--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because contemporary paganism is…" description: "\"Because contemporary paganism is essentially so new, its underlying ethical structure is not particularly sophisticated.\" — Liz Williams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/liz-williams-34265_because_because-contemporary-paganism-is-essenti_2112773.jpg" --- # Because contemporary paganism is essentially so new, its… ![“Because contemporary paganism is essentially so new, its underlying ethical structure is not particularly sophisticated.” quote by Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/liz-williams-34265_because_because-contemporary-paganism-is-essenti_2112773.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/liz-williams-34265_because_because-contemporary-paganism-is-essenti_2112773.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/liz-williams-34265_because_because-contemporary-paganism-is-essenti_2112773.jpg) > “Because contemporary paganism is essentially so new, its underlying ethical structure is not particularly sophisticated.” [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques modern paganism for lacking deep ethical foundations due to its recent emergence. **In simple terms:** Modern paganism seen as ethically simplistic. Key Takeaway Question ethical depth of new movements. Themes religion ethics modernity Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - new religious movements - ethical debates - academic study Key Concepts philosophy cultural evolution spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How does age affect moral complexity? - Can modern paganism evolve ethically? A Different Perspective New movements may develop richer ethics over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Paganism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paganism/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) ## Related quotes > [Contemporary paganism gives me a subjective lens through which the world in which I live can be interpreted on an aesthetic and an ethical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/contemporary-paganism-gives-me-a-subjective-lens-through-which-the/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [“There is no need to ”believe” in Jupiter or Wotan—something that is no more ridiculous then believing in Yahweh however—to be pagan. Contemporary paganism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-benoist/there-is-no-need-to-believe-in-jupiter-or-wotan-something-that-is-no/) [Alain de Benoist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-benoist/) > [The overriding need is "to develop a new Planetary Humanism" that will seek to preserve human rights and enhance human freedom and dignity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/the-overriding-need-is-to-develop-a-new-planetary-humanism-that-will/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [Authors as diverse as Rudyard Kipling, E. Nesbit, and J. R. R. Tolkien have shaped modern paganism as greatly as any theological underpinnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/authors-as-diverse-as-rudyard-kipling-e-nesbit-and-j-r-r-tolkien-have/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [In a sense, all of my books have been about a 'poisonous pedagogy,' which engenders a culture of obedience, this underlying theme of patriarchal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bradshaw/in-a-sense-all-of-my-books-have-been-about-a-poisonous-pedagogy-which/) [John Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bradshaw/) > [Alan White and I spent the next two or three years working together on this. We developed what is known a stochastic volatility model.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hull/alan-white-and-i-spent-the-next-two-or-three-years-working-together/) [John Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hull/) > [Our TotalGuide Solution can operate on a wide range of the installed base of legacy set-top boxes without requiring material changes to the underlying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-amoroso/our-totalguide-solution-can-operate-on-a-wide-range-of-the-installed/) [Alfred Amoroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-amoroso/) > [Fannie Mae has traditionally only bought and sold mortgages. But when a loan held by the company goes into foreclosure, Fannie Mae gains ownership…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/fannie-mae-has-traditionally-only-bought-and-sold-mortgages-but-when/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [Water, like many other resources, is harvested, transported and used throughout all aspects of society. Unlike other resources, water is critical to the survival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-burtynsky/water-like-many-other-resources-is-harvested-transported-and-used/) [Edward Burtynsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-burtynsky/) > [No matter how confused or deluded we may be at the moment, the underlying and essential nature of our being is clear and pure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-confused-or-deluded-we-may-be-at-the-moment-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“UNDERLYING NEED “COPING” MECHANISM”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-ryan-2/underlying-need-coping-mechanism/) [M.J. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-ryan-2/) > [Glee's good because it tackles the issues by embracing what's different, and telling people, 'That's what makes you special' - I think that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-salling/glee-s-good-because-it-tackles-the-issues-by-embracing-what-s/) [Mark Salling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-salling/) > [Every market has some rules and boundaries that restrict freedom of choice. A market looks free only because we so unconditionally accept its underlying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/every-market-has-some-rules-and-boundaries-that-restrict-freedom-of/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [The underlying goal of comedy is feeling not-alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-holmes/the-underlying-goal-of-comedy-is-feeling-not-alone/) [Pete Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-holmes/) > [I no longer need to have what I see as the surface of the dance so connected to the underlying structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucinda-childs/i-no-longer-need-to-have-what-i-see-as-the-surface-of-the-dance-so/) [Lucinda Childs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucinda-childs/) ## More by Liz Williams > [You can, I think, have a quiet and steady protagonist and not run the risk of terminal dullness as long as exciting things happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/you-can-i-think-have-a-quiet-and-steady-protagonist-and-not-run-the/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [Contemporary paganism gives me a subjective lens through which the world in which I live can be interpreted on an aesthetic and an ethical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/contemporary-paganism-gives-me-a-subjective-lens-through-which-the/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [I've written a detective series myself, set in an imaginary, and slightly futuristic, Chinese city. The novels have an extremely tenuous relationship with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/i-ve-written-a-detective-series-myself-set-in-an-imaginary-and/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [For me, spiritual practice is a lot closer to art than science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/for-me-spiritual-practice-is-a-lot-closer-to-art-than-science/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [“In the matter of prejudice...we are all the same. Goddess and demon, human and monster: none of us understand difference, but at least some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/in-the-matter-of-prejudice-we-are-all-the-same-goddess-and-demon/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [There are a few people who are, let's say, personality-challenged, who would like to set up a cult, but in large part they fail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/there-are-a-few-people-who-are-let-s-say-personality-challenged-who/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [Only in the English countryside could violent death remain something that is 'cosy.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/only-in-the-english-countryside-could-violent-death-remain-something/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [Just so that we are clear on this, I am in favour of teaching children about different beliefs. I am not in favour of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/just-so-that-we-are-clear-on-this-i-am-in-favour-of-teaching-children/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [Some religious practitioners make absolutist claims for their beliefs: I've no interest in doing this, nor do I have any interest in converting people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/some-religious-practitioners-make-absolutist-claims-for-their-beliefs/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [I have issues with anyone who tries to claim that science is unworkable - creationists who deny evidence for past history, yet are happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/i-have-issues-with-anyone-who-tries-to-claim-that-science-is/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [Authors as diverse as Rudyard Kipling, E. Nesbit, and J. R. R. Tolkien have shaped modern paganism as greatly as any theological underpinnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/authors-as-diverse-as-rudyard-kipling-e-nesbit-and-j-r-r-tolkien-have/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [Much of what Karl Popper contributed to the philosophy of science has now passed into mainstream thought, into the currency of that nebulous, tricky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/much-of-what-karl-popper-contributed-to-the-philosophy-of-science-has/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) > [I think that the power of the Silent Minute lies in its inherent lack of external direction: what participants actually do during that minute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/i-think-that-the-power-of-the-silent-minute-lies-in-its-inherent-lack/) [Liz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) [Explore all 14 Liz Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I was contacted by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MP, through the Pune Film Institute and offered the post in the NFDC. I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/) [Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) Browse all 15,485 Because quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Because contemporary paganism is essentially so new, its underlying ethical structure is not particularly sophisticated.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Liz Williams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/because-contemporary-paganism-is-essentially-so-new-its-underlying/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Because" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/because-contemporary-paganism-is-essentially-so-new-its-underlying/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/liz-williams-34265_because_because-contemporary-paganism-is-essenti_2112773.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/liz-williams-34265_because_because-contemporary-paganism-is-essenti_2112773.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/liz-williams-34265_because_because-contemporary-paganism-is-essenti_2112773.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Because contemporary paganism is essentially so new, its underlying ethical structure is not particularly…” — Liz Williams", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Liz Williams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-williams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Because contemporary paganism is essentially so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/because-contemporary-paganism-is-essentially-so-new-its-underlying/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-williams/because-contemporary-paganism-is-essentially-so-new-its-underlying/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```