"It's not that Americans don't believe in anything. It's that we believe in everything."
Witches praying the rosary? Catholics reading Tarot cards?
For some, it's blasphemy. For others, it's a launching pad to enlightenment. But for interfaith experts and widely respected Pagans Joyce and River Higginbotham, it's a new reality begging for intellectual study. More and more, Pagans and Christians are incorporating each other's practices into their own belief systems, forging hybrid spiritual paths that borrow from both earth- and scripture-based religions. Standing in two worlds at once, ChristoPagans are sparking a new conversation about the nature of faith and the evolving spiritual needs of a chaotic world. With scholarly poise, the Higginbothams wade into this provocative religious pairing, deftly
navigating its minefield of heresy and personal bias.
The Higginbothams (authors of Pagan Spirituality and Paganism) ask you to venture outside your box, question your beliefs, and open yourself to infinite possibilities.
Historic Christianity—Modern Paganism
If you're like most people, Christian or Pagan, you might be putting on the brakes right now. But the important thing to understand is that just as Paganism today is not the same as it was hundreds or thousands of years ago, neither is the Christianity of today the same as historic Christianity. Part of ChristoPaganism
explores the original beliefs of Christianity and their commonalities with the mystery religions of the same era. Well researched and documented, you'll discover how some of the original teachings of Christianity are the same as those of Paganism. You'll discover that to early Christians:
• God was seen as male and female
• Jesus was not crucified or resurrected
• There was no concept of "original sin"
• The story of Jesus was viewed as mythic and not historically true
When you release any preconceived beliefs about Jesus and Christianity and return to the original Christian beliefs and traditions, you'll find that Christ and some of those Christian concepts fit in perfectly with modern Paganism.
Could You Be a ChristoPagan?
ChristoPaganism also explores the blending of Pagan and original Christian paths from the point of view of the practitioner. It looks at how accepting both traditions opens your mind and enhances whatever system you follow. Are you offended at the concept of a ChristoPagan? Why? Even if you don't want to follow this path, acceptance and tolerance are paths to personal growth. In this book, the Higginbothams refocus on concepts they introduced in Pagan Spirituality and expand upon them. They show how allowing for a blended spirituality can help you on your spiritual path, no matter what it may be.
You Are Not Alone
Although Paganism is one of today's fastest growing religions, there was a time when if you believed you were a Pagan you felt isolated and alone. Today, although there are a growing number of Pagan-Christian marriages and relationships, as well as ChristoPagans, many feel alone in their beliefs. But you are not alone. There are many around just like you. In ChristoPaganism, you'll read interviews with fifteen real-life ChristoPagans who share their stories of how and why they came to this path. Discover what they believe and how they engage their faith in their everyday lives.
ChristoPaganism is not an attempt to indoctrinate or convert, but rather to explain how blended faiths are born and practiced, each as unique as the individual who created it. It also allows you to become more knowledgeable about your own beliefs, open your mind, learn, expand, and explore. It presents an indepth look at interfaith spiritualities from a number of perspectives not addressed anywhere else. Whether you are a Pagan or Christian who is shocked at the possibility of ChristoPaganism, are tolerant of its growth, or are an active practitioner, this controversial and revolutionary book is an absolute must.
Free of political agenda but ripe with open-minded curiosity, ChristoPaganism launches a whole new dialogue on the subject of personal belief.
