By now I'm sure most Pagans who keep in the loop of such things know that Teo Bishop, who quickly gained fame in the Pagan community, has switched back over to Christianity. It wasn't done in secret, and if you read his blog, you get the sense that it wasn't a quick decision either. The issue I'd like to discuss, however, has very little to do with Teo's actual religious shift.

Questioning your beliefs, especially religious or spiritual ones, is one of the most difficult tasks a person can give themselves. It's so difficult in fact, that most people don't do it. Who can blame them? It's a scary, potentially life-altering thing to do! That's why when someone does it as publicly as Teo Bishop, many people express disappointment and even anger if that person chooses a new direction. I'm not going to discuss the specifics of the issues brought up by Teo's shift because plenty of other people have done that already, except to say, he became popular so quickly because people allowed him to, that's how popularity, fame, and influence work, and that he could have been less smarmy and marginalizing in his 'farewell speeches' on his way back to uber-priviledgeville.

There is still a great lesson to learn in all of this: that no matter how scary it is, we are best served, and we best serve others, by questioning our beliefs to find our authentic self. There are feelings of anger and betrayal now, but in a few months, most of us won't even remember the name Teo Bishop, or the anger, what we will remember is that if you're not true to yourself, and don't question the things you believe, then you've really no one to be angry at except yourself.

Why don't people question their religious beliefs?

  • It's scary
  • It can lead to inconvenient changes
  • You can lose friends
  • What if you're wrong?

Why should you do it?

  • It's scary. Then again, most things worth doing are.
  • It can lead to inconvenient changes. Your life is usually better/happier when you're true to yourself. In my experience, the inconvenient changes are the ones which pushed me out of my comfort zone, but were also the best thing for me once I got over it.
  • You can lose friends, but you can also gain them too.
  • What if you're wrong? You probably are, but you won't know until you look at things. Maybe you'll end up where you started, but you'll certainly end up more sure of some wrong choices, which will help you find the right one.

So, is it worth doing? Well, look what happened with Teo Bishop. Sure, some people are angry, and feel betrayed, but he's happier and more sure of his place in this crazy universe. I can't begrudge a person for seeking their happiness as long as they don't use it to purposefully destroy the peace of others.