Neopagans--do your faiths have a strong tradition of service?

Question

All of the Wiccans, druids, and other pagans I know well are part of Unitarian Universalist congregations. I'm curious to know whether solitary practitioners and members of covens/circles/groups have a tradition of giving to charity, working at soup kitchens, and performing other humane services. How important is service to humankind in neopaganism?

Answer 1

HUGELY important. I work with a local pagan shop/organization that also runs a food bank, a 24-hour warm shelter for homeless in the winter (most kick everyone out after 7 pm), and is ramping up for this year's Magick Mini-Mall, which allocates donated food, clothes, and toys to needy families.

Nice article on the place from a couple years back: http://www.citybeat.com/2004-05-26/news2.shtml

Answer 2

I'm not sure how other people might classify me, but I do think that service is important and I'm not a member of a traditional religion. I think it is good that you ask this question because i think there are a lot of solitary practitioners today who might forget about service if not for a reminder like this one. I also think that it is important that people make thier own decisions about how to best be of service to their community because of abuses in some established charities. So it might take a bit of persistence for a person to break through the double wall of being alone with their spirituality and the difficulty of finding good service work to do, but- to update the old saying- being able to give willingly is STRONGER than either taking or being forced to give.

Answer 3

In Neopaganism the focus is on becoming a good person at the core. To respect nature, to be good to others, to be mindful of how what you to on an everyday basis affects others and the world around you.

What you give out comes back threefold, is an important tenant.

Sometimes this behavior manifests in giving to charity and working in humane services, but it's more common that awareness is raised on the little interactions that happen a thousand times a day.

This IS important, ask any marriage counselor.

Taoism (I'm a Neopagan Taoist) says over and over that a wise person is compassionate to those around them, knowing that it is to their own benefit to help those in need and act with kindness. This can attend both concepts.

Answer 4

Very important. I am a member of the Betwixt & Between Community Center here in Dallas and we do all sorts of things for charity. We have Fundraising drives for the North Texas Food Bank, we hold silent auctions and all types of events to benefit charities. We sponser the Drums not Guns Drumathon. Giving to others and helping those in need is part of the core foundation of modern Paganism.

www.betwixt.org

Answer 5

Depends on the person(s) and the religion - some consider it big, while others don't seem to think about it at all. All told, I'd say that it's fairly comparable to what you're likely to see in the general population - a bunch of people who will drop a few coins into the collection bucket, and a smaller core of people who have the time and inclination to get out and actually do something, of one stripe or another.