Christianity and Paganism

[Perun]

Largely touching St. Patrick's methods of dealing with Celtic paganism, but gives a good overview of Christian attitudes towards paganism altogether.

“Little is known of Patrick’s specific conversion methods. The tale about his using a shamrock to explain the Trinity is almost certainly untrue. It would have been unnecessary. A common theme throughout Celtic religion is triune gods – gods with three manifestations, gods who travel in threes, or gods with three heads. We know this about pagan Celtic religion partly through archeology, but also because later Celtic scribes believed, like Patrick, that pagan religions were pre-Christian rather than anti-Christian. Early and medieval Christian believed Paul’s words that ‘ever since the creation of the world, God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and are seen through the things he has made’ (Romans 1:20). Paul himself exemplified this belief in Athens. He was ‘deeply distressed to see that the city was full of idols’, but used them in evangelism. ‘I see how extremely religious you are in every way,’ Paul told the Athenians. ‘I found an altar with the inscription, “To an unknown god”. What therefore you worship unknown, this I proclaim to you’ (Acts 17:16ff.). Pagan beliefs were therefore part of the ‘eternity written on the hearts’ of those who never had the chance to hear the full truth.



This is not to say that Patrick and his contemporaries in any way approved of paganism as a distant relative to their religion. On the contrary, they believed that the pagan gods and other supernatural beings likely did exist, but were demons. The old pagan stories did not have to be expelled, they only had to be reinterpreted. Miracles, magic and mysteries probably did occur, the Christians reasoned. Even Pharaoh’s magicians had powers – but the God of Moses was more powerful, and more importantly, he was good.”

--Ted Olsen Christianity and the Celts pg 70-71