when people call themselves a pagan what exactly are they saying they are? Is it related to witchcraft, or just a non-Christian type of religion? Do you believe in a diety or do you 'worship' natural things (sun, moon, stars...)
2007-09-05 05:13:30 · 10 answers · asked by Mabes 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I'm a Christian by the way. I'm not interested in becoming a pagan, I just want to know what they believe, so I can understand what people mean when they say they are pagan
2007-09-05 05:36:13 · update #1
Technically the word Pagan applies to all religions apart from Judaism,Christianity and Islam.So technically it includes very well known world religions like Hinduism and Buddhism.
In practise most people don't count Hindu's,Buddhists or Sikh's as Pagans,however it is still a blanket term covering thousands of religious beliefs.
The most well known religion that is counted as Pagan is Wicca.Wicca is a neo-Pagan religion,first started in the 50's.It blends elements from a number of ancient Pagan paths.
There are,as I've said,thousands of other kinds of Pagans.Some follow the pre-Christian religions of certain races.I for example am a Celtic Pagan-which means I follow the pre-Christian religion of the Celts of Scotland.Virtually every pre-Christian religion still has Pagans who follow it.
What we believe varies hugely from 1 religion to another.My religion and some others believe in many separate gods,other religions believe in many gods which are parts of 1 or 2 supreme deities,yet more believe in only 1 or 2 gods.Some worship the sun and moon in themselves,others as symbols of a sun or moon deity and others as both.
The one thing none of us believe in is the Abrahamic god-also we don't believe in Jesus or Satan.We certainly don't worship Satan or evil.No Pagan religion practices human sacrifice and only a few-such as voodoo-practice animal sacrifice.
2007-09-05 13:08:26 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
With no other details, it's best to just take it at its face meaning, a non-Abrahamic religion. Some Pagan religions involve witchcraft, some don't. Some are polytheistic, some aren't.
Though, for the most part, few Pagans actually out and out worship trees/sun/etc. Some might see these things as representative of a deity (the same way a crucifix might represent God), or they might have a pantheistic view (*everything* is part of God), but most don't worship these things as deities, per se.
There's really too much variety in Paganism to give a whole lot of details without narrowing it down to specific Pagan religions.
2007-09-07 02:01:41 · answer #2 · answered by ArcadianStormcrow 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Obviously, the word "Pagan" has multiple meanings. When I use the word Pagan or neo-pagan I simply mean polytheist. I believe in and honor multiple, individual, pre-Christian deities.
I don't worship natural things but rather I see my deities within the beauty of nature. This is a common thing for people of most religions. Don't you feel the presence of your deity when you watch a sunrise or sunset, or when you are on a mountain top looking out over rolling hills covered in trees? Or perhaps when you see a rainbow? It doesn't mean that you are worshiping these things in nature.
2007-09-05 15:02:00 · answer #3 · answered by Witchy 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The dictionary definition of pagan is any non-Judeo-Christian. However, that term is frequently derogatory. (Would you like to be defined by what you are not?) When people define themselves as Pagans (or NeoPagans) they are generally part of a smaller group that includes Wiccans, Druids, Goddess Worshippers and followers of reconstructionist religions. Witches are people who practice a particular type of magic. They can be of any religion, but they are frequently Pagans. Because Paganism is a group of religions, I can't generalize their beliefs much. Each religion has its own gods, beliefs, rituals, practices, holidays, etc. In general, these religions are influenced by pre-Christian religions, but the degree of influence varies tremendously. They generally do not worship natural things but they do see their gods as intimately connected with natural things. (Worshipping a sun god is not the same thing as worshipping the sun) Pagans are generally, but not always, polytheists.
2007-09-05 05:41:42 · answer #4 · answered by Nightwind 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The term Pagan was, arguably, the term used to describe country dwellers, or untrained/unlearned and unwealthy people. It grew in negative use by early Christians, as well as other Abrahamic traditions, to describe any religion that was not one that would succumb to proselytization. So, Paganism is now used as a term to encompass all of those religions that did not succumb to proselytization of the Abrahamic faith as well as some that did, but choose to practice in a less dogmatic way. Most, but not all, of these are nature based. This means they celebrate the changes and cycles of life; i.e. births, deaths, seasonal changes, etc. Most are polytheistic, some are monotheistic. The term Neopaganism (or any variation of this term) is used, by some, to describe any religion that has recently resurged, been created, or recreated, in revisitation of what was believed to be the "old" or "traditional" pagan ways.
2007-09-05 05:32:49 · answer #5 · answered by jada 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
"Pagan" covers a wide variety of beliefs, so I'll summarize mine.
I believe in a Higher Power, and recognize its masculine and feminine energies as God and Goddess. I believe that the various Gods and Goddesses of the world's religions and mythologies are all aspects of the same Higher Power, interpreted by various cultures and religions based on their personal interactions with the Divine and the culture in which they live.
I believe that there is a spark of the Divine's energy in everything - people, animals, plants, stones, etc. Each has their own energy that makes them unique and that connects them to the Divine. That doesn't mean that I believe that "they are Gods", just that I recognize that they are connected to the Divine.
I celebrate the cycles of life, death, and rebirth through the cycles of the moon and the seasons. There are eight seasonal holidays or Sabbats that I recognize, including the Solstices and Equinoxes, that help keep me aware of the world around me and my place in it.
I try my best not to harm others, to consider my actions and their repercussions before doing them, and I accept the consequences - intended and accidental - of them. I try to recognize my impact on the world around me, and to make that impact as positive as possible. (I blew up here a couple of nights ago, which I shouldn't have done.)
I occasionally do spellwork, either in the form of asking for the Divine's help in doing something, or in trying to create change on my own. I do not do spells on people without their permission, because I feel that is a violation of their free will. Most of my spellwork is self-directed.
2007-09-05 05:37:12 · answer #6 · answered by Nandina (Bunny Slipper Goddess) 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Paganism isnot believing in Jesus Christ, Paganism is believing in something that cannot see hear or smell, it is made out of wood hay or stubble or marble or gold or silver. It is not alive, it cannot breathe, that is Paganism. Only Jesus can get you to Heaven. If you believe in Jesus and the Bible and you would like to know how to go to Heaven I can show. All it takes is believing and a simple Prayer and you can be born again. The Holy Spirit will come into your life and help you live it according to the Bible and you will glorify God. Just say Dear Jesus, I believe that you came to earth to die on a cross for me to be a perfect sacrifice for my sins, I believe you rose from the grave the third day as the Bible says, I now ask you to forgive me of all of my sins and come into my heart and save me, In the name of Jesus Amen.. If you Prayed this Prayer with a sincere heart believing in Jesus you just got born again. Praise the Lord, Now read your Bible, go to Church and serve the Lord with all your Heart. Praise ye the Lord!! Now God can use you do bring glory to him. Doesn't if feel like a great burden has just been lifted off you. I know it does for me still to this day and I got saved a long time ago. If you have any questions send me an email. Good luck and GOD BLESS YOU
2007-09-05 05:32:16 · answer #7 · answered by victor 7707 7 · 0⤊ 5⤋
Pagan is a false religion because its not based on bible scriptures.They believe in other gods not the creator God
2007-09-05 05:44:36 · answer #8 · answered by Icyelene R 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
like a monk with additude
2007-09-05 05:21:34 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
NOT a Christian, Jew, or Muslim.
2007-09-05 05:20:29 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋