Excellent post! I completely agree. We need the inclusive life-affirming Christianity that Jesus preached, not the Church of rites and regulations. Exploring the ancient roots of our religions and mythology is the way forward.
I always thought that whoever wrote those passages in Exodus and Leviticus, with the excruciatingly detailed instructions on how exactly God would like His tabernacle made, must have had severe OCD. The puritan rules you cited made me think of that; the psychology of it seems connected.
Also, I continue to hold that the one true religion is poetry, and that the one false religion is ideology: so much depends on the existential *how* and not the propositional "what". The "what" does matter, but it should grow organically out of the right "how".
Puritanism has a tortured record of deciphering just exactly where Biblical authority arises from. Many thorny contradictions create job security for the clergy.
I organized a splendid Maypole celebration in the late seventies - pictures here https://chadwickarchive.org/saratoga-photo-collection/. Scroll down to see. It’s fun, it’s beautiful screw whatever meaning you think it may have, fun and beauty are more than sufficient reason to do something, that’s enough meaning and purpose for me!
I think it should go without saying that modern churches are compromised and have nothing to offer. But the Christianity you speak of, when it was at it's strongest and most vital, that was never going to last. In a way, I do think the puritans were the most devout and pure Christians. But to me, that's not good thing. Biblically speaking, I don't think you can reconcile the pagan love of nature with Christianity. And not just that, but I think paganism and Christianity are entirely irreconcilable with one and other. I'm not saying that individual Christians can't believe this way, but they would undoubtedly be heretics.
But that being said, I don't totally forsake the Christian history of Europe like a lot of neopagans do. But I also don't think we can return to this Christianity. For how comprehensive of a religious tradition it is, Christianity also contains the seeds of it's own destruction.
Unpopular opinion: neo-paganism is at its core a desire for a Christianity connected to the wheel of the year. I appreciate neo-pagans, but a lot of it just seems like cosplay to me.
Neopagans are no more of cosplayers then tradcaths are. That is largely determined by the individuals. I'm not a Pagan myself really. My values are closer to Pagan values then to Christian values, but I don't think we can back to old paganism either. The desire may be there, for a more rooted Christianity, but like I said before, I think it's irreconcilable.
Thanks so much for this post! Since reading it, I've been reflecting that the dominant culture seems sometimes to be seeking to impose a sort of secular Puritanism. And that this secular Puritanism may be even more destructive than the Christian variety, because it lacks the potentially modulating influence of the gospel.
One thing I'm wondering about: Bonhoeffer says, in Life Together, that "spiritual love does not desire but rather serves." I'm wondering whether Bonhoeffer's statement is fully reconcilable with what you say about God and nature.
I love the Lorenna McKennit song! I danced to it in my one beam of sunlight that would return mid February and lasted a whole 10 minutes only to disappear behind the mountain when I lived in Telegraph Creek. That moment was always so deeply sacred. Coming out of such utter darkness. A winter of twilight. And like all things do, the long summer days increased so much up North that the night was beaten and battered and ran with its tail between its legs. And we ate supper at 10 pm with the sun shining brightly, slept with a sun brightly shining and by the end of it we longed for the night again. And when the night came we longed for the sunshine. I began to understand the deeper reason we had seasons. To everything there is a season.
Not sure if you are familiar with Capercaillie but this album also played on those long nights in Telegraph Creek while we all curled up with our kerosene lamps and a favourite book. A trip to the outhouse meant a chance to dance with the Aurora Borealis and on a full moon we could see as if it were daylight, but it wasn’t, it was dark. Very dark.
This was like receiving the biggest gulp of fresh air after being held down- drowning beneath the ‘current’ bankrupt, beige, blancmange of the chattering, clattering ‘Christian Churls’. (Apart from their insistence in covering every edifice with garish ‘Hundreds and Thousands’ or ‘Sprinklers’ as you Americans say.
Folk, Faerie, Pagan, Catholic, yes! Let’s return home, dancing all the way!
More of this please Michael, MUCH more. A series, a book perhaps?
Excellent post! I completely agree. We need the inclusive life-affirming Christianity that Jesus preached, not the Church of rites and regulations. Exploring the ancient roots of our religions and mythology is the way forward.
thanks!
I'm a computer programmer who is trying to find a way to destroy the ring and live from the land. Wish me luck.
May the odds be ever in your favor.
I always thought that whoever wrote those passages in Exodus and Leviticus, with the excruciatingly detailed instructions on how exactly God would like His tabernacle made, must have had severe OCD. The puritan rules you cited made me think of that; the psychology of it seems connected.
Also, I continue to hold that the one true religion is poetry, and that the one false religion is ideology: so much depends on the existential *how* and not the propositional "what". The "what" does matter, but it should grow organically out of the right "how".
I like that.
Huzzah for St George, huzzah for Maypoles, huzzah for creation!
Ha, amazing -- I loved this. Glory to the One whom WCW AKA Bill Williams called "shrouded Earth-father / flickering green watching"!
Thanks! Love that quote!
(yeah, me too -- always have; I want to say it's in Paterson somewhere, but it's been awhile, and of course that's not narrowing it down at all...)
Puritanism has a tortured record of deciphering just exactly where Biblical authority arises from. Many thorny contradictions create job security for the clergy.
exactly
I organized a splendid Maypole celebration in the late seventies - pictures here https://chadwickarchive.org/saratoga-photo-collection/. Scroll down to see. It’s fun, it’s beautiful screw whatever meaning you think it may have, fun and beauty are more than sufficient reason to do something, that’s enough meaning and purpose for me!
Fun and beauty are good enough for me!
I think it should go without saying that modern churches are compromised and have nothing to offer. But the Christianity you speak of, when it was at it's strongest and most vital, that was never going to last. In a way, I do think the puritans were the most devout and pure Christians. But to me, that's not good thing. Biblically speaking, I don't think you can reconcile the pagan love of nature with Christianity. And not just that, but I think paganism and Christianity are entirely irreconcilable with one and other. I'm not saying that individual Christians can't believe this way, but they would undoubtedly be heretics.
But that being said, I don't totally forsake the Christian history of Europe like a lot of neopagans do. But I also don't think we can return to this Christianity. For how comprehensive of a religious tradition it is, Christianity also contains the seeds of it's own destruction.
Unpopular opinion: neo-paganism is at its core a desire for a Christianity connected to the wheel of the year. I appreciate neo-pagans, but a lot of it just seems like cosplay to me.
Neopagans are no more of cosplayers then tradcaths are. That is largely determined by the individuals. I'm not a Pagan myself really. My values are closer to Pagan values then to Christian values, but I don't think we can back to old paganism either. The desire may be there, for a more rooted Christianity, but like I said before, I think it's irreconcilable.
Well, I disagree. Obviously. And I'm not interested in returning to some imagined past. I'm more focused on an imagined future.
Enjoyed this a lot. Just became a subscriber.
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
I love finding Christians who have an obviously deep folkish strain in their soul - sad to see them continue to worship a rabbi though!
Thanks so much for this post! Since reading it, I've been reflecting that the dominant culture seems sometimes to be seeking to impose a sort of secular Puritanism. And that this secular Puritanism may be even more destructive than the Christian variety, because it lacks the potentially modulating influence of the gospel.
One thing I'm wondering about: Bonhoeffer says, in Life Together, that "spiritual love does not desire but rather serves." I'm wondering whether Bonhoeffer's statement is fully reconcilable with what you say about God and nature.
Many thanks again.
Thanks!
I wonder what Bonhoeffer would say about Augustine's "Love calls us to the things of this world"?
Good point! The Richard Wilbur poem of that title is one of my favorites.
I have loved that poem since first reading it as an undergrad
Lovely, thank you!
I love the Lorenna McKennit song! I danced to it in my one beam of sunlight that would return mid February and lasted a whole 10 minutes only to disappear behind the mountain when I lived in Telegraph Creek. That moment was always so deeply sacred. Coming out of such utter darkness. A winter of twilight. And like all things do, the long summer days increased so much up North that the night was beaten and battered and ran with its tail between its legs. And we ate supper at 10 pm with the sun shining brightly, slept with a sun brightly shining and by the end of it we longed for the night again. And when the night came we longed for the sunshine. I began to understand the deeper reason we had seasons. To everything there is a season.
https://open.spotify.com/album/7JvoRYqppEFdDkZvVRKktq?si=qSLrTt5DRNa4NuKXPrE6Jg
Not sure if you are familiar with Capercaillie but this album also played on those long nights in Telegraph Creek while we all curled up with our kerosene lamps and a favourite book. A trip to the outhouse meant a chance to dance with the Aurora Borealis and on a full moon we could see as if it were daylight, but it wasn’t, it was dark. Very dark.
That's all so beautiful, Shari.
This was like receiving the biggest gulp of fresh air after being held down- drowning beneath the ‘current’ bankrupt, beige, blancmange of the chattering, clattering ‘Christian Churls’. (Apart from their insistence in covering every edifice with garish ‘Hundreds and Thousands’ or ‘Sprinklers’ as you Americans say.
Folk, Faerie, Pagan, Catholic, yes! Let’s return home, dancing all the way!
More of this please Michael, MUCH more. A series, a book perhaps?
Some rather potent symbolism in the fact that this year St George's Day falls directly after the 300th birthday of Immanuel Kant.
Fascinating. Glad that you are a Christian who is capable of realizing paganism is not evil.