Pagan Theology

The old gods as a live possibility: on the rational feasibility of non-doxastic paganism

“…Paganism holds many attractive features, like a strong reverence for nature and a down-to-earth religiosity. For people dissatisfied with Abrahamic religion, the pagan gods offer a less hierarchical, less moralistic, and less patriarchal view of the divine (York (2009)). Paganism might not be for everyone, but it seems reasonable to suppose that these features make it a desirable option for a considerable number of people.…”

“…It might also be objected that we should think of gods in explicitly supernatural terms, to exclude science fiction options such as powerful AIs or hyper-advanced aliens. However, many pagans staunchly deny that their gods are supernatural, as they view supernaturalism as incompatible with their radically immanent understanding of godhood (York (2009)). I find it hard to formulate a more precise notion which does not exclude important views or implement artificial boundaries.…”

“…Many pagans therefore conceive of their gods in terms of 'energy complexes'. One of few detailed accounts is due to York (2009). His attempt to articulate how the gods exist builds on complexity theory:…”

“…It is not inconceivable to the pagan that her deities assume an operative reality that surpasses and is independent of the matrix of realities from which any specific theomorphic figure has taken birth. (York (2009), 299) Spontaneous self-organization is when the sum unpredictably becomes larger than the parts, and a feedback loop is when that which is generated is fed back into the source. The focus of complexity theory is when unprecedented patterns like spontaneous selforganization emerge as result of a feedback process (York (2009), 298).…”

“…In pagan studies, 3 there is considerable disagreement over the term 'paganism'. Some, like Michael York (2003), view paganism as a wide-ranging phenomenon, including most historical and present-day religions outside the Abrahamitic and Dharmic traditions. On the other side of the spectrum, Ethan Doyle White suggests a narrow definition according to which only pre-Christian European religion and its modern revival counts as proper paganism (White (2016)).…”