Pagan Values

Let's get back to this business of Christianity allegedly being under attack from 'militant secularists'. During the whole 'debate', (more of a campaign of screeching alarmism on the part of theists, really), one oft-repeated 'fact' in particular kept bothering me. It was the claim - uttered by religious nutters and secularists alike - that the UK was essentially a 'Christian' society, in that most of its moral and social values are derived from Christianity. You know, when you actually stop to think about it, that's a pretty dubious premise. The reality is that what we have here in the UK is actually a thin veneer of 'Christianity' covering something far different. Indeed, beneath that veneer lurks something far darker and more potent. Historically speaking, in order to try and gain acceptance from the heathen inhabitants of these isles, Christianity had to co-opt many of the existing pagan rituals, festivals and even deities.

Christmas is really the pagan midwinter festival of Yule and jolly Father Christmas is actually some ancient wild man of the woods rather than St Nicholas. Likewise, Easter is actually a fertility festival (and even takes its name from the pagan Goddess concerned. Many other pagan figures suddenly found themselves 'Christianised' and equated with good, clean-living Catholic saints. But whilst Christian trappings can be hung all over the UK's true belief system, the nation's real pagan nature will always break through. I mean, what are the two modern 'scourges' that pious politicians are always decrying? Excessive alcohol consumption and obesity. Now, bearing in mind that what those Christianised festivals like Christmas are really about are eating, drinking and making merry, it can be seen that binge drinking and our addiction to unhealthy fast food are merely expressions of our true pagan selves. In fact, most of the things that religious types condemn as sinful are actually the things that all good pagans should be doing - especially fornicating. I'd venture that the unwelcome imposition of 'Christian values' upon our native paganism lies at the root of this country's confused and furtive attitudes to sex and pornography - it's evil, but we enjoy it, so we have to punish ourselves by paying women in high heels to chain us up and whip us. So, screw 'militant secularism', just embrace your inner pagan and tell those bloody Christians to get their hands off our pagan pleasures!