Why Bristol Palin (may be) Good for Pagans

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By now you’ve probably hear that Bristol Palin is writing for Patheos, a website dedicated to balanced views of religion and spirituality.  A site that hosts an entire Pagan Portal filled with spectacular Pagan bloggers.  I know Bristol started blogging at Patheos because I’ve had a total of 14 of my fellow Pagans email me in the last three hours.  People I know, love and respect.  Most of them are very unhappy about Patheos giving a platform to Bristol and their reasons run from a general and intense hatred of her mother to wondering why such a lightweight and nonacademic writer such as Bristol was picked.

Bristol Palin's blog at Patheos

My opinion, as in many things in the Pagan, Heathen, and polytheist community, runs counter to the prevailing sentiment.  I read the coverage abut Patheos and Bristol that is blanketing the Press and social media,heard about the increased traffic to the site, and thought, “Brilliant business move.”  Hell, I’d even give them a rousing golf clap.  I’m a bit perverse, that way.

I love reading the various writers at Patheos.  They have some of the very best Pagan, Heathen, and polytheist writers blogging for them.  Seriously good stuff.  I enjoy poking around in the other religion portals, too, and seeing what they have to offer in spiritual writing.  Patheos is like a buffet table of spiritual offerings.   Some of it is very academic in nature.  Other writers throw in more pop culture.  If there’s a talented writer, I read their blog often.  If there are writers I don’t care for, I ignore them.

Patheos is also a business with employees and bills and advertisers to help pay those bills.   If bringing in Bristol also brings in more site traffic,which brings in more advertising bucks, that’s a good thing for every single blogger and reader of Patheos.  It means I will continue to be able to read my favorite Pagan writers and a site will continue to exist that values Pagan content and doesn’t treat us like second class citizens.  Because let me tell you, if the Pagan Portal at Patheos were to try to fund itself through Pagan advertising, it would no longer exist.

Which reminds me of some of the conversations I was part of at Paganicon (which was lovely and we will have coverage of it soon) concerning Pagans, money, and running organizations and/or businesses.  The general consensus was that we suck at it and have unhealthy relationships with money.  We see money as The Man, the root of all evil.  A tool of oppression.  ‘Business ethics’ are an oxymoron.  That’s a shame and something we need to work on if we want to exist at more than the very small, local group level.

Money is a physical representation of energy that we exchange.  Structure and organization is not ‘power over’ but can be framework to getting things done with less drama and hurt feelings.   Making business decisions that include monetary considerations is not selling out, it’s being responsible to your employees, your mission, and your customers.  We Pagans fail in our community endeavors because we not only lack the skills necessary to succeed, we abhor the thought of gaining those skills.  Our religious ancestors didn’t have these attitudes.  One of the Delphic Maxims said Acquire wealth justly, not Do not acquire wealth.

This is the world we live in, there are no free lunches.  If you want places were Pagan views are represented, it needs to be paid for some how.  So if Bristol can make it rain at Patheos, and that helps pay for quality content I like to read, then I say Bristol may be good for Pagans.  And honestly, I get a big chuckle out of that thought.  Don’t you?

Letter to the Editor – When Religious Discrimination Hits Home

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by Dr. Todd Berntson

The past 24 hours have been almost surreal. I was sitting at the dinner table with some  friends at an Indian restaurant when I received a call from my father that my cousin Brad was dead. Brad was four years older than me and had been my superhero while I was growing up.

As a kid I used to tell my friends incredible tales about the amazing feats that my cousin could do, as though he was some mythical figure with superhuman powers. Truth be told, in a lot of ways he kind of lived up to that. He was very good looking, smart, funny, incredibly strong, and was one of those guys that everybody liked. So, when I was told that Brad was dead, I was in shock. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning of the bad news.

A short time later, I received another call informing me that my father and I would not be allowed to attend Brad’s funeral because I was Wiccan and Brad’s wife didn’t want me to “pollute their church” with my evil presence. I was dumbfounded by this. Even as I write this, I still have a hard time believing that this really happened. Does being Catholic mean that you cannot be accepting of other spiritual paths? What makes Wicca, which is one of the most gentle and forgiving spiritual paths, so “evil”? Would Jesus have barred me from saying goodbye to a deceased family member because I wasn’t Catholic?

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that this kind of thing had happened. Only four months prior, Brad’s father, Bruce, was found dead in a hotel room. When I attended his funeral at the church, most of the family would not even look at me or say hello. During the luncheon that followed the funeral service, I stood up to say a few kind words about my recently deceased uncle. As I looked out at the faces in the crowd, I could see several people looking at me as though I was some kind of leper. There was an almost palpable look of disgust on many of their faces. As we left, both my father and I commented on how unwelcome we felt.

This whole situation is very disturbing on so many levels. How can any spiritual tradition, be it Christian, Hindu, Shinto, Pagan, or Jewish, justify denying someone the fundamental human need to say goodbye to a deceased family member? How can the Wiccan spiritual path, which is founded on the reverence for all living things and celebrating the diversity of life, be considered so disturbing, so evil, that followers of the Catholic faith can feel justified in shunning members of their own family?

Although I am not a Christian, I often reflect a famous prayer attributed to St. Francis where he speaks: “Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted; to understand, than to be understood; to love, than to be loved.” Perhaps if those who so vocally profess their piety would simply follow their own prayers, the world would be a place with much more comfort, understanding, and love. And I would have had the opportunity to say goodbye to my superhero.

Goodbye Brad, I love you.

_____________________________________________________________________

Todd Berntson is a doctor of chiropractic and a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology. He
has been actively involved in the Neopagan community both locally and nationally, and is the
Vice President of Summerland Spirit Festival, which is a spiritual retreat for followers of Earth-
centered spiritual traditions.

Community Notes; March 19-25

Paganicon was wonderful, and attendance was way up from last year. The guests were delightful. The workshops were moving and life changing. The Ball was hopping. Registration for next year’s Paganicon should be up within a day or two at the early-bird rate. Next year’s Paganicon will be March 15-17. You can register now for only $50 or buy a supporting membership now and upgrade later, so it’s two small payments rather than one moderately priced payment at http://paganicon.eventbrite.com/

There are several interesting events this week at Magus Books & Herbs. Sign up for their newsletter to stay in the loop http://www.magusbooks.com/

Next Sunday is another Psychic Sunday at the Eye of Horus. These are always fulfilling events. Be sure to sign up in advance. http://eyeofhorus.genbook.com/bookings/slot/reservation/30073918

Community Notes; March 12-18

Paganicon is Friday through Sunday. It’s almost here. We’ve been anticipating this year’s Paganicon since last year’s Paganicon. This local Pagan conference really fills a much needed niche in the Pagan community. You can read about the special guest Christopher Penczak in a recent PNC interview.

James Van Praagh will be at the Eye of Horus March 12-17, teaching a five day class on mastering mediumship, and performing a spirit circle with special guest Echo Bodine. For more information or to register, check out http://www.vanpraagh.com/

Sacred Fire Circle in Paradise is already shaping up to be a great event, and it’s not until mid July. This might be the year they reach their cap. Check out this astoundingly powerful event at http://sacredfirecircle.hawkdancing.com/