This is something that has come to interest me as a result of my discussions with Maia. In particular how a Pagan community [one in which the community itself consisted of those who described themselves as Pagans] confronted the reality of conflicting goods.
In fact, I don’t know if there are any actual Pagan communities. Communities that interact as, for example, the Amish do. They separate themselves from the larger culture. And this separation generally revolves around a religious or a “spiritual” path.
With the Amish, of course, there is a tradition that is called Rumspringa – ohiosamishcountry.com/articles/ … e%20church – It’s a practice whereby to whatever degree it unfolds from community-to-community adolescents are basically allowed to experiment with their lives. To try things that are not in the Amish tradition. To, in other words, allow them to determine for themselves [as much as this possible] whether they really do want to live this separate existence as a fully baptized Amish.
Only as I understand a Pagan community, there is no equivalent of the God of Abraham that, once one does choose to become a member of the community, everyone is required to adhere to a scripted life. And here the so-called “elders” in the Amish community go a long way toward determining what that means regarding almost every aspect of their communal lives.
As for any actual existing communities. If you Google it you get links like this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neopagani … ted_States
But are they actual communities as in encompassed cinematically in the Wicker Man? Or Midsommar?
This as opposed to those who go to Pagan events or Pagan festivals…but then head back home to communities where there are actually very few other Pagans. It’s in a Pagan community itself where each citizen is the embodiment of a spiritual relationship with nature but that spiritual relationship results in conflicting goods.
How is this handled “for all practical purposes”?
If anyone here is familiar with such communities, please weigh in.
First up:
ETHICS AND COMMUNITY
Principles of Moral Thought and Action
From the RELIGION LIBRARY site: Paganism