An Anachronism of Thought

Anachronisms are defined as something out of place in the present; a throwback (or occasionally something futuristic) that doesn't quite belong.  This can be aesthetic in nature -- someone wearing old fashioned clothing that is no longer considered stylish or comfortable -- or it can be functional -- training with a sword or other large close-combat weapon that is long-since outdated in practical use.

To many, reverting to a pagan belief set is an anachronism in its own right, and to an extent, they're right.  The cultures that originally held these beliefs are long-gone, and the monotheistic (in theory) faiths have won the day and led the world to its eventual scientific enlightenment.  We have a lot of the knowledge now that we once used stories to theorize; we have no urgent need for a god of the storms, since we understand that what causes lightning and thunder is far from supernatural in nature.  In many ways, religion as a whole is becoming obsolete, with the emphasis on science taking on the same role that early Christianity once occupied -- spreading rapidly and changing the collective conscious away from the remnants of mysticism and superstition.  Atheism is becoming more and more prominent as a religion (and it is a religion to some -- the conviction found in many atheists is downright inspirational as it relates to unerring devotion), and will likely become the dominant system of belief within the next hundred years or so (and no, I'm not one of those that buys into the 2012 nonsense).

While the fate of the Atheism versus Christianity conflict is up for debate, and my opinion is by no means intended as an endorsement or condemnation of either side, it is clear to me that the times are indeed changing.  We are not the same culturally as we were when the Roman Empire spread Catholicism throughout Europe.  We have a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips now that we lacked then, and there is a noticeable  drift away from Christianity going on worldwide.  Atheism is on the rise and our secular society is responsible for it.  For good or ill, the first-world nations are moving further and further away from mysticism each year.  This, to me, appears to be a sign of the inevitable decline of religion and dominance of science -- provable knowledge overcoming faith.

So with the religion that drove my ways under the boot heels in the same position now that the ancients were once in, it is hard to say who the true anachronism is.  Not only are the children of religious families abandoning religion for atheism, but a significant number are turning back to the pagan traditions that thrived  before the spread of Rome, much as I have.  It's something that I've personally observed, even at the small-town community college that I currently attend, somewhere that you would least expect to find any dissent from the predominantly Catholic surroundings, let alone to find as significant of a number as I have.  This spread of paganism does truly seem to be a youth-driven movement, and one that intrigues me on many levels.

While many of my friends hold strongly atheist beliefs and are certainly science-minded individuals, a good number are also pagans or out and out non-religious.  That in and of itself is far from surprising.  Youth groups are often expected to deviate from their parents, particularly if the culture is excessively domineering (and with the sheer number of active churches in this town, that could certainly be argued to be the case).  Youth is expected to be more progressive in their ideology, with more liberal values and ideas, and both atheism and paganism can certainly be considered more progressive and liberal than Christianity on a generalized level.  That's not the part that I find fascinating.

What I do find fascinating comes mostly down to these aspects: the variety of the people turning pagan, the diversity of those beliefs, the extent to which they believe, and -- in unfortunate cases -- the delusions that seem to accompany the pagan beliefs in some (but by no means a significant number of the sample, especially as compared to the delusions of many Christians in the area).  The people really do seem to come from all backgrounds, economically, family-structure, professions, etc.  For the most part, the common thread is that we come from Christian families, though a few are fortunate enough to have pagan parents to offer some guidance (and some are unfortunate enough to have delusional pagan parents to cloud their judgment).  I've met devotees of the Celts, of the Norse, Wiccans (this is, sadly, where most of the delusional types fall), and a solitary follower of the Summerian gods (whom I didn't get to talk to much, mind you).  I've met those who believe in the power of prayer to the gods as a form of spiritual healing, those who believe in the power of ritual to perform very subtle magics, and -- sadly -- those who believe they have "mojo" and can influence the world with their minds (that last one makes me ask a chicken and the egg question of which came first, the pagan beliefs or the delusions of grandeur, but I presume it's the latter).

Time is cyclical.  What was once dominant may waver, but it may just as easily recover and return to its former glory.  You see it all the time in popular culture; we are a very fickle species.  I myself value the antiquated and anachronistic ways of the Celts.  In the cyclical shifts of time, we are eternally fluctuating from the present to the past.  In holding on to such antiquated beliefs, are we becoming the anachronism, or forming the future?