Metropolitan Pavel: Neopagans Provide Not Ancient But Distorted Belief

павел

Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslaul Pavel, the Patriarchal Exarch of all Belarus, expressed his concern about the growing popularity of Neopaganism. According to the hierarch, it is not a Belarusian but geographically more global issue.

The metropolitan insists on understanding the difference between the beliefs of our ancestors and fashionable subculture practised by different communities: “We are called to go back to paganism, but not to the one practised before the Baptizm of Rus but to a distorted one. It is full of occultism, shamanism and the most base prejudices which didn’t exist in these distant times. Though people were Pagans they were much more pure than it is claimed today”, – BelTA reports.

According to the hierarch, the popularity of Neopaganism is promoted by the use of different symbols but “no amulets or visual forms will draw us near to God”. The metropolitan suggested considering the moral ideal given by Neopaganism as an ideal, but according to him “under these seemingly ancient traditions the ideas are propagated which destroy our lives and make us cruel. Thus, egotism is implanted in people’s minds”.

The hierarch sees the possible introduction of Orthodox culture basics course in the school curriculum as a cure to the popularization of such tendencies. Now this subject is taught as an optional class, – the metropolitan specifies, but he would personally like this subject to be included in the curriculum.

17.12.2015 Churches| Tags: ,


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