A question to Pagans only please? (About their belief)?

Question

What are the basic beliefs of Paganism? To make it more clear, what are your beliefs concerning these issues (Please don't use long quotes from wiki or something, I want Pagans to answer this, BASHING WILL BE REPORTED).
- God and creation (And what are your views about evolution).
- Sin concept: Does it exist in your belief? If not, what is considered wrong in your belief system?
- Heaven and hell? Do you believe they exist? If so, who goes there (What happens to the non-Pagans)? And is there an afterlife in your beliefs? And what about The Judgment Day?
-Homosexuality: Do you see it as a normal act according to your beliefs?
-Finally: What is the difference between Paganism and Neo-paganism?

Thanx a million in advance.

Answer 1

I think someone needs to tell you that pagan is a word the Christians use to refer to every non-Christian religion. There is no organized 'Paganism' like there is Christianity.

So, while you might get individual answers from individual pagans, there is no general answer that all pagans agree upon, since paganism refers to any non-Christian belief.

Answer 2

Here's my personal answer. As stated before, there is no pagan "doctrine" or "belief". You cannot put all "pagans" into the same box. By the way, I prefer to call myself an atheist since "pagan" is a word invented by christians and intended to debase the respective people. From my explanations you might conclude I am more of an agnostic, but I leave that to you.
- God and creation: I have no reason to assume that there is something like a god or creator. I am rather satisfied with the scientific explanations for the universe and for evolution so far, and while they might leave some questions open, I don't think it would be wise to speculate, I'd prefer more research. If someone presents me with more plausible and probable scientific explanations, I'll consider them. And if a supreme being, be it a god or a flying spaghetti monster, steps forward and proves that it "created" something or everything, I'll be prepared to listen, but I'll have my doubts and many questions.
- Sin concept: I cannot see any superhuman instance forcing humans to accept any rules how they should live. Therefore, humans have to make their own rules. Since human beings are able to suffer, rules among humans should aim at reducing human suffering to the minimum possible.
- Heaven and hell: The idea of heaven and hell is outright absurd. As is the idea of an afterlife. These concepts are derived partly from wishful thinking and partly from the intention to influence other people's behaviour, but there is not a single piece of evidence that they reflect reality. Same goes for Judgment Day, and the Easter Bunny.
- Homosexuality: What two consenting adults do in private is their own matter and not mine.
- Paganism and neo-paganism: sorry, no idea, I'd have to look it up myself, so I'd go for the wikipedia this time :)

I hope your research brings you new insights. Cheers.

Answer 3

I'll about as pagan as they come. I'll try to answer your questions:

1) God does not exist. He is a falsehood created by men, and while his worship remains within your rights, most worshippers of male gods are inherently chauvanistic and adhere to outdated perspectives on the rights and treatment of women. A far older religion, and one more in line with a spiritual view of the modern world, is worship of the Goddess- earth and mother to us all.

2) "Sin" is a tool used to keep people down. Good things are rewarded with good, bad things bring about bad, and we should all strive to be good to each other if for only that reason. Other than it might harm another, do what you like. It's okay to eat anything you want on a friday.

3) Heaven is the spirit realm, which can only be as bright as the light you have inside you. Hell is a scare tactic. Judgement Day is part of the christian mythology. After life, there is more life.

4) Homosexuality is part of some people's personal journey to discover their own physical experience of the sexual and spiritual realms. Gays and lesbians harm no one, and should be respected as the human beings they are and not isolated or discriminated against.

5) The word "pagan" means essentially "civillian", and derives from a middle english term used about 1350 to describe anyone who is not a "soldier of God"; e.g. anyone who is a polytheist or worshipper of so called "false gods" is a pagan. The capitalized form "Pagan" is an attempt by modern Neo-Pagans to reclaim the word (an attempt that has only partially succeeded) to describe themselves. A Neo-Pagan is probably a Goddess worshipper, and a practitioner of benevolent witchcraft. The questions above were answered from the perspective of a Neo-Pagan or simply a "Pagan" if you prefer. There are very few, if any, followers of the polytheistic traditions of ancient Rome and Greece still around today, although a few Norse pagans still practice the old ways (-the ones that have not been lost, that is).

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

Technically, Pagan is a reference to 'Non-Christian'.
You have to understand that most pagan disciplines are like the beliefs of native american indians, where every aspect of creation manifests as an entitiy that can be interfaced. Everything is alive, and elementals are primary, then there is the Sun, which is the most important. Diffirent religious doctrines alter the nomenclature of these elements as gods, deities, so on...But the fundamentals remain the same. I found pagan principles more environmental, ethical and moral then those of modern mono theistic religions which seem to indicate to the practicioner an alligence to a belief system outside of nature.

Answer 5

I'm an Eclectic pagan, meaning I borrow from many traditions, I do not speak for all Pagans but I can give you my views, God and Creation: extremely difficult to answer as most of our religious books were burned, along with our religious leaders.
Sin concept: We don't beleive in sin, we recognise things such as sex, stealing, lust,etc. as being natural and common in the animal world, our guidelines are Harm None and Love is the Law, that said we are not immoral, we just don't have hang-ups about biological processes, Heaven and Hell: I don't beleive in either of them, I beleive in reincarnation, non-pagans in our view are also reincarnated if their soul has not balanced its Karma, however we do not see paganism as the ONLY path to enlightenment. Afterlife: see preceding. Judgement Day: We don't beleive in an entity that does any judging, so no. Homosexuality? I don't see it as biologically "correct", but as long as the gay person doesn't hit on me, it doesn't concern me, not my business. Paganism and Neo-Paganism, I see neo-paganism as a watered-down version of paganism, I try as hard as possible to stick to classical grass-roots pagan beleifs, but to each his own.EDIT: Pagan Rebirth's answer is very good, I think he should get the 10 points.

Answer 6

I'll answer these in order. =)

-The Supreme Being, the elemental Spirit, consists of male and female forces--the Great God and Great Goddess. To make itself perceivable by man, Spirit reveals itself as various facets--"gods" and "goddesses" are different guises of the Supreme. Creation itself did not occur as one step, but as a gradual natural change known as "evolution." The Divine may have given life to the first creatures, which by Divine genetic design evolved into higher beings and will continue to do so. Eventually, creatures will become so evolved that they will be able to exist without a physical body--like Spirit.

-"Sin" itself doesn't exist, but karma does guide the universe. If someone commits "sin," their negative action will return to them, often in a threefold manner. This is basically a statement of "what goes around comes around" in the Threefold Law: "Ever mind the rule of three, what's sent out returns to thee."

-Heaven and Hell are not the only two destinations that one can arrive at after death. They are essentially descriptions of various planes of higher existence. Some of these planes are pleasant and indeed heavenly, while others may be hellish.

-Homosexuality is a different phenomenon, but the truth is, it is natural. As such, a Pagan who rejects homosexuals is usually rejected hirself.

-Paganism refers to any religion outside of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Neo-paganism is the subset of smaller groups of religions. Neopagan religions would include Wicca, Asatru/Heathenism (Norse paganism), Odalism, Voodou, demonolatry, theistic Satanism, et. al.

Answer 7

Well there are many MANY differnt branches of paganism and they all havee different belifs on just about everything.

From the Standpoint of NORSE pagan belief I will take your questions thusly....

God and Creation. The various coulntris and cultures in the world were each created by the various deities that held sway over them. As an example, Israel was created by the God of the Bible in the manner described in the bible. The Germanic countries and peoples were created in the manner described in the Edda's. India was created in the manner described in their sacred texts. Evolution likewise was guided by the partiuclar deities that created their various parts of the world.

Sin. The concept of sin is not part of Norse pagan belief. We do have concepts of right and wrong or more rightly stated as honor and dishonor. In most instances it is not so much the act itself as the way it was carried out or the intent behind it.

Heaven and Hell. Almost all religious belief systems have some concept of such places. Among the Norse pagans, those that had a particular connection to a specific deity would end up in the abod of that particular deity, such as fallen warriors going to valhalla. Also the is a place that traitors and the dishonorable end up, Niffleheim. It is a place of torment where the souls of men are gnawed on by a great serpent. As for the afterlife, the is a long history of the beleifs in the Norse afterlife, be it Valhalla, Asgrad, or any other part of the Realms of the Gods. As to Judgment day, many beleif systems have such an idea. Among the Norse pagans, the concept is known as RagrarokR. This is the final, decisive battel between good and evil, the gods and their adversaries. At its conclusion, the world will be reborn and only good will remain. As far as what ahppens to others...that depends on whtir particular ancestry. Those of middleastern ancestry willl spend their after life in the realm appointed to people of that ancestry. Those of European ancestry will spend their time likewise int he realm of their ancestral gods, regardless of religion, and those that do not follow their ancestral gods are in for an unpleasnat surprise.

Homosexuality. Historically, pederasty was not pracgiced among the nordic peoples, at least not so far as any credible historical document indicates. As near as anyone can ascertain the idea of a man behaving as a woman was conisdered to be dishonorable and cowardly in the extreme. There was no punishment for this behaviour, it simply was something that was cultutrally unacceptable adn anyone found to have participated in such activity was shunned by all society and treated with no respect whatsoever. On a contemporary level, however, not much is really said on the subject one way or the other and, at least those of my acquaintance don't make much of it. We do not condemn anyone for that behavior and support the individual right to make those sorts of choices for themsleves.

The difference between Paganism and neo-paganism. The difference between them is sketchy at best. The clearist distinction between them I can make is this Paganism encompasses those religious beliefs that have a historical backround as being part of some aprticular culture (Asatru, Hinduism, Hellenistic[Greek]) and the like and is practiced in the modern world much as it was in ancient times weather as a reconsrtucted belief system (Such as Asatru), or as an ongoing, unbroken line of religious practice (Like HInduism, Buddhism etc.)
NEO-paganism encompasses those belief systems that are modern relgious systems based on older bleiefs but were not practiced rpior to their modern existance. Wicca is such a system, based in part on Celtic, Greek and Mediterrainian sytems and is wholly modern as it was not, in its current or in any other form, practiced prior to its founding just over a cuntury ago.

Hope that helps.

Answer 8

I believe in evolution. I also believe that every diety or spirit is just as real as every other one. I work with the norse dieties, but they are no more or less real that the celtic or the egyptian dieties or the Christian God.
I don't necessarily believe in sin. Something wrong would be something that harms one's self or another person or thing, either physically or emotionally.
I believe that religion is relative, that whatever each person believes applies to them, so in that regard, I believe in heaven and hell, but I don't believe they apply to me. I believe I will go to my goddess' hall when I die. Non-pagans will go whereever they believe they go. I don't personally really believe in a judgement day.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with homosexuality. To each his own.
Paganism would be religion as it was practiced in pre-christian times, and neo-paganism would be our reconstruction/interpretation of it, if you really want to be picky.
And you're welcome. I appreciate being asked about my beliefs.

Answer 9

You have asked a HUGE question here because there are many different forms of Paganism.

There is Druidism, Wicca, Shamanism (Many different forms because Shamanism has been practised for more than 35,000 years on 6 of the continents, Hawai'ian mysticism, etc.

I practise Hawai'ian mysticism. They believed in a Creator named I'O or E'O, They also acknowledged a host of gods and goddesses like Kane, Ku, Pele, Hina, etc.

If you want to understand more about kahunaism or Hawaiian mysticism; read the kumulipo It tells their creation myth.

They believed in transmigration of the soul. They began by inhabiting blades of grass, and insects, after this stage of growth; they evolved to higher levels in birds and animals, then evolved to the level of unihipili (sub conscious mind), then evolved to the level of uhane (conscious mind), then evolve to 'aumakua, then the po'e 'aumakua, and mayve higher forms of life.

Answer 10

So it's you reporting everyone is it