Dreamtime Consulting

The term "Mission" is used in several different ways, other than in the spiritual sense(and even here it ranges from the ambiguous to extremely narrow). Customer service seminars and workshops talk about the mission statement of the company. The Government has mission statements for just about anything, and even somethings we have not heard about. In this article, we will explore how Christianity and Paganism utilize this concept of "The Mission" in two different ways and yet arrive at the same common goals.

An interesting observation about mission statements is that none I have ever seen, give specific instructions on how to carry it out. For instance, as I lay snoozing in the park after trying to keep up with my two year old, I was suddenly awakened by someone calling out to me "Hello". I awoke with a start to find a gentleman standing in front of me and holding out a small cartoon book. I recognized it as one of the publications from a company called "Chick Publications", a very conservative(to say the least)organization. I politely declined with a "No thank you", twice, and then he went on his way. As I tried to go back to sleep, I found myself pondering this event and thinking about the Pagan community and how different they promote
their traditions.

The most obvious one which stood out was that someone from the Pagan community would not actively recruit. No Pagans have ever knocked on my door, asking me if I believe the world is going to end, I do not get tons of junk mail from pagan organizations telling me how absolutely necessary it is for me to donate to their cause. I am not accosted by Pagans with pamphlets when I am waiting for the Rose Parade to start, although some would consider Jews for Jesus a "non-Christian" organization. No one from the pagan community has ever woken me from a sound sleep, although plenty of Christian missionaries have, to the point of continuously knocking until someone comes to the door.

What is the fundamental (no pun intended) difference between the two? The difference is not so clear as we would like to think, but the root of it pertains to personal choice and respect. Both Pagans and Christians have the same goal in mind, to make the world and it's people better than they currently are. But how to carry out that mission is done much differently from tradition to tradition.

Christianity takes a more aggressive approach, and indeed are instructed to "go unto all the world" in their sacred literature and preach the good news. Yet, no specifics are given as to how to do this, other than different instructions from church to church. On the other spectrum, Paganism has absolutely no recruitment goals, simply co-existence with other systems of belief. Those in the Pagan community have seen this change slightly, in the respect of increasing public awareness and education, which in itself could be considered a recruitment process, if it was not for the fact this is done to counteract misinformation and thus becomes more of an act of survival, more than an act of recruitment to the religion.

Another difference is the respect of boundaries. My experience in the park was NOT a typical interaction with a "missionary. Usually I have to become very rude, before it finally sinks in that I said "No thank you". However, this interaction was also very typical in that contact should never have been made in the first place. Anyone with an ounce of common sense could see I was asleep, and thus should not be disturbed. Yet, this boundary(a very personal one) was violated and what was worse it was an intentional violation and there was no apology or remorse(not that I really expected any but I would like to be surprised once in a while). One knock on my door is sufficient, if I am in I will answer, if I do not answer it means I am not in or am not able to get to the door(the reason(s) why are irrel-evant). When I say no, I mean no. I am always clear and precise and yet the folks remain.

In the pagan community I seldom, if ever, have these difficulties. In fact the opposite is true, if I want to be left alone I simply ask to be and it is so. There is a free exchange of ideas and beliefs, without the air of malice or condescending looks as if in some way I am being done a favor or being made someone's "project". The core difference which is the key is the element of acceptance. For many in the Christian traditions, acceptance comes only if you are part of the community. Otherwise you somehow fall beneath everyone else. Personal boundaries are seen as barriers to overcome, which sets adversity as the tone of the mission. This is not surprising considering the military history of Christianity which went from the Roman Empire of Romulus and Remus, to the Roman Empire of the Roman Church and it's descendants.

The need for specific guidelines is necessary not because it is a way to buy yourself into paradise, but because we live in a world together as a global community and as such the relations between each human being is important. Spiritual blackmail, such as making a person sit through a religious service as a condition for receiving a meal or other assistance, is more damaging than good. When you step onto a person's property, you remain there by their consent. Should they tell you to leave, or say no thank you, you do not remain but you leave at once. This pertains to not just spiritual matters but other areas as well. In the same breath, sitting idle is not good either or just letting the world pass you by. A key component to any spiritual life is to make it active. It can be something as simple as having those who are part of circle, bring a donation of canned food or clothing which is to be donated to a charity, or setting up a booth at a street fair and making available information about the pagan way of life and maybe a schedule of upcoming rituals which will be open to all those who want to attend. If a person says no, no it is. Do not shove literature in their face, for while many will take it I can guarantee it will go unread. It will be taken not out of interest, but because the people don't wish to be bothered and will take it just to be rid of you. Sorry to inform Chick Publications of this reality but that is the reality of unsolicited literature. Although, there is a positive side to this, it can be recycled.

The need for specific conduct in upholding the mission of any agency or organization is essential, and good public relations. Unfortunately it takes more effort to establish specific guidelines, and is easier just to let people run loose. Thus, a few bad apples do spoil the bunch. The first impression is often the one which is the lasting one. So common sense states it needs to be a positive encounter, not where I am woken up from a sound sleep.