Diary of a Heretic Quotes

“Faith clearly means ‘to move forward without knowing.’ But for the last 300 years at least it’s meant ‘to know every-thing with certainty.’ How has a word come to mean the exact opposite of what is originally meant?”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“This faith stuff, this religion stuff, is not about words, or even beliefs, it’s about relationships and people.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“Rohr said that dualistic thinking is necessary for us to live/survive, but there comes a point where it can go no further, it hits the ceiling, especially when it comes to describing spirituality or God.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“I’ve just attended another talk by Fr. Richard, what Emerging Christianity is not! He said that EC is not oppositional and is non-dualistic, and also that Jesus, with sayings like “let the wheat and the weeds grow together” and “my Father’s love shines on the good and the bad,” was the first non-dualistic teacher of the West. “Jesus was far happier for us to live with the shadow rather than to project it” said Rohr.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“Francis also did everything in his power to get his people to stay at the bottom or at the edge and never at the top. He didn’t even want his friars to be priests/clergy. He said, “You can’t preach the gospel if you’re part of the structures of power.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“Celtic myths of the Mabon and of the powerful forces of nature that we anthropomorphise into gods and goddesses. And I can touch the hand of the Christ child there too, for he is representative of us all, of our own divine status as daughters and sons of God.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“And my walking between two worlds (the Christian and the Druidic) loses any confusion in that place”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“Out there, in nature’s cathedral everything becomes one.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“My Letter to God: Source of all. What’s happening? Why the confusion? Why do I still continue to make life so difficult for myself? I am so blessed, so free, so spiritually rich, yet still can’t grasp who I am or even who you are! There are so many contradictions. There is so much I don’t understand. I don’t know where I belong anymore. I can’t see a way to a community where I can grow/develop/explore. I still love Jesus but find his church so hard, even meaningless at times. I love the Druid path but still feel drawn to a great God/dess, a holding, healing, loving presence. Where has my Jesus gone? Where is he now? Who is he now? Can I still somehow follow you, Jesus, and also continue my Pagan journey? What is the way for me now? Please guide me. What is my new calling? I still love you!”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“Peter Owen Jones really helped me to see how I can be both. I do not need to choose and I do not need to mix them either.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“He said he was both Muslim and Taoist.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“Philip and I were chatting and he told me about how, apparently, when a mother is about to give birth, it is the baby itself that triggers the event. The baby apparently secretes something which makes the environment toxic and so, basically, what was (for nine months) a place of security, safety, warmth and “home,” becomes a place of toxicity. That is such a powerful metaphor for my current situation. The environment where we are nurtured, supported, held, fed and made secure sometimes needs to let us go, in order to not let us stagnate or be poisoned.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“What perfect timing. Amidst all the turmoil caused by humans God sends his/her animal messengers to soothe our troubled minds.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“Oh my word, three huge ravens just flew gracefully over my head. Beautiful.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“Thus, once again, there need be no real contradictions between Druidry and Christianity here.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“Nature is a beautiful gift of magic.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“3 What is Christianity – the central truths?
If every religion has a major gift which I believe they do, then what is Christianity’s gift to the world? I believe it is the Christ image of a god being plunged into raw, messy, sinful, human, broken life. He is a powerful symbol of a divine connectedness to all things, even the shit.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“Jesus died (was murdered) not as a divine sacrifice but because he threatened both “church” and “state.” He threatened religion by making it superfluous. He pointed to the one-ness that already exists between the divine and the material worlds (us). Temple structures and priesthoods that perpetuate a “separated universe” need to remember this.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“How sad. I’ve just had a walk down The Grange and passed an angry old man from my old church. He just turned round, stood, and glared, shaking his head at me. I don’t understand why people are sometimes so hostile and never seem to be able to let go. This poor chap and many like him have attended church every week of their lives, and yet it seems to have had no impact whatsoever on their characters. Alas, it is a mystery indeed.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“I remember my wise friend James Fahey’s words, “Let them live their lives exactly as they choose.” In other words let it all go. Focus, rather, only on my own life, for that is all I have the right to do. I have no business at all trying to fix, control, change or influence anyone else, period! If people insist on demonising me, or stopping me doing things out of fear and control, then let them. I’ve met so many open, loving, peace-filled and thoroughly magical new friends over the last two years that I’m much better off in the true friend department anyway.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“One rule I hope I always manage to stick to is this: never deal out “like for like.” Though the temptation will at times be intense, it will only be returned with even greater force. Hatred only breeds more hatred. Bless don’t curse. Curses contain a sinister sticky substance that stains the curser as much as the one being cursed. Be honest. Yes, say if something has hurt you, but do not retaliate with vengefulness. Let love be the inner guide. Fear is the poison of the soul. It manifests in violence, either literal violence or violent thoughts, and both can kill.”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

“He said he was concerned about what could still happen to me. I could still be vilified and seen as dangerous, therefore losing me the last remaining bit of respectability I have with the Christian world. I said that after everything I’d been through for the sake of integrity, how could I allow fears like that to control me?”
― Mark Townsend, Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest