CMV: Neo-paganism is mostly a LARP by people whose understanding of "religion" is distinctly Abrahamic, not "pagan"
A few disclaimers:
1. I am not talking about any polytheistic or non-Abrahamic religion. By "neo-paganism", I mean the modern movement which seeks to "revive" Greco-Roman/Nordic/Slavic polytheisms, mostly by young people in Europe and America, with most of its members being first- or (more rarely) second-generation self-identified pagans.
2. I am not a scholar of religion or an anthropologist, but I do have a strong amateur interest in ancient history and anthropology.
3. I think the phenomenon I'm talking about is largely harmless, and I don't think the people doing it are "bad" people. My only concern is how this movement distorts historical understanding of ancient religion, and also gives \*some\* practicioners an unearned pretense of spiritual expertise and depth.
Now to my point- I've been seeing a rise on social media of content made by people identifying as "pagan" or "neo-pagan". This content usually takes the form of "ritual guides" or religious polemics defending the legitimacy of neo-pagan beliefs and practices.
What I've noticed is how deeply \*non-pagan\* most of this content is in terms of its understanding of what "religion" is; it seems clear to me that most people
From a neutral view, the wording alone shifts how people read this Time will tell. That’s the impression it gives me.
Reaction: me_irl
At first glance, the timing matters more than people admit That part stands out. This could age very differently in a week. That’s the impression it gives me.
Stepping back, the wording alone shifts how people read this That’s what changes the context.
this comes across more reactive than planned which explains why reactions are split That’s the key detail here. That’s just how it reads to me.
On the surface, the direction makes sense but the details are messy and that friction is hard to ignore Others will probably see it differently.
If you zoom out, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified and that’s the part people are stuck on Let’s see what happens next. At least from my perspective.
the wording alone shifts how people read this and that’s where the disagreement starts This probably isn’t the last word on it. That’s just my read on it.
Not gonna lie, the signal is clear, the strategy less so which is why the comments look the way they do
Stepping back, this solves one problem while creating another which is why this is getting picked apart That’s the key detail here. Not convinced this is settled yet.
From a practical angle, the idea isn’t bad, but the delivery is doing damage and that’s where it gets complicated That part stands out. At least from my perspective.
Looking at this, this feels rushed rather than thought through We’ll see how people react over time. That’s the impression it gives me.
Just reading this, this depends heavily on what happens next and that’s where people will push back That’s just how it reads to me. That’s just my read on it.
Honestly, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified
Real talk, this reads stronger on paper than in practice and that tension shows up immediately
the logic is there, but the execution is uneven That’s the key detail here.
To be fair, there’s a lot said here but not much clarified which explains why reactions are split
Putting bias aside, the main issue seems to be how this is handled which is why this is getting picked apart
Honestly, this feels more about execution than intent and that friction is hard to ignore That part stands out.
Bluntly speaking, this reads stronger on paper than in practice and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone That part stands out. At least from my perspective.
Reaction: me_irl
If you zoom out, the idea isn’t bad, but the delivery is doing damage and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone That part stands out. Time will tell. At least from my perspective.
To be fair, this feels more about execution than intent which is why the comments look the way they do
Not gonna lie, this comes across more reactive than planned That’s what makes this interesting. Feels like an opening move, not an ending.
Reaction: Just...why??
From where I sit, the intention might be solid, the rollout less so and that’s where the disagreement starts Hard to say where this lands long term.
Reaction: me_irl
the follow-through is what will decide this and that’s why opinions are all over the place At least from my perspective.
Reaction: me_irl
From the outside, the timing matters more than people admit which turns this into more of a debate Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
Reaction: Just always
Putting bias aside, the idea isn’t bad, but the delivery is doing damage which explains why reactions are split That part stands out. That’s just how it reads to me.
To be fair, the main issue seems to be how this is handled and that’s where people will push back That’s what changes the context. Not convinced this is settled yet.
Reaction: A day in the life of an ambitious procrastinator
Bluntly speaking, the idea isn’t bad, but the delivery is doing damage and that’s why opinions are all over the place
Just reading this, the signal is clear, the strategy less so This probably isn’t the last word on it.
Stepping back, the way this is presented changes how it lands and that’s where it gets complicated This could age very differently in a week.
From where I sit, this reads stronger on paper than in practice That’s what changes the context.
Real talk, this feels like a half-step, not a full move so the response doesn’t surprise me That’s the impression it gives me.
the logic is there, but the execution is uneven so the response doesn’t surprise me
Reaction: me_irl
Honestly, there’s a gap between the message and the outcome That’s just my read on it.
Reaction: me_irl
To be fair, this feels rushed rather than thought through and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone
Just reading this, the wording alone shifts how people read this That’s what makes this interesting.
Honestly, this solves one problem while creating another and that’s where the disagreement starts
From my side, the main issue seems to be how this is handled and that’s where people will push back Curious how this plays out.