I'd rather say that he is saying that if you claim to be a hellenic pagan without animal sacrifice, you are just "pagan-lite".
My understanding is that, as a druid, your beliefs and practices are more celtic-derived than hellenic and as an ADF druid you don't claim to be authentically recreating preChristian druidic practice, but rather modifying and adapting to modern times... "your own druidism" as it were.
As such, his comments do not apply to your practices. He seems to be equating "paganism" with what Isaac Bonewitz would call "paleopaganism", and even more specifically paleopaganism in Europe. Under those guidelines, neopaganism could easily be called "pagan-lite". But that falls under the fallacy of assuming that modern (neo)pagans identify (or should identify) with paleopagans.
I dare say that much of what he said Isaac would agree with. If the folks who did the ritual at the Temple of Olympian Zeus claimed to be practicing the ancient Greek religion, then Isaac would say they were claiming to practice paleo-paganism, and failing miserably.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-30 02:14 pm (UTC)My understanding is that, as a druid, your beliefs and practices are more celtic-derived than hellenic and as an ADF druid you don't claim to be authentically recreating preChristian druidic practice, but rather modifying and adapting to modern times... "your own druidism" as it were.
As such, his comments do not apply to your practices. He seems to be equating "paganism" with what Isaac Bonewitz would call "paleopaganism", and even more specifically paleopaganism in Europe. Under those guidelines, neopaganism could easily be called "pagan-lite". But that falls under the fallacy of assuming that modern (neo)pagans identify (or should identify) with paleopagans.
I dare say that much of what he said Isaac would agree with. If the folks who did the ritual at the Temple of Olympian Zeus claimed to be practicing the ancient Greek religion, then Isaac would say they were claiming to practice paleo-paganism, and failing miserably.