To the members of the guild

[Violet Song jat Shariff]

I'll take a crack at this; I don't have answers to some because I'm sort of indifferent to the issue or I haven't given it much thought and would rather keep quiet than make a fool of myself over it.

Violet, 23, Asatru

LordNeuf

What do you consider a fluff bunny?

Someone who is willfully ignorant to the more scholarly aspects of the religion they profess to be a member of on the basis that it doesn't mesh with the beliefs of light and goodness they have set up. And when faced with this information, rather than accept it and learn from it, toss it out while whining about how you're not being "open-minded" to their poorly constructed beliefs or you're "persecuting" them.

Quote:

What do you see as the place for Pagans in American Society?

I haven't given this much thought.

Quote:

Have you had any trouble practicing your religion at home/school/in society?

Nope. I go about it quietly and in private. I don't see the need to let anyone know when or what I'm practicing if it doesn't involve them in some way.

Quote:

What do you consider real problems for Pagans in America?

The spread of misinformation. Sometimes it seems that misinformation spreads and sticks faster and easier than actual information could ever hope to.

Quote:

How do you think Pagans should express themselves as Pagans?

I haven't given it much thought.

Quote:

What political issues are important to you as a Pagan?

I don't approach politics as a Pagan; I approach it from either a conservative or a liberal standpoint. I've had my political persuasion longer than I've been Pagan, and being Pagan hasn't really altered those views. I have issues that are important to me as a liberal or a conservative, not as a Pagan.

Quote:

Do you belong to a group, sect or coven, or are you a soloist?

Sadly no. I wish there were intelligent, well-structured groups to be a part of though.

Quote:

Why did you come to this particular guild?

To lurk and learn. Sometimes I get brave and make a few posts wink  

[LordNeuf]

Sivirs

So there you go. Textbook fluff bunny.

Would it be fair to say that the root cause of the misinformation is failure to communicate?  

[LordNeuf]

FIRST DRAFT OF ARTICLE
(posted here for people to either agree with or disagree with or wish to make a quote or statement, I'm up to the part where I'm going to talk about this guild.)

The Internet is a powerful tool. It is the great library and font of knowledge and wisdom for many who wish to expand their horizons and better understand the world around them. However this great tool is double edged. The internet can turn out bad information and untruths as well. It can be very confusing for those just learning about Paganism and Witchcraft and may give young impressionable novices a deception of what it is to be a Pagan, a Witch or a Wiccan, and what the differences are.

There are many different internet based groups try to appeal to teenagers. However many of their websites are out of date and their internet community long disbanded. Leaving newcomers with a scatter shot of information and no one to help interpret their messages. Alternatively some novices may have read one or two books on the subject, and due to an insular nature choose to see themselves as being the only authority on the subject, choosing to disregard anyone who says otherwise. This has led to an unfortunate trend in novices, being labeled as "fluff bunnies."

Fluff bunnies have a tendency to want to be more than they are in regards to witchcraft, sometimes combining the old ways of ancient and medieval polytheism with Marxist philosophies and in some cases play the persecution card as their motives for trying to relive the old ways. Sometimes fluff bunnies will just make up missing information rather than do the research. This has led to more myths about the burning times than actual historical truths, being acknowledged as facts among those learning about Wicca and Paganism.

Every religion has detractors. From Shamanism to Scientology there will always be a group that finds one religious idiot and tries to paint the rest the same. Fred Phelps does not represent Christianity as a whole any more than Osama Bin Laden represents the All of Islam. However detractors always focus on the ones who do the most damage to their own religion, and fluff bunnies represent the worst of Wicca.

The rise of the fluff bunny has been cited by non pagans as to what Wicca is and what Witches are. Some believe that being a pagan is an excuse for teenage rebellion, deviant behavior and just an excuse for being eccentric. Others have taken a tone of mockery against Wicca as a whole. Blogs across the internet are full of articles stating that Wicca has pretending to be an ancient religion since 1958, or that Yule is simply Christmas for people who hate their parents. This only causes fluff bunnies to go on the offensive and beat people over the head with the Wiccan Rede, sometimes literally. Many practicing Neo-Pagans see the failure of communication and misinformation that represents fluff bunnies being what causes most of the fear, mistrust and loathing of pagans as a whole.  

[TeaDidikai]

LordNeuf

Would it be fair to say that the root cause of the misinformation is failure to communicate?

The bulk of the misinformation is not a failure to communicate, but the communication of inaccurate positions that are perpetuated by individuals novices look up to as experts.

There was a time when you could not mention Wicca without hearing how nine million Wiccan Women had been burned at the stake. "Never Again The Burning Times!" was a battle cry for many people, because it fed back into that sense of tradition and it fueled their desire to be apart from the majority. Poorly researched understandings of the Inquisition's role in Europe was twisted to perpetuated even worse understandings of witchcraft in Europe. Margaret Murray's theories on witchcraft that went so far as to assert that St. Joan of Arc herself was a witch were debunked in her own time by authors such as Norman Cohn.

There is a level of Cognitive Dissonance involved when the historical facts do not support the myth behind the premise. The desire for this myth is what perpetuates the misinformation in the Pagan Scene.  

[TeaDidikai]

Quote:

Alternatively some novices may have read one or two books on the subject, and due to an insular nature choose to see themselves as being the only authority on the subject, choosing to disregard anyone who says otherwise. This has led to an unfortunate trend in novices, being labeled as "fluff bunnies."

Alternatively they will also identify other authors as "the only authority on the subject", authors that fuel their ideas to the exclusion of better researched works.

Quote:

Fluff bunnies have a tendency to want to be more than they are in regards to witchcraft, sometimes combining the old ways of ancient and medieval polytheism with Marxist philosophies and in some cases play the persecution card as their motives for trying to relive the old ways.

It think it is more accurate to say the persecution card is played as a way to defend their position, rather than it is a motive unto itself.

Quote:

However detractors always focus on the ones who do the most damage to their own religion, and fluff bunnies represent the worst of Wicca.

I wouldn't say that Fluffies represent the worst of Wicca- but Paganism as a whole.  

[TeaDidikai]

I think it is important to note that disagreeing with a group does not make a person a Fluffy, but how they go about it can. When I first joined Gaia I contested a lot of the assertions that can sometimes be taken for granted in established communities. What made me different from the Fluffies who do the same in how I did so. I relied on their assumptions to construct arguments, rather than dismissing them out of hand.  

[Cranium Squirrel]

LordNeuf

So if you wish to give a statement for me to use in my article, include just your age for me. If you want you can add other information like how long you have been practicing and what particular pagan you are. (IE : Wicca, Eclectic Pagan, Nordic Traditionalist, Celtic Traditionalist, etc etc.)

Meg, 28. Practicing Mahayana Buddhist, with heavy Theravadan underpinnings, for a bit over six years now.

Quote:

What do you consider a fluff bunny?

As has been bandied about already in thread, I'm going with 'someone who, when faced with scholarly refutation of their beliefs, turns a willing blind eye to the facts and continues life as if the facts do not exist' - a willingly ignorant person.

I find this can apply to any faith or belief structure, even outside religions, and many parts of the world are full of people who would rather plug their ears to truth and continue on their self-aggrandizing path than let go and admit that they had a wrong thought. It's a very human defense mechanism, and I don't blame them for it - I'm just frequently saddened by the pain it causes them and others.

Quote:

Have you had any trouble practicing your religion at home/school/in society?

None whatsoever, but I'm pretty quiet about it. No one really knows me as Buddhist unless I actually tell them. I told a few members of Campus Ministry this last year, and they seem more facinated by it than anything else. They even offered me the use of the small room next to their office for meditation, if I want it.

Quote:

What do you consider real problems for Pagans in America?

To be honest, the behavior of some of their own bretheren. Loudmouthed, huge pentacle wearing, curse-throwing teenage fluff Wiccans are, by far, the most damaging thing I've seen to the overall reputation of Pagans in North America on the whole - people who have been exposed to that brand of Pagan, but not the more laid back, everyday people sort, assume the worst of the whole group. This is often made much worse by the fact that many of the perpetrators of this image are fluff bunnies, and refuse to change their views when presented with the truth.

Quote:

How do you think Pagans should express themselves as Pagans?

I don't see why faith on the whole should be broadcast to outsiders, to be honest. If people are curious about what you practice, they will ask. Otherwise, your practice is yours, and your business alone. This is not something I restrict to Pagans, by the way, but my standard issue religion-sharing belief.

Quote:

Do you belong to a group, sect or coven, or are you a soloist?

Given that sangha (community) is an important facet of Buddhism, I'd really love to belong to a local one. Unfortunately there isn't one where I live, or anywhere near it. I am instead part of an online one, and my husband (who is Theravadan Buddhist) and myself frequently engage in debate and discussion about the finer points of belief.

Quote:

Why did you come to this particular guild?

To be honest, I don't entirely remember. I think it was a combination of wating to learn these things myself and being on hand in case of needed Buddhist debunkings.  

[LordNeuf]

MISSION STATEMENT OF PFRC
(I want to make sure I got the right information and I'm not giving the wrong impression when I talk of this guild as a whole.)

Gaia Online is a social network which markets itself to teenagers and young adults, and on Gaia Online there is the Pagan Fluffy Rehabilitation Center. A guild started by members of Gaia Online to bring the issue of fluff bunnies and how they affect pagans in society both online and off. The Pagan Fluffy Rehabilitation Center has over 1200 members and is the largest pagan related guild on Gaia Online. The guild's members include polytheists and monotheists who openly discuss their own religion as well as each others to offer a large interactive reference library, dispelling myths and quieting those who would demonize such intellectual discussions. Many of the regular participants in these discussions are adults who use their wisdom to help shape many of the younger members of the guild into not being hostile towards those who have questions.  

[Taliah]

Would there be such a thing as Christian fluff bunnies?

I ask because my mother holds to the old view of pagans... that they do what they do in the name of Satan. Also, that all the New Age paganism is a way to lure people away from God, and that it's the devil tricking everyone by saying it's actually good or better than Christianity.

It's because of this reasoning that I hesitate to tell my family of my spiritual views outright.

I do tend to drop hints though... My mother once mentioned prayer worked because it was God's work. I mentioned that perhaps it could also include a focus of mental energies, or perhaps belief, that...say... you send to a loved one who is sick. She looked at me suspciously after saying this, and asked me if I was still with God. My reasoning was that prayer seemed similar to meditation or another form- as both work toward the goal of helping the sick loved one.

Did I give my mother a fair idea of what I meant? Or did I miss something important? Please, feel free to add or point out anything you feel would have been more proper or accurate.  

[TeaDidikai]

LordNeuf, the Rehab Guild also has atheists, monists, pantheists, panendeists, deists... and a slue of other understandings of deity.

Taliah

Would there be such a thing as Christian fluff bunnies?

Yep. Christian Fluffs do exist, though over time they have developed whole denominations that endorse certain fluffy behavior.

There are also Atheistic Fluffies, Jewish Fluffies... you get the idea.

Keep in mind when it comes to assertions about another tradition there is a difference between commenting on the objective assertions another path makes and what internal opinions about the validity of those assertions are. For example, one can objectively demonstrate that Nuri as a Hellenic Pagan does not claim to worship the being known as Satan in her rites. Her rites clearly evoke deities of the Hellenic Pantheon. However- the notion that Nuri is ignorant of her gods "true nature" is internally consistent within the mainstream understanding of the texts. It's still fallacious, but unto itself it isn't Fluffy. UPG is not unto itself Fluffy.  

[Nomad of Nowhere]

My mom's cool and I know it. I'm a coward with my dad on a couple of levels. Don't look at me for help. sweatdrop

So a Christian Fluffy would probably fit the profile of the girl I met on the train who said that the Bible had no sexism. Yes... I had an argument on a train. I have a problem, and I am aware of it.  

[LordNeuf]

TeaDidikai

LordNeuf, the Rehab Guild also has atheists, monists, pantheists, panendeists, deists... and a slue of other understandings of deity.

Yeah but I wanted to keep it in more general terms. The economy of words and all that.  

[Cranium Squirrel]

TeaDidikai

Yep. Christian Fluffs do exist, though over time they have developed whole denominations that endorse certain fluffy behavior.

There are also Atheistic Fluffies, Jewish Fluffies... you get the idea.

QFT. I've said similar in my response to the fluff question itself; every faith and every viewpoint has fluffs. People unwilling to listen to rational thinking about their chosen subject/faith, who ignore research as being incorrect despite where it comes from, who just peg everything on their own beliefs and who fight like caged animals when someone tries to offer them the truth, ignoring it in the end for their own systems. 3nodding  

[Taliah]

That helps, actually. Thank you ^^.  

[TeaDidikai]

Teague the Druid

My mom's cool and I know it. I'm a coward with my dad on a couple of levels. Don't look at me for help. sweatdrop

So a Christian Fluffy would probably fit the profile of the girl I met on the train who said that the Bible had no sexism. Yes... I had an argument on a train. I have a problem, and I am aware of it.

Depends on the assertions she made. If she was suggesting that there is no active discrimination, merely cultural expectations for behavior, I'd agree with her.