Why bother talking about values?
I have decided to participate in International Pagan Values Blogging and Podcasting Month.
The first thing it seems sensible to do is answer the question, "Why is it important, as pagans, to talk about our values?"
The obvious and easy answer is that our culture is deeply divided on matters of faith, and what's commonly considered 'the other side' ( Read more... )
The first thing it seems sensible to do is answer the question, "Why is it important, as pagans, to talk about our values?"
The obvious and easy answer is that our culture is deeply divided on matters of faith, and what's commonly considered 'the other side' ( Read more... )
I think that religion and tradition and society can work together to recognise common values and promote them. Compassion is a worthwhile value in any framework, so that intersection is one many people can agree upon. Where values differ (one tradition values humility, another values confidence), a foundation of respect for others can go a long way to finding reasonable ways for groups to coexist.
While I understand refraining from discussions because you feel you have no right to impose your values on others, I might point out that any acceptance of a law upon society as a whole is the imposition of values on others. You and I and most of everyone believes that it's wrong to murder or rape someone, but at the heart of it that's basically a value judgment, that life and sexual sovereignty are things others should not be allowed to take from us. It's easier for me to step around the "I can't tell people what to do" by confining the question to whether we agreed to share a community with one another. If I choose to live in Texas instead of in Missouri, I'm agreeing that I will follow the laws of Texas, not the laws of Missouri, when I'm in this state. But I don't, as a Texan, have the right to go to a guy from Missouri and say, "Hey, you can't sell booze on Sunday!"
The same applies to pagan community, especially deliberate community like CMA. We agree to certain standards of conduct when we join the group, and those include not breaking basic laws or treating others abusively. If I called out someone of a different tradition for not honoring my goddess correctly, that would be unreasonable. But if I call out someone for defiling a sacred space with abusive behaviour towards others, I'm reminding him of our shared social contract.
Much love,
Rowan
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