What is the true meaning of paganism?

Answer 1

The official: not believeing in one God: paganism refers to 'one who worships something other than God'

Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "a country dweller" or "civilian"). It goe back to even Witchcraft, Wicca and astrology

If you further interested in history:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/history/history.shtml

BUT TO SUM IT ALL WITH WORDS FROM A PAGAN
(for more question from him directly: [e-mail])



What are Earth religions?
What is Paganism?
What kinds of people are Pagan?
Do Pagans worship Satan?
What god do Pagans believe in?
Do Pagans have holidays?


What are Earth religions?

Earth religions are religions which focus on connection to divinity through nature. Sometimes they are called alternative religions or earth-based spiritualities as well.

What is Paganism?

Paganism, many times referred to in our times as Neo-paganism, is a religion, or perhaps a set of various spiritual paths and traditions, that celebrates reverence for the Earth and all its creatures. This question is actually quite complex since every follower of an earth-based spiritual tradition would probably give you a different definition. Fortunately, there are several concepts that seem to be quite popular among most of us. "Pagans" generally believe that all life is interconnected and try to experience this interconnectivity as part of their religious practices. Some may choose to do this by taking care of the space they inhabit, while others try to deal with the problems that are destroying the earth on a wider scale. The ways in which each of us views our connection and duty to the Earth are truly limitless.

What kinds of people are Pagan?

There can be no one stereotype applied to any of the individuals who follow these spiritual paths. Any person may choose to be Pagan no matter their station in life, and just because an individual is interested in this group, or in any of the traditions that fall under the general "pagan" umbrella, does not mean they are Pagan.

Do Pagans worship Satan?

This is a very old myth, and one I will be happy to dispel. No, Pagans do not worship Satan. In fact, Satan is not even a part of Pagan lore. I'm sure there are some of us who agree with Christians and believe in the existence of the Devil, and just as fervorously as any Christian, I would also hope that no person would worship that type of evil icon.

What god do Pagans believe in?

Pagans, in general, believe in many different gods and/or goddesses. Many individuals believe that the gods and goddesses are facets of the larger, unknowable Divine Source, which is neither male or female, and cannot be described with any specific characteristics since it is all inclusive. It is up to the individual to decide which god(s) or goddess(es), if any at all, they want to believe in and/or commune with. Unlike structured religions we do not have sacred, religious texts (ie. the Holy Bible or the Torah) describing a specific set of beliefs that we must follow. Some individuals see the Earth (or Mother Earth) as the ultimate divine symbol, while others believe in a single divine source referred to by many, many different names. Some also choose to worship a set of gods/goddesses derived from ancient pantheons (ie. Greek, Roman, Egyptian, African, Native American, etc). Generally, it is acceptable to believe in any divine concept, so long as that concept represents life-affirming qualities.

Do Pagans have holidays?

Absolutely! Most traditions within earth-based religions have specific holidays that are observed by their members. There are too many holidays to name individually here, but many of our holidays tend to recognize the changing of the seasons, the passage of the earth around the sun, and the cycles of the moon. There are many resources (including the members of Earth Religions) available to help you learn about them. Holidays are just as much of a treat for us as for everyone else in the world.

for their site:
http://www.summerland.org/
http://realpaganismforum.tripod.com/

Answer 2

What is a "Pagan?"

Everybody has their favorite definition of the word "Pagan." Most people are convinced that their meaning is the correct one. But no consensus exists, even within a single faith tradition or religion as to what a pagan is.

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Origin of the term:

There is general agreement that the word "Pagan" comes from the Latin word "paganus." Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the precise meaning of the word in the fifth century CE and before. There are three main interpretations. 16 None has won general acceptance:
bullet Most modern Pagan sources interpret the word to have meant "rustic," "hick," or "country bumpkin" -- a pejorative term. The implication was that Christians used the term to ridicule country folk who tenaciously held on to what the Christians considered old-fashioned, outmoded Pagan beliefs. Those in the country were much slower in adopting the new religion of Christianity than were the city folks. They still followed the Greek state religion, Roman state religion, Mithraism, various mystery religions, etc., long after those in urban areas had converted.
bullet Some believe that in the early Roman Empire, "paganus" came to mean "civilian" as opposed to "military." Christians often called themselves "miles Christi" (Soldiers of Christ). The non-Christians became "pagani" -- non-soldiers or civilians. No denigration would be implied.
bullet C. Mohrmann suggests that the general meaning was any "outsider," -- a neutral term -- and that the other meanings, "civilian" and "hick," were merely specialized uses of the term. 17

By the third century CE, its meaning evolved to include all non-Christians. Eventually, it became an evil term that implied the possibility of Satan worship. The latter two meanings are still in widespread use today.

There is no generally accepted, single, current definition for the word "Pagan." The word is among the terms that the newsgroup alt.usage.english, calls "skunk words." They have varied meanings to different people. The field of religion is rife with such words. consider: Christian, cult, hell, heaven, occult, Paganism, pluralism, salvation, Witch, Witchcraft, Unitarian Universalist, Voodoo, etc. Each has so many meanings that they often cause misunderstandings wherever they are used. Unfortunately, most people do not know this, and naturally assume that the meaning that they have been taught is universally accepted. A reader must often look at the context in which the word is used in order to guess at the intent of the writer.

We recognize that many Wiccans, Neopagans, and others regularly use the terms "Pagan" and "Paganism" to describe themselves. Everyone should be free to continue whatever definitions that they wish. However, the possibility of major confusion exists -- particularly if one is talking to a general audience. When addressing non-Wiccans or non-Neopagans, it is important that the term:
bullet Be carefully defined in advance, or that
bullet Its meaning is clearly understandable from the text's context.

Otherwise, the speaker or writer will be referring to one group of people, while the listeners or readers will assume that other groups are being referred to.

Answer 3

Pagan from the Latin Paganus meaning someone who lives outside the city (more or less) Used today to refer to any non-Abrahamic religion, or to refer to modern Paganism, an umbrella term for the resurrected religions of Wicca, Druidry etc. The idea that Pagan meant having no religion came from the times when any religion other than Christianity was seen as false, a non-religion, so Pagans had no religion, ie weren't Christian.

Answer 4

A pagan religion is one that worships nature or certain features of nature. Rather than seeing the world as the creation of a single God, pagan religion sees nature as the most powerful force in the universe, and gives it eternal qualities.

Answer 5

Paganism, in the broadest sense includes all religions other than the true one revealed by God, and, in a narrower sense, all except Christianity, Judaism, and Mohammedanism. The term is also used as the equivalent of Polytheism (q.v.). It is derived from the Latin pagus, whence pagani (i. e. those who live in the country), a name given to the country folk who remained heathen after the cities had become Christian. Various forms of Paganism are described in special articles (e.g. Brahminism, Buddhism, Mithraism); the present article deals only with certain aspects of Paganism in general which will be helpful in studying its details and in judging its value.

Answer 6

All I'd like to say to begin with is that paganism isn't devil worship, as pagans do not believe in the devil. Christian propoganda has gone a long way to discount them.

Answer 7

not believing in the true and living God and rather doing evil practices of idol worship is called paganism.

Answer 8

Paganism is similar to wicca, which is not devil worship either. They worship the earth. It's not that they don't believe in god, they choose not to worship a christian god.

Answer 9

The answer to that question lies within the cyber walls of Coven of Witches. Come register. You'll learn much.

Blessed Be!
http://www.thecovenofwitches.com

Answer 10

Anyone who worships nature and not the Abrahamic God.