Pagans and Catholics can you be both?

Question

Me and my friend were talking about pagans. She was a christian and she wondered if catholics could be to.
And seriosly this is my friend not me.

I am not trying to be mean to my friend. It is honestly a good question. By the way I am getting so many answers and this is my first question and I dont know which one is true!!!!
Please include something to back up your answer.

Answer 1

In a sense, yes, you can be Catholic and pagan. According to the Pope as long as you do not put anyting above your belief in the Trinity then you can embrace some aspects of paganism - as in their love of the Earth and trees and seasons, etc. You cannot place the pagan concept of Mother Goddess and Father God above or equal to your belief in God Almighty, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit.

Of course, fundamentlist consider Catholics pagan anyway so it's a moot point to some people.

Answer 2

Pagan beliefs : http://www.spiralgoddess.com/Pagan101.html

* Pagans believe that ALL things have a soul, rivers, wood, living things, . . .
different than Catholics who believe that all living things have a soul.

* believe in Goddesses, Catholics do not. Catholics believe in 3 Gods in 1 - the Father, the Son + the Holy Spirit

* There are hundreds of different Pagan Religions. Some of the best known Pagan religions are Buddhism, Shintoism, Native American Religions, Hinduism, Taoism, Wicca, Druidism, Asatru, Shamanism, Neo-Paganism and Eclectic Paganism. I believe Catholics come in the one, altho if you want to include Baptists, . . . . .

* God and the Devil, neither of these beings are part of Paganism. They do not believe in God or the devil as Christians do.

* some pagans are witches, some are not, neither in the Catholic religion, altho there are practicing witches in some of the Christian faiths.

Both have some similarities, but a Catholic could only be a pagan if they chose to + decided it was right for them. : )

* people of all religions have been know to place a horseshoe over their door, its a pagan protection ritual. My own grandmother used to believe that. If only she knew lol.
Sorry I'm laughing but, she would say a rosary every nite for every one of her kids !
Check the site below, its where i got the above info from. Its kind of interesting.

As for a Catholic being similar or being a pagan as well, there are too many big differences between the 2 to actually give you a direction to follow. No God or devil to yes there is. In some areas, both religions contradict each other. I found looking for an answer for you interesting as I have pagan friends. I actually thought they were like atheists, who dont believe God exists or that there's a here-after.

Answer 3

You can't be both. Catholics follow and worship the teachings of Jesus Christ. Pagans follow their own rituals revolving around nature and do not worship Jesus.

If you are a Christian then you believe that the only way to salvation is through Jesus. As a Christian you would also follow the ten commandments. The first one says "You shall have no other God's before me. The second one says, You shall not worship any objects or graven images, just God.

So if your friend is a faithful Christian, Paganism is out of the question. You have to pick one or the other.

Answer 4

Nothing in paganism precludes worshipping God (YHWH). However, the Ten Commandments are pretty explicit that YHWH is to be considered the first among gods. ('Thou shalt have no other gods before me.')

When I was initiated into a coven, I personally considered myself a Catholic Wiccan, though I did not voice this to many people.

It is possible for a Catholic to worship God/Christ in the Wiccan style--following a Wiccan-style ritual. The problem is that worshipping the God and Goddess in a Catholic-style ritual isn't as easy--I would say it wouldn't translate at all well.

I'm not clear on what your friend wondered if Catholics could be. If she wondered if Catholics could be Christians--We are, and she should know the history of Christianity well enough to know that.

If she wondered if Catholics could be pagans--no, we're not. Catholics worship God/Christ and not deities like Gaea, Herne, Isis, etc.

Answer 5

They have been doing this since 250 A.D. when the first Christians worshipped the image of the Emperor, then wanted back into the church once persecution had stopped.

Those churches that accepted these members back became in time the Catholic Church Proper.

Those churches who rejected them, and only accepted them based upon genuine repentance and baptism were the persecuted Bible-believing churches of all centuries.

Simply examine basic Pagan symbols from Dagon, Egypt, and the Babylonian Mystery Religions, and you will see the symbols that have been intergrated in the Catholic Church.

Answer 6

No, Catholicism is Christian and hence Monotheist( only One and total God) and many( but not all) forms of paganism and neo-paganism are many-god oriented

Catholicism is very creedal and i cannot think that paganism would ever be compatible with the Nicene,Apostles' or Nicene Creeds or the Catechism of the Catholic Chruch

The ist Commandment of the catholic Church excludes the adoration of anyone but the Trinity.

Answer 7

i'm a Catholic indentified Pagan. I have tried to be one or the different; notwithstanding, I have not been waiting to really replace. that's difficult. For starters there are a style of practices interior the Catholic church that are very equivalent to Pagan practices. the various "Saints" are absolutely in basic terms Pagan gods braught into the church lower than the identify of Saint. My alters have pagan figures, crosses, etc. I prepare lent, celibrate, holidays for both for the reason that Christianity took maximum pagan holidays over it isn't that confusing.

Answer 8

I have known of two people who claimed to be good Catholics, but they also practiced voodoo and said there was no conflict as far as they were concerned. I really feel that most pagan practices do not fit easily into Christian faith. I happen to be a Protestant and know the Bible quite well, and pagan practices do not jibe with he Bible.

Answer 9

Catholics are not Pagan. Pagans believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses. Catholics believe in one God.

Answer 10

You can fumble around and find a connection, but the reality is no. In Christianity, one accepts Jesus as lord and savior. A Pagan has no need for an intervention