Sotuknang gave the first people speech, a different language to each color, with respect for each other's difference. He gave them the wisdom and the power to reproduce and multiply. Then he said to them, "With all of these I have given you this world to live on and be happy. There is only one thing I ask of you. To respect the Creator at all times. Wisdom, harmony and respect for the love of the Creator who made you. May it grow and never be forgotten among you as long as you live." Hopi creation belief.


"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." The book of Mark.

It is interesting to note the feel of these two passages, both sacred writings which have shaped the philosophy of a people. Both have been central to the spiritual traditions, one of the Hopi Indians and the other to the Christian church. Yet each has been followed much differently, and in the case of the Christian church placed both life views in direct opposition to each other. Just by reading both accounts we see a distinct difference in how one is to interact with the world around them.

The concept of conversion for the Christian tradition is one which seems to be unique as compared with other traditions. Within the Christian church there is an underlying tension to bring the world into compliance with the Christian doctrines. Aside from the fact there is distinct difference between Christian Spirituality and Christian Doctrine, the conversion philosophy sets the tone for an exclusive spiritual experience within narrow guidelines and the approval of not of deity but of a select group of people. Non-conformity is dealt with very harshly.

It has been interesting to see the pagan community take the opposite stance. There is no conversion movement within paganism, no pressure to join study groups etc.... I would be very surprised indeed if someone knocked on my door and introduced themselves as pagan, telling me they wanted to talk to me about the plan of the Goddess for me. Instead, there is an unspoken understanding in the pagan community that difference is welcomed, and expected and opposition to tolerance is not welcomed or condoned.

Let us look at the implications of a conversion philosophy. The first implication is that I need the guidance of a specific spiritual community. A community which doesn't know or bother to ask if I already belong to it. If I decline the visit, I am seen as a heretic, un-enlightened, uneducated and morally corrupt. In what I assume is a compassionate attempt at one more chance, the issue is pushed and my judgment questioned. If I say yes, then the assumption is made I have consented to be part of this community and from that point if I decline, I once again become outcast.

In a civilized world I suppose this is acceptable. After all, the crusades were the ultimate act of conversion and all they did was to serve to alienate the Islamic and Arabic people. The exchange of information was not a welcome act, as evidence by the destruction of the libraries of Alexandria, Cairo and others. In a more civilized world, peaceful door to door conquest is more politically correct.

In the pagan community, such exchanges of information are welcome and are approached as simply an exchange of ideas, to be accepted or discarded is no matter, for the real focus is the fellowship and possibility of learning and exchanging ways of spiritual growth. For the Native American world, this idea is central and it was with great confusion and sorrow they watched as the church expected them to drop the beliefs which they lived by all their life, and encouraged such abandonment by enslavement and slaughter.

At this point I can hear someone ask "But what of Rome who put to death many Christians?" I reply yes that is a detestable event. However, it was not the religion which was the reason for persecution. If that was the case the Roman empire would never have allowed Hebrew legions to fight along side Roman soldiers. The action was political, not religious. The Jewish religion believed in a Messiah and had their own king, and Rome let them believe. Rome could care less what religions survived their conquest, as long as the people were subjects of Rome. Understandably Christianity became suspect because their God was not Caesar, yet nor were many pagan peoples. The Celtic tribes were considered barbaric and Pagan, but had they bowed to Rome would have been allowed to continue practicing their religion.

Yet this idea of conversion, or rather conquest, has remained a foundation of the church teachings. Yet if it was easily modified to a focus on sharing with no expectations and hearing how others view the world around them, there would be more receptivity to the Christian tradition. Granted this is a two way street, because I have seen some pagans be openly antagonistic, or smugly mutter how wonderful it is to be enlightened when their Christian counter-parts are not.

As it was, the principle of conversion failed to work. While it forced people into a way of life they did not want, it did not create conformity. Adaptable creatures human beings are, and as such they adapted the Christian tradition to fit their own cosmos. The Virgin Mary was recognized, by both Christian and Pagan folk alike, a Goddess figure. The pictures of Mary seated on a throne with the Christ child in her lap, are very similar to the pictures of Egypt where Isis sits on the throne and a child suckles in her lap. Psychologically, this is an Archetype of the Dual Mother(Both Goddess and Mother)and is manifested in various ways, the more notable in fairy tales with a "Fairy God-Mother", or the Christian tradition where Christ is both Human and God. The dual Archetypes appear in many cultures, if not all.

What should our response be to all of this? First and foremost we need to be more open. Christians need to be more tolerant, and Pagans need to stop taking the Christian religion as a personal affront to them. Once one understands the dynamic behind the conversion philosophy, one can not only make the appropriate changes to it but also increase the level of tolerance towards it. Secondly we must remember that the Spiritual aspects of Christianity are very often much different from the doctrinal aspects. Pagan and Christian spirituality alike both embody the Hopi idea at the beginning of this article. Doctrinal and political climates have obscured this, but it is still there, as much a part of us as it was for those in our long ago past.