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Pagan Activism
Pagan Unity & Activism
New Section!
One of the biggest problems facing the Pagan community today is the lack of unity among the different traditions & groups. It's hard to defend ourselves and our brothers & sisters from injustices when we're all so scattered; whether we like it or not, things such as religious discrimination happen, and they happen more often than we know about! Some Pagans feel like secrecy is the answer; "if we lay low, they won't know where to find us." I disagree with this; I believe that we need to come together and present a more or less united front. For one thing, it's hard for Pagans in rural settings to get help in legal struggles; many times, they think they're "the only ones around," and we never hear about the discrimination they suffer. A broad, united and visible organization would help get the kind of help & education that's so desparately needed in smaller communities.
Another reason to promote more organization is to foster a sense of family within the Pagan community. In my experience, many of us are so focused on our differences that we rarely stop to count our many similarities! We're all in this together; in-fighting, 'WitchWars,' and petty bickering will be the downfall of Paganism in America if it isn't curtailed. This is certainly not to say that we should all conform to a single standard of norms! Goddess forbid! But, coming together to celebrate diversity and to learn from one another cannot be as impossible as it seems. Many of the successful large festivals prove that we can indeed 'get it together' sometimes!
Some truly heroic efforts have been made to bring this idea of a united Pagan world to fruition, and several of them have been very successful in the short term. To keep these successes going into the long-term, we all need to do our individual parts. Here is a listing of some Pagan Unity websites; these are the ones I've researched myself, and is by no means a complete list (the very fact that there are so many is, to me, a symptom of the problem, as well as a solution!) Take some time to find out what they're about; join, donate, or take action in accord with their inspiration. They can't do it without us, the individuals!
those Pagans who have, by choice or by chance, been placed in
the position to educate their communities through the media,
fellow religious organizations, etc..
information on how individuals can become active in
promoting religious freedom. Letters, petitions, & addresses
are posted in downloadable form.
Pagan Unity- A new listing of organizations willing to act as
contacts within the community in cases of discrimination, or
just to promote fellowship. A state-by-state listing such as this
could become a valuable resource; list with them if you can
help!
PagaNet- A good source of Pagan community news & updates.
WitchVox- Always a key hub for communications! Current events,
regional listings, and more. Still one of the best places on the
web for coming together.
This is a partial listing- if you know
of a listing which should be here, please
email me below. Suggestions
pertaining to the subjects
of Pagan unity & organizations always
interest me, too!
Let Laurel Know
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