Dear Pagan,Witches,Wiccans.....???

Question

and everything in between.
Could you simplify your beliefs so that US Christians can know and have an understanding of your beliefs??
With all Sincerity.....
We know so little of it and obviously we are not studying from the internet or books just from the examples here so please enlighten us you have the floor and we are all listening...........

Thank you...And
Christians, Please resist the Thumbdown buttons so we all can learn something without prejudice.

No I am being serious I'm 29 not 16.

Maria,
Alot of Christians(like me) don't look up things and no one should be offended to this its a simple Question. I can sum up Christianity with a simple paragraph.

Just to add its examples of all that is here not just Christians in particular. (sorry)Maybe that is why the Christians that have answered the way they did.
I did not mean to offend anyone with this Question.

Thank you that answered.
I am here to learn and have fun these things get so heated sometimes.
And maybe I am too lazy to really research it but I just had it summed up for me by a few intelligent people that didn't take offense to my question at all
For my Christian Brothers and Sisters;
I know what the Bible says about this.
I am not a waivering believer. I think knowledge of other beliefs are a good thing. I wasn't trying to be convert and I was not trying to convert. In all honesty I was looking to learn from people and how they believed. I know what I believe just fine. Like I have asked before Why can't a question just be a question without the speculation of converting someone?? thanks again & Goodnight!

I actually was coming out of Pangels Question and after 13 thumbsdown it made me realize that I needed to know exactly what the beliefs were.
I dabbled in a couple of the in between things in my past but none of what I thought what these few believe.
Atheists are pretty easy No God/No Devil.Period.

I am putting this to a vote.

All that answered respectfully are worth the 'best answer'.

I have defantily learned some things.
THANKS!!

Answer 1

Well seeing as Pagan is a blanket term that covers thousands of religions theres no way you can know about them all-I'm a Pagan and I don't.

I will try to simplify Celtic Paganism (my religion) for you-though religion is never THAT simple (yogi in an earlier answer is also a Celtic Pagan but his description of our faith is different to mine):

There are many gods and goddesses.All are totally seperate-not parts of 1 supreme deity.They are all immortal and all have power far beyond anything a human could comprehend but they each take an interest in different things.So while Andraste is a goddess of war,Arrianrhod is the goddess of the moon and motherhood and so on.All animals are sacred in a way but harming hares or ravens is tabboo.You can talk to the gods anytime,anywhere-by speaking,thinking or in meditation or prayers.They can answer you in various ways at this time and also communicate in dreams.Not only humans have souls-animals,plants and natural objects such as stones,rocks,streams and mountains etc do to.Basically everything that isn't man-made has a soul and is alive in it's way.This kind of belief is called animism.

Celtic Pagans (and for that matter most if not all other Pagans)do not believe in the Abrahamic god,Jesus or Satan.We are certainly not worshippers of Satan or of evil.We do not practise human or animal sacrifice-although our ancient ancestors did.We do not practise ritual rape,incest or have sex with children as some people accuse us of doing-all these things are terrible crimes to us too.

We worship nature and life in a sense.The ancient Celts were warriors so unlike Wiccans (who are probably the most well known Pagan religion)we do not believe in never causing harm.We believe violence-and if needed killing-can be justified in self defence or the defence of others and so on.Courage,honour and loyalty are valued traits.We believe you should always keep your word.We believe in magic but not all of us use it.We believe magic is the common word for natural energy that is everywhere and can be channeled.

We don't believe in sin or pure evil the way the Abrahamic faiths do.So we don't believe sex before marriage is bad and so on.Very few things are black and white.Even the worst person has some good in them somewhere and even the best person is capable of cruelty and bad actions under the right conditions.If you do bad things you must be prepared to take responsibility for them.We are not forgiven for bad things by a priest.

Kin (family and close friends) are very important and you should always protect them,help them and remain loyal to them.We believe women are equal to men-unlike some branches of the Abrahamic faiths.

Our important festivals include Samhain (new year) on the 31st of October,Yule (on the winter solstice) and beltane which is on the 30th of April among other festivals.

After death you go to the Celtic afterlife.There are a number of names for the place depending on which branch of Celtic tradition you use.I call it Mag Mell which is the term usually used in Scottish Gaelic.Other names for it include Avalon,Annwn and Tir Na Nog.It is a paradise.

I hope that helps.If you want to know any more email me.

Answer 2

i am no authority and i can only tell you about my beliefs. the simplified version of my beliefs is this:
ultimately, everything around us including our bodies and a good deal of what we call our soul, is an illusion. what i believe to be truly real is the single source from which all things come and a small bit of what we call our soul. do not confuse this single source with how you percieve of god. it is not the same thing. it is not some being that is all knowing or all powerful or even marginally concerned with our lives. it's not even a being. it's just the source and everything else is an emanation from it.
i believe the purpose of life is simply to live. we are here for the experience so that we can contribute that experience to the source. i believe that when we die our bodies go into the ground and rejoin the earth. our soul and our energy fade back into the universal flow of energy which eventually returns to the source.
i believe that god is man. i interpret that as meaning that for all intents and purposes there is no higher being that i must fear and be in subjugation to. there is no god out there judging my actions and i am the only one responsible for what i do. i am my only master.
i believe that any spirit, demon, ethereal being, etc is an archetype and is merely a part of myself.
i believe in magick as an art form and a "science" that i use to bend the energies of this world to my will. my will, however, cannot infringe or take away someone esles will. doing so is not doing my true will. it would be unethical in my eyes.
so, yeah, that's the simple version of what i believe.

Answer 3

Witches practice witchcraft, which is a form of magic which generally stresses emotion over ceremonial procedure and generally centers around powers associated with the earth.

Pagans can be from a variety of religions such as Wicca, Druidry, Asatru and Goddess Worship. Their beliefs are influenced to varying degrees by pre-Christian beliefs.

Wicca is a distinct religion viewing the universe as the product of complementary opposites such as male/female, hot/cold, summer/winter, etc. represented by a patron god and goddess.Wiccans may or may not recognise other polytheistic deities besides their patrons. It stresses personal experience and learning the mysteries: things that cannot be taught but only experienced. It is traditionally initiatory but large numbers of practitioners no longer are.

It's ethics largely come from two sources: The Wiccan Rede (And it harm none, do what you will) and the Law of Return (all actions have consequences). It stresses personal responsibility for actions taken.

It accepts the reality of magic, although not all Wiccans consider themselves witches or practice what people would commonly call "spells." They do, however, work with the same energies understood to be involved in magic.

Answer 4

I am a Christian but have always been interested in studying other religions because I like to have an open mind. I was raised in a fundamentalist Evangelical church that I found so stifling and ignorant when saying that people of other religions, even Catholics, were going to burn in Hell. It really turned me off organized religions when I got to be older and I eventually became an agnostic because I couldn't stand the hypocrisy I found in so many so called organized religions. When my Mom passed away in 1987, I did turn to the church and now I am a practicing Catholic. I don't agree necessarily with all of the decisions made by the Vatican but I have found that I believe more than I disagree. I find comfort in the church. Now this is just my opinion and it may really rub some people the wrong way but that's OK because I am not asking for anyone's validation.
What I find offensive with this question is that it would be like, ---OK, I want all of you Christians out there and everything in between like Baptists ,Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians,
Catholics, Church of God, and the rest of you all, to simplify your beliefs so that we can all get a good understanding of what you believe. Sort of like the Reader's Digest version. And I mean this with all due Sincerity because I just don't feel like taking the time to really study what you all are about.
Why don't you try reading a book or look it up on the internet--but you said that obviously you don't do that. You just want someone who practices the other religions to simplify it for you so you can go on feeling superior because you are a Christian. Well, good for you!! Do the homework if you are truly interested in understanding something.

Answer 5

Answering for myself:

I believe there is a Higher Power that transcends gender and consciousness as we know it - I usually refer to it as "The Higher Power", "God/dess" or "Universal Energy". I feel that it is an energy that permeates the universe and everything in it, as opposed to a sentient, omniscient, omnipotent Being that is sitting somewhere watching us all. The similarities between various world pantheons in the types of Gods and Goddesses (Love, War, Fertility, Home, Death, etc.) leads me to believe that the various Gods and Goddesses of the various religions are all aspects of the same Higher Power, "broken down" by man into something that we can relate to, and to help deal with whatever needs dealing with at that point. I also believe in the idea of "Harm None" ("An it harm none, do as ye will" - the Wiccan Rede), and the thought that what energy you put out will come back to you threefold. In this way, my Path is similar to Wicca.

For a good overview of Wicca, check out

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

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

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

Answer 6

Well for me and this is only for me, I acknowledge a God and Goddess. Other times I will simply acknowledge Spirit. I am very normal, I wear underwear and shave my legs. lol Yeah that was in an answer to one of Pangel's questions. I see the divine in all things. I respect all religions and paths as they are valid to the person who believes in them. I do rituals some times. I've never sacrificed anything for a ritual or in any other way. I meditate, I sending energy when people ask for it. I say prayers. That's the short answer and I hope it helps you some. :-)

Answer 7

Again, I can only speak for my own understandings and
beliefs. Although you say that you can summarize all of
Christianity, it seems to me that it would not speak to all of
those out there who profess it. People worship different
ways.
The basic Wiccan rede is: "An it harm none, do as you will".
This is, harm no one, not yourself, nor anyone else.
To me, Wicca is a positive, helping, loving religion. I seek to leave all things and people and the Earth herself, in
a better state than which I found them.
I would not impose my beliefs on others, nor "cast spells"
to make others do, say, or feel any other way than they
decide themselves to be, say, and feel.
I do not worship the Devil (this is a Christian construct)
nor do I believe in a Hell. The Creator I believe in is much
too loving and rational of a Being to create such a thing.
Please keep an open mind. All beliefs have some good
in them, as do all beings.
Blessed Be

Answer 8

There's a bit too much variety between Pagans to give too many details on that high a level. Heck, even too many differences just among Reconstructionists. So, to narrow it down a little....

As a Celtic Reconstructionist, I believe in the gods (of the ancient Irish, in my case), the spirits of the land (animism), and the ancestors.

Answer 9

One thing that I've learned since I converted to the Craft is this: Ask 5 different Witches/Wiccans/Pagans what their religion is all about, and you'll get 5 different answers.

I'll give you what I am, since I can only speak for myself. You'll find similarities in many of our answers but you will find no two that are exactly alike.

I am an Eclectic Neo-Wiccan. I call myself a Witch. Not because I can shoot sparks out of a wand or because I have special powers but because I study and practice a Craft (Witchcraft) based religion. This would be the time to say that not all Witches are Wiccan but ALL Wiccans are Witches.

I believe in the Divine. I believe that we could not fathom it as humans. BUT I do personify them as different aspects with the different gods and goddesses. I identify a lot with the Greek pantheon and a few from the Norse and the Celtic pantheon of gods. However, if I'm simply having my nighttime or morning prayer, I will simply pray to my great mother and father, the God and Goddess.

I believe in balance and duality. Light and dark. Male and female. We all have a bit of the traits of all of that within us.

MY Holy trinity is the three phases of the moon which symbolize three stages of the Female Life: Maiden Mother and Crone. However, I do not the worship the moon as an object. I have a second holy trinity, in my heart, but that is private and for me to know. Just know it deals with family. :)

I do spells, but really spells are just well thought out prayers in action. You ADD your own energy that you have to that of the divine and you focus that energy with tools and chants. It takes a lot more planning than a simple prayer.

I believe in spirit guides (i've seen mine in meditation) and the Elements are vital in my everday life. The pentagram (the star) symbolizes Earth Air Fire Water and Spirit and when there's a circle around the star (a pentacle) it symbolizes that all of that is connected.

I'm all about enriching the World and being peaceful and helpful and making the lives I touch better.

I have to go or I'd write longer. Blessed be and I hope I helped.

Answer 10

Well, it's a broad subject, but Pagans, which include Wiccans, generally revere our Mother Earth and pay their respects or worship Her. Many of us also worship other deities or spirits, and we generally honor our ancestors. This is a very broad description, and the methods of worship vary as much as the Deities themselves.

There are a number of religions under the general term Pagan, including Wicca, Asatru, Druidry and Romuva. There are also those who serve the Orisa of Voudon and in the broadest sense Hinduism is also very much a Pagan religion. None of these have a JudeoChristian/Islamic basis, and so you will not find references to Satan/Shaitan in our worship, nor will you often find references to Jahweh/Jehovah.

If you wish to discuss this further, check my profile for contact information.