Bullying
by Pagans?
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"Most people, when asked why Paganism appeals
to them as a spiritual path would cite as part of the reason the
tolerance, compassion and acceptance that they found from others in the
Community. Generally speaking, this would be a fair statement - most
Pagans are like this. Unfortunately, as in all religions, there are some
who are not as interested in the spiritual aspects as they are in gaining
and keeping power over others.
One problem we have is that Paganism is infested
with various types of bullies, intent on creating rifts between people so
that they gain control of the Communities they deal with. The most common
way these people achieve this is through the spreading of rumours and lies
in an effort to drive targeted people out of the Community and make those
remaining afraid of sharing the same fate if they take a stand against the
bully.
Persons who act this way are a great danger to our
Communities, and not just to individual people. They help to confirm the
negative image that mainstream society already has about Paganism, and
this is not beneficial in our struggle for religious equality. We need to
put our differences aside, stop trying to make ourselves feel superior by
bad-mouthing others, and grow up already!
While an incredibly diverse crowd, individual Pagans
often have a few things in common: 1) we are usually well educated (or at
least well-read) and more aware of history, environmental issues, current
events and politics than the average population; 2) most of us are
tolerant of differences between people, and able to live and let live; 3)
many of us have been emotionally wounded at some point in our lives; and
4) we have almost always left mainstream religions, whether of our own
volition or because we felt rejected by them. This wounding and/or
religious rejection leaves some of us vulnerable, or at least sensitive to
the opinions of others.
Unfortunately it can also make for a predator's
paradise because they can choose from plenty of people and be fairly
confident that no one in the Community will come to their target's aid. It
thus becomes easy for bullies to gain control of the situation and the
Community, able to drive out those who take a stand against them and
manipulate whoever is left over. Gradually those left drift away and join
other Communities or become solitary. This is how Pagan Communities fall
apart, and also why many so solitary Pagans have e-mailed me, saying that
they want nothing to do with others of our kind in case something similar
happens again.
I personally have been Pagan since my early teens,
but it has been only in the last five years that I got involved in the
larger Community. I was led to believe that we are an intelligent,
tolerant lot (and most of us are). Of course, I was a bit idealistic - we
are human beings after all, and we do have individual faults. However, I
never expected to see exclusionary practices performed by a group of
people who themselves know what it is to sit outside of mainstream
society.
Being who and what I am, I will not sit by and
accept the status quo. If the existence of this website doesn’t help me,
perhaps it can help other people facing similar situations."
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