm concerned, all the rest is argument. (1)

Sia

(1) This quote sums up how I feel about religious worship as opposed to spiritual practice: "Man no sooner learned to stand then he got down on his knees." I prefer to stand upright.

Art: Three Yoruban Women by Consuelo Gamboa. You can buy the print at All Posters.com