Customer Reviews

Fascism and Paganism: A brief comparison of Nazism, Communism and Islam

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This book is a good read and clearly lays out the common elements between the 3 great ideologies that have tried, and in the case of Islam are still trying to destroy the word. It hangs well together, is logically built up and well researched. It is not too long and is a good intro along with many other works on the Islamic threat. I read this along with Robert Spencer's book on 'the Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam' and recommend both.

This is an interesting book. It blames some counterproductive fascist philosophies on Paganism. Since I am a Pagan, I'm a little suspicious of this hypothesis, but I will agree that some Pagans have chosen to ally themselves with fascists in the past century.

Yes, some Pagans did side with the National Socialists during World War Two. After all, European Pagans had, in effect, been outlaws for centuries. In National Socialist Germany, Pagans actually got one of their first breaks in all that time. But those who sided with the National Socialists made a strategic and moral mistake. When Germany lost the war, these folks (as well as, to some extent, Paganism itself) were discredited.

A number of anti-monotheist philosophers wound up supporting the National Socialists in World War Two. Cioran strikes me as an embarrassing example of this. And it leads one to ask just what the connection might be between Paganism and fascism.

The monotheistic religions are the ones that tend to make claims to believe in a deity who rules not just some group or nation but the entire world. And it is natural for some of them to adopt an aggressive stance towards other nations and to insist on converting, ruling, or oppressing the people of those nations. But there are also options for Pagans to act badly in this respect: Pagans tend to worship local Goddesses and Gods and can be very nationalistic. As one who hails Odin, I am well aware of this. In addition, Pagans can support fascist monotheistic nationalists even if they are anything but monotheistic nationalists themselves: I consider Starhawk to be an example of this phenomenon.

In this book, Craig Read takes a somewhat different tack on all this. To him, Paganism is a discredited idea, and many failed or counterproductive social ideas are outgrowths of it: Communism, National Socialism, and so on. And that includes, um, Islamism. To Read, the "inner core" of Islam is "very much a Pagan Arab cult." More precisely, a moon cult. And I can see his point: many dictatorships look like national cults with the leaders being the deities. In these dictatorships, gangs are employed as the political tools for implementing policies.

I understand these arguments, but I think that monotheism is as bad or worse in these respects. Monotheism has often combined nationalism with insistence on aggression against the "non-believers." Monotheism has often emphasized conformity to specific rules. Paganism generally offers far more choices, freedom, and privacy, given the large number of Gods and Goddesses one can follow. I think Read has overlooked the benefits of Paganism and has tended to mischaracterize it.

The book makes you think about Islam in a totally different way, not the way the media has presented it. The author makes the valid point that while not all Muslims are brainwashed by their religion, there is something inherently wrong with Islam that promotes violence and hate. I read this book in connection with some other books on this topic and it is a valuable resource to understand what is going on right now in the world.

The book clearly lays out the similarities between the 3 main cults of history: Nazism, Communism and Islam. There is little to distinguish between 3 ideologies when you look at the details. I recommend this.

I have longed believe in the same theme that this book presents. Islam is another pagan cult with a leader, a system, a view to dominate the world and a violent history. I don't think anyone can deny what we are facing in the current war against fascism. You might disagree with some of his points and details, but the overall message is right on.