Christianity and Paganism offer two contrasting worldviews. One is organic, the other artificial. Christianity, which came from the Jewish tradition, has been propagated through organized, hierarchical religious institutions. These institutions did not evolve naturally within the communities they served but were imposed upon them, even by force. This approach created a society focused on conformity, at the expense of individual expression and local traditions. The early Christian church, perhaps the world's first international artificial institution, brought with it universal dogma that was designed to homogenize and control society through the spiritual expression of culture.
In contrast, Pagan societies were organic in their growth and evolution. Before Christianity, there was no separate "religion", what we call religion was just the spiritual expression of a particular culture. All pagan cultures had the same underlying philosophy and theology, that is, what we call polytheism was a poetic extension and expression of the earlier animism, which is the worship of the divine in all things, including ourselves, our ancestors, and nature. While the underlying belief system remain the same, pagan spiritual experiences were localized and unique to each community, fostering a sense of individuality and freedom that was entirely absent in later Christian societies. Pagan religions were never organized or institutionalized in any real sense, and there were no rigid doctrines to be followed.
Christianity and later Islam, both offshoots of Judaism, presented a significant departure from the organic religions they often replaced. They introduced the concept of sin and a focus on moral regulation, which laid the foundations for bureaucratic governments and eventually public schooling systems, designed to control and subdue entire populations. This is in stark contrast to Pagan religions, which completely lacked the concept of original sin and instead celebrated the natural world and human instincts.
In Pagan societies, gods and goddesses represented natural forces and human attributes like courage, love, wisdom, and even mischief. These deities were not seen as literal beings to be feared, but as archetypes to be understood, loved, and aspired to. Pantheism, the belief that everything is divine, underpinned all Pagan philosophies, offering a worldview that was both empowering and harmonious with nature.
Today, the figure of Satan encapsulates the essence of these ancient Pagan beliefs. He embodies attributes from gods like Pan, Apollo, Saturn, and Venus. Satan, in this light, represents the empowered self and also serves as an amalgamation of various Pagan deities and the natural world. He stands as a symbol of our metaphysical reality, a blend of the natural forces that manifest in the world and within ourselves.
Christian society has been imposed on us by top-down, institutional forces aimed at control and conformity. Pagan society is organic and values individual expression, and is in harmony with the natural world. Understanding this contrast provides a crucial lens through which to view the values and structures of modern society.
Christianity's emergence and spread across the world stands in contrast to religions that evolved organically within their native cultural landscapes. While organic religions emerged as natural expressions of people and culture, reflecting their environment, experiences, and shared histories, Christianity followed a different trajectory. History shows that Christianity expanded not through peaceful proselytism but under the banners of armies, mandates of monarchs, and edicts of centralized religious authorities. These powerful entities didn't merely share a new faith; they imposed it. Regions from Europe to the Middle East, and later the Americas and parts of Africa and Asia, experienced this artificial religious imposition. Conversions were not genuine spiritual awakenings or voluntary admissions into a new faith community but were products of coercion, political strategy, or a desperate bid for survival.
The cultural ramifications were profound. Entire pagan traditions, with their rich tapestries of myths, rituals, and deities, were eradicated. Sacred groves, temples, and places of ancestral worship were destroyed or repurposed for Christian use. The oral traditions, folk practices, and communal celebrations that had evolved over millennia were demonized or heavily modified to fit the Christian mold. A deep chasm was created between the people and their ancestral roots, leading to a loss of cultural identity and continuity.
At the core of Christianity lies the doctrine of original sin, the notion that human beings are inherently flawed from birth. This sets the stage for a worldview that seeks to correct these perceived flaws through rigid moral and ethical codes. At its very core, Christianity is about conformity and control. The doctrine of original sin introduces the idea that humans are born with an innate spiritual blemish that they did not actively acquire but rather inherited. This concept diverges from pagan religious and philosophical traditions that often view children as symbols of the perfection of nature and the universe. In the Christian worldview, the stain of original sin necessitates redemption, which is often achieved through faith, sacraments, and adherence to specific moral codes dictated by the ruling institution.
This perspective on human nature leads to a system that values conformity. If all are born in sin and need to be redeemed, then the path to redemption, as outlined by the institution, becomes the standard against which all should be measured. Such a system will prioritize collective adherence over individual freedom. Throughout history, those who failed to follow the Christian collective have paid a heavy price. The Christian institutions have exhibited brutal intolerance towards those who resisted their control. The medieval era bore witness to the savagery of the Inquisition, where suspected heretics were subjected to torture, often culminating in public burnings. The infamous witch trials, predominantly targeting women, condemned countless innocent souls to the gallows or pyres based on claims of witchcraft. Many were incarcerated in horrific conditions for the mere suspicion of heterodox beliefs. This relentless campaign continued until the Church lost the political ability to do so, largely by a return to interest in pre-Christian pagan, or "classical" beliefs.
This imposition of an artificial belief system created societies that were bound together not by shared histories or organic cultural evolutions but by confessing an external doctrine. Rather than the unity of society being the organic body of the society itself, this body was ripped apart and replaced with various institutions. The emphasis on conformity over individuality reaches into and creates institutions in every facet of social life. When conformity becomes the highest virtue, there's a systematic sidelining of creativity, innovation, and individual expression. All of these things require an environment of freedom. The artificial institution, a byproduct of the Christian conversion, is the current ruling social model, and while many in modernity are rejecting Christian belief, Christian patterns of thought and behavior are yet to be widely challenged.
Pagan societies, by contrast, were formed organically and were deeply rooted in the unique histories, geographies, and cultures of individual communities. These societies were not forcibly molded by an institutional belief system but evolved naturally, with religious and cultural practices that reflected the community's relationship with its natural environment.
Pagan beliefs were inherently decentralized. Every forest, river, mountain, or grove would have its own deity or spirit, and every community its unique rituals and festivals. All of these were seen as being connected under the surface, as being a unique cultural expression of the same universal truth. In pagan societies, the land wasn't just a backdrop; it was an active participant in the cultural and spiritual narratives. The changing seasons, the patterns of the stars, the migrations of animals—all were deeply interwoven into the fabric of their myths, rituals, and daily lives. This intimate relationship with nature fostered a sense of reverence for the environment and the divine which is in all things.
The absence of an overarching religious institution in pagan cultures meant that the evolution of beliefs and practices was a communal endeavor. It was not uncommon for neighboring villages to have slightly different versions of the same myth, or for a festival to be celebrated with unique local variations. This fluidity allowed for a constant process of adaptation and reinvention, ensuring that the spiritual practices remained relevant to the changing needs and challenges of the community. Instead of a distant, literal, singular deity, the pagan pantheon was vast and varied, with gods and goddesses representing various natural phenomena, human emotions, and natural events.
Pagan societies, with their organic culture and connection to the environment, are completely different than institutional religious systems. Belief in the pagan world is not about confessing a creed, but about trying to understand our deepest selves and the reality all around us. Like language itself, this can be expressed in an almost unlimited amount of ways, while still expressing the same ultimate truth.
Pagan religions were fundamentally different from Abrahamic faiths in that they did not rely on belief in an outside, literal "person", but instead found divinity in the tangible, physical world. Rivers, mountains, animals, and celestial bodies like the Sun and Moon were not merely creations of the gods but were seen as divine in their own right. In the pagan view, there is no separation between the natural world and the spiritual world. This worldview engendered a kind of spirituality that was intimately connected with the natural environment and by extension, the inner world of the mind.
At the heart of pagan tradition lies the belief that the universe is imbued with a sacred essence. This isn't an abstract concept but a lived experience. This is truth. To the pagan mind, the rustling of leaves, the flow of rivers, the dance of flames, and the whisper of winds aren't just natural phenomena—they are the very expressions of the divine. The physical world is not a mere backdrop; it is the expression of the metaphysical.
Mountains, seen as ancient and eternal, were revered not just as magnificent landforms but as abodes of gods or spirits. Rivers, with their life-giving waters, were personified and venerated as goddesses. Animals held a special place in the pagan worldview. They were not mindless "animals" but intelligent fellow inhabitants of the earth, seen as messengers, guides, and manifestations of deities. The Sun, giver of light and life, and the Moon, ruler of the night and the tides, were not mere celestial bodies but potent symbols of the divine interplay of masculine and feminine energies.
This tangible spirituality fostered a deep sense of interconnectedness. By seeing the divine in nature, pagans inherently recognized the sanctity of the environment and themselves. Rituals, festivals, and daily practices revolved around the cycles of nature, from the changing seasons to the phases of the moon, reinforcing this bond with the natural world. By understanding and respecting the world outside, pagans were also delving into the inner worlds of their psyche. The external and the internal were not separate realms but reflections of each other. Emotions, dreams, and personal experiences were all seen as significant, offering insights into the greater mysteries of existence.
In essence, pagan spirituality was a deeply in-tuned approach to life and the natural world. It saw beyond illusionary lines between the sacred and the mundane, the external and the internal, the physical and the spiritual. It reminded its adherents that divinity is not an external, distant concept but is the very fabric of our existence. In celebrating the world around them, pagans were also celebrating the divine within themselves.
Institutional structures, having taken shape under the shadow of Christianity, present a stark contrast to the organic, community-driven frameworks that once prevailed. These modern institutions, be they religious, educational, or governmental, operate on the principle of maintaining control and suppressing freedom, for the ultimate purpose of their own continuation and growth. Prior to Christianity, pagan societies thrived on organic systems that valued individual contributions and celebrated heroism. However, as Christianity expanded its influence, it brought with it a worship of weakness. This ideal of weakness and conformity allowed institutions to take over every facet of human social life.
Over time, the influence of Christianity has led to the widespread institutionalization of society. Organic community and pagan traditions have been replaced by rigid, impersonal, artificial replicas. This institutionalization strips communities of their cultural richness and individuals of their unique potentials, leading to a society that is less free, built on weakness and conformity. As centralized institutions gained prominence, they began to dictate the structures of daily life. From education and healthcare to governance and cultural practices, the organic community was increasingly sidelined in favor of fake substitutes. These models can't fulfill the same supportive role, leading to a weaker populace and a high prevalence of dissatisfaction, anxiety, and social ills.
At the heart of this institutional approach is the idea of a monolithic unity achieved by silencing dissenting opinions and marginalizing those who dare to think or live differently. The unity that these institutions tout is a coerced unity, where deviation from the norm is not just discouraged but is actively penalized. This is the unity of Orwell's 1984. This is the unity of communist and fascist dictatorships.
The institution can never accept the entire being of any person. It must only allow the aspects of any person which benefit the institution. This creates an inherent selectivity, one that meticulously cherry-picks the facets of an individual that align with its agenda. The institution, in its quest for self-preservation and dominion, operates much like a sieve, filtering out the unique complexities of a person's being, retaining only what serves its purposes. Those aspects of an individual's personality, beliefs, or behaviors that don't fit neatly into the institution's framework or threaten its stability are suppressed or outright rejected. In doing so, the institution ensures its continued relevance and dominance, at the expense of the individual. The end result is a populace that, while seemingly aligned with the institution's values, often feels fragmented, unable to express or even recognize their true selves fully. This mechanism perpetuates a cycle where individuals continuously mold and contort themselves to fit into a predefined mold, sacrificing their authentic selves in the process. This is why so many in modernity feel completely divorced from their own lives.
One of the most significant casualties of this shift has been cultural richness. Traditional practices, local customs, and indigenous knowledge systems, once passed down through generations, have been marginalized or lost altogether. Self-sufficiency has all but vanished, along with basic life-skills. In their place, a more homogenized, bland culture has been promoted. This not only erodes the unique identities of individual communities but also leaves most people feeling devoid of any real culture at all. Additionally, institutionalization has a depersonalizing effect. Individuals are no longer seen as unique beings with distinct potentials but as cogs in a larger machine, or as simple stereotypes, or memes. When people are conditioned to fit into predefined molds, they are less likely to explore their passions, challenge established norms, or pursue unconventional paths. They are less challenging to the institution, but in return, they feel disconnected from their own lives.
When institutions prioritize maintaining the status quo over fostering innovation, they hinder the very evolution of society. Breakthroughs, be they in science, art, or philosophy, often come from those who dare to think differently, who challenge established doctrine, and who embrace their unique perspectives. These are the rebels, those who embrace the ideal of Lucifer. These are those who find empowerment in the face of institutionalization. Institutions continue their own growth and existence at the cost of individual empowerment and societal progress. A truly thriving society is one that contains organic unity and the celebration of individuality.
This is not to say that organizations cannot exist in an organic society. We can still have companies, brands, business, markets, and all the rest. These things simply take on a dramatic shift in nature in an organic society. In a genuinely organic society, organizations exist not as obstacles, not as artificial institutions, but as facilitators of whatever purpose they are meant to have. This is enabled because of the strength of the individuals and the existence of organic community, which acts as a counterbalance to the trend of institutionalization.
Such groups would provide the resources, opportunities, and freedoms necessary for individuals to explore and realize their unique potential. Rather than imposing a rigid framework of beliefs and behaviors, they would offer a flexible structure within which individuals and communities can interact with each other for mutual benefit. In organic society, groups are not made to overshadow individual aspirations but rather serve the purpose for which they are created. The fundamental shift lies in the perspective of what an institution's role should be: not controllers or regulators, but enablers and supporters. In an organic society, the group would recognize that each individual has a unique path to tread, filled with aspiration and potential. These groups would not act as if they have a life of their own, but rather focus on providing the necessary tools, resources, and environments conducive for whatever is needed. In the organic ideal, there is much more than the marketplace to life. People feel connected to their communities, invested in their work, and empowered in their paths. Freedom is the bedrock of self-realization. In organic society, the cause of individual freedom is championed.