Is paganism a nationality thing?

Question

Like you have to be Norwegian to worship Odin

Answer 1

You don't *have* to be. It's usually the other way around. The Gods call on those with a certain link to them - be it geographical, ancestral or spiritual closeness to the culture of the origin.
You can't just decide, pick a pantheon and start worshipping. You have to feel a certain closeness, connection to that particular culture.
There are a couple of recons and folkish here on Y!A who will be able to explain this much better than me so I'll start this question and hopefully some of them will see it.

Answer 2

Historically, generally so. Polytheistic gods were often seen as gods of a particular tribe or a particular location. While an African could worship Odin, there was just no logical reason for it.

In modern day, people who describe themselves as Pagans generally do not stress nationality or ethnicity. There are a small number of Asatru who are essentially neo-Nazis, stressing Norse race and religion, but the greater Asatru and Pagan communities generally have nothing to do with them.

Answer 3

In the beginning, different aspects of Pagan belief were generalized by certain cultures, countries, tribes, and communities. By current standards and because of the relevance of countless variances of Pagan beliefs and traditions, it is a matter more of belief and joining hands. There are still those who are very much entertained by the concept of Pagan bloodlines, although it is more of an interest such as genealogy. At least for America, you are free to worship whatever gods or deities you choose. My personal stance is that if it does not interfere with others, than it is a matter of freedom of choice and should not be swayed based upon popular social conceptions. It is the American way.

Answer 4

We've been having this discussion in the Hellenic Pagan groups I am part of recently and the answer that we have come up with is "no". The Gods can call whomever they want to.

Some people are more ethnocentric than that, but that does nothing to recognize that there are people from all areas with the call to worship our Gods. If the reason for this is not blatently racist, in my experience it is because of feeling that the particular nationality needs to "reclaim" their Gods before others can join in....

Answer 5

Paganism and Wicca at the instant are not an identical ingredient. Paganism is going back to Greek age and in the previous that way in the previous that. so a strategies as Wicca, if i'm proper wicca became practised by ability of many cultures, Irish, British and French and German for that count.

Answer 6

No, Pagans are of many different religions and races...

Native Americans, Norse Asatru, Wicca, Egyptology... the list goes on...

Answer 7

no, but some practitioners of Norse paganism do believe that heredity is an important factor.

you do find non-whites in Wicca from time to time.

it depends on the group, the local demographics, and other factors, but I really wouldn't call it nationalistic.

Answer 8

No, any religion or worship is a personal choice and nationality should have nothing to with it.

Answer 9

nationality has verry little to do with beliefs. Granted, different areas of the world have different practices. So geography has something to do with the specifics, but not on the basis of ones beliefs.

Answer 10

A church full of statues. A church where the priest waves a smoking lamp and chants in a dead language. A church where the worshippers eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ. A church where it's nuns have to undergo a ceremony to become brides of Christ. If that is not pagan, I don't know what is.