First I would like to thank the Unitarian Universalist organizations for being very Pagan friendly. Many UU churches host a chapter of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans.
This will be just a very light overview of an extremely complex subject.
Most important to know: Viewed widely, Paganism can in no way be considered an "Organized Religion". In fact it can't really be considered a religion at all. It is a World View - but it does contain religions, some of which try to be organized.
This World View unites the diverse Pagan realm. We are entities of this World, and by World we mean the entire Cosmos.
We are not Masters of this World, nor are we slaves - we are participants, not the highest nor the lowest. It is our responsibility to be stewards of our World, as best we can. This World View is a philosophy of responsibility. You are fully responsible for your actions and attitudes. It offers no forgiveness, by belief or otherwise. You screw it up, you fix it, or risk the consequences. Will there be retribution after death? We can't be certain, but best to avoid it.
Within this world view, Paganism encompasses Atheists, Non-theist Pagans, Animists, Monotheists, Polytheists and Serial Monotheists. The definition includes Witches, whether they like it or not. No true Pagan, of any path, will hold that another path is wrong, unless it is doing serious harm.
Witches are by far the fastest growing element of Paganism. Many, including some of the most important influencers, are refugees from the Evangelical Churches. So are many other Pagans.
Non-theist Pagans are also well represented. I strongly recommend the book Godless Paganism, and I'm donating a copy to the Church. It is a collection of short pieces by a number of Non-theist Pagans - and that content is largely valid for all Pagans, regardless of path.
Most Pagan paths include a good dash of Animism, humanity's original religion. Animism holds that every entity, animal, plant, or mineral, has consciousness appropriate to it's place, and that larger consciousnesses are composed of the lesser consciousnesses they are built from. This is like the human body, a community of zillions of separate beings with differing degrees of independence. Even individual human cells are communities, containing essential entities with non-human DNA.
Pagans are very accepting of Science, while recognizing that Science has limits, not recognized by some scientists. Scientists have avoided consciousness entirely, because they can't define it or measure it. If they thought of it at all they presumed conscousness the result of complexity. That is breaking down, and there is now thought that perhaps it is consciousness that constructs complexity. Of course, our favorite science is Quantum Physics. As the saying goes, "If you think you understand Quantum Physics, you are wrong."
Pagan religions are considered by far the most accepting of Alphabet People (that's LGBTQIA+ now). A fun one is the Radical Fairies, now an international group considered to be within the Neo-Pagan sphere. Predominantly Queer, they adhere to Pagan inclusiveness by accepting straight men and even women as members.
Satanism, a bastard child of Christianity, is usually not considered Paganism. Of course the Satanic Temple is not included in this judgement. It is simply an organization fighting for freedom from religious tyranny, so acceptable to Pagans.
Pagans are predominantly liberal, but Pagans are people, so it isn't all bright light and warm fuzzys. There are some restrictive groups. At the harmless end is Dianic Wicca. To be a member you must be a cis female, and are expected to be Lesbian.
Some of the nationalistic Pagan Reconstruction movements still try for ethnic purity. This is fading fast because in this age of rapid transportation, migration, and mixed marriages it's increasingly difficult to find pure anything.
More troubling is Heathenism, Germanic Paganism. Most true Heathens are as open and accepting as other Pagans are - but Heathenism has been hijacked by some of societies most detestable people. They conflate Heathenism with Nazism and use it to justify racism on cultural grounds. The form adopted by White Supremacists, particularly those in the prison systems, is extremely racist, repressive, and violent.
Now we hope those reconstructing Mexican and Central American religions are not hoping to reinstitute mass human sacrifice. It was thought necessary to preserve the Earth. It's been 500 years since the last one, and the World is still here, more or less, anyway.
The Altar separates Pagans from "Spiritual but not Religious". Pagans of nearly all stripes have a personal Altar. It can be extremely simple, just an object on a shelf most visitors would never recognize as an altar, but it must be meaningful to the person.
The altar should be the focus of a daily ritual, a confirmation. That ritual may be very simple, a few words, or it can be elaborate, or it can be simple most days and elaborate on special days. It can be a tribute to a Deity, a respect to Nature, or a self confirmation. The key is, it should be daily, and usually private.
The altar should have some space for offerings, to Deities, to Nature, or to Ancestors, or whatever have you. It need not be large or complex, like the working altar of a Witch, Some are, and also, some Pagans do a bit of witchy magic work on the side as well.
The altar of a Theist Pagan usually contains a statuette or other representation of one or more Gods or Goddesses. They are not, as the Christians claim, "worshiping idols". These images are portals through which to communicate with the Deities. They are points of attention.
They also represent the name and character of the Deity the practitioner wishes to communicate with. With hundreds of them out there, you have to be specific.
Do deities actually have something like a physical form? Probably not, and if they do, it certainly wouldn't be a human form. We don't really know quite what they are, but they are reputed to be virtuous and consistent.
The Altar of a non-theistic Pagan is more likely to present objects from nature that are meaningful to that person.
The Otherworld is, for Theist Pagans, the realm of the Gods and Goddesses, as well as many other beings and spirits, helpful or dangerous. It may be a place humans pass through after death. Some Pagans report having direct communion with one or more Deities, and even having some direct experience with the Otherworld. They report the Deities are not much forthcoming with details of themselves or their reasons for medalling in this world, and prefer that we stay here.
Non-theist Pagans may or may not recognize the concept of an Otherworld.
Life after Death is a concept most Pagans expect in some form or another, because not believing in it has no upside. Many, but not all Pagans believe in reincarnation. Evidence for how this all works is admittedly scant and cannot be tested scientifically. Pagans do not claim to "know" things that cannot be known. What you know is up to personal experience.
Hell is not a concept accepted by Pagans. That you may be subject to some justice or retribution for how you lived is common, but exactly how it all works, well, there are various theories. We can't know the unknowable, so we must make our best estimate based on what evidence we find and live with it. Best to live justly, just in case.
Today, some people leaving Christianity, wish to bring Jesus into the Pagan fold and wonder if that is acceptable. I offer the words of a former Jesuit who studied these matters intensively.
Quotation"The real question is not 'Can one be a Pagan and revere Jesus?', but rather 'Can one follow the teachings of Jesus and also be a Christian?'".
He continues "In my understanding of Paganism, one can be Pagan and follow the teachings of Jesus, but the teachings of Christianity are not compatible with the teachings of Jesus".
These words are far more relevant in these days of Christian Nationalism than when written. Christian Nationalists have discarded the teaching of Jesus entirely.
I don't have time for a review of all the Neo-Pagan religions in the Western world. They are many, and growing. Wiccans, Druids, Witches, Eclectic, Pagan revivals, etc.
I love Pagan Music, but don't present it at my music events. A lot is loud, Pagan Metal. The rest is much quieter but complex and needs to really be listened to. Not appropriate for an event where People want to talk.
So, how many Pagans are there in the United States anyway? This cannot be known for certain, because more than half the Pagans here are solo practitioners and do not belong to any organization that keeps count. Nonetheless, Pew Research in 2021 estimated about 3% of the population, or just shy of one million.
Thank you, that's it for now. Are there questions?
I am a largely Non-theist Pagan, but have recently invited several Goddesses
into my household: Hekate, Aset and Nebet-het (Isis and Nepthys in Greek),
and Freya. The photo is of Freya, who seems to be branching out from her
Scandinavian roots - note her very India style pose and Japanese companion
(Shinto I presume). It's all good, since Vedic Hinduism originated from
the same Proto Indo-European root as Scandinavian Paganism.
Andrew Grygus
Pagan02 241209 - www.clovegarden.com/pagan/