27/09/2020
The UK's dedicated pagan radio station, Wyldwood Radio, which has now been broadcasting over the web for nearly ten years, has joined other pagan organisations in issuing a declaration of support for the Black Lives Matter Movement and also taking the time to condemn the misuse of pagan symbols, particularly from the Northern Viking traditions, by some neo-Nazis. The radio station broadcasts a wide variety of pagan themed music by pagan artists. In a three paragraph statement, the station reminds its listeners; “Let us be clear: Wyldwood Radio has always been and always will be firmly against any form of discrimination, be it ableism, sexism, ageism and given the very nature of the music and culture of the Wyldwood, racism”. They go on “There is a sickness in modern Paganism where racist, white supremacist fools believe that by using ancient symbols and European deity names, they can somehow justify the evil acts committed against people of colour. These people are NOT Pagan and no matter how much they argue or threaten, they will never be Pagan”. The Wyldwood statement was warmly welcomed by LGBTQ pagans and many others. The misuse of pagan symbols, particularly from the northern European heathen religions, is also addressed by the new website of the Pagan Federation, a group founded in 1971 which aims to represent all traditions of nature based religion. The Federation notes as follows: “ This darker side of Heathenry is more prevalent in the US and Canada, however there are unfortunately also some elements in the UK. These individuals use Heathenry as a mask for racist and discriminatory beliefs. They argue that Heathenry should only be open to those of northern European descent ….. These beliefs are universally rejected by the majority of Heathens …. Heathens believe Odin wanders the whole world, and with his brothers created all mankind. This includes people of all races and ethnicities. Heathenry has many strong female Goddesses, and historical evidence suggests that women historically had far more importance in society under pagan rule than they did under Christianity. There is also no justification for homophobia or transphobia in Heathenry. Indeed, evidence from mythology suggests that there are hardly any sexual taboos at all amongst the Gods. Cross dressing, homosexuality and polygamy all feature”. The majority of pagan groups are overwhelmingly welcoming of LGBTQ people as well as people of colour and we should note that a considerable number of our communities have found a spiritual home in these traditions. A more direct approach to dealing with the minority who spout racism and homophobia came in 2016. According to Pink News, a pair of white supremacists asked the Irish Pagan Federation for a priest who had never married an interracial or samesex couple so they could have a “pure” supremacist wedding. The Irish Pagan Federation tweeted “Why don't you f*** off”. That's the way to tell em!
https://www.paganfederationireland.com/
https://gcn.ie/pagan-group-tells-american-homophobes-fuck-off/
