A Pagan as an Ordained Minister?

I am an ordained Minister with the Church of Seven Planes, and, I am a Pagan. To many people, these two seem to be totally opposite, after all, how can you have an ordained Minister that doesn’t believe in God?  Even my own friends and family questioned the logic of this arrangement – a Pagan seeking to be ordained as a Minister? It makes no sense! Or, does it?

In order to answer that question we have to ask what the basic beliefs of a Pagan are. Like the term “Christian”, the term Pagan can refer to a number of different beliefs and religions all centred around a basic set of beliefs, but unlike popular conceptions these have absolutely nothing to do with Satan or any incarnation of Satan. In fact, Paganism does not even recognise Satan or “the devil”, classing these as a Christian invention rather than a true being. Instead, Pagans commonly worship a God and a Goddess, believing these to be a manifestation of a higher and unknown deity.  They believe the divine to be all around us, in everything in nature, in us, in others, everywhere. Is this really so much different than the Christian belief that everything was created by God?

Pagans also believe in some very basic laws, the most important of these being “An’ ye harm none, do what ye will”, or to put this into modern terms, “As long as you harm no-one, including yourself, you are free to do as you wish”. Again, how much different is this from some of the basic Christian commandments? - “Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”(Exodus 20) – these are all things that would harm another person, and so are naturally banned by the most important of the Pagan beliefs.

Another of the Pagan beliefs is that of the “three fold law”, or the laws of karma. These tell a Pagan that whatever they do in their life, good or bad, will return to them three fold. This could be likened to some of the Christian teachings – Matthew 7:2 “For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”  Pagans, especially those that practice the beliefs known as “the craft”, “witchcraft”, and Wicca, hold this belief very strongly and are very aware that what ever they do in their lives will not only affect themselves, but also the people around them – the old term “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” comes to mind. They do not set out to harm others in any way, or to influence them or place them under some mystical spell, but rather to live in harmony with everything and everyone around them.

Which brings us to another important Pagan belief – that each person must find their own path. Pagans do not believe that a person should be forced into any belief, but rather that each person should find the beliefs and path that suits them and guides them through life. This brings me back to the original question – does it make sense for a Pagan to become an ordained Minister?

As many of you know, the Church of Seven Planes stands for bringing people together regardless of religious beliefs. An interfaith approach where Christians, Jews, Muslims, Pagans, Atheists, and anyone else you may care to include, can gather and share the best of each persons faith and beliefs, help each other through life, without being told that “you will be doomed to an eternity in hell unless you do this or accept that”.  How many wars have started over religious beliefs? “I’m right, you’re wrong”.  Does anyone really believe that any God, any Supreme Being, any Almighty Lord, would be pleased to see people killing each other because they don’t hold the same views as some other group? Personally, I don’t think any all-loving God would really care what you called him, or her, as long as you lived life the best way possible, respected your fellow man (and woman), and honoured the basic laws that separate us from other creatures – “An’ ye harm none, do what ye will”, “Thou shalt not murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness.” – whichever way you put it, it means the same thing and has the same message – live with each other in peace and harmony, and help each other.

So yes, I do believe that a Pagan becoming an ordained Minister in the Church of Seven Planes makes perfect sense, as my own beliefs force me to accept everyone regardless of their beliefs, and to not try and force my own personal beliefs onto them. They are my beliefs, and not necessarily suitable to them, so my role as a Minister should be to respect them and their beliefs, to serve them, to help them, to guide them, to comfort them, and where appropriate, to help them understand how we all fit into the greater picture of what we call life and the universe and, if by my actions as an ordained Minister I can help one person to find their path in life, and to accept others for what they are and not what they believe or how they worship, then I can honestly say that yes, it certainly does make sense.

Reverend Martin Howells

Australia.

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