Pagan Theology: Paganism as a World Religion

by Michael York

Overview

This study identifies paganism as a viable religion, exploring its practices and theology as they are expressed in religious communities across the world.

Long dismissed as a miscellany of fringe ideas and practices, Paganism is one of the fastest-growing spiritual orientations in the West. In Pagan Theology, Michael York reframes Paganism as a world religion. He provides an overview of pagan theology and practice while expanding on the concept of paganism itself. He demonstrates it to be a viable spiritual perspective—one which he identifies around the world today in such forms as Chinese folk religion, Shinto, tribal religions, and neo-Paganism in the West.

While adherents to many of these traditions do not use the word “pagan” to describe their beliefs or practices, York contends that they feature common characteristics for which the label “pagan” is appropriate. After outlining these characteristics, he examines many of the world's major religions which, while not themselves pagan, have pagan elements. In the course of examining such behavior, York provides rich and lively descriptions of religions in action, including Buddhism and Hinduism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814797389
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	11/21/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	253
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Michael York is Principal Lecturer, Sophia Centre for the Study of Cultural Astronomy and Astrology, and Director of the Bath Archive for Contemporary Religious Affairs, Bath Spa University College, UK.

Table of Contents

Preface Introduction1 Paganism as Religion2 Paganism as Behavior3 Paganism as Theology Notes References Index About the Author 

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Michael York’s audacious redrawing of traditional religious boundaries and scholarly categories reaffirms paganism's place both as legitimate spiritual expression and as a field of academic inquiry.”
-Chas S. Clifton,Colorado State University-Pueblo

“An ambitious book, one that argues and then demonstrates that paganism is an important religious perspective by tracing specific themes through a surprisingly wide variety of spiritual traditions. This is the first successful attempt to articulate a theology that is based on what paganism is, rather than on what it is not when compared to Judeo/Christian traditions. York's work is an important contribution to the study of religion in general, and foundational for the emerging field of Pagan Studies. It is the beginning of a whole new dialogue.”
-Wendy Griffin,editor of Daughters of the Goddess

“Folk religionists and those interested in placing 'pagan phenomena' in the context of worldwide religiousity will find York's book interesting.”
-Missiology: An International Review

,

“I have little doubt that it will reinvigorate not only the debate over the definition of religion but, perhaps more significantly, the debate over where one religion starts and another ends.”
-Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
,

“Scholarly, but wholly accessible.”
-Terry Gifford ,University of Leeds

Editorial Reviews

York (The Emerging Network: A Sociology of the New Age and Neo-Pagan Movements) endeavors to demonstrate that paganism in its many varieties has an underlying unity. He argues that it is international, viable, distinct from other spiritual perspectives, and present in the many local folk cultuses. While York notes a number of common themes in the folk/indigenous religious traditions, and he is correct that world religions have emerged from or been influenced by the local religious cults of country people, his analysis does not stand up well. He argues that American Indian religions, Asian shamanism, Chinese folk religion, aspects of common Hindu ritual, and modern neo-paganism somehow reflect an underlying common worldview, yet he does not address their vast differences in perspective. He also fails to engage in a thorough academic study of pagan cultus, instead providing an analysis of his personal experiences in certain cultures to which he has traveled. The best introductions to modern paganism remain Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon and Starhawk's The Spiral Dance, both originally published in 1979 and recently reprinted. Comprehensive collections on religion or paganism may wish to acquire York's work, but it is not recommended for most academic and public libraries.-William P. Collins, Library of Congress Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

"Michael Yorks audacious redrawing of traditional religious boundaries and scholarly categories reaffirms paganism's place both as legitimate spiritual expression and as a field of academic inquiry."

Chas S. Clifton

"I have little doubt that it will reinvigorate not only the debate over the definition of religion but, perhaps more significantly, the debate over where one religion starts and another ends"

Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

"An ambitious book, one that argues and then demonstrates that paganism is an important religious perspective by tracing specific themes through a surprisingly wide variety of spiritual traditions. This is the first successful attempt to articulate a theology that is based on what paganism is, rather than on what it is not when compared to Judeo/Christian traditions. York's work is an important contribution to the study of religion in general, and foundational for the emerging field of Pagan Studies. It is the beginning of a whole new dialogue."

Wendy Griffin

"Folk religionists and those interested in placing 'pagan phenomena' in the context of worldwide religiousity will find York's book interesting."

Missiology: An International Review

"Scholarly, but wholly accessible."

Terry Gifford

"This work will interest anyone investigating the nexus of science, social policy, and the law in modern America."

Sociology of Religion

Michael York’s audacious redrawing of traditional religious boundaries and scholarly categories reaffirms paganism's place both as legitimate spiritual expression and as a field of academic inquiry.”
-Chas S. Clifton,Colorado State University-Pueblo

“I have little doubt that it will reinvigorate not only the debate over the definition of religion but, perhaps more significantly, the debate over where one religion starts and another ends.”
- Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

“Folk religionists and those interested in placing 'pagan phenomena' in the context of worldwide religiousity will find York's book interesting.”
• Missiology: An International Review

“This work will interest anyone investigating the nexus of science, social policy, and the law in modern America.”
• Sociology of Religion

“Scholarly, but wholly accessible.”
-Terry Gifford ,University of Leeds

“An ambitious book, one that argues and then demonstrates that paganism is an important religious perspective by tracing specific themes through a surprisingly wide variety of spiritual traditions. This is the first successful attempt to articulate a theology that is based on what paganism is, rather than on what it is not when compared to Judeo/Christian traditions. York's work is an important contribution to the study of religion in general, and foundational for the emerging field of Pagan Studies. It is the beginning of a whole new dialogue.”
-Wendy Griffin,editor of Daughters of the Goddess

From the Publisher