Is Paganism our only hope against Islam?

[Cato]

The Archbishop of Canterbury wants us to adopt Sharia Law.

If this is so, he's just one of the appeasers who're making things even worse for Christians. Constant appeasement will only embolded the barbarians, who willl only make more and more outrageous demands.

I'm no Christian, yet I distinctly remember Jesus speaking of such religious leaders (he was talking to the Jewish religious leaders) as being whitewashed tombs, full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

Christian leaders like this want to accept Muslim barbarians as brothers who worship the same God.

More enlightened pagan beliefs, like Stoicism, would regard them as ignorant fools to be either avoided or converted to a more tolerant and right-thinking view of the world; violence would be the last resort, but it shouldn't be avoided. More robust forms of paganism, say Asatru, would simply go out and fight the Muslims if they proved to be too big of a menace.

[Adalwolf]

Not really. They only defended their interests.

Well, I am sure most Hungarians would prefer adopting the religion at the time than losing their land to the Turks.

[Smaland]

The Archbishop of Canterbury wants us to adopt Sharia Law.

This may be so, but he is only one man. But even if it is true that many Christian leaders now think like him, there are still many in the rank and file who would stand against Islam.

[Savant]

For nearly all of history Christianity hasn't "shirked away from violence" either. Much of it does not now... This is a rather primitive take on things- that the prevailing mythos somehow has something to do with the current problems, because we are appeasing the wrong gods? Maybe we haven't sacrificed enough virgins to the volcano too??

The fact is Paganism and Christianity share an equally violent history, it's just that they have been emasculated by modern multiculturalism. In fact the PC orthodoxy has replaced the church as the primary distributor of ignorance in the modern world. Complete with heresy charges, inquisitions and the whole lot... This regime is just as stupid, ignorant, and regressive as the church. It impedes more developed understanding of the world, and impedes scientific progress in much the same way as the Church did. It imprisons people who commit modern day heresy (point out passages in the Koran which say it's okay to fck children and beat your wife, openly study racial differences etc). This modern day orthodoxy is holding back the progress of western civilization in much the same way that the Christian orthodoxy did.

Christianity or Paganism wont make a difference if it's some watered down, modernized, PC orthodoxy version of either.

Not pagan religion per se, which is merely a collection of stories, rites, and rituals, but the pagan mindset that the old tales speak of: bravery, civic duty, devotion to the family, hard work, honesty, loyalty to one's friends, perhaps a certain craftiness ala Odysseus, aggressive warlikeness (i.e. not shirking away from violence), etc.

Christianity has only failed because these lionlike qualities are now lionized in the name of universal brotherhood and divine forgiveness of sins.

[Groenewolf]

Not that many. You're thinking of New Agers.

Actually most of those who use the term pagan to describe themselves, at least in my country, also support some form of multicultural agenda. And are even open borderline Marxists, who want to stamp out Heathens such as myself.

Modern paganism is, by and large, a divided house. Paganism won't be able to resist the barbarians simply because it has no real cohesion. Paganism might be able to fulfill someone's spiritual needs, but it has no sociopolitical power with which to fight the barbarians. A house divided against itself cannot stand, as has been said.

Indeed, as it stands now it are mostly a lot of small groups, with some larger groups of still moderate size. With also a more anarchistic nature to a certain degrees.

[blan]

Maybe if Islam became the majority, Christians in Europe would start acting like that. I hope we never have to find out.

i hope it does not come to that for you guys either but maybe that is what england needs to get its people serious about there culture and there Religion.

[Wulfhere]

Actually most of those who use the term pagan to describe themselves, at least in my country, also support some form of multicultural agenda. And are even open borderline Marxists, who want to stamp out Heathens such as myself.

That's quite distressing to hear. It's not like that here.

[Cato]

In terms of existential views of the self, noble forms of paganism have a higher view of the self than Christianity does.

Paganism is bottom-up, viewing the divine and man from the perspective of man himself. Man is the active creator of his own myths and religious values herein, even if he accepts an ultimate source of divine authority.

Christianity is top-down, viewing the divine and man from the perspective of the Deity itself. Man is merely the passive recipient of sacred writ, and largely has no will nor purpose save what God gives to him.

This isn't a complete truism, but one of my main problems with Christianity is that it doesn't really fulfill the needs of anyone with a healthy ego. The psychological damage that can be done from a constant fear of punishment and damnation, for example, or the constant petitioning of God to perform magic tricks on one's behalf.. Well, my view of God is summed up in a statement from Poor Richard's Almanac: God helps those who help themselves.

Amen, brother Ben Franklin.

[Osweo]

It depends greatly on what country you're talking about.

This may be so, but he is only one man. But even if it is true that many Christian leaders now think like him, there are still many in the rank and file who would stand against Islam.

The ARchbishop IS fairly representative of English Christianity, of ALL major denominations. They've dwindled to a tiny core of old women and weirdos. I went to a carol service myself a fortnight or so ago, and the vicar was a right inoffensive narrow-shouldered hippy type. He made us sing pathetic crap modern carols that nobody knows and are all about the gayest parts of Christianity. One part was especially cringeworthy; he actually got out a CD player and made us listen to some shit happy-clappy sugar-coated bullshit song. A right rubbish tinny little sound it made in the old stone Norman church. I was disgusted. This vicar covers about twelve or so parishes, to give you an idea of how the Church of England has had to 'cut back' given collapsing attendance and contributions.

In England's case, it's too late for Christianity to save us. There's NO way that this religion would get its act together in time, OR overcome its fractious divisions. And ultimately, the very creed is ineffectual against a more aggressive totalitarian ideology like Islam.

[Loki]

Not that many. You're thinking of New Agers.

I think New Agery is much more popular and faster-growing than paganism. But then again, it is sometimes hard to draw the line between the two. The trend these days seems to be a loosely-defined self-exploratory spirituality that the individual customizes to his own preference. The days of strict religious dogma is over, I think. Don't put too much faith in a dogmatised sort of paganism/heathenry. It ain't gonna happen in England.