Wiccans, Pagans, etc., where do you see the Neopagan Movement in fifty or one hudred years?

Question

Will we grow? Will we survive? Will we establish ourselves? Can we establish ourselves as a legitimate religion without falling into the traps of orthodoxy vs. heresy, fundamentalism, and prosletization that plauge other organized religions? Or will we simply fade away as another silly teenage rebel fad? What can we do now to ensure that our religion and tradition will be around in the next century, and will still be something we can be proud of?

I'm not talking about becoming the dominant religion, or even becoming all that mainstream. I'm just talking about getting our act together enough that we survive as a religion.

Answer 1

Perhaps it will be survival of the fittest. What I mean is that the sects that are superficial will fade away and those sects that expect their members to dig deeper will slowly but steadily grow. I agree that there will be more fracturing of sects, but this is a good thing. A tree has many branches, each contributing to the health of the whole. Dead branches will fall off or be wisely pruned to allow new growth.

I don't see proselytization as being a problem in the future. I do see members of the movement developing clearer descriptions of their beliefs and practices. I see more unified acceptance of definitions of terminology used by pagans. I see more places of worship, yet still no where near as many as some mainstream religions. Unfortunately, I think we will still be seen as a cult and feared by some. Some of our sects will be seen as a teenage fad and will fade away (dead wood), but others will grow. Books like "A spell a day" and "How to be a Wiccan in 30 minutes or less" will be seen as the jokes that they are--even by the young and inexperienced.

We are laying the foundation for others that will follow. We need to make it as strong as possible by following what we believe--but in order to do that we need to know what it is that we believe and why. We need to try to balance tradition and UPG, knowing that both are needed. Our time is limited so we need to pass on what we can and help others who are searching. Our experiences--both sucesses and failures--will be valueable to the next generation, if they choose to use it.

Perhaps in many traditions where most members are leaders (Priests, Druids, etc.) there will be room for worshipers who don't want to lead.

There is a trend right now where people are seeking recon faiths and establishing a connection with their ancestors. I think that this will continue as the population gets older.

There's going to be growing pains. That's expected. We'll need commitment and focus to make it through. But it'll happen.

Answer 2

Personally, this question is entirely too vague for a good answer. Not all Pagans are Wiccan. Not all Pagans are comfortable with the "Neopagan" label. Establishing an umbrella-term as a "legitimate religion" seems a little ambitious at best -- and at worst, a recipe for disaster.

Will the different Pagan religions be able to grow, survive and establish themselves as "legitimate religions"? There are way too many variables in play to come up with an answer to that, too.

But ensuring our religions and traditions will still be around in the next century and that they will be something we can be proud of... that one's easy.

Teach.

Teach those who seek. Teach the young. What the 'pagan community' builds today will survive... just as the paths we all embrace now were built by those who came before us.

Strong foundations build sound structures that last forever.

Answer 3

Anyone who comes to a faith from anywhere else, goes through a learning curve. I think that one of the things you are seeing is the reaction against the lessening of Pagans and Paganism by people who fight hard against anything being required of them - anything. At one time, not all that long ago, Pagan were considered one of the more educated communities around. Media and merchandising have given people this false image of who and what we are and the whole "Teen Witch" syndrome has worn thin. People object to their Path getting turned into a rubbish heap. It's natural enough. I think that the truth is - no matter what sort of Pagans we happen to be, for people who truly believe, this is a faith. People are and should be expected to know why they are no longer one faith and have choosen another. It's not some unreasonable demand that we know both who we are and why. Paganism is probably a great deal smaller than we are led to believe. A lot of people who call themselves Pagan aren't - and don't want to be. They want to be Hobbits, and when they find that this won't happen, there is a ton of screaming - and they leave. That's good. Paganism has become this dumping ground for the emotionally damaged and spiritually handicapped. We aren't a self-help group, we are part of a faith; and this is about only one thing really: You and your relationship to Divinity. Pagans can and should have an understanding of the culture of their Path. For one thing, it will help you tell the different between the real deal and the crap. I don't think it really matters which Path you choose, but understanding its roots and knowing where you fit, is the way forward. You don't need to become a history professor (although you might like that - I've read your posts before, and you're no fool). Pagans need to develop understanding - not get a PhD.

Answer 4

I do not think that the wiccan or Pagan movement will ever grow into a fully recognized religion. If it does, then the accepted one will be a sort of Christian, watered down version of what it's supposed to be.

My studies of religious history (which have not been quite as extensive as I wish they were) have shown me that societies and individuals want different things from a religion. An individual wants a personal connection, be it a saint or a patron God or a guardian angel, they want to have a God that's for them.

Societies on the other hand, don't want this. They want One God. They want someone who is unifying for everyone. Someone who can be used as a banner. That is why most societies have evolved from polytheistic to monotheistic systems. People want all the big guys on their side. Or the only big guy that exists to be on their side. Which is why I think that the accepted religions need a supreme God.

As a result, I believe that the Pagan movement may eventually incorporate the one god idea into itself, and give all other gods and goddesses a smaller role. If it does that, it may eventually become accepted.

Answer 5

Before Paganism can become an established religion it has to go through a couple of stages. First, there needs to be a charismatic leader that draws the varous groups together. Someone who is seen as an inspirational leader. From this stage then, leaders in the movement need to organize the ideas of paganism into a somewhat coherent belief system. If these two steps do not happen, then I don't see paganism becoming "traditionalized," where beliefs and rituals take on a permance that is created from a long history.

Answer 6

Good question. Will the Neopagan movement be around in 50 years? 50 years ago there wasn't a Neopagan movement. There was a Wiccan movement, which is now considered pretty flakey and shallow compared to other religions, and there were various schools of thought and mesopagan groups calling themselves Witchcraft, including Native beliefs carried on by pagans (simple people) of Europe, Native Americans etc... The Hindu faith has a cultural center, and I don't believe Neopaganism will ever have security until it has a cultural center. Early neopagans may have tried to make this California, and various attempts at it have been made in London, Germany, and recently the Netherlands and other Nordic nations.
So, my answer... too soon to tell, not enough info.

Answer 7

It is very difficult to see what the future will hold for the “pagan community” there are so many things that could affect the future. However, if current trends continue, I see the following things occurring:

The “pagan community “ will grow and the christian community despite their prosletization or maybe because of it will reduce in size. However, the Islamic faith will also grow, and at some point in the future there will be conflict with them. Those of Islamic faith are told, in the Koran, that pagan and heathen people that do not worship Allah must be killed. Conflict with them is inevitable if we both continue to grow in followers.

Although paganism will survive the face of paganism will change. Even now more and more people are turning to reconstruction faiths that are based on the practices of our ancestors and away form the anything goes “fluff bunny paganism”. The only problem here is that or ancestors really didn’t get along together very well, that could lead to a badly fractured pagan community. It is my hope that we would stay united enough to hold off the Islamic threat to the entire pagan community. Under Islamic law paganism would once again go underground, because under Islamic law pagans would be killed. As long as Islam is kept at bay, I see the possibility of clans, and groves developing using the same for function groups of our ancestors but modified to encompass all of the modern era technology and accepted norms.

Answer 8

It has been shown, according to information from the U.S. Census Bureau on the years 1990 and 2001, that our nation’s religious preferences, such as Native American beliefs, New Agers, and Wiccans, rate, respectively, as numbers 6, 10, 14 out of 20 of the 20 “other” religions listed. (After the first 34 listed, which are all denominations of either Catholicism or Protestantism.)

Also, according to the Chicago Tribune, in addition published in May of 1998, Wicca is the fastest growing religion in the United States.
“Ms. Currot (the author of the article) estimates a doubling in size every 18 months. This growth rate seems quite high, but appears to have some credibility in the Wiccan community. The ARIS survey of the American adult population indicates a growth in the Wiccan community of 17 fold between 1990 and 2001 - the highest of any faith group monitored. This would indicate a doubling in numbers of adherents about ever 2.5 years. If the latter growth rate is accurate and if it continues, then Wicca would be the third largest religious group in the U.S. by about 2012, behind Christianity and Judaism.”.

(According to http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_nbr1.htm.)

With that information in mind, I think that much of the growth we have seen up until this point has been partially because it is 'new' (Anti-Witchcraft laws were not completely repealed until 1951.) and viewed by many, at least initially, as a novelty.

Certainly once people pass the point at which it no longer has the appeal of a novelty either they delved further into their selves and their spirituality to find a fulfilling path for themselves or they move on. And I think that this 'novelty' growth will begin to slowly peter off without some serious organization on our parts.

I think that while we choose to rebel against organization we may be hurting ourselves more than helping. As an 'official' religion (Wicca, at least is) we should be doing much more than we are. Every other religious group, it seems, has charity organizations, schools for clergy members, etc. We have none of this. Instead of trying so hard to push against the flow of society perhaps we need to accept that not all of the "mainstream" (if you can even call it that) is so terrible. We need to unite to survive. We are all very different, but at the core of all Paganism runs a common thread and we need to find a way to capitalize and run with that thread in order to thrive.

Sure, we will continue to exist and grow more slowly if things keep going the way they are... but I think we could grow exponentially if we tried to organize and really work together towards a common good for all followers of Paganism.

Answer 9

I've noticed alot of talk about "movements". Honestly, it disappoints me. I've found that the best thing about paganism is that you don't have ideas forced upon you. You can experience and learn what you choose to. As long as we continue to keep in mind that everyone is an individual and has individual ideas, we will have no need to "establish" ourselves (nor would we have the problems of disagreement as all would understand that perspective is different for each person). Instead, the ideas we share with those who are curious may draw more interest than we could ever expect. If paganism can survive centuries of hiding in the broom closet, I'm sure we don't need to worry about it fading away...

So, I say, let us be content knowing that what we believe now makes us happy, and hope that future generations will be filled with peace on whatever path they choose.

Answer 10

To be honest with you, it doesn't really matter to me where the "movement" will be tomorrow or next year. I found this spiritual path on my own. I practice on my own or with my family. It's about me and my spirituality not anyone else's. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy meeting and networking with others of like mind however, my spiritual journey doesn't depend on it. As long as I keep my connection to The Divine ... then I'm doing okay even if paganism never becomes an established or legitimate religion. I mean, does it really matter in the end? I am Wiccan. I will always be Wiccan no matter what anyone else declares.

Bright Blessings.