Voices from the Pagan Census

Leigh S. Shaffer, Evan A. Leach, Helen A. Berger

Description

A compelling portrait of an emerging religious group

Voices from the Pagan Census provides unprecedented insight into the expanding but largely unstudied religious movement of Neo-Paganism in the United States. Helen A. Berger, Evan A. Leach, and Leigh S. Shaffer present the findings of "The Pagan Census," which was created and distributed by Berger and Andras Corban Arthen of the Earthspirit Community. Analyzing the most comprehensive and largest-scale survey of Neo-Pagans to date, the authors offer a portrait of this emerging religious community, including an examination of Neo-Pagan political activism, educational achievements, family life, worship methods, experiences with the paranormal, and beliefs about such issues as life after death.

A collection of religious groups whose practices evolved from Great Britain's Wicca movement of the 1940s, Neo-Paganism spread to the United States in the 1960s. While the number of people who identify themselves with the religion has continued to rise, quantitative study of Neo-Paganism has been difficult given the movement's lack of centralized leadership and doctrine and its development as scattered, independent groups and individuals. Endorsed by all major Neo-Pagan leaders, "The Pagan Census" generated a demographically diverse response. In contrast to most previous surveys, which were limited to Neo-Pagan festivals, this survey incorporates input from the large population of practitioners who do not participate in such events.

Keenly anticipated by the academic and Neo-Pagan communities, the results of the census provide the most in-depth information about the group yet assembled. Comparing Neo-Pagans with American society at large, Berger, Leach, and Shaffer show that although the two groups share certain statistical characteristics, there are differences as well. The scholars also identify variations within the Neo-Pagan population, including those related to geography and to the movement's multiple spiritual paths.

Sujets

• Magic
• Druid
• Social sciences
• Shamanism
• Government spending
• Germanic Neopaganism
• Religión
• afterlife
• mysticism
• Sociology of Religion

Informations

• Publié par: University of South Carolina Press
• Date de parution: 24 novembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781643362885
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

VOICES FROM THE PAGAN CENSUS
Studies in Comparative Religion Frederick M. Denny, Series Editor
VOICES FROM THE PAGAN CENSUS
A National Survey of Witches and Neo-Pagans in the United States
H ELEN A. B ERGER , E VAN A. L EACH, AND L EIGH S. S HAFFER
University of South Carolina Press
2003 University of South Carolina
Cloth edition published by the University of South Carolina Press, 2003
Ebook edition published in Columbia, South Carolina, by the University of South Carolina Press, 2022
www.uscpress.com
Manufactured in the United States of America
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The Library of Congress has cataloged the cloth edition as follows:
Berger, Helen A., 1949-
Voices from the pagan census : a national survey of witches and neo-pagans in the United States / Helen A. Berger, Evan A. Leach, Leigh S. Shaffer.
p. cm. - (Studies in comparative religion)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-57003-488-5 (alk. paper)
1. Witchcraft-United States. 2. Neopaganism-United States. I. Leach, Evan A. II. Shaffer, Leigh S. III. Title. IV. Studies in comparative religion (Columbia, S.C.)
BF1573.B48 2003
299-dc21
2003001347
ISBN 978-1-64336-288-5 (ebook)
Front cover photograph: Martial Colomb, Getty Images
To our parents
In memory of Frieda M. Berger and Nathan Berger To Joyce Leach and Edward Leach In memory of Ruth D. Shaffer and Edward W. Shaffer
C ONTENTS
List of Tables
Series Editor s Preface
Preface
Abbreviations
1 The Pagan Census, Neo-Paganism, and Neo-Pagans
2 Magic, Mysticism, and Politics
3 Spiritual Paths, Forms of Practice, and Regional Variations
4 Families, Children, and Sexuality
5 Popularization and Institutional Changes
6 Festivals
7 Voices of Consensus and Dissension; Voices of Concern and Joy
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
T ABLES 1. Comparison of Political Opinions of the General Neo-Pagan Population and Odinists on Issues of Gender Equality and Sexual Orientation 2. Attitudes toward the New Age 3. Age Distribution 4. Marital Status 5. Race 6. Education Level 7. Occupation 8. Comparison of Paranormal Experiences for Neo-Pagans and the General American Public 9. Comparison of Images of Afterlife for Neo-Pagans and the General American Public 10. Political Activity Divided by Gender 11. Comparison of Neo-Pagans and the General American Public s Attitudes toward Government Spending 12. Comparison of Women s and Men s Attitudes toward Government Spending 13. Comparison of Women s and Men s Views on Gender and Sexual Preference Equality 14. Political Affiliation Divided by Gender 15. Comparison of Neo-Pagans and the General American Public s Confidence in Social Institutions 16. Comparison of Marital Status for Goddess Worshipers, Pagans, and Wiccans 17. Comparison of Sexual Orientation for Goddess Worshipers, Pagans, and Wiccans 18. Political Party Affiliations for the General Neo-Pagan Population and Druids 19. Paranormal Experiences for the General Neo-Pagan Population and Druids 20. Degree of Confidence in the Scientific Community by the General Neo-Pagan Population and Shamans 21. Paranormal Experiences for the General Neo-Pagan Population and Shamans 22. Comparison of Marital Status for the General Neo-Pagan Population and UU Neo-Pagans 23. Comparison of Education Level for the General Neo-Pagan Population and UU Neo-Pagans 24. Comparison of Residential Area of the General Neo-Pagan Population and UU Neo-Pagans 25. Comparison of Political Activity for the General Neo-Pagan Population and UU Neo-Pagans 26. Comparison of the General Neo-Pagan Population s and UU Neo-Pagans Paranormal Experiences 27. Marital Status for the Three Forms of Spiritual Practice 28. Age Ranges for the Three Forms of Spiritual Practice 29. Sexual Preferences for the Three Forms of Spiritual Practice 30. Education Levels for the Three Forms of Spiritual Practice 31. Comparison of Marital Status by Region 32. Comparison of Education Level by Region 33. Comparison of Education Level of the General American Public by Region 34. The Three Forms of Spiritual Practice by Region 35. Paranormal Experiences by Region 36. Americans Paranormal Experiences by Region 37. Regional Attitudes toward the Legalization of Polygamy among Neo-Pagans 38. Women s and Men s Attitudes toward Student/Teacher Sexual Relations 39. Regional Attitudes toward Student/Teacher Sexual Relations 40. Sects Attitudes toward Training Underage Seekers 41. Regional Attitudes toward Training Underage Seekers 42. Attitudes toward Underage Seekers for the Three Forms of Spiritual Practice 43. Sects Attitudes toward Paid Clergy 44. Comparison of the General Neo-Pagan Population s and the General American Public s Religious Donations 45. Women s and Men s Attitudes toward Witches Accepting Payment 46. Sects Attitudes toward Witches Accepting Payment 47. Regional Attitudes toward Witches Accepting Payment 48. Attitudes toward Witches Accepting Payment by the Three Forms of Spiritual Practice 49. Sects Attitudes toward Correspondence Courses 50. Regional Attitudes toward Correspondence Courses 51. Sects Attitudes toward Popularization 52. Regional Attitudes toward Popularization 53. Regional Attitudes toward Attire of Public Witches 54. Age of Festival Attendees and Nonattendees 55. Comparison of Political Activity between Those Who Attended and Those Who Did Not Attend a Festival in the Previous Year
S ERIES E DITOR S P REFACE
One of the most arresting developments in American religious life in recent decades is the emergence of a religious movement with a variety of forms that may be clustered under the umbrella term Neo-Paganism. Voices from the Pagan Census is a report on the first national survey of Neo-Pagans, conducted between 1993 and 1995. This book is a sequel to coauthor Helen A. Berger s earlier book in this series, A Community of Witches: Contemporary Neo-Paganism and Witchcraft in the United States (1999), which analyzed ethnographic and textual data and included some demographic data from the census as well.
Voices from the Pagan Census reports on the survey results of more than two thousand respondents, of whom more than half provided valuable written remarks beyond what the lengthy questionnaire requested. Although the survey was not based on a random sample-issues of confidentiality and privacy made that infeasible-the snowball sampling process that was followed did contain refinements that increased the census s soundness.
The six Neo-Pagan movements covered in the census included the three most popular: Wiccans, Pagans, Goddess-Worshipers, and three smaller but distinctive movements: Druids, Shamans, and Unitarian-Universalist Pagans. The topics covered by the census included magic, mysticism, politics, spiritual paths, practices, regional variations, families, children, sexuality, popularization, institutional changes, and festivals. Among the most controversial and politically sensitive topics was whether the term witch should continue to be used, with three-quarters of respondents insisting that it should.
In addition to its principal aim as a detailed, comprehensive report of the survey sampling, Voices from the Pagan Census can also serve as a reliable introductory survey of Neo-Paganism in the United States. Neo-Pagans are increasingly visible and active throughout the country, and the census responses show interesting regional variations in their beliefs, attitudes, and practices. And since the survey s results are compared with parallel findings in the general society, we are fortunate to have for the first time a reliable representation of significant similarities as well as differences between Neo-Pagans and their fellow citizens.
F REDERICK M. D ENNY
P REFACE
Voices from the Pagan Census is an analysis of the data collected in a national survey of Neo-Pagans titled The Pagan Census, conducted between 1993 and 1995. Our intent in writing this book is to provide scholars with data that may inform their research on Neo-Pagans, give Neo-Pagans some insights into their community, and provide the general reader with an overview of this new religion. The Pagan Census provides a rich source of data, including information about Neo-Pagans lives, their political opinions and activities, their spiritual beliefs, and opinions about some of the important issues facing the Neo-Pagan movement today. To enable us to compare Neo-Pagans with other Americans, we include questions from the National Opinion Research Center s (NORC s) General Social Survey (GSS). Ours is the first published large-scale survey that was not conducted primarily at Neo-Pagan festivals and which also includes questions that permit us to directly compare Neo-Pagans with the general American public. This book provides a voice to the over two thousand individuals who answered this survey and through them a unique view into the Neo-Pagan community.
Our analysis of the data portrays Neo-Pagans as sharing many characteristics with their non-Neo-Pagan neighbors but, nonetheless, as a distinct community. Regardless of region of residence, Neo-Pagans tend to have a similar high level of education. This similarity is true even in regions of the United States where the average level of education is relatively low. Neo-Pagans also tend to be more politically liberal and more politically active than their neighbors. Although Neo-Pagans images of the afterlife and their reported frequency of paranormal experiences differ from other Americans , there are surprising overlaps as occult and paranormal beliefs have become more widespread and accepted throughout American society.
Neo-Pagans on the whole have more nontraditional life-style