Never Again the Burning Times: Paganism Revived [Paperback]

Loretta Orion (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1994 | ISBN-10: 0881338354 | ISBN-13: 978-0881338355

A fascinating scholarly look at witchcraft in American society! Why do some individuals in American society resort to the magical beliefs and practices of the occult while the majority do not? Contemporary witches say that witchcraft is a revival of a European Pre-Christian religion called Wicca. Practitioners of Wicca believe the world is alive, interconnected, and responsive to attempts to manipulate invisible, occult forces. These efforts constitute their magic, the "craft" of witchcraft. In the United States, Wicca has become the core of a collection of other pagan traditions, religions, and magical systems. This fascinating ethnography by an anthropologist explores contemporary witchcraft from the unusual perspective of self-identified witches and magicians. Readers have the opportunity to learn what kinds of individuals engage in radical thought movements such as this and view the ideas of witchcraft and magic from the vantage point of those who profess to be witches and practice magic. A description of the demographic characteristics of the group combined with an analysis of their complex belief system provides insight into the unusual behaviors shared by participants in this subculture within American society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Never Again the Burning Times presents a lively mix of first-person accounts, field research, interviews, and background literature. It offers fruitful ways of looking at Neopaganism for readers ranging from those encountering the movement for the first time in this book to those long-time observers." -- Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 35, No. 3, 1996

From the Publisher

Title of related interest from Waveland Press: Robinson, The Devil Discovered: Salem Witchcraft 1692 (ISBN 9781577661764).

Product Details

• Paperback: 322 pages
• Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc (December 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881338354
• ISBN-13: 978-0881338355
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,531,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Preaching to the pagan choir, with a view of who witches a, August 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Never Again the Burning Times: Paganism Revived (Paperback)

Ms. Orion presents the results of a survey taken at a number of differant gatherings of modern witches. She makes little or no attempt to be objective, presenting only a possitive view. she does however offer some answers to questions few think to ask,(such as "what do most witches do for a living?") An interesting book for the already converted.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent analysis, August 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Never Again the Burning Times: Paganism Revived (Paperback)

The researcher does an excellent job of examining the type of individuals attracted to the neopagan movement and why more mainstream religions have lost their appeal to them. Especially useful was the exact resemblances and differences between neopagans and fundamentalists, which will doubtless raise a few eybrows.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting But Not Easy Reading, October 17, 1999

By 

Cheryl (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Again the Burning Times: Paganism Revived (Paperback)

Ms. Orion has written a book that, at times, reads more like a Physics Textbook. However, if you can get through the first three chapters, there really is some very interesting information within the following pages (especially her questionnaire results). For the person who has already chosen neopaganism as a lifestyle, I would recommend it for reading. For those in the "still curious" category, perhaps you will want to start elsewhere.