Many of you are probably coming here from a “pagan” background, some of you may be fresh out of Protestant Christianity, and a few of you may just want me to define my terms or even just explain what this is all about. Let’s start with Paganism.
Modern Paganism is a huge umbrella, but it’s etymological roots boil down to something ‘common’, ‘rustic’ or perhaps even ‘civilian’ - the last one implying that one isn’t in the “army of Christ’. These days there’s often an assumption that “pagans” are necessarily nature based, and at first I was wary of the label because of that association - but while reading Mage of Aquarius' blog I was struck by the quotation “The implications of "paganism" are not only that it is common knowledge, but it is knowledge so common it has become associated with that which is low class, ignorant, uneducated and debased.”. This made me realize how ‘pagan’ the message I’ve been called to help cultivate really is. Americans as a people are uncommonly engaged with being American, in a way that even academia feels is religious. The profusion of American flags, the way our identity seems to pervade every aspect of our lives, the connection we share with other Americans regardless of kinship - is blatantly a spiritual experience and is so “common” that every grandmother acts it out every single day. It’s as “common”, as “rustic” and as unconscious as Mom and Apple Pie - and often looked down upon as ‘uneducated’ or “ignorant”. Simply put, I think it’s time we examine these “pagan” beliefs and customs, and start consciously engaging with them.
So why Protestant then? Didn’t I mention a Goddess? While Protestantism certainly emerged within the Christian paradigm, it’s been at it’s heart a critical movement. There are good arguments that the generic Atheism within American society in the 2010s and beyond is in fact a branch of Protestantism which has simply dispensed with the supernatural - while maintaining the moral basis of it’s ancestral belief systems. To be clear, I am not a Christian, and the Goddess Columbia is not subordinate to any prince or king, no matter if they be of peace or of other kings. But American Protestantism has a rich history of mysticism, especially in the Charismatic and Pentecostal currents. Given the structure of these beliefs, the way they manifest in practice, and my own experiences seeing the way gods interact with mortals, I believe there’s wisdom in these practices. Indeed I think an Authentic American spirituality that has broken free of Christianity would be best served by assessing the ways that Protestant churches have been influenced by the Powers and Forces in the land and in American society. The “gifts of the spirit” are in fact the gifts of the spirits. A sort of metaphysical background radiation that has seeped into the weakened, dying structure of Christianity and taken root. If Protestantism was a Modern reaction to Catholic corruption, and Atheism in America was a Postmodern reaction to the irrationality of the supernatural, then the next step must be a Post-Postmodern reaction to the polytheist and manifestly plural nature of divinities. A true ‘Pagan Protestantism’ - and with the theme of E Pluribus Unam, Columbia is the Goddess most equipped to help us Manifest this faith within the American context.
At this point you probably have more questions, and with time I hope to address them all. Let me say up front though, that this is not a cynical ‘constructed religion’. Columbia’s influence is the most real thing in my life, she is my Patron Goddess, and she is excited to reach more people with her message. This is an era of gods both old and new, and our forefathers could not have imagined the spiritual frontiers that now lay open before us.