Pagan Religions in Five Minutes - Suzanne Owen
51. What Explains the Enduring Bias against Pagans?
Pagan Religions in Five Minutes - Suzanne Owen
Franz Winter [+]
University of Graz
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Franz Winter is professor and chair at the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Graz in Austria. His research interest includes, amongst other areas, the history of Western Esotericism, contemporary religion and spirituality culture, and new religious movements (in Europe, the United States, and Asia). A recent major publication is the Handbook of East Asian New Religious Movements, co-edited with Lukas Pokorny and published with Brill, which was awarded an accolade in the category Social Sciences at the International Convention of Asia Scholars in 2019.
Description
The enduring bias against Pagans stems from early Christian use of "pagan" to demean non-Christians. Though Pagan movements have reclaimed terms like "witch," they remain misunderstood as the "other" possessing exclusive, secret knowledge. Gender dynamics and female sexuality have fuelled an overemphasis on sexual aspects. Stereotypes around sacrifices, devil worship and Occultism persist. While the religious landscape evolves, reluctance to fully accept Pagans continues, with a recent focus on alleged right-wing politics in Paganism.