Resources for Ethics and Morality in Modern Pagan Religions
Introduction • Neo-pagan Religions • Reconstructionist Religions
The Sisters of the Silver Branch spent several months exploring ethics in modern Pagan/Heathen religions. Below are web-based resources we used in our study and some additional ones discovered thereafter. This list is by no means complete and the web sites for a particular religion may not be the most representative of the ethical concepts of a particular religion. If you have other sources we should include, please contact us at the address below.
Introduction to Ethics
Definitions
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online:
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=ethics
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=moral
The American Heritage Dictionary Online:
http://www.bartleby.com/61/79/E0227900.html
http://www.bartleby.com/61/75/M0417500.html
The Columbia Encyclopedia:
http://www.bartleby.com/65/et/ethics.html
http://www.bartleby.com/65/x-/X-morals.html
Some Introductory Texts on Ethics
Of these, we found the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s article to be the most useful in understanding the subject and for analyzing the ethical statements for various Pagan religions.
Encarta:
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/refarticle.aspx?refid=761555614
Religious
Tolerance web site:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/morality.htm
The Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
http://plato.stanford.edu/contents.html
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/morality-definition/
The
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/e/ethics.htm
Neo-pagan Religions and Traditions
“A Discussion of Some
Neopagan Religions and Their Ethics” by Jolandra
http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/diyao/PaganEthics.html
“Magical Ethics and Pseudo-Metaphysics” by John J. Coughlin http://www.witchvox.com/words/words_2004/e_meapm.html
Pesonal writings on ethical issues by Angela
Roberts
http://www.nineravens.com/archives/category/ethics/
Wicca
“Everyday Ethics and Philosophy of Right Living”
http://www.wyrdweavers.org/files/ethics.html
“The Evolution
of Wiccan Ethics” (the “related links” section
is useful)
http://www.waningmoon.com/ethics/
Proteus Coven Library —
Judy Harrow (scroll down to ethics section)
http://www.draknet.com/proteus/library.htm
Robin Wood’s “Ethics
FAQs”
http://www.robinwood.com/LivingtreeGrove/Ethics/EthicsSet.html
“Wicca for the Rest of Us” web site
http://wicca.timerift.net/rede.html and
http://wicca.timerift.net/three.html
Wiccan Ethics and the Wiccan Rede
“The
Witch’s Cauldron” web site
http://www.witchscauldron.net/cauldron/ethics.htm
“Problems
with the Wiccan Rede” by Randall Sapphire
http://ecauldron.com/rssrede.php
“Rede and Fluff” by Osthein
http://ecauldron.com/opedrede.php
“Responsibility and Paganism” by
Elspeth Sapphire
http://www.ecauldron.com/opedresponsibility.php
“A Partial
Analysis of the Wiccan Reed” by Lynna Landstreet
http://wildideas.net/temple/library/letters/rede.html
Modern Druidry
“Traditional British Druidry” by John Michael Greer
http://www.witchvox.com/trads/trad_traddruidry.html
A Compilation of Triads
http://gamall-steinn.org/Leabharlann-org/triads.htm
Note: Triads from Celtic cultures are used as guides to values, ethics and morals for some modern Druidic groups and for some Celtic Reconstructionist groups.
“A Druidic Vision of the World: A Reinstatement of Truth”
by the Order of the White Oak
http://www.whiteoakdruids.org/news/item.cfm?NewsItemID=4
“The
Brehon Laws: Defining Ethics and Values for Modern Druidry” by
Athelia Nihtscada
http://www.druidnetwork.org/ethical/articles/athelia_brehon.html
Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD)
“Druidry Encourages
Us to Love Widely”
http://www.druidry.org/obod/intro/druidtradition.html or
http://druidry.org/obod/touchstone/2000annrev.html
Druidry & Peace
— The World Situation
http://druidry.org/obod/wtc/index.html
An' Driaocht Fein (ADF)
“What do Neo-Pagan Druids Believe”
by Isaac Bonewits
http://www.adf.org/about/beliefs.html
“Crime: Sacred or Profane”
http://www.adf.org/articles/philosophy/crimesp.html
“The Nine
Pagan Virtues”
http://www.chronarchy.com/mjournal/virtues/
The Dedicant‘s Work: The Nine Virtues
http://www.stonecreed.org/dedicant/9virtues.html
The Order of the White Oak
http://www.whiteoakdruids.org/
“Understanding The
Ways of the Ancestors” by Ellen Evert Hopman
http://saille333.home.mindspring.com/UnderstandingAncestors.html
Henge of Keltria
http://www.keltria.org/FAQs.htm
Tuatha de Brighid
Who We Are
http://www.tuathadebrighid.org/aboutus.htm
The Druid Network
The Druid Network‘s
“Ethical Living” pages
http://druidnetwork.org/ethical/index.html
The Summerlands
“A Druid's Code” by Searles O'Dubhain
http://www.summerlands.com/crossroads/library/a_druids_code.htm
“A
Collection of Druid Triads”
http://216.67.248.139/crossroads/library/triads.htm
Reconstructionist Religions
Celtic Reconstructionism
“Celtic Ethics: An Introduction”
by Brian Walsh
http://www.newtara.org/newtara_lib_ethics001.asp
“Celtic Values”
by Alexei Kondratiev
http://www.newtara.org/newtara_lib_ethics002.asp
“The Truth
Against the World: Ethics and Modern Celtic Paganism” by
Erynn Rowan Laurie
http://www.newtara.org/newtara_lib_ethics003.asp or http://www.seanet.com/~inisglas/ethics.html
“Cliu — the
Gaelic Conception of Honor” by Christopher Thompson
http://www.newtara.org/newtara_lib_ethics004.asp
“The Ethical
Paradigm of Druidism or, It's Not Just Tree Hugging After
All …”
(Third Draft) by Brendan “Cathbad” Myers
http://wildideas.net/cathbad/ethics.html
Asatru and Other Northern Paths
The Nine
Noble Virtues For Kids (And Other Interested Parties) by
Annette Hinshaw
http://www.friggasweb.org/nvirtues.html
Vanic Values & Ethics
by Thorunn
http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~fealcen/ethics.htm
The Thews
of Asatru and Heathengyld by Swain Wodening Canote
http://haligwaerstow.ealdriht.org/thews.html
The Assembly
of the Elder Troth: The Nine Noble Virtues of Asatru
http://www.aetaustralia.org/nnv.htm
Asatru Fold Assembly:
Law of the Hall
http://www.runestone.org/flash/articles/lawofthehall.htm
The
Values of Asatru
http://www.webcom.com/~lstead/RBValues.html
Index of Articles in The North Star
http://www.northvegr.org/leidstjarna/spring2000/index.php
The
Praiseworthy Virtues of the North
http://www.northvegr.org/northern/book/praiseworthy.php
Trúlög: Northern Truisms
http://www.northvegr.org/northern/book/trulog.php
Sögumál:
Wisdom inspired by and from the Icelandic Sagas
http://www.northvegr.org/northern/book/sagamal.php
Hellenic Reconstructionism
“Hellenic Ethics: Living Virtues in Community”
by Drew Campbell
http://www.ecauldron.com/greekethics.php
Hellenotamaia Oath
of Ethics
http://duttond.topcities.com/Hellenotamiai/ethics.html
Religio Romana
Roman Virtues
http://www.novaroma.org/via_romana/
Virtues
http://religioromana.net/virtues.htm
Kemet
“Ma’at: The More Things Change the More They
Stay the Same” by Tamara Siuda
http://www.kemet.org/maat-lecture.html
The Order of Ma’at:
The 42 Laws of Maat
http://www.maat-order.org/maat42lawsnn.htm
