"When nature endowed us with the capacity to feel that emotion, it was not an error."

Very well put. I tend to think that this mistrust of the full range of one's emotional responses has it's roots in the doctrine of Original Sin, itself a form of social control and part of the "social engineering" you allude to below. Why should Pagans, who tend to reject the notion of Original Sin, cling to its implications?

There are a number of non-Wiccan traditions that require some form of initiation. In Theodism, thralldom has somewhat of an initiatory purpose, for example.

I stand corrected.

"3. We don't see divinity as transcendent..."

I would argue that some folks, like me, see divinity as both immanent and transcendent. It is probably the case that no Pagans see divinity as purely transcendent and not immanent, although I could be wrong (Platonism springs to mind).

"7. We don't see time as leading linearly to an final apocalypse or heaven (some heathens who believe in Ragnarok may disagree -- but even Ragnarok is followed by a new creation)...."

Eschatology often occurs in the myths of cultures with a cyclical sense of time, so I don't think that Ragnarok poses any real difficulties.

In Theodism, we used to use the terms Neoheathen (usually to refer to Asatru), Retroheathen (to refer to ourselves), and Paleoheathen (to refer to pre-Conversion Heathens). I think that a similar usage of neo-, retro-, and paleo- might be useful in this context.

"it is you who have tarred all Recons/Heathens..."

You are trying to shift blame. How, exactly, have I "tarred" all Recons/Heathens? I have not; instead, I have spoken up against your innuendo that Reconstructionists are more prone to racism than other Pagans. That isn't "tarring," Sehnga, that's protesting a wrong.

"... and put words in my mouth."

I quoted what you wrote. If what you wrote isn't consistent with what you think, then it's up to you to issue a retraction and clarification. An apology would also be in order, I think.

Let's review:

""Alot of what I've read on this topic makes me feel like recons, heathens, etc., are just trying to exclude people from their practice who don't measure up in some fashion?'"

"It does seem that way, doesn't it?"

...

"Add extreme Folkishness to that mentality and - oh, yes, we've seen where that leads, haven't we: "we're purer/our religion is purer/our group is purer than anyone else." Sieg, baby.."

It seems fairly clear to me that you are drawing a connection between "recons, heathens, etc." and a tendency towards racism, implying that Reconstructionists of various stripes are more prone to that sort of ideology than other Pagans. *That* is what I find offensive.

"I was specific that extreme Folkishness could be an issue; not all Recons or followers of Norse traditions."

I think you're backpedaling. In any case, you have repeatedly implied that racism is something that "recons, heathens, etc." are more prone to than others, and specifically in the form of "extreme folkishness". Again, I find that offensive, particularly as it seems to be a tactic that is repeatedly used by non-Reconstructionists against Reconstructionists as a way of, as I said before, shaming people into toeing a particular line. It's something that people use to make sure that us Recons don't get "too uppity." And it gets old.

"My Asatru friends do not subscribe to the form of extremism I mentioned, and in fact are angry at the usurping of their religious and cultural beliefs by these neo-Nazi's. Unless you are one, I fail to see how you could be offended at my pointing to them."

See, there you go again. In effect, you are saying that one should not be offended by someone heaping suspicion of neo-Nazism on others unless one is oneself a neo-Nazi. Do you really not see how this an attempt to use innuendo, in an almost McCarthy-like manner, to silence someone who disagrees with you? It is shameful.

"It would be more productive to spare the general pagan community (goofballs included) and focus on the hate-breeders that are usurping the Norse pantheons/cultures, would it not?"

Except that hose "hate breeders" are vanishingly few and quite marginalized, generally by Heathens themselves. Excessive focus makes them seem like more of a threat than they are, and gives us the reputation for being more of a recruitment pool for racism than we are, which leads into people like yourself using innuendos of closet racism to keep people like me on a short leash in public discourse.

No. Sehnga draws a direct line between "recons, heathens, etc.", their perceived "exclusion" of other people, and her innuendo of Nazism. It comes down to saying "they say they're not us, so they must be Nazis."

I'm sure that some Reconstructionists and Heathens are being overly derogatory of Pagans; I do not dispute that. However, this attempt to tar Reconstructionists and Heathens with the brush of Nazism is a tired old tactic intended to shame people into toeing a particular line, and it's high time that people were called out on it.

If someone really thought that folks like Drew were mistaken in considering themselves not Pagan, then that someone would make some attempt to find some sort of common ground or fellow-feeling with them, instead of attributing to them base motives.

No less than the Heathens and other Reconstructionists that have pointed at the distinction between themselves and Paganism at large, it is the *Pagans* who react against this as an affront that deepen and reinforce that divide; even moreso, those who try, as Sehnga did, to make a caricature of "recons, heathens. etc."

"Add extreme Folkishness to that mentality and - oh, yes, we've seen where that leads, haven't we: "we're purer/our religion is purer/our group is purer than anyone else." Sieg, baby.. "

Not only are you putting words in other people's mouths, but this sort of attack by innuendo is the lowest form of ad hominem.

You're demonstrating quite well the sort of knee-jerk reaction that many Reconstructionists tire of in dealing with non-Reconstructionists, to wit, that by focusing on one particular culture's religion and pantheon, we must all be suspect as some kind of purity-obsessed racists.

Yes, I think that your post demonstrates quite well why some folks might feel that the "Pagan Community" is no place for them.

Do you know him well enough to declare his motives?