By Cat Gina Cole
How did Pagans ever become a church? I thought Pagans were anti-church? These and other similar questions flood social media these days. The word “church” has become something of a swear word in our time. It is currently a word that represents control, abuse of power, corruption, telling people how to live, what to believe, and being “Our way or the highway” about every aspect of a person’s life. There is a big resistance to that now, not just in the Pagan communities but in general and they are not wrong. Christian churches do have that history to them; however, it made me wonder about the origins of the word “church” and its original meaning.
The Earliest Historical Use of the Word ‘Church’ was the Greek word ekklesia the earliest appearance of this word is in ancient Athens, where the word ekklesia was used in a political context, and described a gathering for political or state matters. This early meaning of ekklesia is significant because the application of its meaning was still in use when the New Testament writers appropriated the word to describe the Church of Jesus Christ. The writers of the New Testament clearly understood the meaning of the word ekklesia. Ekklesia was a word of politics and was far more profound than the word ‘church’ that it was being translated into. Anyone with a knowledge of the Greek language in the First Century — and certainly this would include Paul — understood the historical, political, and judicial implications connected to the word ekklesia. It was with intent that New Testament writers used it to depict the Church and its role, yet questions remained. Was the word “church” describing a place or was it describing a gathering of people?
Originally at least, the word “church” technically referred to the physical building and location where Christians would meet to worship. In terms of etymology of the English word “church,” the children’s rhyme is technically correct: “This is the church, this is the steeple, open it up and see all the people.” Yet we find ourselves using it both as location and a gathering of people. Even biker groups hold “church” using the word to describe a gathering of people to conduct business affairs. The various biblical metaphors for the church—the family, the body, the temple, the flock, and the nation—all serve to connect our understanding of “the church” to God’s people.
However, by the fourth century, the word “church” was also defined as a place where the right to sanctuary was formalized among early Christians. By the thirteenth century, a person could hide in a church for 40 days and in some instances stay indefinitely. The laws of sanctuary remained in place pretty much up to the Twentieth Century when the state began to claim full authority to enter churches.
Some American colonies defied the prohibition on church asylum and gave support to fugitives. There was popular support for protection outside ecclesiastical systems. One such popular and famous movement is the Underground Railroad, in which churches played a prominent role.
The Underground Railroad has been seen by scholars as the forerunner of the labor, civil rights, anti-war movements, sanctuary, and women’s movements.
The idea of church as sanctuary also rose in the 1960s as an attempt to protect Americans who resisted the draft and opposed the Vietnam War. William Sloan Coffin talked about a sanctuary for the conscientious objector. At the same time, churches in several cities announced that they would be sanctuaries for draft resisters. This is how the idea of sanctuary cities evolved.
Yet, every time we encounter “church” in the New Testament, it designates the people i.e. ekklēsia, not a building. Edmund Clowney writes, “According to the Bible, the church is the people of God, the assembly, the family, the body, the temple, the flock, congregation originally meant gathered flock and the nation—all serve to connect our understanding of “the church” to people.
In 1962, in the middle of the civil rights movement, it is with this idea of sanctuary and a focus on the people that Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and R. Lance Christie, formed the Church of All Worlds (CAW) with the ritual of “sharing water.” This foundation ritual was practiced by a fictional church of the same name in Robert Heinlein’s book Stranger in a Strange Land. Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and R. Lance Christie attribute their inspiration to Heinlein’s novel. Oberon Zell-Ravenheart then coined the term “Neo-Pagan” to create an umbrella term that included all Pagans. The church of all worlds was created to give legal status and protection to the greater Pagan community. Then came the legal battles and questions of, “Is Paganism a religion?” This question is still hotly debated. It is a religion to some, but not to others, yet, having it defined as a religion legally was of great importance.
In the case of Dettmer v Landon circa the 1980s, the District Court of Virginia recognized Witchcraft as a valid and legitimate religion, which later was upheld by a federal court that determined that people who practice Witchcraft as a religion were entitled to the same constitutional protections as those who follow other belief systems and therefore had the right to gather as a church. This then led to including Paganism and all of its various paths of beliefs.
Witchcraft had to be classed as a religion for it to be legally recognized so its practitioners could gain the freedom to practice without legal persecution. It was a means to an end in the movement. Whether Witchcraft is actually a religion or not is up to the individual.
It seems unfathomable here in America that someone would not have the right to practice whatever faith system they desire. It took courageous, determined, and educated people of the 1960’s to make this reality happen so we can practice openly with the legal protections we have today.
It was a movement of monumental proportions, that occurred the same time as the civil rights movement.
The civil rights movement afforded the Pagan leaders of the time some cover and with the right to gather as a church, it allowed the Pagan movement access to the courts with a legal voice to support them.
Because the civil rights movement was so violent, most lawmakers had little to no concern for the Pagan movement. They had their hands full with other more pressing things and Pagans were “just a bunch of peace-loving hippies” to the authorities, which made the Pagan movement almost invisible. It was a brilliant strategy for the Pagan Movement of the time to seize the moment in this way.
The Pagan movement, the gay movement, and others owe much to the civil rights movement. They were fighting for us all and it truly made a huge difference to those of us that would come behind them.
There is much we take for granted today because of the work done by others that began sixty years ago. Yet sadly, we find ourselves fighting to keep our rights once more and once more, it was Oberon Zell that led the way much as he and others did sixty years ago and it all began with a letter. There was such a huge response to that letter that Starhawk picked it up and now Pagans Solidarity is a weekly organizing group. Tamara Forslun from Australia has created another such group on Discord and I am sure there are more I do not know about.
The blessing in disguise is that the elders from the 60s who are organizing now left us a road map that we can use currently in our own communities. If we look at their work from the past, we will see the organized protests, the grass roots flyer campaigns, the many letters to the legal system, and how they often gathered as churches for legal clout, protection, and sanctuary while they pressured the system. They did this and are currently doing this for our rights to practice and believe as we wish and they have my gratitude.
I entered public Paganism in 2010 and back then I had a bad taste for the word church as well. Since then, what I have learned about the usefulness of becoming a “church” has changed and I can see how it can be helpful.
Currently, it only takes four people to file for a 501c3 federally recognized religion. You need a bank account and a tax number. For a 501c3, there is a lot of paperwork and rules to read through but it can be done easily enough.
To be a state recognized religion, it only takes four people to file. It must have a bank account and a tax number. There is not much paperwork and involves far fewer rules and restrictions than a 501c3, at least in my state. Each state may vary some and for a bit of humorous encouragement, The Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster is a legally recognized religion! So, you see, most any group can organize no matter how small. We do have a voice.
In closing, when you see Pagans or any other group forming churches or charities, rather than cringing at the word church like I used to, or faulting them for becoming like the Christians, thank them for their hard work in protecting the right to practice and believe safely and legally, and many blessing to all.
SOURCES
https://renner.org/article/a-and-p-excerpt-1/
https://sites.smith.edu/religious-spiritual-life/2017/03/01/sanctuary-movement-history/
https://catginacole.com/haven-temple-a-pagan-charity/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569030957576
Want to join the conversation about this blog post? Go to the Green Egg Forum and scroll for the forum post that relates to this article: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1069823176940972
Cat Gina Cole is a Hereditary Witch and author of Psychic Skills for Magic and Witchcraft (Llewellyn, 2022). She is the founder of The Coven of the Rising Phoenix, Haven Coven, and Haven Sanctuary You can reach her at www.catginacole.com.