Being in the Pagan sense
If so, then how do I make myself BELIEVE in them?
I have a hard time doing this.
I can't seem to shake the program that they are all made up anyway. =(
2007-01-20 19:39:38 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Well, if you want to call upon Belisana, Pan, Zeus, Borais, Mithras, Amen-Ra or Dionysus, go ahead.
An it harm none, do what thou will.
2007-01-20 19:42:39 · answer #1 · answered by Cold Fart 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Each pagan has their own approach I guess. For me and some others in Wicca, I believe that religion is man's attempt to explain that which cannot be explained.
Using this approach and believing that religion is man's invention then since we cannot explain Deity, we honor that which we can explain, thus the god and goddess myths. It matters not to me if the god or goddess I am addressing is an actual personified Deity like Pan, or Hecate, or just an aspect of the Divine that I can relate to.
For me the main thing is that I know there is Deity there, and in Wicca we do not actually worship Deity, but we Honor them and have a personal relationship with them.
Most of the time I don't relate to a specific Deity with a name, I just call upon the God and the Goddess and honor the nameless Deity or I might say something lik the one who has been called by many names.
2007-01-20 19:51:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
We are, but since you said you are having a hard time believing they are even real, it might be wise to look at it from a different angle. I had the same problem when I first became Wiccan. I couldn'd find a God I thought I could be close to, so I chose to simply honour nature itself, and it worked for me.
Now, after ten years, I have finally found the deities I am closest to, and in hindsight, I think I simply wasn't ready before. I also personally believe, that they come to you, they choose you, as in most forms of Paganism, and even within Wicca, we all honour different deities.
Take time learning about all you can about them, learning their past in mythology, of what they mean to Pagans today, of how they are viewed, as they will not always look the same to everyone. I know mine don't look exactly like someone else might see them.
BB
)O(
2007-01-21 06:36:21 · answer #3 · answered by Seph7 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It seems as if you are forcing yourself to believe in something that is false, which does not make any sense. I think it's because people with a religion can and always condemn pagans or atheists in the name of their beliefs, even cursing them. On the other hand most people with no religion are not unified to defend their disbelief, because any comment about any religions would seem sacrilegious to the believers. Therefore pagans are easily swayed to take a religion just to be part of a community, and of course they are free to worship which God they want.
2007-01-20 20:01:35 · answer #4 · answered by longliveabcdefg 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's because they are!
At least in my opinion. Atheism is the only logical choice.
However, recently I have been seeing the benefit to believing in god and an afterlife. Let me explain. I have lost many of my dearest closest friends and relatives in the last few years. Although this has not caused me to start believing in God, it has made me realize the benefits of having faith in an afterlife and heaven and all that good stuff. If I believed, I could believe that I am going to see these friends and relatives again in some sort of afterlife, or at least that their "soul" still exists. And I could write of horrible events as Gods master plan. This is a very valuable thing to me. However, if I cannot find what I consider as proof of gods existence, I will be unable to convince myself of the same. I could fake it, but that kinda defeats the point. Unfortunately for me, I have seen too much (so to speak) and lost my innocence. I was able to logically rule God out before I realized the value of ignorance. On a positive note, I do believe that I value life more than any theist ever could. I know that I have one life to live. One chance to leave my mark...and I am making the best of it.
I hope you find your path.
2007-01-20 19:45:31 · answer #5 · answered by southswell2002 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes, you are free to worship any God or Goddess you like, or none if you want. There are some Pagans who don't worship any Gods. Look at this site as an example http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~leta/natpag/
But honestly, I wouldn't try to force yourself to believe in any God. If you are having trouble believing any are real, try praying to them and see if anyone answers you. If not, don't worry too much about it. You might also want to look into Pantheism, maybe that'd be more your style. http://www.pantheism.net/
2007-01-20 19:44:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
you can't make your self believe in any thing.... but you can figure out what you believe in.... And yes as a pagan we are free to worship as many Gods and Goddesses as we want...
2007-01-20 19:43:59 · answer #7 · answered by whitefire14 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Sure, but if you have no sound reasons for worshipping that God you are just living in La La Land.
If you are serious about finding the true God then pray and ask him with a sincere heart to make himself known to you.
Just make sure you don't close your mind or over rationalize when he answers you and shows you clues.
2007-01-20 19:47:52 · answer #8 · answered by Sirius 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Well, that’s because they are all made up. I kind of understand why you want to be pagan. There are some cool pagan religions. It’s sort of like how I would like to be a Buddhist, but I simply don’t believe it. Oh well.
2007-01-20 19:43:18 · answer #9 · answered by A 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Why call "it" a name? Why not just think of "god/goddess" as nature itself. You are right. Humans did make up the gods/godesses and their names. The concept is greater than we can articulate. Just be in nature & it will come to you!
2007-01-20 19:44:39 · answer #10 · answered by Angela M 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋