What's a Pagan....like a witch or something, just wondering?

Answer 1

A pagan is someone who follows the old ways, but does not practice the religion Wicca, or fit into the Shaman or Druid categories. Some pagans may practice witchcraft (magick). Others do not. Each may understand and work with Deity differently than their peers.

Because they don't claim a "major" religion, many people deride them as unreligious. This is not the case. I have found pagans to be very firm in their own beliefs. And, they know WHY they believe what they do. They are also very accepting of other people and other people's religions.

What I have found is that they understand a very important and fundamental concept - when it comes right down to it, what matters is the relationship between you and Deity. Names, history, and dogma often blind people and get in the way of their growth. Cutting through all the red tape can be a very liberating experience.

Answer 2

The word generally denotes someone who is not a Christian, Jew or Muslim. Hindus, for example, are pagans, although they generally do not call themselves that and many find it offensive. However, there is a much smaller group of people who self-identify with the term. This would include Druids, Asatruar, Wiccans, some witches, Goddess worshippers, and Recons.

Answer 3

A pagan is a person who follows an earth-based religion. Belief in Mother Earth as opposed to Father in the heavens. That is not to say that pagans do not believe in Father Sky. look at the Native Americans. Or was that Grandfather sky? I can't remember.

Answer 4

The term can be defined broadly, to encompass the faith traditions outside the Abrahamic monotheistic group of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The group so defined includes the Indian religions (such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism), Native American religions and mythologies and Shinto as well as non-Abrahamic ethnic religions in general. More narrow definitions will not include any of the world religions and restrict the term to local or rural currents not organized as civil religions. Characteristic of Pagan traditions is the absence of proselytism, and the presence of a living mythology which explains religious practice.

The term "Pagan" is a Christian adaptation of the "Gentile" of Judaism, and as such has an inherent Christian or Abrahamic bias, and pejorative connotations among Westerners, comparable to heathen, and infidel, mushrik and kafir (كافر) in Islam. For this reason, ethnologists avoid the term "Paganism", with its uncertain and varied meanings, in referring to traditional or historic faiths, preferring more precise categories such as polytheism, shamanism, pantheism, or animism.

Since the later 20th century, however, the words "Pagan" or "Paganism" have become widely and openly used as a self-designation of adherents of polytheistic reconstructionism and neo-Paganism.

Answer 5

This one's hard to answer since paganism can be expressed in so many ways. Witches tend to be Wiccan, which some argue is a branch of paganism.

Basically it's a belief that is more centered in the real forces we experience than in some mythical daddy figure living in a cloud, keeping track of our sins like Santa Claus.

Answer 6

Pagan describes many ancient religions ans some new ones (Like Wicca). that do not conform to the mainstream religious beliefs (Christian Muslim, Jewish ,and Buddahism)

we believe in many gods and goddesses. and practice our beliefs in small groups called groves or covens.

most of are earth centered, which means that our religion and our gods are based around events in nature and the changing seasons.

many of us are witches. but not all witches are Pagan. (you do not have to be one to be the other. )

if you have any more specific questions feel free to e-mail me.

Answer 7

Well a "witch" is a Pagan, but a Pagan is not necessarily a "witch"

Wiccan

Answer 8

a pagan can be a witch and vice versa, but not necessarily. a pagan can just mean someone who is not Christian or it can mean someone who believes in an earth-based religion.

Answer 9

I'm a pagan, druid, but there are many forms of paganism such as wicca, asatru, heathenism and many others

Answer 10

"Pagan" is an umbrella term for anyone who is not Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. Today, when many people think of "Pagan," they refer to the neopagan family of religions including Wicca, Asatru, Greek Heathenism, and the like.