TWH – The world of Pagan commentary has been ablaze this week following the publication of Rabbi David Wolpe’s article “The Return of the Pagans” in The Atlantic. In the article, Wolpe accused modern society of reverting to “paganism,” which he loosely defines as “the worship of natural forces” in “two forms: the deification of nature, and the deification of force,” which he broadly associated with the political left and political right respectively.
Many Pagans, including the editors of TWH, found that Wolpe’s article displayed a profound lack of understanding about paganism in both its classical and modern forms, being based entirely in Wolpe’s own monotheistic worldview. The Wild Hunt‘s editor-in-chief, Manny Tejeda Moreno, responded to “The Return of the Pagans” earlier this week, while yesterday’s Pagan Community Notes collected responses from other Pagan commentators.
Holli Emore, executive director of Cherry Hill Seminary [courtesy]
On December 28, Holli Emore, the executive director of Cherry Hill Seminary and the chair of Interfaith Partners of South Carolina, wrote to Rabbi Wolpe:
Dear Rabbi Wolpe,
I am reaching out to you as the director of Cherry Hill Seminary, and also as chair of Interfaith Partners of South Carolina. I’m sure that you are aware that your column in The Atlantic created quite a stir in the Pagan religious community this week. Here at CHS, we value reasoned dialogue and mutual respect. We never, ever, seek to convert anyone or even persuade them that we are correct and you are not. But as a fellow religious leader, I’d like to invite you to join me one day soon, perhaps on a Zoom call, to chat about how we can better understand each other. Perhaps I can even answer any questions you may have about contemporary Pagan beliefs and practices. And I’d like to hear more about your thinking that went into your article.
[ … ]
Thank you for giving some thought to speaking with me in the near future. I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Also wishing you a lovely holiday weekend,
Holli S. Emore, MDiv
“While I was as horrified,” said Emore, “as most of us were by the Wolpe article, after some reflection I decided to attempt a connection with him, not just as a Pagan, but as a fellow academic and an interfaith leader.
Cherry Hill Seminary is an educational institution that focuses on providing training and education in contemporary Pagan and nature-based spiritualities. It offers degree and certificate programs in fields related to Pagan and Earth-centered spirituality, including topics such as Wicca, Druidry, and other forms of modern Paganism.
Wolpe replied to Emore shortly afterward.
“Thanks for your kind note,” wrote Wolpe. “I have been deluged with advocacies, requests for dialogue and so forth. The article did not and does not address the current pagan communities nor was it intended to.”
Wolpe declined to discuss the matter any further with anyone, including in Emore’s proposed discussion or any of the other “numerous and various dialogues I have been asked to.”
“Please be assured that although it may have been the effect,” Wolpe concluded, “neither offense nor anger was or is my desire. I accept the many disapprovals as they are and wish you and yours a happy new year.”
Ruins of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia [Annatsach, Wikimedia Commons, CC 4.0]
“At Cherry Hill Seminary we just wrapped up a semester of study in the course ‘Interfaith Leadership,'” Emore continued. “One of the case studies we review is that of the small-town mayor who posted anti-Muslim and other hateful memes on his social media, drawing national attention in 2018.”
Emore shared that instead of mounting an outraged public response, several members of the interfaith team, including her, contacted the mayor directly, resulting in a positive outcome, as reported by WISTV. “Then-mayor Hardy King is imperfect,” she said, “but having gotten to know him through that process, I can say that he is a humble man.
“By possible contrast,” she added, “David Wolpe is a renowned scholar of Jewish studies, a rabbi, and widely published in the likes of The New York Times as well as the many books he has authored. While his message to me was cordial, it is clear that he has no intention of revisiting his lack of research or redressing the feelings of the many he has slighted.
“I would still welcome a friendly conversation,” she said. “I believe my many friends and colleagues will affirm my ability to maintain a civil, even caring discussion among people who disagree strongly.”
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Emore noted that these conversations are not easy. “That’s exactly why Cherry Hill Seminary requires every graduate student to take our interfaith course,” she says. “As I teach, it’s not a survey of religions, it’s about learning to be together in spite of our differences, to be honest, to carefully listen, learn from each other and go away from such encounters enriched rather than enraged. That’s been especially difficult since the Hamas attack in October. As my Israeli friend said one day, if anyone is talking about which side they support, they need to understand there are at least 20 sides, most of them with valid arguments.
“I hope that someday someone will be able to have that conversation with him,” Emore said. “He certainly needs to demonstrate his academic credentials by some openness to new ideas, or at least information to which he has apparently not yet given attention.”
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