The topic for this paper is "Mission in the post-modern and neo-pagan society in 'Redemptoris Missio' [RM]." Pope John Paul II promulgated "Redemptoris Missio" in 1990 because "the mission of Christ the Redeemer, which is entrusted to the Church, is still very far from completion. As the second millennium after Christ's coming draws to an end, an overall view of the human race shows that this mission is still only beginning and that we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to its service." Further, despite many positive signs in the growth of this mission, negative tendencies are also apparent, especially regarding the mission ad gentes where there "appears to be waning, ... difficulties both internal and external have weakened the Church's missionary thrust toward non-Christians." Among these difficulties is the influence of post-modernism and neo-paganism in Christian, formerly Christian and never Christian societies. {RM, 1}

Post modernism is represented by many philosophies and schools of thought; here we will focus on two philosophies that make the work of mission ad gentes difficult: deconstructionism and logical positivism. Briefly, deconstructionism asserts that what is the most important reality about the human person is his uniqueness, his difference from others.  Hence, each person is not the image of the creator God; rather, he must create himself according to his own unique, subjective value system. Further, there is no objective standard for judging the value system and self-creative work of another: tolerance of differences is perhaps the only universal moral value. Logical positivism holds that the only real, meaningful knowledge is that obtained through the scientific method: not only religious, even ethical knowledge belongs to the realm of emotion, not reason.

It is quite clear that neither deconstructionism nor logical positivism have room for the supernatural, universal revelation and salvation offered by Jesus Christ. In fact, taken together they negate even the possibility of real knowledge of Jesus as universal Savior. Hence, in post-modern society faith in Jesus is reduced to a private, emotional choice. Further, within the Church, those who unreflectively accept the basic premises of post-modernism are prone to a "lack of fervor [which] is all the more serious because it comes from within. It is manifested in fatigue, disenchantment, compromise, lack of interest and above all lack of joy and hope." Finally, for those both inside and outside of the Church, post-modern thought, while raising innumerable difficulties for accepting the objective, universal revelation and salvation offered by Jesus, is easily accommodated to neo-paganism. {RM, 36}

Neo-pagan religions are usually polytheistic, nature-oriented, non dogmatic, and oriented toward personal growth through direct interaction with the gods and goddesses. It is not surprising the majority of neo-pagans are individual practitioners, using the neo-pagan practices in so far as they are an aid to personal growth; further, the general permissiveness in realm of sexual morality is easily supported by deconstructionism principle of tolerance for different subjective value systems. Post modern thought and neo-pagan are not then coincidental phenomenon; rather, neo-paganism should be the characteristic religion of the post-modern man.

Given all of the above difficulties, John Paul II points out there are still great opportunities. The religious revivals in the post-modern societies, including neo-paganism, point out the failure of post-modern thought to satisfy the human person's spiritual needs. It is here that "the Church has an immense spiritual patrimony to offer humankind, a heritage in Christ, who called himself "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6): it is the Christian path to meeting God, to prayer, to asceticism, and to the search for life's meaning." {RM,38}