The Old Religion

Authors

  • Richard Smoley

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v13i6.29

Keywords:

neo-paganism, Wiccan

Abstract

The theme of this article is a movement that has been called the fastestgrowing religion in the US. Nobody knows exactly how many Americans identify themselves as Witches, Wiccans, and Neopagans. The number has been estimated as anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000, but there are no hard statistics and few formal organizations. Besides, religious prejudice still makes it expedient for may of today’s Pagans to keep quiet about their preferences.

References

Briggs, Robin. Witches and Neighbors: The Social and Cultural Context of European Witchcraft. New York: Viking, 1996.

Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion. J. Raffan, trans., Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1985.

Fox, Robin Lane. Pagans and Christians. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1987.

Hutton, Ronald. The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy. Oxford: Blackwell, 1991.

Keeley, Lawrence H. War Before Civilization: The Myth of the Peaceful Savage. New York: Oxford UP, 1996.

MacMullen, Ramsey. Christianity and Paganism in the 4th to 8th Centuries. New Haven, Yale UP, 1997.

Osborne, Lawrence. “The Women Warriors” in Lingua Franca (Jan 1998).

Thomas, Keith. Religion and the Decline of Magic. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1971.

Published

1998-11-01

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