Europe's Neo-Paganisrm a Perverse Inculturation
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Europe's Neo-Paganisrm A Perverse Inculturation Marc R. Spindler Introduction here is a resurgence of paganism in Europe today. It is paganism is presented as a recovery of authentic European T not an underground movement hidden from public life heritage. and discovered by a few conservative theologians. On the con The second background is the contemporary crisis of Euro trary, theologians try to avoid the term "paganism," which pean culture. It is not only a crisis of Christendom, or "de has a derogatory meaning in Christian tradition, and they assume christianization," but also a crisis in all cultural patterns and that nobody likes to be called a pagan. Significantly, the words political models that have inspired the life of Europeans in the "pagan" and "paganism" are not used even once in the last twenty years. Atheistic ideologies, secularism, communism, official documents of Vatican Council II. Now the time when and Marxist-Leninism are also confronted with a crisis, with dis "paganism" was a dirty word is over and I am able to quote appointment and despair. In order to find a new meaning of life a number of recent European writers using the term "pagan and culture, people then turn to "paganism," a reconstruction ism" in a favorable way, affirming "the genius of paganism,,,l of paganism, of course, because the old paganism has been de its capacity to offer a valid alternative to Christianity. stroyed; therefore we call it "neo-paganism." In this article I want to start from the self-understanding of Neo-paganism has its prophets: Nietzsche, who died in 1900 European "new pagans"; then give my own theological as but whose "gospel" is still widely distributed; Hermann sessment of the movement." Hesse, another German writer quoted by W. A. Visser 't Hooft. In Great Britain we have, for instance, Julian Huxley, Aldous The Background and Importance of Europe's Huxley, and especially D. H. Lawrence. In France, one of the first Neo-Paganism was Andre Gide (Les nourritures terrestres, 1897); then Victor Se galen (Les immemoriaux, 1908), Antonin Artaud (Le theatre et son European neo-paganism is emerging against the background of double, 1938), Georges Bataille iAcephale, 1937), and many other two historical developments. The first is the pagan tradition in successful writers, such as Celine, Montherlant, and Jean Cau. European history. By this I mean the humanistic traditions in These writers, however, offer a pagan spirituality, no pagan pro philosophy and literature since the Renaissance, the passion for gram. The new development is the emergence of a definite move ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and the very specific empathy ment with a pagan program, with paganism as the central motive. with religious feelings and ideas of classical antiquity among This movement has been called the New Right, 5 but this is a many intellectuals and philologists. Everybody knows that political classification that I consider largely irrelevant. Neo Goethe, the greatest German poet, called himself a pagan. The paganism is a religious choice, and only a religious choice of permanence of this pagan tradition is emphasized by a neo-pagan another kind is a proper reaction to it. Anyway I want to stress the importance of this movement in Europe today. W. A. Visser 't Hooft even asserts that "European culture has become a "Neo-paganism is a debate between three forces: Christianity, scientific rationalism religious choice, and only and neo-pagan vitalism.:" a religious choice of Main Features of Neo-Paganism another kind is a proper The movement is not older than twenty years and it is still mov reaction to it." ing, so it is not possible to give a definite picture. It has no clerical or political organization that could decide about orthodox views. It is more like a club, a network of intellectuals. Above all, the writer like Alain de Benoist, in his famous book Comment peut-on very thrust of neo-paganism is against rational analysis and in etre patent" "Paganism has never been far away from us, both favor of mythical, passionate expression. There is a lot of philo in history and in the sub-conscious mind, as well as in ritual, in sophical and theological confusion in the rhetorics of neo-pagan literature, and so forth.:" and it represents a recurring philo ism. In spite of these difficulties, I have classified the main sophical pattern, namely, the pattern of mythical thinking as op features of neo-paganism in four categories. posed to the other great pattern of Western thought, that is, rational thinking. Alain de Benoist maintains that this mythical pattern is present in the very core of Christian religion: thanks to the use of pagan patterns, the new religion was made accept 1. Sacralization able to old pagans in the beginning of the Christian era. Neo- The first feature is the affirmation of the sacred, against the de sacralization of the universe produced by Christianity. The [udeo Christian tradition has banished the old gods of Greece and de Marc R. Spindler is Director of the Department of Missiology of the Interuni prived the world of all immanent sources of enthusiasm. The only versity Institute for Missiological and Ecumenical Research, and Associate Pro fessor of Missiology and Ecumenics at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. thing left was das entseelte Wort, a word without soul, the dull He was a missionary in Madagascar, 1961-73, with the Paris Evangelical Mis language of logical intellect. W. A. Visser't Hooft rightly quotes sionary Society and the Evangelical Communityfor Apostolic Action. the classical poem by Shelley (1792-1822) entitled "Hellas": 8 International Bulletin of Missionary Research The Powers of earth and air is not in contradiction with the story I've just told; we all know Fled from the folding-star of Bethlehem: that life may be cruel. I'll quote from the French book Comment Apollo, Pan and love, peut-on etre paien? by Alain de Benoist, the real prophet of neo And even olympian Jove grew weak, for killing truth had glared on them. paganism in France today: "Pagans are all those who say 'yes' Our hills and seas and streams to life, those who take 'God' as the word expressing the great Dispeopled of their dreams. 'yes' to the whole universe."10 In fact Alain de Benoist is here Their waters turned to blood, their dew to tears quoting from Nietzsche's Antichrist. wailed for the golden years. The reference to Nietzsche is very significant. We know that Nietzsche has proclaimed a counter-gospel, announcing a new And Shelley hoped that the old gods would come back. Dionysian era, a rebirth of Hellenic antiquity, the triumph of life against the personal God who was crushing the vitality of hu The world's great age begins anew. mankind. After the death of God, the superman, full of life and The golden years return.... power, was due to emerge. Another Athens shall arise. 7 "Neo-paganism is a thorough-going vitalism which seeks Now this new age has come. The old gods of Greece are back. the intensification of life rather than its transformation."!' Chris A French writer, Louis Pauwels, explains how he discovered again tianity is attacked as a life-denying faith, repressing the natural the sacred fire vivifying the whole universe. I quote: instincts of human beings, spoiling the joy of life of humankind. Paganism is not, as it is believed or said, the negation of the sacred. Paganism is healthy, Christianity (not particularly in its Western Paganism postulates, on the contrary, that the sacred is within form, but in its very core) is producing sickness and neurosis. I reach of human existence. So, it is not the same as atheism or quote: "Paganism celebrates the awareness of abundant life, agnosticism; however, it refuses the one God, out there, beyond creative strength, joy of life, appetite for power and happiness.v'" the world and yet jealous, who forbids creatures from having spir "Yes" to life is also "yes" to Eros, which has been sup itual experience aimed at human beings in their relations with the pressed by the Judeo-Christian tradition. Neo-paganism glorifies world. The one God requires from people a conscience of being Eros and eroticism, to the point that eroticism is becoming a kind exiled. Paganism seeks religion in our exalted feeling of wholeness of religion, able to change humans and to give them the ever here and now. Far from desacralizing the world, it sacralizes it. lasting experience of death and rebirth, forever, and yet again Indeed: it takes the world for sacred." and again. This pagan sacralization of the world makes no distinction Eros is separated from Agape and seen only in the wake of between cosmic forces and God, between God and nature, be the self-transcendence of life. I recently heard a pop song on tween nature and humankind. When this new paganism speaks television performed by "The Commodores." It is entitled of God, it means the sum total of reality in all its plurality and "Animal Instinct," and these two words are repeated like a diversity. There is no specific revelation coming from the other beat during the whole performance. The text is exalting wild love. side of reality, from a personal God taking action in a particular "Baby, I will be your primitive lover!" Life is cruel, but it is time of history and sending the divine logos among human per innocent. There is no sin in the program of neo-paganism. Strug sons called to be God's elected children. The religious experience gle for life is natural, and the survival of the fittest is the rule of offered by paganism is a communion with nature, an experience life.