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Pagan Theology: Paganism as a World Religion, by Michael York
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In Pagan Theology, Michael York situates Paganism—one of the fastest-growing spiritual orientations in the West—as a world religion. He provides an introduction to, and expansion of, the concept of Paganism and provides an overview of Paganism's theological perspective and practice. He demonstrates it to be a viable and distinguishable spiritual perspective found 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 there is an identifiable position possessing characteristics and understandings in common for which the label “pagan” is appropriate. After outlining these characteristics, he examines many of the world's major religions to explore religious behaviors in other religions which are not themselves pagan, but which have pagan elements. In the course of examining such behavior, York provides rich and lively descriptions of religions in action, including Buddhism and Hinduism.
Pagan Theology claims Paganism’s place as a world religion, situating it as a religion, a behavior, and a theology.
- Sales Rank: #656474 in Books
- Brand: Brand: NYU Press
- Published on: 2005-04-01
- Released on: 2005-04-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.25" h x .63" w x 6.13" l, .69 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 239 pages
Features
- Used Book in Good Condition
Review
“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
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.
Most helpful customer reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
Bold and Fresh. Not without difficulties, but well-argued.
By Christopher W. Chase
Michael York's book attempts to resurrect a category of cross-cultural religious understanding once thought to be irredeemably imperialist, archaic or Eurocentric. In examining Paganism, he is not concentrating on contemporary forms referred to as Neo-Paganism, but rather drawing thematic continuities to forms of worship across times and spaces. From Greco-Roman times onwards, York sees Pagan gods as essentially having an kindred affinity with Humans--different in degree rather than in kind. Fundamental "animism, polytheism, idolatry, corpospirituality, local emphasis," geosacrality, apotheosis, devotional reciprocity, regeneration, circular history, vitalism, phallicism, and most of all, celebration---these are the salient forms York finds in Paganism as a root religious type. Earth and Nature are the sacred texts for Pagan religions.
There is typically an "otherworld," but not a transcendent one. Rather, for York, Otherworlds in Paganism are earthly paradises, or at least realms that intersect with with this world and immanent, sometimes co-terminous, even "co-dependent" with this realm. Again, often a difference of degree, rather than kind. The flexibility and innovations of dioscuric triads and Shaman-Tricksters are common as well, and York connects this theme again across spaces, from the Norse trickster Loki to Hermetic Sacred Magic in the Western Tradition. Behaviorally, York draws on Peter Berger to claim that natural, spontaneous worship directed in this world is characteristic of Paganism, as well as the idolatrous bhakti devotions of vernacular Hinduism. Even Thai Theravada Buddhism is examined for its devotion to relics, veneration of images, and tradition of geolocal domestic spirit houses.
A number of different religious expressions are examined for these forms of devotion. Chinese folk religion (including but not limited to ritual Taoism), Japanese forms of Shinto, and vernacular (but not speculative or Brahmanical) Hinduism. Afro-Carribean and contemporary Western Paganisms are also examined as part of these ways of approaching sacrality.
This not to say that all Paganisms are the same. York makes sub-typological distinctions, such as geopaganism, recopaganism, and neopaganism. York actually places Neopaganism on the fringes of the typology, due to its alleged lack of actual polytheism. And he is careful to include significant doses of humanism, from Epicurus to Confucian ideology, that accompany different forms of Paganism. York also does not shy away from the "darker" aspects of Paganism. For if Paganism works by enhancing/restoring environmental equilibrium, sometimes both offensive and defensive modes are needed. Contrary to what some would argue, this makes Paganism more of an ethical religious stance for York than the transcendental or gnostic religious modes, as he later points out.
The first part of the book is largely devoted to fleshing out the typology, while the second section covers examples from these many cross-cultural traditions that exemplify parts of the typology. Thirdly Paganism is contrasted to what he calls 'gnostic' modes of religiosity or 'transcendental' modes, although all of these are found as modes within individual large religious traditions. Yet York sees 'world-denying' religions such as Christianity, Zororastrianism, and speculative Buddhism as more properly transcendental or gnostic religions. Some of these non-Pagan modes are found within the heritage of Western occultism. For example, York considers Platonism, Theosophy and New-Age more gnostically oriented than Pagan.
Its a bold book, and one that has merits. Some volumes work by claiming large amounts of ground, which is then refined and modified/challenged over time. This may be one of those volumes. There are some vocabulary archaisms, such as the terms "primitive," "cult" and "Lamaism," which communicate some of the unease associated with what some may see as imperialist throwback. I think there is significant merit in York's argument, although I see concerns as well. But York is to be commended for his boldness in articulating a major field of study. In closing, it is perhaps important that York himself closes with a mention of Pagan ethics, naming "honor," "trust," and "friendship" as an ethical triad. Paganism, after all, since it is at heart concerned with relationality and relationships, is an ethical religious stance before it is anything else.
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful.
A Fine Study
By Ian C
This is a fine study of the ideas that lay behind ancient Paganism, and how they relate to and resemble the ideas of modern Paganism.
York proposes a model of Paganism which is pluralistic and polytheistic, nature-focused, human-focused and that seeks a good life on earth more than it does a specific sort of good afterlife.
He begins by examining some of the most well-preserved of ancient forms, those of China and India. He finds in traditional Taoist Paganism his first and most complete model. In Hinduism he has to choose among the many forms to find the (still fairly prominent) presence of Pagan ways. Having isolated the pagan remnants in those ways, he goes on to other world religions, including Japanese culture, European Catholicism and North American First Peoples. York makes fairly good use of material from the african world, including santeria, Lucumi, and the like.
After pointing out the Pagan ideas in the various world paths, he examines the neopagan movement, and reaches interesting conclusions.
I'd recommend this as a fine contribution to the development of Pagan theological thinking.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Very informative
By Rachel
I purchased this book initially because as a Solitary Eclectic Wiccan I have found precious little material exploring Wiccan theology and wanted to condense my own ideas with the help of some good reference material.
This book does help me in that regard, but not as much as I had hoped. I would say the vast majority of the book deals with what Isaac Bonewits referred to as "Mesopaganisms" and their comparison/contrast with "Paleopaganisms", with Neopaganisms being the extreme minority of the topics under discussion. There, he uses somewhat odd definitions and lumps all of Witchcraft into the same framework as Wicca, which isn't accurate or fair, but may be a useful enough construct to form sweeping theories with. Basically the most of the text is dedicated to creating definitions.
That said, the book gave me lots to ponder that wasn't on my original shopping list so to speak, and the final, shortest, chapter DOES handle theology more directly. The presentation is generalizing and nonspecific but still helpful. I was most taken by his idea that the New Age movement, which he characterizes as Gnostic, is essentially at odds with the Witchcraft religions in their basic worldviews (Paganisms envisioning the world, the Gods, and the human race as codependent, while Gnostic philosophy sets apart the idea of the One from all lesser emanations; in the one, Nature is sacred, while in the other, Nature is illusion). He surmises that these two incompatible philosophies form loose alliances due to the shared experience of Christian condemnation.
All in all I recommend this book for advancing Neopagans who are looking to help firm up their definitions of broad terms and identify themselves with the religious movements around the world that share common themes with their own.
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