i am confuesd...help plz pagans!!?

Question

idk wut i should do anymore. i wated to be a celtic pagan and was learning about it but then i found out about it was connected to drudis who scrficed ppl and all...though rare idk anymore...and i don't really want to be a wiccan. i beileve in my gods and goddesses is that all i sohlud beileve? or have a denomtnation??

Answer 1

Human sacrifice was carried out by most ancient religions but only very rarely-it's early Christian writers (who hated Pagans) who have given the world the idea that it happened all the time.

I am a Celtic Pagan and we DON'T sacrifice people or animals to the gods.

However you don't have to give your religious beliefs a name-there's nothing wrong with being an Eclectic Pagan.

Answer 2

First off, yes, Druids did sacrifice people in the olden days. Wasn't always common, but considering their legal role in Celtic society, they would have been in charge of dealing out capital punishment, executing criminals and prisoners of war. Times back then were a bit brutal, and, honestly, pretty much everyone did that back then.

Secondly, both men and women were Druids - not only are there words in Irish Gaelic that mean "female Druid", but there's also stories of female Druids. Hard to claim they didn't exist when the lore says otherwise.

Most modern Celtic Pagans do not practice sacrifice, outside of libations. A rare few do practice animal sacrifice, but they do so in a manner that is exceptionally similar to kosher slaughtering practices - humanely preparing the animal to be food. It's certainly not a requirement to be involved with Celtic Paganism, and some forms even go so far as to actively reject it.

Celtic Paganism is linked to the Druids, even if the old orders have died out. I'm not sure if your aversion to Druids goes deeper than the sacrifice issue; if it does, I recommend doing some research (with good sources) to make sure you're basing that on accurate information.

Answer 3

You don't need a denomination. There is too much willingness for we humans to categorize ourselves. I guess it comes from that basic need of being accepted, wanting to fit in and that is okay- just don't let that define who you are.

First, lets define Pagan. I'm sure a lot of people reading this do not understand so I feel the need to clarify. One of the few definitions is "one that is not a Christian, Jew or Muslim" (source cited:www.dictionary.com)

I have such a varied belief, and it changes as I change. The one constant I have is the belief in a higher power, part female, part male. Self study, college, asking lots of questions of lots of different people in different religions, and reading, reading, reading is what has shown me to my current path.

Many, many, many societies sacrificed people and animals. Although there basic beliefs have made it through the years, human sacrifice is something that never happens and would not be allowed by any decent, divinity believing religion (this is my opinion, and I could be wrong- I'm not claiming to knwo everything). Also, remember that you have extremests at every angle. Extreme Christians, extreme Muslims, extreme Jews, extreme Pagans. That is an inevetability.

Relax and research. Read about everything. The more you know, the better. It is VERY, VERY rare that you find someone on an "alternative" religious path that can stick their finger on "what they are".

The more you learn, mature and grow, the more you will learn about yourself. That is the key- discover yourself and your path will come to you. There is no hurry.

Go to religioustolerance.org It is the most comprehensive resource I have EVER seen when it comes to religions.

Good luck and Blessed be.

Answer 4

First thing you should do is learn how to type real words.
Txtspk sucks ***, really really hard.
Then slow down, and spell correctly.

As for the question at hand, ALL living religions must evolve. Anything that stagnates is moribund, and therefor must die. No faith has a past that is not steeped in blood in one way or another except perhaps Wicca, as it's only a few decades old.
Pre-Christian indigenous religions made blood sacrifices of humans and animals to their Gods for a variety of reasons. Christianity is based on a human blood sacrifice, and Christians brutally tortured pagans in an effort to get them to convert, and killed them when they refused conversion even after torture.
If the fact that practitioners of a faith performed sacrifices to their Gods turns you off of a religion, perhaps you need to re-evaluate whether or not you can follow a religious path at all.
The best bet is to accept it as part of the past of the religion, and move on with the modern form of the religion. Make your sacrifices in the manner that befits the modern times. Remember, to sacrifice something is to make sacrosanct something of value to yourself. Today, it doesn't have to be animal or human blood.
It CAN be... but it doesn't HAVE TO be. If you understand the difference...

And finally... txtspk is no good. It really really isn't.
Think about how you represent others of your faith when you type out your message like a retarded chimp on crack.
It's a form of arrogance. You're expecting people to conform to your method of typing for your own convenience. Using real words isn't that difficult, and you won't get nearly the negative responses if you do so.

Answer 5

Druids did not sacrifice people. That is only a gruesome myth.

If you don't want to be wiccan and don't believe the wiccan way, don't bother with it. If you force yourself to believe something you don't want to believe, you will be unhappy and will have many unanswered questions.

You don't need a "denomination" or tradition or any other label. All you need to do is know where your faith is and go from that. If you believe in gods and goddesses, honor and worship them in your own way. Many Pagans do this, and for a label's sake, they just refer to themselves as Pagan.

Answer 6

Druids didn't sacrifice anyone the closest thing to it was that they divined by reading the intestines of sacrificed animals that they ate at feasts. It would be hard to follow the ancient druids beliefs because they never wrote anything down. all that was written by the druids was written by the Romans when the conquered the Celts so the history is very biased. there is a modern day druid cult in England but i believe that green witchcraft would resemble the ancient Drud's better.

Answer 7

There are many paths - there is no reason to limit yourself in your search. Go to beliefnet.com and learn more about those that interest you.

Basing your decision on something that may or may not have occurred in the past is going to leave you with very few options - if any.

You might also try engaging in real discussions with folks of different paths - not all of whom read text-speak.

Answer 8

We pagans come from many different paths & disciplines. Wicca is just one. And yes, most all religions have a brutal past. I agree with Bekah M. your spirituality is a path to follow. It should grow, change & evolve with you. Be a seek of truth & not a defender of a faith.

Answer 9

whether or not the Druids sacrificed humans is still debated. the people who accused them of that were mainly the Christians (who wanted to wipe out all other religions) and the Romans (who wanted to wipe out the Druids because they feared they would unite the Celts). The evidence I've seen leads me to believe that they did not, but human sacrifice was common in ancient times so it certainly is possible.

Answer 10

First, you need to learn how to spell. Many religions have bloody pasts. It is a part of learning and growing. Right now you still have a lot to learn so I would recommend that you read, read, read.