Pagans, what do you believe?

Question

I have searched Wikipedia and browsed a little, but still can't grasp the entire meaning of Paganism as a religion.

In simple terms, what is Paganism?

What do you guys believe? Do you believe in reincarnation, Judgment Day, hell & heaven etc etc or what exactly?

Is it true that you pray to statues? Who is your God/s?

What is your book called? How did it originate?

Is there a messenger that you believe in?

According to your religion, what will happen to non-Pagans when they die? What will happen to you?

I don't think Pagans even exist where I live; so I'm very interested to understand your doctrine and learn about it.

Thanks!

Ok, so now what I understand is that any polytheistic religion is referred to as ''Pagan.'' Therefore, are Hindus and Christians, for instance, are called Pagan too?

Some answerers said that Pagans prefer to hide themselves from other people. Why is that?

Thanks a million for such respectful answers. Since it is very difficult to select a best answer, I’ll leave it to you guys to vote for yourselves.

Answer 1

There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of different Pagan religions, with different beliefs, practices, ethics, rituals and so on. So there won't be any easy-to-understand answers for most of your questions... the answers will be like, "The kind of Paganism *I* practice believes..." Don't make the mistake of thinking that knowing one type of Paganism gives you any idea about what another type believes. (It's like asking "what does a city-dweller believe? What do they wear; what do they want out of life?" There are some generalities based on averages, but there's no real answers.)

The kind of paganism you're likely to encounter most is Wicca or Wiccanesque religions: religious witchcraft and something called "eclectic paganism."

For that set of religions:
* Honoring nature as sacred is important;

* There is no "holy book," although there are inspirational texts (rather like if you had Christians who had hymns but no bible)

* Many worship a Triple Goddess (Maiden, Mother and Crone) and a Horned God (Lord of the fields & the beasts). But many worship other Gods--like the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Celtic etc. Gods. And others don't exactly worship "Gods," but honor a non-sentient divinity in nature. (Which includes in us.)

* Messages from the Gods are by personal experience and the wisdom of the elders & ancestors of one's tradition or tribe.

* What happens to people after they die isn't important. There are theories about it, but it's like Christians arguing over the "right" way to celebrate Christmas. Interesting, but not *important*. (The exact beliefs about "afterlife" vary a *lot* by different groups. But many believe in reincarnation for everyone.) We have *this* life to cherish and hold sacred; there is no "punishment" for doing it wrong except, well, you don't get the benefits of doing it right.

* We do not pray to statues any more than Christians pray to crosses.

You can find out more about Wiccanesque paganism at http://www.witchvox.com and more about other kinds of paganism at http://www.ecauldron.com/newpagan.php
There's a listing of many different pagan traditions (you might think "denominations," but that's not really accurate) at http://www.witchvox.com/_x.html?c=trads

And if you're interested in more details, you can email me (and probably several other people who answered); I'm happy to explain anything that didn't make sense in this short post.

Answer 2

Both groups are very diverse in their beliefs since pagan is an umbrella term which covers many traditions. While one pagan may believe one thing, the next may hold vastly different beliefs. Some are polytheistic, some monotheistic, duothestic, believe that all Gods are one, or they can even be atheists. Honoring nature and having a connection with it is something that many, but perhaps not all, pagans have in common.

Answer 3

First, Paganism is a bunch of religions - hopefully, that'll help clarify a little. There's a number of religions that fall under the "umbrella" of Paganism, and not all of them are alike.

Paganism was, initially, a Christian term to describe, essentially, "everybody else". Over time, it came to refer to pretty much any non-Abrahamic religion. That said, most non-Abrahamic religions (such as Buddhism) do not consider themselves Pagan. The religions that *do* consider themselves to be Pagan tend to be based off of or inspired by pre-Christian European religions (there's exceptions, of course, but that'll cover the big bulk.)

Each religion has its own beliefs, pantheon, and stories. If you've ever read Greek myths (such as the Trojan War, etc.), that's a pretty good example. Some religions believe in reincarnation, some have an afterlife... it varies. Personally, I follow the Gaelic (Irish) pantheon, so I'd be drawing my beliefs from books such as the Tain bo Cuilgne - the origins of the stories are lost in time, but they were copied down by monks in the first millenium.

When people die, they enter the Otherworld. Which particular part? ::shrugs:: Beats me. My best guess is that it's dependant upon several factors, including that person's personal beliefs.

And, all told, I'm willing to bet that you've probably got a Pagan somewhere near you - they tend to be a bit quiet, sometimes, because some folks harass us over our beliefs - but they're probably out there.

Answer 4

There are many Pagan religions.


I believe that there is a sacred force that manifests in living things, which are all things in the natural world. This creative force, which has no gender, is imminent in all the natural world, and is also transcendent of the natural world.

I experience this divine Source in maleness and femaleness, in light and dark, in community and individuality, in the cycle of life - gestation, growth, maturity, decay, death, and transmutation, in cold and heat, etc.

The God is one polarity, the Goddess the other.

This is the world view of of Wicca - not a fight between good and evil, but a dance between the Goddess and the God.

The balance of God and Goddess is ever-changing and yet follows a repeating pattern. At any moment, the God energy/force may be in ascendancy (Summer) or the Goddess energy/force may be (Winter), but the dance has a pattern that does not change.

We circle around and come back to where we started from.


Since the Divine is *manifest* in the natural world, we can learn about the Divine from observing that natural world. It is the primary source of our understanding, and the reason that Wiccans (and Pagans, generally) cannot claim to know the "one truth" or "one right way" - for just as there is no one right way to be a flower or tree or dog or bird or rock or cloud, there can be no ONE right way to experience the Divine or have a relationship with It.

We celebrate the Dance of the seasons, and the dance of our own lives, which also follow the pattern; we grow, and mature, and decline, and die, and change into something else.

Our holidays (holy days) mark the most important of the balance points, and also the seasonal changes: the solstices and Equinoxes, and the seasons of planting and harvest and fallowness. We gather also at full (and for some, dark) Moons, and we look inside ourselves and see what we need to work on.

We gather to celebrate LIFE.

Our altars are everywhere, for the entire Earth is sacred. Our names for the Goddess and the God are myriad, for They have been experienced in many cultures through the ages.

Our purpose is to align oursleves with the sacred pattern that exists in the natural world, to be an active part of the cycle of life, NOT to try to make the natural world conform to our convenience or greed or hunger for power.

The Divine is in all things in the Natural world. We don't own the Earth. She is not our posession, but our Mother.

Answer 5

"Pagan" is an umbrella term encompassing several different relilgious and spiritual paths, or even no organized path at all.

As such, there is no set doctrine or book or anything else that could explain all of what we believe.

A couple of the organized paths are the Wiccans and the Druids. If you type either of these into a search engine, you will be rewarded with a wealth of information about us, but much of it is garbage, and doesn't reflect what we believe at all.

My own path is a spiritual one, not a religious one. There is a huge difference.

I would suggest, if you are serious about learning about us, that you find one of our chat rooms or forums. There are several good ones out in cyberspace.

Good luck and thanks for asking.

In answer to your last comment, I don't advertise my spiritual beliefs because:
a) spirituality is an intensely personal experience (for me anyway), and
b) there are still many enemies out there who would do Pagans harm out of ignorance of who and what we really are.

A good introductory book on Paganism is "Exploring the Pagan Path - Wisdom From the Elders" available through newpagebooks.com

Answer 6

Well, how refreshing! someone who is asking a respectful question or two!
Ok first, the term pagan simply means "country dweller"... the term Paganism or Neo-Paganism is a very broad term for earth-based worshippers, so you'll find a very wide and diverse group of answers.
Generally speaking, there are those pagans who believe in reincarnation, there are those who believe that one goes to a place similar to heaven.. there are many different terms for it. There is no place like hell in the afterlife in pagan belief.

We do not pray to statues. While many own them, they are simply representations of whatever god or goddess that is worshipped. Many do not own statues.. they use other things to symbolize the gods and goddesses or the elements, etc...
There are many different pantheons.. some choose based on their ancestral lineage (greek, roman, celtic, egyptian, etc)
Some believe in a Creator and lesser deities.. some just believe in a "Great Spirit".

We have no book akin to the bible.. some of pagan belief will begin what's called a "book of shadows" or a 'grimoire' or a 'dream diary' (or any combination thereof) and will write down things pertinent to them. Many of our ancestors passed down their traditions orally, and some carry that on today.

As for a messenger, no, there is no Prophet, per se. Some pagans do believe in the archangels and angelic messengers.. some do not.

According to the general belief, all persons are here to learn lessons in life, and will go to whatever afterlife (see above) is believed in.. For example, if the belief is that we go to the Summerlands (a place akin to heaven), then it's a place of rest and reflection on our lives and to prepare for the next life. There is no distinction made between "us' and "them" as in christianity.. all beings go there.

Again, I'd like to stress that these are very broad and general statements. There is no monocentric belief to pagans. We don't have a leader like the pope or the dalai lama telling us what to do and believe. We all believe that there are many paths to "God", and that each person is allowed to follow their own chosen path without repercussion of eternal damnation.

I hope this helps educate you somewhat. Thank you for asking so respectfully.

Answer 7

One of the reasons you're not able to find a definite answer is that these things are a little different for everyone. If you asked a group of 12 pagans these questions you'd probably get about 15 different answers.

For an overall view the pagan and neopagan sections of belief.net do a good job.

And I'd be suprised to find that there were NO pagans where you were - sometimes we like to stay a little bit hidden.

If you're intersted in personal beliefs, feel free to ping me an email.

Blessings,
Zimmi

Answer 8

All Pagan religions are characterized by a connection and reverence for nature, and are usually polytheistic i.e. have many Gods and/or Goddesses.
Basically, religions that believe in more than one god are called pagans.
There are MANY pagan religions... Which one do you want to know about?


As far as the second part of your question: Christians are not pagans, they only believe in one god, so they are a monotheistic religion.

Answer 9

wow...paganism is basically an earth based religion. we believe in the energies of the earth-a balance-a give & take. i can't speak for all pagans but i believe in reincarnation-it's a choice.;no judgment day; no heaven or hell as the Bible preaches. yes, we pray to statues...just like the "Christians" pray to statues of Jesus. our gods/goddeses vary from person to person - there are so many to choose from! we have no book...the earth is our book. we do have some basice principles...like harm none. you'll have to look into origination (it's kinda long depending on which way you go). according to us, nothing different happens to non-Pagans when they die. we all die eventually. i think i have a choice when i die...watch the movie What dreams may come with Robin Williams for an idea on my personal beliefs in that department. you'll be surprised... Pagans are everywhere!! email me if you have more questions....i'll gladly give you my thoughts.

Answer 10

As has already been said here, there are many different types of pagans. Pagan religions are characterized by being earth/nature based, and having multiple Gods and Goddesses- though it is interesting to note that not all pagans will agree on the nature of what is a God/Goddess. You may get an interesting array of insightful answers if you ask that questions, but that's for another thread I suppose.

I consider myself Pagan. My beliefs have origins mainly in Wicca, but i have come to many of my beliefs through my own experiences with exploring my spirituality through guided meditation and hypnosis (which is also a very misunderstood phenomena, but is really a very safe way of exploring your subconscious).

I personally believe in reincarnation. I have used meditation and hypnosis to explore some of my experiences in past lives. Re-incarnation is a very common belief for many different types of pagans. Some people believe in a spiritual plane, called the "astral realm." Wiccans do not believe in hell or the devil.

Many pagans do pray to statues of gods or goddesses. Through ritual the statue will have been dedicated to the god it represents, so the statue becomes sort of a gateway to communicating with the God or Goddess.

Wicca also has a lot of spell work. I hope that this will not disturb you, as Wicca does not believe in using magic for evil, or to control others. The basic creed of Wicca is "do what you will if it harm none." This means that we are free to do what we will with out lives, provided it does not bring harm to another or prevent them from living their lives freely and according to their own choices. We do not seek to control people, or convert others to our religion. We offer information and guidance only when it is requested.

Spell work is about manipulating magical energies of the world to bring about beneficial changes in your life. It may involve herbs, candles, stones, or other symbolic objects. It never involves the sacrificing of living creatures. A person might use spell work to help end an addiction, move on from the end of a relationship, heal mental or physical conditions, attract a romantic partner, or any number of things.

To learn More about Wicca, I would recommend reading the books of Scott Cunningham.

Thank you for asking in the spirit of open mindedness and tolerance.