Pagans - what do you believe?

Question

I don't know much about paganism.

Does each individual have their own beliefs or are there a set of rules/beliefs etc. that you have to follow?

I'm not really thinking of becoming a pagan, i just want to learn.
Thanks.

Answer 1

The word Pagan is a blanket term covering thousands of beliefs.Some are traditional with set rules and beliefs-Asatru (the religion of the pre-Christian Norse),the various reconstructionist paths such as Celtic,Egyptian,Hellenic (Ancient Greek) etc.

There are also lots of eclectic Pagans who blend elements from lots of different Pagan religions to create a unique religion that purely fits what they believe.

I am a Celtic Pagan but I do incorparate a few elements from other Pagan paths so I'm also semi-eclectic.

Religion is complex isn't it lol.

Answer 2

First off I want to say thank you for being willing to learn. I appreciate that you actually showed interest even though you chose to not be Pagan.

Pagan is an umbrella term for many groups under it. Some of us follow specific religions, others different belief systems or simply different beliefs that aren't covered by anything we've found yet.

I personally believe in a God and Goddess. I also believe they are part of the whole which makes Spirit. I believe in karma, reincarnation, that we are responsible for our actions and no one else. I believe that animals are more than just animals. Maybe not relatives type belief but I think they can help us more than we may know. I believe that the Native Americans had many wonderful beliefs. I believe herbs should be used instead of a lot of medicines that are used. I believe that we attract like energy. I believe there is no reason for religions to be at odds with each other. I believe we are all on our spiritual paths as we should be. I believe that everyone's beliefs are valid.

Answer 3

That question is even harder to answer than what Christians believe. Many pagans worship nature, but there are nature-worshippers who don’t call themselves pagans, like the naturalistic pantheists. Many pagans believe in a multitude of Gods and Goddesses, polytheism, but there are some polytheists who aren’t pagans, like the Mormons (a Christian sect). Some who call themselves pagans are neither nature-worshippers nor polytheists, but their paganism consists in working magic, like the Thelemites. There is no easy way of classification. I would say all practitioners of Wicca, Hellenismos, Ásatrú, Religio Romana, Kemeticism, Neocelticism, Druidism, Romuva, Hinduism, Native American religion and African religion (and this is just a partial list) are pagans. Jews, Christians and Muslims certainly aren’t. Buddhists aren’t either. Taoists may qualify, if their belief in Gods has any impact. Shintoists perhaps also. Atheists can be pagans if they revere nature and call themselves pagans.
Each path has its own history, for example:-
Wicca is a branch of neopaganism. It is a 50 year old religion, founded by British civil servant Gerald Gardner. It centres around the worship of an equally balanced female divinity (the Goddess) and male divinity (the God) by means of magical rituals and spellcasting. Magic and energy work is all done in a circle, which demarcates sacred space. Work with the four elements, Air, Fire, Water and Earth, is also important. Material tools are used in ritual, such as the athame, or magic knife, which symbolises the God (phallus), and the chalice or cup, which symbolises the Goddess (womb).

Wiccans may or may not believe that “all Gods are one God, all Goddesses are one Goddess” (duotheism); Traditional and Eclectic Wiccans are divided on that point (I’m an Eclectic, Feri Nature based Druidic I believe each God and Goddess is a distinct, individual person, Energy cology). Wiccans also usually believe in an endless cycle of reincarnation, in which humans are forever reborn into other humans. The principal ethic behind Wiccan spellcasting is “if it harms none, do as you will.” Negative spells and black magic are shunned, and Wiccans believe their penalty is a rebounding of their effect upon the caster, called the Threefold Law.
Awen/|\MoonWolf

Answer 4

Well Cheryl, Daughter, and Matt said it. Paganism is an umbrella for numerous other religions. you have Asatru, Druidism, 8 or 9 different types of Wicca, etc. etc. etc. Then to add on to that confusion you have Pagans that do not hold to any one specific belief but in a sense create their own. Usually borrowing from multiple religions sometimes including christian religions or others. So there is really no way to give you a specific answer. The only real thing that is similar between all is the belief in multiple Gods.

Answer 5

"Pagan" covers a pretty wide range of beliefs (Druid, Shaman, Wiccan, Asatruar, etc.), not all of which share the same ideology.

In general pagan and neopagan religions are pantheistic (believe in many gods), nature-oriented (honor and observe the cycles of nature), and non-dogmatic (no "revealed text" like the Bible or Koran).

Beyond that, it depends on which branch of Paganism you're wondering about.

Me, I'm very heavily influenced by Wicca. I believe in a Higher Power that is beyond our comprehension and beyond consciousness as we know it, and I honor it as God and Goddess (the masculine and feminine energies of the Divine). I also recognize the energy of the Divine in everything around me, and try to walk in balance with it.

My main tenet of belief is the idea of "An it harm none, do as ye will" (which means I have to think about my actions and their repercussions before doing them), as well as the concept that what energy I send out - for good or for ill - will come back to me (meaning that it's self-defeating to do bad things, not because of any Divine retribution, but because of the Return).

Answer 6

You'll get as many different answers as there are Pagans. There are Pagan traditions that do have rules and ways of doing things that you are not supposed to stray from. Others, like me, do not like rules and limitations on our spirituality. Personally I don't believe in the Wiccan rede or threefold law and find my beliefs in all aspects of Paganism. I'm not part of any recognized Pagan tradition.

Answer 7

For more information: seek out Pagans in your area using Witchvox.com.
OR
Read the book: Drawing Down the Moon, by Margot Adler- gives overviews of MANY different types of Pagan.

Answer 8

in our so called 'Christian' world we forget that is a relateviley 'New Religion' our DNA carries the memory of our ancestors ...
personally I love the and prefer the 'Old Ways '
from which anyway ,almost all of 'our ;' festivities and rituals really come from .... in any case anything that becomes too dogmatic and 'established ' tends to take away from the genuinity and naturality of a Path ....... when the spontaneity
and the joy is gone .. only empty rituals remain .. and
that is a disgrace in ANY . Path ... Pagan. means really one of the Land's folks
Allegiance to Mother Nature .. is the essence of this Path ....
may you find your true Way and be Joyous on .. its discovery .. Peace be with you !!!

Answer 9

Ask ten pagans the same question you'll get eleven different answers.
We believe in multigods. Other then that every tradition (denomination) has thier own set of beliefs just like Christians believe in Christ but the Baptist and the Catholics have thier own set.

Not all of us believe that all gods are one god and all goddesses are one goddess. I am HARD polytheist. All of them are seperate and individual. They are my literal ancestors.

Answer 10

Pagans are anybody who has a belief that does not agree with the main world religions. Christians call me a pagan as do muslims and jew. I call myself a realist, believing that there is a God but do not believing in all the ceremonial ..... that the religions participate in.