Dear God A coven of idiots. I'm tempted to go simply to rip them to shreds and/or cause trouble...but it'd waste time and gain nothing. Still, if anyone's in the mood to take on a bunch of morons who combine the worst features of the superstitious right and the "nonconformist" left, look no further than your nearest "witches" gathering.... Razib adds: Shouldn't it be "Goddess?" Razib disagrees (a bit): The more literal followers of the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob frighten me far more than Wiccans. Paganism is tolerant [1]. Perhaps we should return the favor as secularists [2]? The main beef I have with Wiccans is that they tend to take Marija Gimbutas' ideas about Old Europe too seriously-and like many feminists extrapolate it into a historical fantasy of ancient peaceful matriarchies before the coming of Indo-Europeans. Now, compared to Creationists, this is a minor deviation from the realm of fact. Also, let us not forget that modern day Neo-paganism is not limited to Wiccans. Asatru, Theodishism, Druidism, Hellenism and the like are all part of the pagan panoply, and differ greatly from each other. The post-Constantinian pagans called themselves Hellenists, not pagans, that was a Christian term (derived from pagani, depending on who you talk to, meaning either country-folk or civilian). Finally, as godless indicated, his contempt was directed more at the individuals themselves rather than the belief systems, as anyone who would convert to a religion predicated on the supernatural does not merit his respect. The only problem of course is that America's fastest growing religious movement is probably Pentecostalism, not Neo-paganism-and through conversion! Perhaps we should be more judicious in directing our sneers. [1] From the speech of Symmachus pleading for toleration to the Christian Emperor Theodosius The Great:

10. We ask, then, for peace for the gods of our fathers and of our country. It is just that all worship should be considered as one. We look on the same stars, the sky is common, the same world surrounds us. What difference does it make by what pains each seeks the truth? We cannot attain to so great a secret by one road; but this discussion is rather for persons at ease, we offer now prayers, not conflict.

[2] As a sidebar, Julian the Apostate was rather intolerant of Christianity. Pagans such as Ammianus Marcellinus found this rather bizarre, and attributed it to the fact that Julian was himself raised a Christian and so internalized their tendency to detest the Other. On a similar note, the most obnoxious conservatives are often ex-Leftists (David Horowitz?).