AHC: Popular Neopaganism

Maybe one can look at what happened in the USSRor her succcessor states. Several uralic or turkic native religions experienced a popular resurgence in answer to the detoriating authority of the state. Nationalism was a key point to distance the believers from the russian and atheist elites of this time. Naturally the orthodox church experienced a likewise revival in all demographic layers after the fall of the USSR.

Therefore the main problem is, that with Christianity you have a ideology with which the multitude of people are quite content with and gives quite convincing answers to the big questions of life, for that time. Unless you give the believers a reason to question the authority or the use of any particular ideology, leading maybe to rebellions like the Reformation, they will stay under the umbrella of this religion/ideology. Additionally it is quite hard to embrace another religion in the 17th century, since this would mean you would leave the community you are born into. It would be a social stigma and any new religious movement needs to build a community in the underground first, to reach a critical mass to convince others into joining their cause.

So, give them a reason to deeply distrust the form of Christianity they are currently adhering to and give them a viable alternative. The poor and already stigmatized social strata are a particular good breeding ground for this kind of revolution: Make 'neopaganism' particularly trustful and rebellious against the 'unjust and filthy rich' state, defined by its christian nature, and let it have institutions, working in the underground, to care for the poor. Maybe you get a widespread movement rallying around neopaganism as an alternative to Christianity and to break with the unfair traditions of the past, which led to the current conditions. (see also: the Dalit Buddhist movement in India, which tries something similar)

A POD might be the 30 years war. Germany was particularly hard-hit and parts of the landscape were pratically depopulated. Maybe some lunatic/charismatic preacher propagating the rejection of warmongering Christianity presents an alternative which is clearly better and may be considered 'pagan', since it radically rejects traditional christian doctrine and rituals. But I cannot imagine, that something completely resembling the paganism of ancient times arises, since much knowledge of the practices was lost and such a movement, if it comes from 'bottom up' will probably rely on Christianity as an inspiration nevertheless. Maybe some cult of popular saints as 'gods' with an apparantly monotheistic godhead may do the trick, as said before. (Even the Santa Muerte cult, basically revival of mexican religious practice, relies heavily on catholic imagery and rituals.) With emerging romanticism this cult may take a more 'pagan' look.
 
Given that the topic is neopaganism a POD having Julian successfully reforming a syncretic paganism and eradicating Christianism doesn't count. Then I can't see neopaganism emerging -as OTL- before the late 19th C. impulsed by the combination of romanticism and nationalism. Previously Christianism deeply impregnated minds, and the pagan heritage having survived 'demonization' was reduced to meaningless traditional feasts and rituals. People were so deeply Christian that they never revolted against Christianism but -even those burning churches- asked for a better clergy; even black masses, elitist as they were, were no more than a deviant form of Christianism. Another factor favoring neopaganism -as OTL- was / is the aversion to industrialization (Tolkien fashion) and rise of *environmental concerns*. Add the globalization trauma and neopaganism can become more popular to-day. But Christianism is still so deeply impregnating mentalities wherever agnosticism is not prevailing that I doubt neopaganism can become really popular / widespread, even if with a strong nationalist character and state-supported, if *from the start* openly presented to the general population as anti-Christian (and even of religious). A combination of 'revival of the roots' and 'empathy with nature' would be more effective with the 'general audience'.
 
Iceland?
That thoroughly Lutheran and god-fearing country?
Why, no one in Iceland would ever consider elves real for instance. They'd never build elf-houses in their gardens; have a taboo against throwing stones, which could hit an elf; or cause road construction to stop because of elves. No, never. :p:);)

Even in recent centuries, such folk beliefs were not limited to Iceland but widespread throughout Europe. Iceland appears to be the longest-lasting large-scale example. Not too long ago, many rural villagers of Europe believed in house spirits, for example, the kobold in German households. The kobold was regarded as a benefactor of domestic affairs and a bringer of peace and good luck. He was assigned a special place in the house, usually near the hearth, and German housewives would honor him with offerings of leftover food or beer (but never new clothing, which was considered insulting) in exchange for his assistance in maintaining the household's upkeep and stability.

In practice, the household spirits in various European cultures resemble various deities still regarded in Han Chinese culture, such as Men Shen (the gods of the entrance), Cai Shen (the god of wealth), or especially Zao Shen (the god of the hearth). Such spirits are usually viewed as chaotic entities that can cause be benevolent in nature, especially if appeased by the correct offering, or malicious if offended or in a random mood for causing mischief. The brownie in northern Britain, the monaciello in southern Italy, the tomte in Scandinavia, and the domovoi in Russia and other eastern Slavic cultures are other examples. Some cultures thoroughly integrated such beings into the Christian world view, with some Christian leaders believing in such beings, while other Christian authorities at various times and places condemned household spirit reverence as idolatry or devil worship. Christianity never really conquered such beliefs however - It appears that economic development and education was the key to their eradication, though some rural people may still hold such ideas today.

It would be interesting to see such practices adopted by intellectuals during the Romantic period and preserved to the modern day, much as modern non-Western cultures still keep shrines to ancestral or household deities, for example in Hinduism, Shinto, and Chinese folk religions. The traditions of placing a child's tooth under their pillow as an offering to the tooth fairy, offering milk and cookies to Santa Claus, and placing a jack-o-lantern outside of one's house on Halloween are traditions that have survived in the Western world along the same vein - Like Chinese offerings to Cai Shen, people may not believe them but continue to do it anyway out of tradition.
 
A POD might be the 30 years war. Germany was particularly hard-hit and parts of the landscape were pratically depopulated. Maybe some lunatic/charismatic preacher propagating the rejection of warmongering Christianity presents an alternative which is clearly better and may be considered 'pagan', since it radically rejects traditional christian doctrine and rituals.
Whereupon the Christian rulers of the nearby principalities send their troops in and that part of Germany becomes totally depopulated. Seriously, they'd never have tolerated any such movement.
 
Arguably OTL is heading in that direction, given another 50 years or so and no one doing anything spectacularly stupid in the intervening period.

I mean Pagans already outnumber Buddhists in America (I know the survey says Wiccans but it isn't unusual for folks to lump ALL Pagans together under that umbrella and I know from experience Wicca is the tip of the iceberg, representing maybe half of all Pagans in America today) so it really wouldn't take too long for Paganism to eventually become the #4 in America, possibly even #3 by 2050.

The thing you'd need for an earlier popular Paganism is you'd need a lot of stuff like the Great Age of Spiritualism to happen 200 years earlier than it did. That's going to be tricky to pull off as that was motivated in part by the backlash among romantics against the ideas of the Enlightenment regarding rationality and human knowledge. The counter-culture of the 60s was also key in transforming pre-60s Paganism from a largely elite, niche eccentric hobby (see Churchill's college affiliation with a British Druid order) to the DIY, mass-based, and predominantly lower income movement that has developed since then. Nothing better illustrates that shift than comparing Starhawk; a writer, activist, and big name in modern Wiccan thought, to Gerald Gardner; an occultist, landed gentry, and gentleman of leisure.
 

Morty Vicar

Banned
This is maybe 'out there', but what about another Black Death type epidemic? Say for example a disease that's spread by close contact. In their panic people flock to church to pray, and priests visit from house to house, not realising they're actually spreading the disease further, espeically among the most devoutly religious and within the church hierarchy. At some level people see the connection, which may be enough to make them question their faith. On the other hand being superstitious people of the time, some revert to folk beliefs, and perhaps coincidentally some type of folk medicine, say a herb or ritual of some kind, actually helps prevent this disease. This scenario might be classed as ASB, not sure.
 
(though Wicca appears to be devoided of any nationalist or racist connotation)


Yeah but Wicca can only spread so far, it just isn't the kind of thing that could ever have wide appeal.

You would be surprised though how quickly a movement can spread and how quickly a religious or cultural shift can take root (think rise of Islam). I know a couple who were actually both pagans (of the western nature based kind, though not so fluffy as Wiccans), they both began moving towards paganism due to disillusionment with (separate) bad churches that caused them to abandon Christianity.

If this phenomena could be replicate over a wider scale and include prominent figures and members of the elite, it could grow into a rather large movement, though I doubt it would be able to outpace Christianity until sometime into the future, and would be vulnerable to reform movements within Christianity.
 
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