What would Christians think if the Germanic countries regained their old pagan ways?

Question

Would they resort to force, to try to remove their cultural freedom again?

The "pagan cultures and traditions" of Africa are very much alive, if one takes look into it.

The pagan cultures of Europe and the rest of the Western world are rather fragile at this point (though growing stronger).

Answer 1

Well since that was the dream of the Nazis, to restore Germanic paganism, and it so recently failed, I think the question is moot. Of course, you'd have to have a decent education to know what I'm talking about. In Germany today, Christian schools are actually funded by the state, so go read some more comic books.

Answer 2

There would be more than a few that were sure it was a sign of the "End Times"

Germanic Conversion to Christianity

The Ostrogoths, Visigoths, and Vandals were Christianized while they were still outside the bounds of the Empire; however, they converted to Arianism rather than to orthodox Catholicism, and were soon regarded as heretics.
The one great written remnant of the Gothic language is a translation of portions of the Bible made by Ulfilas, the Missionary who converted them. The Lombards were not converted until after their entrance into the Empire, but received Christianity from Arian Germanic groups.

The Franks were converted directly from Paganism to Catholicism without an intervening time as Arians.
Several centuries later, Anglo-Saxon and Frankish missionaries and warriors undertook the conversion of their Saxon neighbours.
A key event was the felling of Thor's Oak near Fritzlar by Boniface, apostle of the Germans, in 723.

Eventually, the conversion was forced by armed force, successfully completed by Charlemagne, in a series of campaigns (the Saxon Wars), that also brought Saxon lands into the Frankish empire.

Answer 3

It would certainly be interesting to watch the reactions.

I'm sure there would be a lot of folks decrying it. And a lot of American evangelists urging our government to change our diplomatic status with Germany, Norway, etc., denouncing the change, shaking their fists and pounding on pulpits.

Anything bad that happened in the Germanic countries would be laid at the feet of this reclaiming of the old ways. It would be declared "God's punishment".

Hey, maybe the Wends (Polabian Slavs of what is now northern and eastern Germany) could finally go back to *their* ways, too....there was a big crusade against them in 1147, when there was an attempt to forcibly Christianize them. The goal of the crusade was to battle the pagan Slavs "until such a time as, by God's help, they shall either be converted or deleted" - Bernard of Clairvaux

The crusade failed to achieve the conversion of most of the Wends. The Saxons achieved largely token conversions at Dobin, as the Slavs resorted to their pagan beliefs once the Christian armies dispersed; Albert of Pomerania explained, "If they had come to strengthen the Christian faith ... they should do so be preaching, not by arms". (And what a shame that the Saxons, who themselves had resisted conversion a few hundred years back, had been infected by bloodthirsty zealotry by the Church)

But, back to the actual question.

It's a delicious thought.

I don't think that there would be actual violence, but I'm willing to bet that there would be a HUGE missionary drive...

And it would not surprise me if there was trade-agreement pressure to allow the missionaries - historically, that was one of the ways that the Church promoted conversion, through forbidding Christian lands to trade with non-Christian people, thus applying financial pressure to convert (at least in token).



BTW, for all you people who don't read history, the Scandinavian countries adopted Christianity unwillingly, under bloodthirsty coercion. And in Germany itself, well...in Saxony, for example, the newly-converted and fanatical Christian Franks persecuted the still-Pagan Saxons, and at the end of the 8th century, the Frankish monarch Charlemagne led a religious crusade against the Saxons. In 782 he slaughtered 4,500 Pagan prisoners who refused to convert at a grove which has given its name to the modern town nearly, Sachsenhain-bei-Verden. Charlemagne also instituted the death penalty for refusing baptism and for other evidence of adherence to the Saxon Pagan faith.

There is more, but I doubt that anyone who is interested in white-washing the forced conversion of the Germanic peoples will care to research any of it.

Just stick your fingers in your ears and sing "La la la la la, I can't hear you".

Answer 4

not it would just be an opportunity for send missionaries. Honestly a nation has no religious preference. People are all growing and learning to experience God on their own. If they so choose to be Pagan that is their choice and I am not for force them to change. Only to share my experiences. they can share theirs as well.

to Shaolt Christ was far from an inferior being. He was God inhabiting the shell of flesh. God being extra dimensional to the point where he is beyond time, space, (outdoes quantum computers and links to everyones mind at once) is far from inferior.

Answer 5

Oh good goddess. You people are so freaking far off it's unreal.
Hitler was about as much Asatru as my grandmother. Who is CATHOLIC. He used pagan symbols but he massacred their meaning. The Germanic pagans had no desire for universalism. They honored the cultures of those they traded with. They had their gods, their trading buddies had theirs. No big deal.

Druids where in Great Britain. They were a COMPLETELY different religion that in no way freaking resembled the Germanic faiths or religions.
Where do you people GET this stuff??

And to answer the questioner, they ARE regaining their pagan ways. Our ancestors felt at one time that their God was welcome to share. He broke the deal.
We won't make that mistake again.

Answer 6

Would who resort to force?

Germans have always been liberal in matters of religion. They accepted Arianism, the teaching that Christ was an inferior created being. They were also strongholds of Protestants, Moravians, and Unitarians. I wouldn't be surprised to see them forsake Christianity, and honestly it would not deter me.

Answer 7

I don't think it would matter anymore. I think Christians would be Christians still and everybody would just believe what they want.

Answer 8

Nobody argues for the pagan cultures and traditions of the middle east or Africa. Wait... that because they're POOR.

Seriously. You're gonna start being cavemen again because you can afford it.

Answer 9

I doubt if they would resort to force like they did back in the day. And oh, how the pagans would sing and dance!!!!!!!! We would party like there was no tomorrow!!!

You know, just the thought makes me want to cry for it to really be true. Here. In the USA. sigh..........

What a wonderful, warm and fuzzy thought.

Answer 10

Who would actually care? And are they trying to? Think about it: does anyone really want to go back to the terror of Druid human sacrifices?