I like where this train of thought leads. Something we Pagans and Heathens should consider as we push towards building more and more communities and reaching out to the public.

Aspis of Ares

The idea of priesthood come up a lot in various pagan fora, message boards, and blogs. In my experience, many disdain the notions of priesthood, especially if they aren’t the priest. Of course, this isn’t a new issue. Egoism has plagued paganism since it first started waking up and the (damned, dirty, no-good, smelly hippie) counter-culture movement picked it up in the late fifties and early sixties. It goes back farther than even the hippies, however. In his Letter to a Priest, the Emperor Julian the Faithful lamented the decline of paganism as partially the fault of the priests, who were seen as living lavish, corrupt lifestyles. In fact, it is partially the mistrust and indignation at a corrupt priesthood held by a young Jewish scholar that gave us Christianity (remember the parable of Jesus and the money-changers?).

The problem, of course, is not priests at all. It’s our concept of priesthood. It…

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