The Last PantheaCon

PantheaCon was the largest Pagan convention in the world.

Started in 1994, PantheaCon developed into one of the most important gatherings for the growing neo-Pagan community…[An] annual conference, the event became a national focal point where Pagans of all sorts could network and advance new ideas.

As a Christian researcher on worldview issues, PantheaCon had been on my go-to list for a long time. Ironically, the first one I attended was to be the last. PantheaCon 2020, from February 14 to 17, was the final installment in its 26 years of operations.

Why? Because the Pagan community has been experiencing internal tensions, particularly regarding LGBTQ issues, racism, exclusionary practices, and personality conflicts. And to the point, PantheaCon itself had become central to these dramas.

Adding to this was the event’s increasing size and complexity. PantheaCon’s core team was experiencing burnout, and it was announced months before the convention that this would be its last hurrah.… On the last day we were told another group would take the helm [and] “[we] will be creating a new and truly inclusive ….”

Imposed tolerance hovered over the convention like an unseen force. This is noteworthy given that the Pagan community is, broadly speaking, politically and socially left-of-center, highlighting progressive and radical ideals. The irony, of course, is that its own virtue signaling had become overbearing.

Helping attendees navigate this space was a zero-tolerance policy on racism. However, on the first day I experienced an interesting hiccup.Upon discovering I was a religious researcher from Canada, I was invited by a Hispanic Witch to attend the Pagans of Color Caucus (POC). I was thankful for the offer but pointed to the POC program description: “The caucus is a space for self-identified people of color only.”

Briefly I explained that I didn’t color identify, and that we are all humans irrespective of skin tone. The Witch agreed heartily, beckoning me to attend under her auspices.

“But that would be hypocritical,” I responded, stating that as I didn’t identify as a person of color – and that POC had placed upon itself racial limitations – I must be excluded by default. Recognizing the double bind, she quietly said, “I see your point.”

Other tensions were evident. The program guide for the TransCaucus said: “If you’re cis, please don’t come – this is our time.”

While these stress lines are noteworthy, my research interests were broader. A special area of attention was the issue of post-Christian identity. Of those Pagans attending, would I find any claims of being formerly Christians? If so, what church branches or denominational connections could be made? And could I recognize points of departure from the Christian faith?

Although I didn’t conduct a formal survey, the general observation was that many had a Christian background. In one workshop a coven priest explained he had grown up in an evangelical family, and that he had attended Bible college where he focused on apologetics – his aim, at the time,was to become a pastor. Christian backgrounds emerged in other workshops,…Some had emerged from Roman Catholicism, but I heard more voices of former Protestants and evangelicals than Catholics.

Four main points of departure could be ascertained. Regardless of what you or I may think about reasons for people leaving the faith, this is what had been generally communicated,

Paranormal experiences: Individuals claiming to have paranormal encounters and/or psychic abilities, and when/if they approached church leadership, they were told to ignore it or given non-answers.The search for answers then went outside the faith.

Theological problems: Receiving pat-answers or non-answers to personally troubling questions of faith, resulting in frustration and non-resolution, and then distancing from church [and] the quest resumes outside the Christian faith.

Social concerns: Some blame church hypocrisy or lack-of-interest regarding LGBTQ issues, climate change, and privilege politics. As the Pagan community is typically left-of-center, this becomes an attractive home for spiritual activists with progressive notions.

Transformative Experiences: Christianity is dull or dead, so the argument goes.

Lessons can be learned from these points, especially the need to listen to those who are struggling or having unusual encounters, and then to seek true and meaningful answers together. Counter positions could also be made, particularly regarding experiences, such as the fact that Christianity is primarily a trust in God irrespective of ecstasies, individual feelings, or supra normal occurrences. That said, a Wiccan who was once a church youth leader writes, “Somehow Christianity has made the resurrection of Jesus – think about it for a second, it’s a guy coming back from the dead! – boring.”

https://midwestoutreach.org/2020/06/18/the-last-pantheacon/