The Wild Hunt Blog: A modern Pagan perspective.What interests me on this topic is that there doesn't seem to be anyone talking who knows both Catholicism and paganism. Being a Catholic for my entire life and being interested in Wicca and other earth-based religions... All I can see is how similar they are.
When I learned how to have a prayer service in my classes, I learned my lessons well. When I read how the Wiccan circles are cast and ceremonies performed.... I see no real difference other than the poly-theism.
Am I really wrong here? The Catholic church I grew up in was missing the pentacle, but there was the crown of thorns. It was missing the athame, but they the cross. It had a bowl of water, and there were candles at specific points on the dais where the giant alter resides. There was a call to gather, a sanctifying of space, a community effort at worship. Sure there were too many to stand up and dance around the alter, but some holidays had selected groups of people do that too.
After listening and prayer, after offering your own spirit and energizing the whole community together, food and drink were shared, now energised under the light of the Deity. Then silent moments of private introspection of meditation, followed by a thanking and an opening of the Church, after which people chatted or went elsewhere to have more discussions and food.
There is nothing that really is different about the basics. Just the particulars, the amount of people present and the Deity (or in the case of some pagan, Deities).
Really. People should do research before spouting off nonesense. Especially since Catholics believe the Earth was created by God and, well, paganism is an earth-bound set of practices.
