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middleground
Middle Ground Administrator
USA
215 Posts |
 Posted - August 23 2006 : 11:55:14 AM
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Welcome to the Paganism forum here on Middle Ground!
Feel free to discuss Paganism in general, or certain paths in specific. Please no flaming, and as a general rule, be respectful of each other.
Have fun!
"You have your way, I have my way.
As for the right way, the correct way,
and the only way, it does not exist..."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
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JADE
Junior Member
USA
184 Posts |
Posted - August 31 2006 : 11:24:52 AM
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What are some more accepted paths and what makes them similar or different. The definition I get from my dictionary says Pagan = Heathen, when I look up Heathen it says uncivilized or godless person. Could you elaborate on how they are correct or incorrect.
My limited understanding would be that they could be godless or believe in multiple gods. I do use lower case since I am Christian and only believe there is one God(upper case). So hopefully that doesn't offend anyone, but there are limits to my studies that won't allow me to do things such as put a god on equal status to our God. Anyway, have at it and learn us on the ways and beliefs of the pagan.
God bless,
JADE
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I question...Therefore I think...I think...Therefore I am...I think? |
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Vainamoinen
Paganism Forum Moderator
USA
232 Posts |
Posted - August 31 2006 : 12:33:17 PM
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Whew, tall order. Well, I'll give it a go.
Paganism generally refers to religions who can trace their roots back to pre-Christian times, such as Asatru, who follow many traditional Norse beliefs, or Kemetics, who hold ancient Egyptian beliefs. It also refers to religions that take much of their inspiration from pre-Christian times and practices, such as Wiccanism- which is an earth-based religion that believes in the practice of magick- and the many forms of Shamanism. However, in its broadest sense, Pagan also encompasses spiritual paths which are difficult to categorize, or which fall amongst other Pagan religions by virtue of similar values or structures- such as Discordianism, which is based on the idea of riddles, nonlinear thought, and absurdity as a path to spiritual development.
Most of the religions and paths under the heading Pagan have some form of deity or deities in their belief system, though these gods rarely take the all-encompassing all-knowing place that is traditionally occupied by the Christian god.
The reason why the dictionary would define Pagan in that way comes from the fact that 'Pagan' originally meant 'country person' or 'uncivilized person', since back in the days of early Christianity, the cities were converted first, thus the people holding traditional beliefs out in the not-yet-converted countryside were thought of as backwards.
I'm sure there's a lot I'm forgetting here, but that's at least some of the groundwork.
...dabbling all the way down... |
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Greetings!
