Paganism - what is it?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Aug 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Soraya	30 Aug 2002
Hi there, This must sound really dumb to some of you but could you explain to me in a few words what paganism is about? I know vaguely that it is a pre-Christian, natural kind of religion but I do not know any details. I am looking for a belief-system that would suit me. I do not believe in God but in nature and I wonder if I would find what I am looking for in paganism. Thanks a lot Soraya

Major Tom	30 Aug 2002
Your question covers a lot of ground... Basically, a pagan is anyone who is not a Christian, Muslim or Jew. (At least that's what my dictionary says) That leaves a lot of religions and belief systems that could be described as pagan...

Strega	30 Aug 2002
Some would define Paganism as "any religion other than Christianity, Islam, or Judaism". I find this somewhat inaccurate as I don't think Atheism or Satanism (among others) can be considered a Pagan religion. For me... Paganism refers to the nature or earth based religions which honor the male and female duality found in nature. Some people might disagree with this viewpoint... I don't think there is ONE answer with which everyone can completely agree regarding this matter. :)

cricket	30 Aug 2002
IMHO, paganism is a religion based on the cycles of nature, the balance between male and female found in the natural world, and the balance that should be found in the self (everybody's born with it, but it's removed by society's views of the sexes).

Laurel	30 Aug 2002
I would agree that Gnosticism, Hinduism, Taoism, etc. don't fit a good working definition of paganism even though they aren't the Big Three. Modern paganism seems to be broken into a couple of different branches, which incorporate the mythology and folklore of pre-Christian cultures into modern thought. Wicca and Astaru are two of the biggest pagan religions but not the only ones. Paganism is related to Shamanism, but its not exactly the same thing. It borrows some shamanistic ideas and tools. Paganism also shares some ideas and tools with LHP/Satanism and Western Ceremonial magic, but again, the core ideas are different. So after all that is said and done... what is paganism since all I did was define what its not? I'll let the pagans answer that one. :) Laurel

Minderwiz	30 Aug 2002
Hi A pagan is literally a country dweller and paganism is the 'religion ' of country people. It was coined as a term for demeaning their beliefs by city dwellers (Greeks and Romans had a very city oriented culture - though their idea of a city was much different to ours - it was not only a centre of culture but akin to an extended family). Christians have used it to descibe all pre-christian religions though I agree with the points made above that it isn't a good collective noun for non-christian religious beliefs. Most 'country' religions included an element, sometimes a strong element of goddess worship. It's likely that goddess worship was very widespread before the coming of male patriarchal gods like Zeus, Yahweh and Jupiter. The patriarchal religions replaced goddess worship in cities but it probably still survived in the countryside - paganism. Minderwiz

Minderwiz	30 Aug 2002
Forgot to add in that countryside religions also had a strong 'earth' and 'nature' basis - so the passing of seasons would have special religious significance - the equinoxes and solstices for example. with that I'll shut up and let others have a say! Minderwiz

the hermit	30 Aug 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Soraya I am looking for a belief-system that would suit me. I do not believe in God but in nature and I wonder if I would find what I am looking for in paganism. As you can see Soraya, there are various definitions of paganism. The real key is that modern paganism is all of these things, and none of these things. I consider myself a pagan. I don't belong to any particular group. I don't believe in or pray to any gods or goddesses but I do believe that there is some sort of "higher power" responsible, in part, for our universe and it's existence. My believes are very eclectic, gathered from many philosophies, including Christianity, Buddhism, Shinto, Islam, Wicca, Druidism, Judaism, etc, etc. I read the Bible, Quran, Torah, Mishna, the Tao of Pooh and the Zen of Piglet. I’ve studied the ideas of Plato, Socrates, Descartes, Nietzsche, Nagel, Kant and Mao Shi Tong to name just a few. I have a strong respect for "nature" and the proper care of our planet. I practice magick rituals of more or less my own design. I read and meditate with the Tarot. There are other, private thoughts and practices that are involved in my beliefs. Do you have to do what I do to be a pagan... No. Do you have to believe what someone else believes to be a pagan... No. My point here is that paganism can be what ever you want it to be. It is very much a “religion” of individuals.

Minderwiz	31 Aug 2002
Well said hermit - I agree that paganism is not a prescribed set of beliefs, though there are elements of belief which historically are associated with it. However all belief systems grow and change - that's a feature of life. A person has the right to create their belief systems and rituals and so long as they feel at ease with them they will derive spirtual nourishment from them. It is not necessary that others believe the same in order to validate your beliefs - to come back to a point a made above, if you feel that your beliefs are in keeping with the nature of things and come naturally to you then I think you are a pagan - though what I think is not the deciding factor in this, its what you think and believe. Minderwiz

Sally Gardens	02 Sep 2002
I pretty much agree with what Hermit and others have said; paganism is truly a "big umbrella" non-dogmatic form of spirituality. Basically, if your spirituality is rooted in the cycles of life and this world and finding the holy in the here-and-now, I'd call it pagan. I hover between Atheist and Pantheist in terms of how I understand "deity," and tend to consider goddesses and gods of myth (ancient or modern) as metaphorical images for trying to articulate the ineffable, rather than as literal entities. God/dess myths are, for me, the "dreamwork" of humankind, through which we find our way, process, and grow. I do want to point out something important: Not all Pagans adhere to a strict notion of gender-polarity. Dianics, for example, focus solely on Goddess imagery to encompass the full range of human character, traits, and potential/experience. Others may use non-gendered, and even non-anthropomorphic (non-humanimage) deity concepts. I am increasingly convinced of the divinity of trees, myself. ;) I like Starhawk's take on the matter: In the endnotes in the 20th anniversary edition of "The Spiral Dance," she says something to the effect of preferring a "multifaceted" view of the divine that cannot be reduced to simple dualism or polarity. Some people will connect better to some facets; others will connect better to other facets. Sort of like the fable about the blind people with the elephant; all of our points of connection hopefully add up to a better picture of the whole.

jema	03 Sep 2002
if we label paganism as earth-based i think we are shrinking the umbrella too much. asatru is pagan but hardly earthbased. while they adhere to naturla laws and pay attention to nature - they do not really think of it as the divine. vanatru is earthbased though. but to say that paganism as a whole is - would mean that a lot of religions would have to be under a different umbrella. why would hinduism not be pagan? becuase it is too widespread? why would buddism not be pagan? because they seek the divine from the inside? i think that paganism is today a whole lot of new and different things then it was when the term was phrased. after all - the ones who phrased it would be labeled pagans today. words change meaning and if we bend them too much - one day they will lose all meaning. i wonder if that has not happend with the word "pagan" today when someone says he/she is a pagan - we almost immedeatly assume that the person is wicca or some other ecclectic mix of new age beliefs. oh and i want to add that i don't really think this development is always a bad thing. but when we move "pagan" to this position - where does we leave those faiths that does not fit the description?

Niall	03 Sep 2002
To me, Paganism offers what Christianity cannot. Freedom of expression, ensured everlasting life without strings attached and the ability to make of your beliefs what you wish to make of them.

Diana	03 Sep 2002
When I hear the word "pagan", I hear "getting back to the roots". And I definitely hear "non-doctrinal". For me, someone who adheres to a fixed set of beliefs and values, laid down by a book, or a religion, is not a pagan. Pagan to me implies freedom. And I also hear echoes in vast corridors of time strectching back to the beginning of humankind. But this is probably not what the dictionary says. Just what my head is telling me.

divinerguy	07 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Soraya I do not believe in God but in nature and I wonder if I would find what I am looking for in paganism Sounds like pantheism to me. Do you think of yourself as being part of nature? That the natural world has a spirit? Do you find beauty in a mountain lake, or find wonder in the flight of birds?

The Paganism - what is it? thread was originally posted on 30 Aug 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.