Am I a "pagan"?

Question

I am Hindu, and I realize some people call that a pagan religion. But today, "Pagan" has come to be a word to refer mostly to those who practice one of the pre-Christian European religions, hasn't it? So is it incorrect for people to call Hindus Pagans? Or does this word have so many uses that it depends on the context or something? And, is this meant as an insult? "Pagan" should not be an insult in my opinion, but when people call Hindus Pagans, are they attempting to insult them?

Answer 1

Paganism is ancient hinduism mixed with local rituals and beliefs

I went to a site which will tell you your religion once you fill up their questionaire.

I replied all the questions honestly.. and the site told me I am a Pagan ----

Answer 2

This is a difficult question to answer.

Modern Paganism and Hinduism are somewhat similar, and they can certainly get along. In fact, many modern traditions borrow heavily from Hindu concepts. But the original meaning of the Latin word that "Pagan" came from, meaning country people, implied the people were outside the loop of the city fashions, including the official religions. Therefore, it somewhat implies by extension that a Pagan religion is one that isn't officially accepted by the greater society, or by the government more specifically. Before Christianity was the official religion of Rome, this word was probably certainly used to describe Jews and Christians as well. Since Hinduism has been officially recognized all over, and most especially in the countries where it developed, where it is pretty much the norm, it doesn't really fit this particular definition of Paganism. But then, once Paganism is accepted as the "norm", what will we call it?

However, if you're a Christian, Muslim or Jew, Paganism simply means not a Christian, Muslim or Jew, so Hinduism be considered a Pagan religion.

I have known Hindus that consider themselves Pagan, and I have known Pagans that include Hindus in the Pagan religious umbrella when they speak of it. I have also known Hindus who adamently deny any link to modern Pagan practices calling them New Age nonsense, which is not entirely inaccurate in many cases, but is a little rude. Most Pagans don't include Hinduism under the Pagan umbrella because it is so distinct and has such a quality of its own, it doesn't need to go under an umbrella.

So, the final answer is this.
You can call yourself a Pagan if you like, the other Pagans won't mind and the Christians/Muslims/Jews will probably agree with you. Some other Hindus won't, and some will.

I don't see the word Pagan as an insult. Most people who refer to Hindus as Pagan are simply setting them apart from Christian/Jewish/Muslim religion which is an entirely different animal. In fact, if we were going to put religion into a Linnaean taxonomy, I'd say it's in an entirely different Kingdom. Most people who use the word Pagan as an insult doesn't know what it means anyway. It's about how we see the Divine. Is it a bossy old grumpy guy who's going to damn us to hell if we don't do what He says, but if we are properly sorry he might get over it? Or is the Divine as much part of creation as creation is part of it, and all good and bad fortune a natural outcome of natural processes having little to do with conscious punishment or reward? If Hindus believe the latter, then they are like Pagans and it's not an insult. I love being Pagan.

Answer 3

This is what the dictionary says:

Pagan: –noun

1. one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks.
2. a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim.

So, by definition, Hindu's are Pagans. I know I've called Hindu's, "Pagan", in the past because it is a technically correct term. But never have I used it in a derogatory manor. I have much respect for that religion. However, because a few people don't like Pagans, and since Hindu's have a different and unique belief-system, I would think that some people would point at a Hindu and call them a Pagan as a means of an insult - people are cruel like that.

Answer 4

Per the dictionary definition, the usage of pagan-with-the-little-p is arguably accurate for a description of Hinduism - but it's rather ethnocentric. You're correct that Pagan-with-a-capital-P refers to primarily the pre-Christian European religions; as such, most Pagans wouldn't consider Hindus to be Pagans, though they probably would consider them to be rather pleasant neighbors.

As to whether or not it's meant as an insult - that would depend upon the person. For some folks, it's a blanket term used to describe anything non-Abrahamic - for them, I'd say it's not meant to be insulting, even if it's a bit ignorant. Unfortunately, some folks do use it in an insulting manner. In general, I'd say it depends on the context.

Answer 5

Pagan was used as a term to describe Non-Christan followers, and in the beginning meant all that fell in that category. But like most words it has transformed in meaning, both positively and negatively.

Strict Christians may use it as a slander word. While, non-Christians proudly label themselves as pagan. The main rule of thumb though seems to be the Gods/Goddess being followed. Less followed such as the Greek, Roman, and Germanic Gods have a pagan following (these being the original people labeled as pagans when Constantine started his campaign for Christianity), these are the people who follow a religion that is no longer a key component to the society they live in. While well established and strong religions that still hold a strong foothold somewhere in the world are just what they are, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.

Answer 6

The term "pagan" originally meant "country dweller", Christianity started it's conversions in cities, so the farther you lived from a city the less likely you were to be a Christian. In modern usage it has been adopted as an umbrella term for anyone who isn't Jewish. Christian, or Islamic. By that usage a Hindu is, indeed a pagan. Whether or not it is meant as an insult depends on the speaker. I, myself, am Pagan and say it with pride, others use the term as a condemnation. For all practical purposes, the word is almost without a true meaning, so if someone calls you that ignore them, you know the truth and value of your faith, and your own value and worth as person, never let anyone make you question that.

Answer 7

Pagan these days is usually used to cover any of the none christian religions Christians, Mormons, catholics, Jew's, and atheist can't be called pagans but most other religions can be generically classified as pagan or so I've been told. I am a Wiccan so i take no offense when being called pagan and sometimes just to save time I'll tell some one " lets just say I'm pagan and leave it at that" i wouldn't take it as an insult though.

Answer 8

I believe this word was used to describe all those who didn't know the God of Israel (not the country by today's world map), Israel was a tribe of people born of the house of Abraham, and God had made a covenant with Abraham, that he would multiply his seed and you get the twelve tribes of Israel. It is all in the Bible OldTestament.

When someone uses the term "pagan" today I believe they mean something entirely different, what comes to my mind is someone with no moral values, acts on a whim, does not know how to live civilly, I don't think much about religion when I hear the term. I have never heard anyone call anyone a pagan Hindu, or a pagan anything, it is not a popular term these days.

Answer 9

Semantics evolve over time. Neopaganism--a series of religions that are based partly, though not solely, on pre-Christian European religions--has reclaimed the word. Initially it just mean any religion other than Christianity, Judiasm and Islam, and it originated from the Latin "paganus", which basically meant "backwoods hick". The reason fro this was because once Christinaity was accepted as the official religion of Rome, it became very popular in the cities. People in rural areas who hadn't been exposed to it yet were seen in the same way as rednecks are today, and so "paganus" was a derogatory term.

Isaac Bonewits, in his book "Real Magic", was the first person to differentiate between paleopagan, mesopagan and neopagan religions. Paleopagan refers to any original pre-Christian religion (which would include Hinduism). Mesopaganism refers to the first wave of reconstructed pagan religions and paths, which includes Afro-Caribbean religions like Voodoo and Santeria, which are composed partly of traditional African religions, as well as orders such as the Golden Dawn and the revival of druidry that occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries. Neopaganism basically started with Wicca, which was created in the 1930s based on a whole hodge podge of material, and today includes everything from Wicca to Asatru to Celtic reconstructionism, and even just plain "I'm a neopagan".

So it really depends on who you talk to and what the context it. Some Christians still use it as a derogatory term; about the only people who use it to describe themselves are neopagans.

Answer 10

Many people who are the products of Western (European) Judeo-Christian culture use the term "pagan" to mean "persons who do not believe in the Abrahamic God." If they use this term is should be with a lower case "p." Because "Pagan" (with a capital "P") refers to practitioners of pre-Christian European (usually Celtic or Nordic) religions, it is probably incorrect to use "Pagan" in reference to Hinduism. In fact, even the use of "pagan" is culturally narrow and, probably inappropriate when applied to Hinduism. If I were a Hindu, I would consider the term "pagan" when applied to my religion as: (a) highly inappropriate and probably derogatory, or (b) insulting. The bottom line is that the term "pagan" when applied to non-believers in the Abrahamic God is a second century European practice with virtually no application to contemporary Hinduism. If I were Hindu, I would simply tell people that Hindus do not consider themselves "pagans" and it is inappropriate to use that term when referring to Hindus or Hinduism.