He was accused of recruiting young people by some and by others of being a rebel. He is fighting in a society that is not ready to hear him. This is the Romanian man who managed to establish the first pagan association called Movement of Neopagans from Romania.
President of Association MNR, Cosmin explained to me about the MNR, the hardships and the joys gathered, and he also shared his version of values and freedom.
His own way
Jason Doodle (JD): Are you thankful now?
Cosmin Olteanu (CO): I can say that my soul finally found peace. I have been able to understand man, but not entirely as a divine mystery.
This way helped me to reach today, what is beyond the theologian's coat or founder, activist, etc. I encountered closed doors, but God's always found something better for me. I am currently working with young people who are not heard and I have a problem with discrimination. I think my mission in Romania is to give chances to the disobedient, outlawed by the poetry Litany to Satan by Baudelaire.
JD: How did you become Kemetic and how do you see Kemetism?
CO: Kemetic. Hmmm. In 2011, I used to practice divination with my mother's assistant at that time, and I followed Catholicism, but I can say I was fascinated by the idea of practicing something supernatural and I started to inform myself about it.
I had full cards at the Radu Rossetti Library with books of occultism and religion. Librarians asked if I attended a theological high school.
In the meantime, this resulted in the adoption of an ascetic path, in the pagan confession of Kemetic. I see Kemetic not as a religion, but as a way of living. You have to feel the religion in your veins, not to practice it by writing somewhere.
This is a spiritual life, and there are phenomena, such as atheism or anti-traditional religion attitudes. Man wants intensity, not monotony. Kemetism combines freedom with spirituality, like many pagan confessions.
Talk about MNR
JD: What can you say about the MNR?
CO: The Association Movement of Neopagans from Romania appeared on June 24, 2016, through the need to provide an institutional framework for pagan Romanian followers.
After Gebeleizis, the wrong project by Andrei Molnar, we are the first association that really takes care of the job. We can say it's hard, but the Gods do not leave us.
I wish we did not have such bureaucracy in our business and I think that's the only dissatisfaction. We managed to gather from a community of about 11,000 people, a total of about 1,000 people, but we do not give up. This year, in 2017, we were able to do what I thought was impossible two years ago, and I only had idealistic dreams.
The effort is great because we work with a community that is afraid to make its voice heard in a country that promotes patriarchal, monotheistic figures and Christianity attempts to silence any upsetting competitor.
However, every day, we see that good is with us. Gods help us so that we will be good instruments.
JD: Why have you trouble?
CO: Initially, there was not too much, but due to low support and success of this structure, I was subjected to acts of discrimination by certain institutions and we were treated coolly by others. The key is that I did not give up. Over time, we have been able to be more united and to have a discussion with them through legal or diplomatic means. The hardest is not be accepted by family, who honestly broke me down.
JD: Most Romanians are afraid when they hear someone claiming they belong to pagan worship. What exactly is the faith that you say you found yourself, with many young people?
CO: paganism is not a cult of evil, but rather an understanding that evil is complemented by good. If we are to talk about who was the first one, we can say that paganism also had the greatest success, due to the increased adaptability to man and not idealism.
The Doctrine is simple. Everything is love, Goddess of Gods and learning. This simplicity makes it attractive and beneficial to human destiny, but people are not prepared to understand that. It is found that young people adhere to this complex system of beliefs and the problem is that monotheistic religions have fewer believers, and Paganism is reborn in the world.
JD: And do you want people to join in MNR?
CO: Not necessarily. Paganism does not lead to proselytizing policy.
If you feel, you are informing and if you want, you come to join us. It's simple. Man teaches spiritual lessons in this body. It's better to experience what we call earthly life. Religion is a guide. It is adapted for all to go through different degrees of evolution or karmic involution, so we do not hate Christianity or other religions, but we understand their role. It's a relativity.
JD: What do you want to develop in Romania?
CO: We want to get a legal personality next year. It will be hard, but it will be fine. I trust that we will succeed. Nothing is impossible if you think. We want to create temples, centers of meditation for those who want to retreat and their bedroom or living room is already an improbable space.
We want to have a series of conferences.
This project started in December 2017, in Bucharest. We hope to be able to grow our own finance by developing companies. I think we will be successful because I managed to get an entrepreneurial prize for my business plan, called SC PENTAMALL SRL. We want to do a lot, but I hope that our association will not be lost on the road because, as a founder, the soul will complain. I love too many people and the community which I represent.
JD: The title of theologian, how did you get it?
CO: Following a testimony given on September 20, 2016, through the Universal Life Church I filed an application and I was selected. I was asked a lot of questions about the field of occultism, even questions related to MNR.
It's a certificate. A paper cannot signify everything a man knows, but he can strengthen it. I believe that a theologian is a person who guides spiritually, and I lead more young people and that is the hardest and most beautiful work. I feel honored to take care of their souls.
JD: How many followers does this cult have in Romania?
CO: Our adherents are about 1000 enrolled, but daily we expand our community and represent more and more people. We want to represent in all about 11,000 people. We have come to be supported by the Romanian state and that makes us much more efficient in our work. We prepare to take our legal personality and develop together with the Pagan Federation International and other third parties the community and, in general, our beloved and blessed country.
JD: I understand that many members of the LGBTQ community choose to join the MNR. Is it true, and what position do you adopt against these affairs?
CO: Theologically, paganism is very tolerant and accepts this community and therefore as a gay person and president of the MNR we cannot deny what theologically is allowed. The LGBTQ community truly believes in the existence of something transcendental and is aware that the contradictory position of the Church on this subject> They look for alternative ways to manifest their religiosity. As a result, most of the members are gay, bisexual, etc.
We represent them and we also support them. I think, we are the only cultural and religious NGO which do that, but we have been through our projects, the fierce combatants of the Coalition for Family and we have been campaigning in October or November, for this purpose.
We hope to be able to collaborate with LGBTQ associations and to be present at Bucharest Pride 2018.
Future plans
JD: What do you want to do, in the future?
CO: First of all, I want to finish my studies, I would like to study in the cultural-religious field, become a university professor and a politician. I want to develop my MNR community and after 60 years, I want to retire in a temple to dedicate myself to the Gods and to my family and my lover.
