20th Annual Kansas City Pagan Pride Day

MERRIAM, Kan. - Aug. 13, 2018 - PRLog -- Join us on at our 20th Annual Pagan Pride Day Harvest Festival and Craft Fair as we celebrate our Pagan identity with a fun-filled day of unique craft vendors, live music, drumming, belly dancing, children's activities, a charity auction and food drive, harvest rituals, and other great activities.  The event is free and the public is encouraged and welcome.

Since 1999, Kansas City Pagan Pride Day has sought to provide the public an opportunity to experience a first-person view of not only what Pagans do but how we do it.  Our desire is that everyone might gain a better understanding of Pagan beliefs and practices, even if we differ in religious opinions and approach. If you are a Pagan, we hope this event will help you grow in pride and confidence in your chosen path. If you are not Pagan, we welcome you to join us with the intent to experience and learn more about Paganism so that we might open lines of communication to identify common ground.

In the space of a single generation, Paganism has blossomed from relative obscurity to a thriving community. Our spirituality has been recognized on military tombstones, and our clergy have invited by several statehouses to offer opening blessings. Pagan groups are increasingly common on college campuses and military bases. A new generation of Pagan children has been born and raised within our traditions. There are is an increasing number of books and internet resources to include podcasts, website, on-line educaton and blogs. And there is more diversity than ever within Paganism so that each of us can find the practice that calls to our soul.

But …

There is much still do do.

Because of religious intolerance, fueled by misunderstanding and fear, those who have chosen to follow a Pagan religious belief often cannot live their lives openly and honestly. Too often Pagans see themselves surrounded by others that seek to dehumanize those that do not believe the same as they do. They are silenced. They are shamed. They are intimidated and terrified by people when they openly proclaim what they believe. Though an individual might never make a racial slur or discriminate based on gender, we find that many still exhibit religious discrimination because they believe that there is only one valid religion, or because they were simply misinformed about another's religious practices. We must realize that tolerance is not enough.  We need to realize the value of plurality of opinion, background, and viewpoint, especially in an increasingly global community.  Pagan Pride Day is a positive step in that direction.

For more information, go to http://www.kcppd.com or http://www.facebook.com/kcppd.  We hope to see you there!