What Counts as Religion? Exploring Freedom and Recognition in NeoPagan Spirituality
Imagine standing before a judge, trying to explain the spiritual meaning behind a handmade altar or a symbol drawn in the dirt—a sacred expression rooted in your connection to the Divine and the world around you. It’s a bit like trying to describe the taste of honey to someone who’s only ever known salt—intensely personal, often misunderstood, and utterly vital to your being. Just as honey’s sweetness can only be truly appreciated through experience, so too are our spiritual practices best understood through living them. Imagine having to defend your rituals and practices against a societal framework that demands a clear, legal definition of what qualifies as religion. This is the heart of the challenge explored in Winnifred Fallers Sullivan’s The Impossibility of Religious Freedom and one that profoundly resonates with NeoPagan practitioners.
The book focuses on a legal case in Boca Raton, Florida, where individuals’ personal expressions of faith—statues, plantings, and small shrines on graves—were deemed noncompliant with city regulations. While this case did not involve NeoPagans specifically, it raises broader questions about how diverse religious practices are recognized and protected, which have significant implications for NeoPagan communities. This story, though not about NeoPagans, offers a sobering lens through which we, as NeoPagans, can examine our place in a society that often struggles to understand spirituality outside institutionalized frameworks.
The Challenge of Defining Religion
What does it mean for something to “count” as religion? Is it like defining what qualifies as art—a harmonious blend of personal expression and cultural resonance—or as mysterious as defining love itself? These intangible concepts challenge the boundaries of logic and demand a leap into the numinous. Courts and lawmakers typically lean on criteria such as sacred texts, clergy, formal doctrines, and organized rituals. These hallmarks are a poor fit for the fluid, decentralized, and deeply personal nature of NeoPaganism. While some traditions, like Wicca or Druidry, may have more structure, the majority of NeoPagan practices celebrate individuality and adaptability. How do we articulate the sacredness of casting a circle in the woods, honoring ancestors, or connecting with the elements when such acts defy conventional definitions?
This legal rigidity underscores a larger question: Why does defining religion matter? For many, it’s about recognition and rights. Religious freedom laws provide protections, but only for those whose practices are recognized as “legitimate” under the law. This leaves many NeoPagans in a precarious position, particularly when our spirituality doesn’t fit neatly into preexisting boxes.
The Struggle for Recognition
The Boca Raton case highlighted the disconnect between “lived religion”—the organic, everyday practices of ordinary people—and “legal religion,” which courts try to categorize and regulate. This divide serves as a mirror for the challenges NeoPagans face in a society often blind to our nuanced and deeply personal spirituality. Whether it’s fighting for the right to hold ceremonies in public parks, ensuring access to sacred spaces, or even gaining recognition for holidays, we are often navigating a world that doesn’t fully see us. In the absence of broad societal recognition, the resilience of our lived practices becomes a powerful testament to the enduring spirit of NeoPaganism.
Recognition matters, not just for legal protections but also for ensuring that our practices are seen and respected. For NeoPagans, having some form of legal recognition can provide necessary protections for our practices, while also offering validation that our diverse spiritual paths are acknowledged as meaningful and legitimate. Yet, as NeoPagans, we must also ask: Do we need external validation to affirm our spiritual paths? Can we find strength in knowing our practices are sacred, regardless of societal recognition?
The Power of Lived Religion
There is beauty and resilience in “lived religion.” It’s found in the spontaneous rituals of a solitary witch, the shared traditions of a coven, or the quiet devotion of someone leaving offerings at a tree. These acts may not be seen as “official” religion, but they carry deep significance. They connect us to the Divine, to the Earth, and to each other.
As NeoPagans, our practices challenge societal norms by blurring the lines between the sacred and the everyday. A garden can be an altar. A song can be a prayer. These expressions may not fit within legal definitions, but they are powerful reminders that spirituality is as diverse as humanity itself.
Freedom Beyond the Law
The struggle for religious freedom often brings us back to a fundamental question: Can true freedom exist within systems that demand boundaries and definitions? Laws can protect, but they can also exclude. As Sullivan’s work illustrates, legal systems often fail to accommodate the richness and complexity of real-world spirituality.
Perhaps the answer lies not in seeking validation from external systems but in nurturing sacred spaces within our own communities. By embracing the diversity of our spiritual practices, we create a mosaic of shared wisdom and mutual respect that inspires and empowers us all. How can we, as NeoPagans, create spaces that honor and support the diversity of spiritual expressions among us? What small act can you take today to nurture this kind of space? How can we advocate for one another while respecting the unique paths we each walk?
An Invitation to Reflect
So, what counts as religion? Is it the sacred texts we study, the rituals we perform, or the way we live our lives? Is it something that can ever truly be defined, or is it an experience that transcends words and laws?
As you ponder these questions, I invite you to reflect on your own practices:
- • What does religious freedom mean to you?
- • How do you navigate the tension between personal spirituality and societal recognition?
- • In what ways can we, as a community, support and uplift each other’s diverse expressions of faith?
Perhaps we will find that freedom is not about fitting into predefined categories but about embracing the beautiful complexity of the sacred—within ourselves, our communities, and the world around us. Just as describing honey to a stranger requires care and patience, creating space for diverse spiritual expressions calls for intention and love. Let us move forward with open hearts and steady hands, knowing that each gesture of kindness, every small step of understanding, creates ripples that shape a world where all paths to the sacred can flourish and every voice finds its song.
