What do Pagans believe?

Question

My friend is Pagan and all she ever said is that she believes there is an infinite amount of gods. Can anyone help me?

Answer 1

Pagan is an umbrella term that covers a lot of different religions and beliefs. Here is a site that will help.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/neo_paga.htm

Answer 2

It really varies, everything pre-christianity was referred to as "Paganism" by the early christian church. This includes the Greek gods, the Egyptian gods, the Norse gods, the mayan gods, the celtic mythology, the druids, and quite a lot of other things.

So obviously pagans can't be lumped into a single group.

However many pagans did believe in fundamentally the same thing that christians believe. The Jesus story was plagiarized from several pagan gods (including Osiris, Attis, and others) which all went through the same thing.

There were many Pagan "godmen" who were born of a virgin on December 25 in a humble dwelling, had a star to mark their birth, were visited by 3 magi from the east, these magi carried gold, frankincense and myrrh (common gifts pagans offered to gods), were baptized (oddly the person who baptized jesus had the same name as a Pagan water god - plagiarizers get lazy), gathered 12 apostles, turned water to wine at a wedding, healed the sick, raised the dead, rode into town on a donkey, stood up to tyranny and authority, was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, had a last supper, used bread to represent body and wine to represent blood at this dinner, was nailed to a cross or tree, died for the sins of humanity, came back to life on the third day, were met by women upon leaving the tomb, offered salvation to their followers, etc. And the similarities get much similar than this.

So obviously some pagans believe the same things christians believe, because christianity is a jewish adaptation of pagan faith.

Answer 3

For those just learning about paganism, whether you are looking for a new spiritual path or just curious about our practices, I hope this page will help you find some of the answers you have been searching for. The information presented here is by no means conclusive concerning the beliefs of every person who identifies with this religion or who is a member of this organization. Earth Religions is not necessarily a Pagan student group, though many of our members identify themselves as Pagans. We are open to a E-mail the group address - [e-mail] - if you wish to add something to the FAQ or have any problems with the answers displayed here.

Answer 4

Pagan is a general term which includes many different beliefs. You would probably have to be more specific in your questions to your friend. Asking if she's Wiccan, is a start. If not, ask what Pantheon she follows (Egyptian, Roman/Greek, Celtic) *Pantheon is a group of Gods/Goddess' of a particular culture* If she claims she believes in All of the Gods/Goddess'... then ask if she is Eclectic, which means she takes from all kinds of different Pagan religions and makes them her own.

There just isn't any way for anyone to give you a definite answer on what we Pagans believe. We are all very different and though sometimes we may share certain beliefs, this doesn't mean we share all of our beliefs with one another.

Reconstructionist Pagan (Celtic)

Answer 5

The word Pagan is an umbrella term for many religions, trades, professions and callings created by Christians to denigrate the people who followed other than Christianity. Now, the term has become accepted throughout the world as honorable.
For the most part Pagans can be described as seekers of the truth, not followers of words taught to them by speakers for specific religions.

Answer 6

Pagan is considered to be any religion that are not Christian, Muslim, or Jewish. There are many different pagan religions some include, Wicca, Buddism, Druidsim, Native American practices, Shinto, even athiests are considered Pagan.

If you want to find more beliefs of your friend your best bet is to ask her. Most pagans are very open about thier beiefs and are willing to let those who show intrest some basic beliefs, thought ands practices.

Answer 7

Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "a country dweller" or "civilian") is a term which, from a western perspective, has come to connote a broad set of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices of natural or polytheistic religions.

Paganism is a polytheistic, panentheistic, or pantheistic religious practice, often nature-based. Most Pagans consider themselves to be religious, however some others use the term for a form of Atheism, Agnosticism, or philosophy.

Modern eclectic traditions such as Discordianism, and Wicca and its many offshoots are Neopagan, although Wiccans and Wiccan-influenced Neopagans may also refer to themselves simply as "Pagan".

Answer 8

Not all Pagans believe the same thing. Anyone who isn't a Christian is considered a Pagan-which can include anyone who doesn't worship God (or any god) at all or someone who worships for instance, the Greek gods (there are quite a few).

Answer 9

Any religion that isn't Christian, Muslim, or Jewish (in other words, the Abrahamic religions) is Pagan. Do you have any idea what a HUGE subject you just asked everyone to answer for you?

There's absolutely no way anyone can type it all out on here. Its just too much information.

Google it.

Answer 10

If you ask two pagans what they believe, you're going to get three answers.. paganism is not monocentric and does not have a leader (like a pope) telling us what to believe.
She is obviously a polytheist, in that she believes in more than one god/goddess.
Paganism is an earth based religion. We are very nature conscious and we can be polytheistic or pantheistic, depending on the pagan.
Try the following links if you want to find out more