[goctorsurger]

I think the key concept here is fear based content. Groups that controle their "flocks" through fear, have to give them something to be afraid of. Pagans are useful for that.

Find a group that does not use fear for controle -- and Pagans will not be an issue. Since Pagans, for the most part, are not taught to be afraid -- they don't worry about other groups.

[pseusawbappem]

Modern Pagans

by Charles Monroe Sheldon
published by The Methodist Book Concern, ©1917


(~92 pg) Read Online
(4.4 M) PDF
(~92 pg) EPUB
(~92 pg) Kindle
(~92 pg) Daisy
(68.3 K) Full Text
(1.4 M) DjVu


They most certainly didn't wait for Gardiner to invent Wicca before they began to complain that they hadn't eliminated all non-Christians from the world yet.

[simmons latex mattress]

Hello There Ananta,

An interesting read, well to be honest "skim" about the perils of the Wallace family after the first chapter, albeit 88 pages expressing what I have read many times before.

Having done research in many pagan practices but focusing more on the Asatru Folk, and my particular interest in the runes, I've read many texts from this period. I've made a very loose interpretation, probably better said correlation, of 1890-1910, 1911-1920 and the 1921-WWII era in writing about "Pagans".

It seems to me in the first "era", 1890-1910 it was all about identifying and staying clear of them.

The following "era", 1911-1920 seemed to focus on identifying and demonizing as examples to "good" Christian families. Sort of "Frankenstein" or "Dracula" stories meant to horrify the youth of the average, everyday man/woman/child.

The latter period, 1921-WWII seemed to revert back to the identify, demonize, convert if you can, but don't waste too much time type of focus.

What I do find interesting, that my many searches have been fruitless in finding anything from the opposing perspective; Pagan/Heathen/Wicca/Asatru authors writing "warning books" to their coven or stead about identifying, demonizing and converting Christians, Muslims or other religious organization followers to paganism. Why is that?

Could it be that as a "Pagan", and I will use this as a loose fitting term to include all non-religious organizations for sake of clarity, that there is nothing in any tenet, creed, call to order, vow, or mission statement (etc etc) that calls for anything besides the voluntary and heartfelt desire of the individual to follow whichever path they freely and willingly choose? When I was named Fellow of the International Rune Gild, my only "oath" was that I would "faithfully uphold the Call and Rights of the Nine Noble Virtues and Six Fold Path to the best of my ability".

Nothing about making a mission in life of converting, condemning or convolution of another person's Free Will.

I grew up in an Evangelical/Lutheran home and was thankful they weren't like some of our distant friends/family that demanded "door to door sales" but still, the demonizing and disrespect shown by my parents and other members of their church for people whom they had no real idea about was disturbing to me, even as a child. There was just something wrong about basing opinion on speculation and complete "unknowns" about other people's beliefs. You know the "they MUST drink blood" or "it would surprise me to find out they..." type of inuendo and baseless accusations.

Well anyway, sorry, I didn't mean to go off on a tangent, or co-tangent , and think it's great you posted this for all to see what "examples" people had as hard facts, even though classified as fiction in our not so distant past.

And in closing, might I ask Ananta, are you aware of any "pagan" text as I described? Calling for the conversion of religious followers to paganism?

I would find that most interesting.

Again, thank you for an insightful little side-track down history's path!

Blessings of Peace,