Bella Online
Trish Deneen, an editor at Bella Online, has written a very fair and balanced review of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism. What I find particularly wonderful is her frank acknowledgment that I am no longer a practicing pagan myself (“Much internet buzz had been made about Carl McColman’s conversion from Paganism to Catholicism in the last few years”), nevertheless she felt this book needed to be reviewed on its own merits. I couldn’t agree with her more. As I’ve said myself, when commenting on my books, “Even though most of them are written from a neopagan perspective — a spiritual path I no longer identify with, since being received in the Catholic Church in 2005 — I’m still proud of every one, and I hope that neopagans and people interested in neopaganism will continue to find my work in that area useful.” Trish Deneen gives me reason to believe that my hope is not in vain.
Tom
I also think that’s fair, Carl. Your change of heart says nothing about the accuracy of the information in your books, especially since you wrote them as a neo-pagan.
As a lifelong journalist, I’ve always believed people should judge information on its own merits, regardless of its source, and I believe the source to be impeccable.
Is it true or isn’t it? That’s the question any fair-minded person should be concerned with.
Cat Chapin-Bishop
I so appreciate the fact that you share your unfolding spiritual life with us without the need to denigrate either your own past ideas or those who still hold ideas related to them! I know that your present writing, as well as your past writing, speaks to me. I think there’s a humility and an integrity to how you write about Spirit–too rare in any religion.