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I asked: Is Ancestor Worship a part of Paganism?

2007-02-09 05:22:16 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

18 answers

I just want to make sure I undertsand your question correctly. Are you asking if pagans honor the dead of those ancestors who have died before them.

I do, I honor my father and my family who have came before me they are the elders of the family that have since past away. Ever Samhaim(halloween) I got to the beach with rose petals to honor them. It is my own tradition.

That thing you need to know about pagan. is there sub catergories within pagan. Not ever one is just pagan.

I am pagan wiccan. I teach, I seek knowledge, and I do know harm.

If i didn't answer your question. I am sorry that I didn't answer it to your question.

2007-02-09 05:29:35 · answer #1 · answered by dee luna 4 · 2 0

Depends on what exactly you mean by ancestor worship and which of the Pagan religions you are referring to. Some do some don't. I can only tell you about the one I practice.

Asatru is a polytheistic faith and emphasizes elements of ancestor worship as well as a profound tie to the land. Honoring one’s ancestors is very important to Asatruars. The Disir, or female ancestral spirits, are known to help protect the home. The Alfar are the male ancestor spirits. This has caused Asatru to sometimes be described as a "Norse Shinto"; Shinto being the ancestor worship as currently practiced in Japan. And indeed, there are many parallels.

2007-02-09 14:52:24 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

Bummer that it didn't post.

Sometimes that happens - I've had a couple of questions just disappear - they didn't have time to get reported, they just didn't post.

Anyway, this would depend on what definition for "Pagan" you're using.

If you're talking about neo-Paganism or Reconstructionist Paganism, I don't personally know of any ancestor worship involved...but I'm really not intimately familiar with all the different religions and practices that fall into those categories.

I *think* that some Reconstructionist Germanic Paganism has an element of ancestor worship - or at least ancestor veneration - to it, but don't quote me on that.

2007-02-09 14:06:48 · answer #3 · answered by Praise Singer 6 · 3 0

To get the whole picture and answer to your question which is not a simple yes or no, go to, http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_np.htm

In addition keep this in mind. Do you think that when a person goes to a graveside and leaves flowers, maybe even lights a candle, says a prayer, maybe makes the sign of the cross before their picture...is that not a form of worship? Some call it "remembering and showing their respect for the person who passed on." You can do it for one or you can set a day to do it for all those passed that you remember and loved...do you want to call it worship, or do you want to call it rememberance? Does it really matter what you call it? Paganism is many things and a lot of what your "average" person celebrates and believes is derived from "Paganism." Nothing offensive about that.

2007-02-09 13:48:17 · answer #4 · answered by JADE D 1 · 0 0

In the case of Shintoism and other Eastern pagan traditions, Ancestor Worship is a very large part of paganism--or more properly Heathenism.

However all Heathenism (Asatru, Druidism, Shamanism, Hellenism etc.) have a certain degree of Ancester reverence in their practices and beliefs.

2007-02-09 13:38:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

No. Paganism was practiced in old Europe before the Christians took over. Ancestor Worship or Honor is practiced by some Asian and Latin American peoples. The funny thing is in some cultures Christians are the pagans.

2007-02-09 13:31:16 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 2

Paganism is anyone who is polytheistic or when it comes down to it, some one who is not your religion. In a more common usage it would be any non-christain that believed in one or more gods.

Religions that include ancestor worship would be considered pagan.

Not sure why that question would be offensive, unless people did not understand what you were talking about.

Pagan can refer to NeoPagans i.e. wiccans or other simular religions, and you'd have to consult them about their beliefs.

2007-02-09 13:30:24 · answer #7 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 0 0

Asatru has elements of honoring the ancestors, as does Celtic Reconstructionism. I believe Roman Recons honor their ancestors as well; I'm not sure about the other Reconstructionist religions, but they probably do to some extent or another.

2007-02-09 15:54:27 · answer #8 · answered by ArcadianStormcrow 6 · 0 0

Not always, but quite often. It is evident in many modern Druidry circles, and of course many FamTrads but it doesn't seem to be that prevelant in Wicca. It is a part of my own tradition.

2007-02-12 09:17:17 · answer #9 · answered by kaplah 5 · 0 0

Yes, I think the aztecs or Incas used to do it, and they had what could have been categorized as pagan religion.

2007-02-09 13:26:55 · answer #10 · answered by martin h 6 · 2 0

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