Pagan Community?

[uncledark]

Over on The Witches Voice, Sia wrote in an excellent article on dysfunctional behavior in the Pagan community:

Ah... but are we a community in the real sense of that word? The definition of a community is a group that involves "friendly association, mutual support, commitment, and dedication to a cause,ideal, or effort." It is not something we "do

Comments

[lupagreenwolf]

I also disagree with this assessment of more informal organization:

The people who frequent a scene do not support each other as a community does. They do not care for one another in hard times, and they do not build a lasting culture. When they get bored,they leave, and go on to find another scene.

I have people I care about who happen to be pagan. I have friends and adopted family, and acquaintances. However, I'm not going to help someone out just because they're pagan. Yeah, life sucks, and shit happens--but I'm not going to pay someone's rent or bail them out of jail just because they have a pentacle around their neck. If it's someone with a genuine need, then I'll do what I can. My friend Kina recently had a double lung transplant, and I helped her as much as I could--but I did it because of her needs, not because of her religion.

If I'm being "dysfunctional" by choosing where to put my limited sources (time and money), so be it. The author only sees that people go home at the end of the gather--she doesn't see what we do when we get home. She lumps everyone who isn't organized to her liking in the same group as "tourists" and "poseurs".