The Term "Nones" Has Replaced the Term "Pagans"



To a large degree, the market place of ideas is reflected in the marketplace of goods and services. Preachers in churches must preach ideas those in the pews like. Otherwise the collection plate is empty and the preacher is gone. The church is often gone too, hundreds close every month.

From questionnaire research we know the group called "nones", those who say they do not identify with any religious group, is the fastest growing group in the U.S. Those who do not want to admit traditional Christianity is slipping often point to other research which says a majority of the public believe in some kind of spiritual thought.

The political impact of both of these views is the same. The influence of Christianity will fall.

The market for goods and services might give us a clue as to what is going on. Recently a writer roamed the shops of an affluent neighborhood catering to people aged 20 to 40. I've seen such neighborhoods in every large city. For sale are the goods used to visit undefined spiritual realms. There are have-your-own-scent candles, exotic metals, animal skulls and symbols all used for rituals by someone or some group. And. it was not just one shop but many, each with a wide assortment of goods. Christian beliefs once bundled into denominations are now being unbundled.

Pagans had many gods. There were gods representing regions, families, clans, seasons and more. I don't see any difference between many gods and many interpretations of what one god means. The god is many different gods even if it is referred to by the same name.

There is an interesting twist to technology. The printing press gave the world a god that was standardized. Paganism predated the printing press and thrived because of varying stories past along verbally. The internet, I believe, is undermining the standardization of the printing press by making a vast variety of printed ideas go everywhere.

The computer has helped to make nones the new pagans.

Comments

  1. tsmDecember 16, 2018 at 4:43 PM

    an offhand comment. The so-called "nones" are not pagans, ipso facto. after 2000 years it is impossible to resurrect paganism, strictly speaking. Many nones may have ideas that parallel old pagan practices and proclivities. that does not make them pagans in the ancient sense, would be imitators, perhaps. but not the real thing. Besides most of the nones are probably atheists. agnostics and or romantics that think they can get their religious "jollies" by meditating nature.

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