To the members of the guild

[LordNeuf]

Alright... I'm up to 840 words... now I just gotta figure out how to end it.

Anyone have a counter point about pagan modesty and fluff bunnyism?  

[LordNeuf]

One other thing I need for the magazine.

A graphic or picture.

Anyone care to draw out something to represent this guild or the members within?  

[Nomad of Nowhere]

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.

In regards to what some of the Apostles personally believed and wrote, actually. The need for taking into account cultural context in the Bible was what I was trying to get her to acknowledge.


LordNeuf: As in a defense of it?
 

[LordNeuf]

Teague the Druid

LordNeuf: As in a defense of it?

In defense of portraying your religious persuasion in society as an Orthodox Jew would or a Cestersian Monk.

The wearing your religion like a badge of honor aspect, that is not fluffbunnism.  

[Nomad of Nowhere]

Ah, that would make more sense. Well when I started to wear a pentacle to school and in public in general, it helped me meet several others who were neopagan. I suppose I felt like it was worth it to be labeled if it could help me find someone else of like beliefs, because I didn't have much contact with others who were part of a pagan path, and I recognized that I was isolated in a way.

I felt like I was the last kind of person at school that people would expect to be a "Satanist" or something. People were more likely to question it when they saw it on me, or note that someone pretty un-shocking and not fad inclined wore it freely - which could be informative to them. Some people did ask me, and the ones who weren't freaked out initially were so much more comfortable for me to be with. Also, of four wearers, I dressed normally and had pretty normal hair, whereas two others were goths and the other looked a bit like a hippie... so that was part of my motivation.

I'm a little iffy now, because it is a Wiccan symbol, so it might be more misinformative now, but I can certainly understand more than one reason for wearing it.
 

[Loona Wynd]

Name: LoonaWynd
Age: 22 (23 in November)

What do you consider a fluff bunny?

I consider a fluff bunny some one who doesn't do indepth research. They don't question what they read and take everything on face value. They typically don't care what culture they take from with out knowing much if anything about the cultures that they "claim" to work with.

If they are corrected on a fact, or even pointed in a direction, but refuse to listen, then they are a fluff. If they only embrace the "light" side of life then they are a fluff. Now I'm not saying that you need to focus on all the bad either, but to ignore the fact that we have two sides in life (light and dark) is ignorant.

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

Same as any other religious sect. We don't really have any specific place in the world. We are just normal people like any one else.

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

None what so ever. I leave my alter out in the open so any one can see it. I don't think it's a big deal.

What do you consider real problems for Pagans in America?

Restrictions in dorm rooms (ritual blades, candles, incence, ect)

How do you think Pagans should express themselves as Pagans?

How ever they would normally express them selves. If you have the space hold a gathering.

What political issues are important to you as a Pagan?

I'm not involved in politics.

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

I'm a solitary. No one else is like me smile .

Why did you come to this particular guild?

To learn what my early mistakes were and grow as a pagan.  

[LordNeuf]

loona wynd

Why did you come to this particular guild?

To learn what my early mistakes were and grow as a pagan.

What were some of your early mistakes?  

[Loona Wynd]

LordNeuf

loona wynd

Why did you come to this particular guild?

To learn what my early mistakes were and grow as a pagan.

What were some of your early mistakes?

False representation of deities was one, as was poor understanding of cultural bounds and limitations.  

[Sivirs]

I also think many breeds of fluff bunnies are only concerned with how they LOOK in the religion, rather than actually practicing the religion. They treat Paganism (or any religion they're in, honestly) like a fashion accessory and status symbol. Did you get the latest book? The cutest pentacle necklace? Did you post on that forum telling everyone how wise you are? Ooh, we have to start a coven, it's all the rage! I'll be the High Priestess because I thought it up! It's not hard, all you have to do is just stand there and look cute and chant some stuff that rhymes!

They want the Hollywood version of things. They want to be The Prophesied One, they want to be considered special and incredibly psychically talented for their age, they want people to look at them and think "Ooooh, coooool." Basically, they want to be an anime character. They want to APPEAR learned and incredibly talented, but they don't want to work towards developing their abilities or learning the practice of their declared religion. They want it all to drop in their lap, and failing that, they make it up. They want to be special at any cost and they want attention very badly, and lying is not an obstacle for them.

After all, life is so much more exciting if that headache isn't just a stress headache, it's A DEMONIC ATTACK! From your enemies that fear your power! And you feel so much more important if you're not just a high school student, you're A WARRIOR SAVING THE WORLD FROM THE END OF DAYS!  

[LordNeuf]

Ok I think I got all I need. Thank you everyone for your help.  

[Starlock]

Ah, if you don't need more that's fine... I very irregularly check this guild so I didn't see this thread until now. xd
Age: currently 24.75 or so (yes, I like being weird by adding decimals).
Path: plain old Neopagan is good enough.

What do you consider a fluff bunny?
I tend not to consider it as a category for labeling people, personally. Mostly I see it as a derogatory term slapped onto other practitioners by those who most often either have an axe to grind or are insecure in their own spiritual path. How those who often use the term define 'fluffy bunny' often gives you a pretty good idea of what axe they're grinding or what they dislike in others spiritual paths. There's a counterpoint for you, probably.

What do you see as the place for Pagans in American Society?
A subculture whose degree of influence exceeds what would be suggested by its numbers. Unlike most other new religious movements, it's easily accessible to the mainstream though as if now, remains subculture. It should be interesting to watch how things change over the next few decades.

Have you had any trouble practicing your religion at home/school/in society?
Nope. Not the sort you refer to, anyway. There's always the trouble of, say, figuring out how to make your altar work in your home or where the local Neopagan community networks are when you relocate...

What do you consider real problems for Pagans in America?
Among the biggest barriers right now for the movement is its general lack of places of worship or organized 'churches' and communities. The lack of such resources creates many additional issues. Being on a spiritual path you find enriching is all well and good, but it is so much more enriching to have a strong community collectively journeying on their paths who support each other and have the muster to buy land and an actual 'church' building.

How do you think Pagans should express themselves as Pagans?
However the individual Neopagan decides. Broadly speaking it should be consistent with their own Path while balancing the need to coexist within the greater culture of which they're a part.

What political issues are important to you as a Pagan?
In prime? In no particular order, science, education, and environment. Also community issues in general (e.g. urban planning, recreation activities) but primarily at a local level rather than state or national level.

Do you belong to a group, sect or coven, or are you a soloist?
Yes and no. I've been involved with local Neopagan communities when able to but none of them have been 'worship' groups so to speak. For that - given the sad lack of organization within Neopaganism - I've generally gravitated towards the UU church. Take that as you will.  

[TeaDidikai]

I do have one note that Starlock reminded me of.

Often times a Fluffy will use "Closed Minded" and "Open Minded" as a grading system. "Open Minded" people are good because they support (or do not actively correct) any of the factual errors the Fluffy might argue for.

"Closed Minded" people are the ones who call a Fluffy on an inaccuracy or assumption.

Bumpersticker philosophy suggests that "Minds are like Parachutes, they only function with open." This is twisted by Fluffies when they transition from reasonably considering a position and reviewing the information before forming a conclusion to "Any Conclusion that isn't mine is 'Closed Minded'."

To an extent, the "Closed Minded Traditionalist" has become the social opposite to the Fluffy, noting of course that such titles could be seen as caricatures.

It is also worth nothing that care should be taken that such titles are not misapplied. For example, Saetril is a member of this guild and a good friend. She's an eclectic-something. We have been friends for years, she stood by me at my wedding. There are people who would call her a fluffy simply because she is an Eclectic. That isn't any more appropriate than it would be to label Wing "Closed Minded" because having listened to someone rant about how Freya is a Moon Goddess, he points out that in Norse theology, the moon is male, and named Mani whereas Freya's association with the Moon is a byproduct of religious homogenization.  

[Starlock]

Myah, personally I don't equate open-mindedness with not correcting. All in all, I'm not a fan of the terms as a whole. A preferable description would come out of psychology. One's schemas are either more permeable or more concrete. Ones which are permeable are more open to change upon receipt of new information and ones which are concrete resist change. We all have a combination of both, so you could say we're all to some extent open/closed minded.

One can orient in one direction more often than another. Some folks operate with mostly permeable schemas and consequently tend to see lots of grey areas, some folks operate with mostly concrete schemas and consequently see lots of black and white. One might also compare it to a holistic approach versus a reductionist approach. Individuals on the two sides of the spectrum don't tend to see eye to eye very well as they approach looking at the world in fundamentally different ways (with a greater effect the further apart they are). Both approaches are useful in learning about something - or at least that's been my experience.  

[TeaDidikai]

Starlock

Myah, personally I don't equate open-mindedness with not correcting. All in all, I'm not a fan of the terms as a whole. A preferable description would come out of psychology. One's schemas are either more permeable or more concrete. Ones which are permeable are more open to change upon receipt of new information and ones which are concrete resist change. We all have a combination of both, so you could say we're all to some extent open/closed minded.

Except your review of the situation doesn't actually address the behavior.

While it may have psychological value (and thus warranting more study) it isn't socially accurate.  

[Starlock]

Want the behavioral part of it? I figured y'all could infer that but it might serve to lay it on the table. There's also more to schemas than just being concrete and permeable, but simplifying things is often the way to go on GO forums in general. xd