Are Pagan religions...?

Question

Are the Pagan religions the biggest threat to American Christianity? The number of Pagans in America seems to be growing. The Pagan religions are becoming more excepted. And Christians seem to have a constant need to label all Pagan religions as Satanists. Also breeding ignorance towards the Pagan religions. Is this proof that Christianity is threatened by the Pagan religions? perhaps they see the Pagan religions as having the potential of becoming the major religions of America? be nice with the answers... this is a simple question noone needs to attack like rabid dogs with this.

Wow all the answers have been very profound and great so far. I do want to add for the record that I know many Christians that are great people. Ones that practice love not hate, and ones that are my best friends and accept me for who I am rather than try to convince me that I am wrong. Pagan is a umbrella term for many religions and to the best of my knowledge was not a term coined by Christians to describe something they dont understand. Now I do not claim to know everything. to do so would be proof that I know nothing. but from my research I can't find any proof that the term Pagan was coined by Christians. I do feel bad for the Christians that are true and believe in love for having to deal with people out there breeding hatred. I do see, also, that there are people like that in EVERY religion and sadly people tend to associate that religion with the hateful minority rather than the loving majority.

Nacsez- Well after looking at the Wikipedia description of the tern Pagan I guess you are right and I apologize. like I said I never claim to know everything. For anyone interested here is the link. Ofcourse you cant believe everything said in Wikipedia because it can be edited by anyone anytime. But in this case it sounds to be correct.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathen#Heathen

Answer 1

I think that there are a lot of "Conservative Christians" who would LIKE for Pagan religions to be the biggest threat to "American" Christianity instead of looking at themselves for WHY their sons and daughters are not satisfied with the religion they have been taught.

Pagan religions are becoming more accepted, yes. BUT this has been despite the efforts of those Christian who label us as Satanic. If they did not demonize Pagans, their children would not be so curious about "What's so bad about Pagans?" and therefore feel the need to actually LEARN about something their parents would rather not exist.

Fortunately, we live in a country where our religions are LEGAL, so we have the ability to not have to worry about someone imprisoning us or killing us for our religion any more.

And YES Pagans ARE raising Pagan children.... Guess what, those children are often reading the BIBLE as well as Pagan religious texts and STILL choosing to stay Pagan.....

Answer 2

I wish people who weren't pagans would stop answering questions about paganism. Pagan religions don't address atheism which is the position that there are no supernatural deities. Unlike monotheistic religions, pagan religions don't proselytize. In other words, pagans don't care whether someone else becomes a pagan. I'll try to clear up some of the incorrect claims that have been made here. 1) Paganism and pantheism are not the same thing. 2) Pagans are polytheists who believe in multiple individual distinct deities (gods and goddesses). 3) It is impossible to be both a pagan and an atheist. The person who claimed to be both an atheist and a pagan doesn't have a clue what a pagan is. 4) Pagans do not worship nature. Pagans revere nature. There's a difference. 5) Polytheism is not the belief that flowers have spirits. The person who made this claim doesn't know the difference between animism and paganism. 6) Buddhism isn't a religion. 7) Pagan is a general category for any of a number of nature-based, polytheistic religions. Paleo-pagan refers to ancient pre-Christian nature-based polytheistic religions. Neo-pagan refers to modern versions of ancient nature-based polytheistic religions. Any religion that does not fall into this category is not pagan. For example, strictly speaking, Wicca is not a neo-pagan religion. Wicca is not a modern version of any ancient nature-based religion (despite the claims of many Wiccans) and is not polytheistic. Wicca is duotheistic and teaches that all deities are manifestations of the Goddess. There is no ancient pagan religion that worshipped "the Goddess". Instead, they worshipped many separate, individual, distinct goddesses and gods. Unfortunately, most of the inaccurate information about paganism has been spread by Wiccans. They've even exceeded the misinformation spread by Christians about pagans.

Answer 3

Honestly christianity shouldn't fear us. We don't care if they believe what they do, they should feel free to. There is nothing that says only one religion can inhabit the US at a time. I personally don't have ill feelings about christians or their beliefs. I do have some ill feelings about the ones spreading false information about us. I say us meaning Pagans, all the different religions and beliefs that fall under it.

I do worry that some of the newer Pagans will grow up with the same narrow mindedness that some christians have. I've seen many young Pagans speaking very negatively about christians, all christians. I try, when I can, to get them to see that they are acting just like the ones they complain so loudly about. Not all of them want to get it.

I'd rather that all religions would start thinking for themselves and not just believing everything that someone told them.

(((hugGs)))

Answer 4

I think I agree with the others on here. Christianity is its own worst enemy. Or rather Christian fundamentalists are. They're also the loudest and cause the most trouble. Their behavior is making sure that people are questioning the religions belief system and leaving it in droves.

However, those that leave often aren't becoming Pagan, they're becoming Atheists so the fundamentalists are having the effect that they are chasing people away from religion completely.

Answer 5

i don't think that pagans are the biggest threat to christianity.

i believe that the extremists are going to cause so many problems and create such an uproar (think of fred phelps here) that those of us that are rational will be forced to do something. i include normal christians in the rational group.

most christians are good people...unfortunately the extremists are the loudest.

you are right that for the most part christians regard pagans as devil worshipers. they believe that any god not their own is a demon or satan. as someone else said...they are threatened by any religion that isn't theirs.

bb

Answer 6

Christianity has NOTHING to fear from us Wiccans and Pagans. We have NO plans for making bonfires and tossing Christians onto them, nor do we plan to round up a bunch of lions and start throwing Christians to them. We are NOT out to "steal" souls. We do NOT evangelize or even SEEK converts. To become one of us, you have to ACTUALLY seek US out and convince US that you are truly sincere. Any threat that Christianity is purely GUILT on their part. Gjuilt for the thousand years of persecution against Non-Christians, Guilt for the FORCING of millions of peoples to adopt their Religion or face certain death. and guilt for knowingly pushing a book the never even existed in it's entirety until 1,000 years after the FOUNDER of their Religion while claiming it as being the "revealed and inspired word of God". The book is a fraud, the Religion as it currently exists is a fraud and THEY are scared that WE pose a threat to THEM? Other than the first 150 years of their existence, Christians have had nothing to fear from pagans at all. Pagans have NOT persecuted them nowhere near as much as WE have been persecuted by them and STILL we mean them NO harm whatsdoever.

No, they instinctively KNOW that their Religions have become known for the FRAUDS that they Truly are. Thjey CLAIM to follow the most peaceful being that has ever existed on the Planet and insist that they are entitled to be violent about it, forcefull about it, and condemning of those who don't see thngs their way. They are destroying Christiantiy themselves, by their very actions. We Pagans need do NOTHING at all excpet sit on the sidelines and watch them self destruct.

BB,
Raji the Green Witch

Answer 7

I agree with the first poster, I think Christianity is the biggest threat to itself. After a while, people start to question the nastiness and condemnation that it exudes, and wonder if that's a sign of real virtue. People start to think that maybe it isn't actually a sign of a benevolent being to condemn all non-worshippers to eternal torture. When people have to disagree with their faith to feel morally good about their actions, something's wrong.

Paganism is very attractive because it's so individualized and non-administrative, yet spiritual. It's tolerant, but realistic, and allows people to have fun and enjoy life. It has the added bonus of frustrating fundies. But I think atheism is just as much of a threat.

Answer 8

Paganism is the fastest growing religion in America. Atheism but that's not a religion LOL. Where do they think these people are converting from? Do they think our children won't practice paganism?
Not all Christians are threatened. But some are out of pure, willful, ignorance. They are mentally stuck in the dark ages and have a desire to keep everyone else there as well.

It's not working.

They tried to burn our books, destroy our temples, massacre our people and kill our gods.
IT DID NOT WORK.

Answer 9

While education is the biggest threat to Christianity, they seem to have focused on pagan religions as one of their enemies. Christians feel threatened from all sides, which should make them stop and really think about what they are trying so hard to maintain.

Answer 10

I don't see openly pagan religions as being an more of a problem for Christianity than other religions that pretend to be Christian and aren't. I am a Christian, one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I personally feel that Jehovah gave us freewill for a reason, because we should be free to choose what we believe.

I have my beliefs and they have thiers. If they want to know about my beliefs, great, if not that's their choice too.