Back-Up....

[mdehners]

Activity on one of my Heathen lists the last couple of days really emphasized the difference culture-wise between Heathenry and Modern Paganism and even Wicca. A newbie came on and made a number of statements. Pretty much as soon as folks got their mail, they began to reply various versions of, “Interesting. Please state source material(s)”. This is pretty much SOP IME with Heathenry in general, not just on the ‘Net. The thing is, I can’t Remember this ever happening on any MP or Wiccan venue even back in the days I WAS. The “Interesting” bit sure, but I don’t remember anyone Calling anyone on even the most Outrageous of statements.
I don’t think it’s because Heathens are intrinsically Ruder than MP’s/Wiccans(more Abrupt maybe;>), I think it’s more that with Heathenry there is a bigger emphasis on Physical Reality than the Other Realms….even ON Spiritual Subjects. A Belief, Idea, Concept, etc with Physical “backup” is considered of greater Value than those that don’t in Heathenry. It doesn’t mean it’s Wrong, just it can’t be backed up...
This is an area where a lot of the conflicts between the communities manifest, IMO. The Valuing of Material Evidence over Others is seen as “Unevolved” by many MP’s/Wiccans while the Valuing of Extraplanar Material over Material Plane Evidence is seen as “Flakey” by most Heathens. It’s esp. hard on folks who come to Heathenry from MP/Wicca. They’re often shocked that their statements of Beliefs aren’t Automatically Accepted by others as they were before. They take it as a Personal Attack instead of simply a Request for more Info(unless the statement was RRREEEAAALLLY Wacko, of course!). The thing is, a good Argument for a UPG(Unsubstantiatable Personal Gnosis) is Valued. There are Beliefs and Practices of many Heathens that don’t have Documentable Evidence but the Arguments for them have swayed folks. You just have to Work harder to make your point;>!
Truth,
Pat