The Pagan Phenomenon

In an article published in the “Washington Times”, March 4, 2005, Uwe Seimon-Netto writes of the demise of secular or “scientific” atheism. As an idea, atheism is no longer taken seriously by large groups of influential people in Europe or the United States. Seimon-Netto states two reasons for its demise. The first reason cited is that modern science has lost a great deal of stock with the emergence of the Intelligent Design movement and other leading edge science. Naturalistic evolutionary dogma holds that a material world with incredible complexity materialized by mere random chance. Evolution simply does not pass any reasonable muster in the light of current scientific investigation. New technology can look more deeply into the macro and microcosms than ever before and is rendering information pointing to something much more than random chance as the origin of all that we observe in the physical universe. The second reason cited in the article mentioned above for material atheism’s diminishing popularity is the inhumane and loony ideas that have resulted from political systems informed and organized around atheistic philosophy. The Soviet Union, North Korea, Communist China, Cuba, and Pol Pot’s Cambodia do not offer examples of desirable societies built on the philosophical foundations of atheism.

So, what is the result of this demise of atheism? For those who are evangelical or orthodox Christians it would be natural to rejoice assuming that once again Biblical truth has emerged victorious after a great protracted struggle. We should pause before we go too far down the road of celebration. Another religion is vying for ascendance in the United States and on virtually every other continent on this planet. The religion is paganism and while it may be “new” to us, its roots are ancient. Paganism has historically been the most formidable enemy of revealed Biblical truth. It offers a comprehensive world-view. It sneers at post modernity and its nihilistic frivolity. It offers a compelling explanation of transcendence and meaning. This contemporary version of pagan spirituality also offers an insidious, toxic mix of truth and lies retrofitted seductively to man’s falleness and separation from He Who is truly God. There is growing fear that many are being deceived and will ultimately be seduced by this global neo-pagan revival. Rev. Gerald McDermott, an Episcopal priest says, “The rise of all sorts of paganism is creating a false spirituality that proves to be a more dangerous rival to the Christian faith than atheism.”

Dr. Peter Jones has spent the last several years speaking and writing about this explosive emergence of contemporary pagan spirituality around the world. During a phone conversation with him, Dr. Jones spoke to me about his concern with the ignorance of evangelical and orthodox Christians. He said, “Unless we come to terms with what is happening and begin to equip our children to avoid the pagan seduction, we will lose them.” While Dr. Jones believes that the truth of God will ultimately triumph, he is concerned that many of this and the next generation will succumb to the allure of pagan spirituality. The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, was a wildly popular fictional account of the life of Jesus based on a group of writings called the Gnostic Gospels. These collections were written during the first century following the time of the writing of the New Testament. Dan Brown depicts the Gnostic Jesus as a totally different kind of Messiah than the one we read about in the Gospel accounts. In The Da Vince Code Jesus becomes a fun loving guru who is not particularly moral. Dan Brown’s Jesus brings to humanity a hope for higher spiritual consciousness and fulfillment without the moral absolutes and prohibitions on which human nature easily chafes. Young and old alike read The Da Vinci Code and considered the alternatives presented by Dan Brown to the Logos of God made flesh, revealed in the Gospel of John and other New Testament Gospels, to be a refreshing change for post moderns.


Those who minimize this spiritual threat to biblical faith or merely dismiss the resurgence of pagan spirituality as a passing fad are disregarding one very real historic reality. Paganism is the preferred religion based upon “THE LIE” first told to our parents in the Garden. Fallen humans have and always will be susceptible to its seductive allure.