2009-Pagans and Atheism by Susabelle

Pagans and Atheism by Susabelle Recently, friends of mine talked to me about being atheists. As their Pagan paths progressed over the years, they felt they were less and less believers in deity, which eventually brought them around to Atheism. I'm not much removed from Atheism myself. I profess to be Pagan and participate in Pagan activities and am active in the Pagan community, but I'm also non-deistic, and more humanistic/ethical. I don't really believe there is some great deity out there controlling things or watching over me. I believe our entire existence is simply a matter of scientific chaos: the science of cause and effect. This is a brazen statement to make, perhaps. But I write these words because maybe it will help others to know that they are not alone in their "radical" thinking. One of my great beefs about any religion, and that includes some of the more formalized and fundamental Pagan paths, is the "requirement" to follow an organized, teneted, ritualized belief structure, as well as the requirement to call on deity to "give" me something, “protect” me from something, or otherwise “rescue” me from my ills. I don't do any of that on my path, and have not for many years, despite the fact that I do identify myself as Pagan. One of the wonderful, amazing things about being "Pagan" is that any path I choose is just fine. Oh, of course there will be a few who will look upon my practices (or lack thereof) scornfully, but in general, the path I choose is my own and I'm welcome to it and even encouraged by my fellow Pagans to find that path and walk it. Over the years I've left deistic thought behind and moved into a more practical, humanistic path that basically leads me to believe that what I do has an affect, somewhere, and that I can tailor what I do to mold the outcome I desire. I also have a very firm belief that there is much energy in the Universe, and this energy can be used for good or ill, and is attracted by other energy. This is how I explain the powerful energy I often feel in large group Pagan rituals, and also how healing (such as Reiki) works. Because I can "channel" that kind of energy, and feel that energy, means that the power lies within me and around me, and isn't being bestowed upon me by some benevolent (or malevolent) deity. On the other spectrum, if bad or negative things are happening to me, it is because of my particular choices or lack of action, not some angry deity "getting even" with me for my lack of faith. If I don't pay my bills, they will shut off the lights and evict me from my home. Cause, and effect. Hardly anything that happens to me is random nor unexpected. I reap what I sow. I am the master of my own destiny. I am not "entitled" to anything more than I've earned with my own actions and my own hard work. I suppose in a very literal sense, I am an Atheist, too, as I do not believe in deity. But I do believe in a lot of Pagan tenets, including "what you put out is what you get" and do good, good comes back, do bad, bad comes back. That basic rule of almost all Pagan paths applies equally to me and my actions as it does to those that believe in deity. One of the grand and wonderful things about being human, being sentient beings, is that we can spend our whole lives discovering the "truths" within us. There are no absolutes, and everyone is allowed to change their mind. In fact, I strongly believe that those who resist change and stop looking for the enlightenment they see in mundane and spiritual ways is already dead, and just treading water until the end finally comes. To stop that growth, that learning, that personal seeking, is, in my mind, death. Like a pig in a mud puddle, I revel in my ability to think outside the box, to accept and reject "truths" as they come along, and to, as my mantra says: live, love learn, laugh. There is, for me, nothing else.