Ex-Pagan Conversion Narratives
This past week has seen two very different ex-Pagan conversion narratives appear in the press. The first, from Internet news-provider NewsBlaze, is just what you would imagine. Troubled kid dabbles in the occult, finds Jesus, gets better.
“Wanting a religion with fewer rules than the legalistic Christianity she had been exposed to, Samantha discovered Wicca at age 12 when introduced to the religion by a friend … “I loved it,” Samantha says, “When I physically gathered the Elements’ energy, I felt powerful and calm.” But even with that power she claimed to experience and although she loved being a part of this rule-less religion, Samantha felt alone and unsatisfied. “I just eventually realized that I need rules in my life. I need some sort of structure, some ‘being’ that I know is always there,” she says.”
Here, as in other Christian conversion narratives, embracing a non-Christian faith is seen as a gateway into misery and sin. Drugs, rape, and abuse, all because she abandoned the “structure” and “protection” of the church. Accepting Jesus is the only cure. A story that demeans Pagan religion, and often angers the hundreds of thousands of Pagans who have somehow avoided destroying their lives.
“I’m very glad to hear that Samantha found a spiritual path, and that she cleaned herself up. But, she should also accept the fact that Wicca didn’t put her through the trials she went through, her poor decision making did.”
In contrast, the North Carolina News-Record presents a Pagan-to-Christian conversion narrative that avoids the overly dramatic, and gets closer to what a natural and healthy shift between faiths looks like.
“As with other transitions in my spiritual life the move away from paganism was gradual and relatively peaceful. I have never believed I was “in error” during my pagan years. The saying “God writes straight with crooked lines” is a perfect example of my spiritual development, and everything that has happened in my life has been grace-filled. My desire has always been to pursue as close a relationship as possible with the Divine. For two decades that yearning was satisfied within paganism. When that ceased to be fulfilling I began exploring other avenues.”
No demonizing, no blaming Paganism for the problems in her life, just a change of opinion and attitude. Perhaps a story like that won’t sell books, or excite those Christians looking for a reinforcement that they made the correct choice, but it sounds far more “true” than the numerous “damaged teen” narratives (many of which are “anonymous” and of dubious origin).
Paganism won’t be for everyone, and those who convert shouldn’t be used as grist in the ongoing propaganda battle between faiths, lest the small amounts of dialog and trust between our faith communities erode to a point of no return. Lets keep conversion narratives personal, instead of processing them through an idealogical filter designed to glorify the newly-found faith. After all, who knows what their future may hold, or what the next conversion narrative in the press will say.
One response so far
Always find these conversion stories interesting, both the “good ones” as well as the ones that cause me to fear for the person converted. Thanks for posting.