Polar Bear

Can anyone recommend a resource (website, book, etc.) highlighting skeptical/atheist critiques of paganism?

I'm more interested in critiques of Wicca/witchcraft specifically than anything to do with New Age stuff in general.

Thanks!

muon

Get a copy of these books by Ronald Hutton:

The Triumph of the Moon -- history of Wicca and neo-paganism
The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles -- title should be self-explanatory

Hutton is a serious historian and excellent writer. Ironically enough, I cannot determine his religious beliefs from his books---rumor is he's a pagan sympathizer, but certainly he calls a spade a spade.

Polar Bear

These sound like they would be excellent background books on the topic, but are they <i>critical?</i> In other words, do they address the veracity of pagan claims?

Eudaimonist

What sort of critiques are you looking for?

You could try <a href="http://www.csicop.org/" target="_blank">Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal</a> if you are looking for critiques of claims of supernatural powers.

Polar Bear

The same sort of critiques that one finds of Christian claims of supernatural experience, I suppose.

The reason I ask is, I have several friends who are sharp enough to be wary of Christian claims of the supernatural, but are totally taken in by similar pagan/New Age claims (foretelling the future, contacting "goddesses," magic rituals influencing the future, etc.).

Mediancat

I've had a number of pagan friends, and to a woman, none of them were in the least interested in converting me, in discussing their or my beliefs if I wasn't interested, or in trying to convince me that their Goddess was an awesome Goddess, or even in convincing me that the powers were real.

In other words, they don't really cause a whole lot of trouble and they don't proselytize.

So I don't worry about them. My personal goal as an atheist is to be left alone to practice as I wish, not to convince all the believers that they're being foolish if they disagree with me. And pagans leave me alone, so I leave them alone.

If you want to take on the individual claims, though, of telepathy, clairvoyance, and thingsl ike that, there are a number of resources -- look for books by James Randi, Henry Gordon, MArtin Gardner, and CSICOP in general.

Rob aka Mediancat

Polar Bear

Nope, none of them are interested in proselytizing or converting at all. I've certainly not had the experience of the Pagan Outreach Corps buttonholing me on the streets, or lobbying elected officials to make their beliefs the law of the land.

Just the same though, when I get into discussions with my pagan friends (that they initiate), over the validity of paganism vs. the validity of Christianity, I'd like to have some information on my side.

I'm already familiar with Randi, CSICOP, and so forth. Thanks.

muon

The Hutton books are *heavily* critical on the historical underpinnings of modern paganism. You will find a complete discussion of the historical origins of Wicca and related groups, who stole what idea from who, etc. Hutton also debunks a large amount of the pablum that pagans pass off about their origins, and about the religious beliefs of the ancients.

But these are history books. They debunk historical claims, of which neo-pagans make a bunch. The aim of these books isn't to show that magic doesn't work or that gods don't exist. Instead, Hutton argues that almost all the standard crap that neo-pagans put out about their origins and about the beliefs of ancient pagans is speculative, made-up bullshit.

You will not be disappointed. I would not have recommended these books if they weren't critical.

Polar Bear

I see ... thank you, then!

*off to the library*

Aquila ka Hecate

....or, Polar Bear, you could talk to me.

I've been practising wicca for about 17 years now, run two covens as a high priestess- and I'm recovering from the experience now, in my proper persona of atheist.

I'm about as skeptical as they come-well, ok, cynical, also!