Pagan Godspell

The U.S. Census Statistical Abstract.  Always a fun little read.  The lives of millions and millions of unique, weird, interesting, crazy, gorgeous, ugly, wonderful, terrible people squelched down into a series of numbers.  The gist is always something like: Americans consume too much, aren’t terribly healthy, inhale enormous, obscene amounts of media in the form of TV, radio, internet, etc. (so much so that it’s a wonder you can’t hear a giant sucking noise coming from our country), and are growing more and more deeply, weirdly, religious and divided and opinionated and contentious in any number of fantastic ways.  Woooo!  We’re number 1!  We’re number 1!

But still, I’m drawn to these little summations of the country’s attributes (Strength, Wisdom, Dexterity, Armor Class, Magic Skills, Experience points etc.) like a moth to flame.  This year, The Washington Post reports that the numbers for Pagans has skyrocketed. 

Membership in Wiccan, Deity, Druid and Pagan sects has been skyrocketing — up from an unregistered blip in 1990 to more than 350,000 as of 2001.

Which confused me.  Not the fact that there are more Pagans out there, or that there are more vocal Pagans out there – that’s no big surprise.  And I’m pleased to see them including concrete numbers for Druids – that was cool.  Bottom line here – we’re a healthy growing group.  This is all fine.  No arguments here.

Nope – what confuses me is: Deity.  What is a Deity sect?  Is this supposed to be Deism?  Are these people who think they’re a deity?  Or is this a religious movement I’m unfamiliar with (a possibility I’m wholly prepared for – I adore the crazy stew of religiosity this country ferments, creates, reconstructs and evolves all the time, and while I try to at least be able to recognize the names for most of these, it’s not really possible to know them all)?  My best guess is that these are folks who believe in some kind of god, but that’s where their religiosity ends.  But…we don’t have a better term for this?  Really?  And if that’s really what this is, why would the Washington Post lump these folks in with Pagans, Wiccans and Druids, thereby implying that they have something to do with us?  What’s happening here?  Wha?  Who are you people?

Help me.  My strength points are falling…falling…