So I decided to do some research on the topic. I was't surprised that an article at Pagan Wiccan About.com immediately came up. However, I was surprised that Patti echoed my sentiments about this unusual topic when she wrote, "...it is rare indeed to have a conversation about why someone might choose to leave a Pagan spirituality for another religion."
In the article, Patti shares stories about people who left for many different reasons. Among the reasons were going back to Christianity, deciding they didn't want to identify with any particular religion, and realizing they never really were pagan after all.
This past January, Star Foster decided to leave paganism. In this article she gives a touching and bittersweet account of why she made this choice and how it's affected her in the months since. However it's interesting that there is an older article written at Patheos as an April Fool's joke. Star joked about abandoning paganism to become a Pastafarian, a follower of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It reminds me of the idiom "There's many a true word spoken in jest."
BajorRon from the blog BajorRon's World, writes about how he decided to leave "organized paganism." He writes, "I still consider myself 'pagan' (though 'pantheist' would cover it probably better) but I will leave things like pagan forums and chatrooms, pagan events and conferences and membership of pagan groups and organisations."
Nightshade at The Purple Broom also writes about her negative experiences with the pagan community and how she felt like she didn't fit in, felt misunderstood, and got caught in the middle of pagan disagreements.
It is because of this dissension that people are not exactly abandoning paganism, but the label of paganism. Many feel the term is simply too general. While some love that paganism is an umbrella religion and spirituality, others are not so eager to embrace "Big Tent paganism" - a phrase I've borrowed from Jason Mankey. He blogs regularly about how there is room enough for all of us. His most recent post compares the different branches of paganism to kids in a sandbox. (Talk about your mixed metaphors there.)
The problem is not everyone wants to be in that sandbox. The majority of these people seem to be Reconstructionalists. Rogue Priest is such a person. He says this about paganism, "That term just isn't accurate: it doesn't speak to my beliefs, my practices, or my community. I am a priest of the Old Belief, a polytheist through and through, and more than anything else the Heroic Life is my religion." Many have chosen to identify themselves as Heathens, not pagans.
Yvonne wrote and interesting article at her blog Sermons on the Mound with the appropriate title The Pagan Umbrella is Leaking. Yvonne explained that part of the reason some are abandoning the term "pagan" is because of fluffy Wiccans. She doesn't use this term. Instead she calls it "watered down Wicca." She writes, "As a polytheist, initiated, Gardnerian Wiccan, I would really like it if eclectic Paganism was not 'watered-down Wicca. Create your own rituals; don't bastardize ours."
Ouch. Unfortunately, she seems to imply that anyone who practices eclectic Wicca isn't true Wiccan. I find that incredibly insulting to all eclectics. However, I can't deny that "watered down" versions of "all" pagan traditions exist. There are fluffy pagans, Reconstructionalists, Heathens, Druids, witches, shamans, and Wiccans out there. I would not go as far to say that they are "less than" but I will say dabbling does not make one an expert.
Briana wrote an interesting article on the topic. She argues that it's not the actual fluffy (watered down) Wiccans that give Wicca a bad name, but the stereotype of the fluffy Wiccan. Her article also brings into a question another issue. She writes, "Unfortunately for a lot of us in the Pagan faith, many people think that Pagan and Wiccan are synonymous, and they have a bad impression of Wiccans."
I once asked the fans of my Facebook page if Wiccan and Pagan mean the same thing. A third said yes, another third said no, and the rest of them said something in between. This goes back to the issue Reconstructionalists seem to have with the term paganism. It's all about specifics. The question begs to be asked though: Can Reconstructionalists really abandon the term paganism?
Jason Mankey argues in his article Running From the Word Pagan that you can't if you still participate in the pagan community. He argues, "If you don't want to be called a Pagan or be thought of as a Pagan, the only real solution is to probably divorce the Pagan Community and then not share your spiritual beliefs with anyone."
He also makes the great point that it might be hard for the rest of us in the pagan community to not call them pagan. He writes, "It's hard for me not to think of them as Pagans. Maybe it's just selfishness because I want all of those folks in my tribe, but I certainly don't call them Pagan out of disrespect." I think the pagan community as a whole shares the same sentiment. We don't mean any disrespect.
I WANT TO END THIS POST WITH A PERSONAL ANNOUNCEMENT.
I'm also choosing to leave paganism behind. Only in name. I've been struggling this past year with whether or not I consider myself to be pagan or to be Wiccan. After much introspection and resistance I am returning to the religion of Wicca. I find my personal beliefs and practices as of late are much more in line with Wicca than they are general paganism. However, I will follow the tradition of studying a year and a day before dedicating myself to the Wiccan path. I feel there's no better time to announce my commitment than today of all days, June 21st, 2013, Summer Solstice.
The overall pagan content of the blog for the most part will not change, but there may be a few more posts exploring specifically Wiccan themes. The purpose of my blog has always been to be informative about paganism as a whole and that will not change. I do hope that by choosing to identify myself now as Wiccan, I don't lose any readers. I've identified myself as a pagan for the last 15 years or so, meaning this decision was a hard one and not made lightly. I can no longer deny what is true about myself. I will not, however, stop identifying myself as a witch.
