I came out today at work. No biggie. I was discussing family and religion with a coworker and it just kind of came out in context.
Afterwards I was dissatisfied. I had certainly used simple and accurate terms to identify my faith, but I didn’t really give my listener a solid, somewhat familiar concept to grasp. “Pagan” has always been the default, and then you have to backtrack and explain that your religion is very unlike Wicca. Which isn’t very useful. So as I was mulling this over on my way home from work it suddenly struck me that instead of a “Greek Pagan,” it is far more accurate to say I’m a “Greek Hindu.” Even Norse or Germanic Hindu makes more sense.
I am rather pleased by this. Hinduism is something most people are familiar enough with to grasp the basic idea of what you are getting at in terms of values and practices. It doesn’t evoke horror movies or the Satanic Panic. It doesn’t touch on the provocative word “witch.” It is accurate, it is friendly, and it implies the kind of gravitas you might not get if you use paganism as a descriptor.
So the next time religion comes up and I don’t have an hour or two to discuss my faith over beer, I’m going to use “Greek Hindu” as a quickie reference point. I really like this as an analogy. “Imagine I’m Hindu, only Greek.” Such a clear vivid image. “Sort of a Germanic Hinduism, you know?”
I think I finally have an elevator speech I am happy with!