Paganism, settle a bet?

Question

ok
ive read that paganism is what western religions refer toother religions which dont beleive in god
this coutns for muslims and buddhists as well as tribal people who beleive in their own god

now my friend is into "viking metal"and considers himself an expert and says Paganism on the whole is a religion devoted to nature etc

by the way my question is which of us is correct

and it seems to me that the main feature of paganism is beleiveing in mutliple gods
the main point iof chriianity is to beleive one god
it is against the 10 commandments to beleive otherwise
ergo the fact that i said paganism is religion that doesnt see the chritian view of god (one man e.g. allah or god] means i was right

i will choose the most helpful answer asap

i was mistaken when i said that muslims are considered pagans and i apologise

althoguht they are not the same as chritians they beleive in one God [allah ] whom is very similar to our god anywya

Answer 1

Pagan is an umbrella term that covers numerous religions, often polytheistic (even if one's view of their deities is pantheistic) and often revering nature in some way. So you're both kinda right, but you're both off a bit. I don't think I'd count Buddhists as Pagans. Muslims are not Pagans either considering they worship the Abrahamic God just like the Christians and Jews do. Paganism is not a religion unto itself.

Answer 2

On the whole I would say your friend is correct, at least as far as Paganism is practiced in the United States, Canada and Europe. Modern (or Neo-Paganism) is primarily nature based. However, 'Pagan' is not a single religion. It is a collection of religions. Most, but not all are devoted to nature.

Sometimes the official definition of a word does not match the common understanding of a word. And quite often the common understanding of a word is quite wrong.

Pagan means the beleif in many gods, and does not necessarily mean the disbelief in the Judeo-Christian-Muslim God. It may also mean (as in the case of shamans) that there are no particular dieties - just greator and lessor spirits of varying degree of power.

Muslims beleive in the same God 'the Father' as the Christians and Jews do. They just do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. They do not doubt he existed, they just see him as a prophet. Buddhism is a belief structure (not a religion) that is associated (often) with Shintoism, but is not the same thing. You can technically be a Buddhist and a Christian.

There are many forms of Paganism. There should be a distinction made between Neo-Paganism and Paleo-Paganism. Neo-Paganism is the reconstructed religious paths that are currently growing in popularity throughout the world. They are no more invalid than the ancient beliefs (say of the Sioux or Hopi) are. There are common thruths. A Druid is Pagan, as is a Wiccan, a Shaman or a Hindu. The common thread is the a broader acceptance natural spirits.

Answer 3

Your friend is right. Paganism is a religion, not a lack of religion. Paganism can be either Nature-focused, polytheistic with many gods, or both. Muslims are not Pagan, they are Abrahamic Monotheists, just like Christians and Jews. The word "pagan" is often applied to any non-Abrahamic faith, but the original root of the word did mean "hick." The word Pagan comes from the Latin Paganus which meant "country folk." When the Roman Empire first became Christian, Christianity was largely an urban phenomena. The people living in the country still practiced their older, pre-Christian, fertility religions. These people were called Pagan, and so Pagan has come to mean any pre-Christian, polytheistic religion.

BTW Viking Metal rocks! Does your friend like Manowar?

Answer 4

Paganism is a category that Christians (and more specifically Roman Catholics of old) placed the Celtic spiritual worshipers into.
Paganism is NOT a spiritual base that doesn't believe in God, the followers simply don't believe in the CHRISTIAN god and saint's pantheon.
Pagans can include any group of followers who believed in a religious rite other than Christianity -- typically consisting of a pantheon of gods (or multiple god-rulers --- this would include the Greeks, BTW).
Christians seem to overlook the fact however that THEIR religion is also based on a Pantheon...the most basic of which is the "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost" (not to mention all the Saints and the Virgin Mary as well...all of whom deign high worship and holy days).

Paganism is more centrally classified as followers of the old Druidic culture of the Celts, and the religious basis is that of "Harm None" and the teaching of Nature. It is not satanic or even relatable.

So technically, you're both right, though your friend is more right in the modern-day definition of the cultural beliefs of Paganism.

Answer 5

Well, neither of you are right, but your friend is very much closer than you are. Muslims and Buddists are not considered pagans. Bear in mind, however, many a Christian gets confused and uses the term incorrectly.

Paganism is a word coined to describe a number of related nature worshiping religions. One aspect of paganism is this notion that what is reality for me, and what is reality for you may not be one and the same, so Pagans can disagree, even about what Paganism is, and this doesn't particularly bother them. So, you will not get a consistant answer about what Paganims is, even from Pagans.

Answer 6

Paganism is a belief system where they believe in multiple deities, gods and goddesses, and prays to them. They do celebrate nature and the seasons. Muslims however are not considered pagan. The Islam religion is strictly monotheistic meaing they only worship one God. Pagans are those religious faiths believing in multiple gods. Buddhists would be considered pagan, as well as Celtics, Wiccans, the ancient Greek religion, etc... Hope this helps and gives you a better understanding of paganism.

My wife is pagan.

Answer 7

Pagans were people who lived out in rural areas. At first, it didn't refer to religion of any kind. Since (over time) pagan religions were different than those in the cities, the word took on religious meaning.

Wiccans call themselves pagans to borrow the phrase, but they're not true pagans. The traditions that Wicca borrows from are very few among many pagan religions.

Answer 8

Paganism is a term which refers to many ancient belief systems. A pagan, from a Judeo-Christian point of view, is simply anyone following a different religious belief system. Romans, Greeks and people from the Middle East who weren't Jews or Christians were considered pagans.

Check the link:

Answer 9

Your friend's interpretation is more accurate, though still pretty lousy. Nature is definitely an aspect of many pagan religions, but... it's often not the focus.

Paganism is a large category of religions. We definitely do have deities- a LOT of them (though they don't include the one mentioned in the Christian Bible). Some believe paganism = non-judeo-christian religions. More, however, believe that this is not the case. Paganism includes Wicca, Druidism, Asatru, Vodu, Hellenic paganism, Egyptian paganism, various reconstructionisms... the list goes on.

Answer 10

First of all, where's the bet? :o)

Paganism is any religion that isn't of Abrahamic descent. (Basically anything other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam)

So no, Muslims aren't Pagan, they're Muslim.

Paganism is a broad term that holds Wicca, Buddhism, Hinduism, and basically every other nature based religion on this planet underneath it.

And Paganism is very diverse...some believe in one God (even the Christian-Judeo God) and some believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses.