Things to Watch Out For in Hellenic Polytheism (WIP)
I decided to write this after reading Timothy Jay Alexander’s old homophobic statements. Here are some tips for what to look for in sketchy people in Hellenic Polytheism and Hellenismos - I hope they are helpful!.
Talk of restoring our religion to its “rightful place”
An “ethnic” or “racial” focus to their worship
Focus on having and rearing children with the same religion (ie., indoctrination to force continuation of our faith)
Calls for violence
Labeling people who ask for basic respect or rights as whiny, etc.
Saying our faith is superior to any other
Fixation on hatred for monotheistic religions
Bigotry
Claiming that a big event is coming, or that they themselves are important to some big scale cosmic event
Using free speech as a “get out of jail” card for any bigotry
More:
Insisting on calling oneself a polytheist instead of a pagan
Appropriation or tokenization of non-neo pagan or non-pagan religions (i.e. Hindu, Shinto, etc.)
Refusal to take criticism
Refusal to use accessible language
For Twitter, check who they follow. Even self-proclaimed “liberal” or leftist accounts often follow fash. Confronting them on these accounts is helpful especially in gauging their reaction to fascism. If they’re a decent person they’ll be disgusted and unfollow the fash, if they’re not so great they might snark at you or something.
Elitism and pretentiousness, “I’m better than you no matter what I do” mindset
Condemnation of animal sacrifice
Claiming to be oppressed for being pagan
Insisting that Greek paganism be called “Dodekatheism”
Refusing to do or read any research; becoming defensive when someone tells them their claims are unfounded or their sources are unreliable
Claiming ancestry is necessary to practice Hellenismos (or Hellenic Polytheism etc.)
Refusal to acknowledge or address White Supremacists in their friend circles (goes with the who they’re following point)
Charging prices for research
People claiming to be oracles or incarnations of deities (the former warrants serious critical thinking, the latter is hubristic).
Good information!
Regarding animal sacrifice, I’ve found the opposite to be true: sketchy people usually insist on it and reject objections to it.
It’s true that most people in antiquity practiced animal sacrifice, but there is also historical evidence for the offering of bloodless sacrifice and dietary abstinence from meat in Pythagorean philosophy and the Orphic Mysteries (sources: X, X, and X).
Some vegans and vegetarians today abstain from meat as a matter of personal health, and others see it as a social justice issue linked to food insecurity and hunger, environmental justice, racial equality, immigration, and workers’ rights.
I think the most important points to take away from this list is that authors and religious leaders of integrity:
encourage the mental and physical well-being of their readers and followers
make clear that adherence to recommended practices is voluntary
support modification of any and all recommendations to fit each person’s unique requirements and circumstances
respect the individual’s right to follow the dictates of conscience
