Thirteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

Neo-paganism as a religious movement has been on the rise not only within the United States, but also across the world. Neopaganism is a tapestry of complex, cultural practices that are widely dictated by the practitioner rather than a larger entity. Social media and entertainment outlets have portrayed different sensationalized facets of these movements, such as witchcraft. This includes an umbrella of many different practices from across the world including astrology, reiki, yoga, and crystal meditation. This phenomenon led to conducting a survey of the University of Central Oklahoma’s campus population to gauge what were the attitudes around Neopaganism and the umbrella of practices. The survey received 308 unique responses and proved both that Neopaganism was growing in Oklahoma, but that Christian culture was against the movement. Neopaganism offers those who practice it the freedom to experiment and dictate their religious identity without some of the constraints of organized religion. Organized religion’s constraints are seen within states like Oklahoma that practice not only conservative politics but also conservative religious views. Christianity is the predominate religion in the state and is present within almost all faucets of life within the state. Christian ideals maintain a particular status quo within Oklahoma’s society and if one does not fit within them, it is common for people to leave the state establishing a religious hegemony. This paper explores the survey results as well as the fundamentalist Christian culture that is in Oklahoma and the growth of the Neopagan counterculture in the state.