A Pagan by Any Other Name: The Rhetoric of Nature Religion in the Media.
with Paula Johnson

Paula will discuss the vocabulary used by the media to describe the beliefs and practices of Wiccans and Pagans in their coverage of the "Pentacle Quest" and how it helped convince the public that Wiccan soldiers and veterans should enjoy the same constitutional right to religious freedom that soldiers and veterans of other more mainstream religions enjoy.

Media reports of Pagan religious practice reflect the media's ability to grasp and utilize Kenneth Burke's theory of logology, the study of words as they apply to theology. Monotheistic, exoteric world religions commonly use god and devil terms to convey theology. Pagan theology, which encompasses nature, immanence, polytheism, animism and direct experience, has less common terminology. This presentation analyzes the ways in which the media acts as the interpretor and translator of terminology that falls outside the boundaries of the social construction of mainstream religious reality. Journalists often have to transcend their own personal and religious beliefs in order to report on Pagan religion without bias and focus on the shared values that all religions have in common. Media coverage of the "Pentacle Quest" illustrates this phenomena. The media is the watchdog of a democratic society and it must inform the public about the legitimacy and existence of Paganism as a world religion. The media also has a responsibility to inform the public when the constitutional rights of any religion are in danger because of the potential impact it has on issues relating to religious freedom for all Americans.