 |
What is the religion Paganism What is the religion of
Paganism and Wiccan? What are
some of their beliefs? What
are some details about these
two religions? Are there many
followers?
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
The word pagan comes from the Latin “Paganus” meaning country dweller, rustic etc. Christianity in its early years was an urban religion and "Pagan" was an insult hurled at the country cousins who saw no need to convert to the new religion. Many do not consider paganism a religion in inself, but today there are many who do not follow a particular path and consider their religion to be Paganism. These days it is a generic term encompassing a diverse range of religions excepting the main three Judaism, Islam and christianity. There is debate as to whether or not it includes Hinduism. Paganism includes any of the pre-christian religions. Today’s pagans are technically Neo-pagans as we are reconstructing what our ancestors believed/worshipped etc. Although they have their roots in ancient practices, this cluster of religious beliefs has been refigured in modern times, often in association with an interest in eclectic New Age practices. Pagan beliefs can be broadly categorised in three streams – polytheism (belief in many gods), pantheism (belief that the whole of reality is divine) and animism (the belief that spirits are active in aspects of the environment). Some movements have a strong feminist/goddess orientation. Within those broad definitions, neo-pagan traditions proliferate. Pagans can include pantheists, agnostics, soft or hard polytheistics, eclectics, druids, shamanists, re-constructionists (Norse, Celtic, Kemetic etc) or any of the generally indigenous religions (American Indian, Australian Aboriginal, African), However some atheists self-identify as atheistic pagans, and there are pagans who are monotheistic, only worshipping the divine feminine. Eclectic paganism is often misrepresented by those new to paganism. It doesn't mean picking from a salad bar of gods and goddesses and using what ever you want. It means having a sound knowledge of your core religion and integrating non-competing ideas. People who honour deities from different religions are poly-religious or multi-faithed. Wicca is one of the more popular denominations and is a neopagan, nature-based religion popularised in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant, who at the time called it Witchcraft and its adherents "the Wica". He said that the religion, of which he was an initiate, was a modern survival of an old witchcraft mystery religion that had existed in secret for hundreds of years, originating in the pre-Christian paganism of Europe. The veracity of Gardner's statements cannot be independently proven, however, and it is possible that Wiccan theology began to be compiled no earlier than the 1920s. The main thing that I always stress is that not all pagans faiths are nature (earth) based, and that not all pagans are Wiccan’s or Witches. |
|
|
|
|
|
How is the conversion from I have a test on Beowulf and I
have of feeling that this is
going to be on it. Is it
because people struggled with
monsters for their place and
in the end the monsters are
dead? Or something like that,
because Paganism life was
ruled by fate by many gods,
but Christianity was the
people's choice of good +
evil? I really don't know.. :/
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beowulf the story is much older than the written manuscript we have, which dates from about 800 AD. The story was written down by monks, who tried to "pretty up" the original folk legends by inserting references to God, the Bible, Cain etc. when you know darn well the ancient Nordic people didn't even know Israel was there. So no way could Grendel originally be called "a son of Cain." But of course, who had the skills of reading and writing? At that time, the religious communities and Christian missionary monks. They wrote down the folktales and tried to give them a Christian twist, to serve as teaching materials, just as they Christianised some English traditions of "holy wells" etc. The battle between good and evil is not intrinsically pagan or intrinsically Christian--it is human. But the people who gave the legend its written form had an agenda that was not present in the oral tradition. In the original oral work, the emphasis is on the four pillars of Nordic society: generosity, hospitality, bravery and loyalty...both on the part of the people AND of their king towards them. I could go on and on but there is limited space here. |
|
|
|
|
|
What's the difference between I know there is a difference,
but I know not the difference,
and that concerns me becuase
they are closely related [as
I've observed] but I've never
studied Paganism, so I know
not the difference. If anyone
could help it'd be greatly
appreciated
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wiccan is an updated version of the old celtic ways. It a nature oriented religion where reverence for all life is encouraged, reincarnation is believed in ,and a knowledge that all living things are connected. Pagan is a person who does not worship the Jewish God. A Wiccan can be a pagan as well. The accusation of Devil worship is not part of Wiccan. The rule is to harm no one, if a person wishes or trys to place a spell on someone that is harmful it will come back to the person three times, you wont find many willing to do that. |
|
|
|
|
|
Is paganism devil worship and I am a witchcraft practitioner
and i was wondering if it was
like devil worship or
paganism. I am NOT a devil
worshiper. I am christian but
would just like to know the
truth as to why everyone says
witchcraft is evil. Also, is
paganism devil worship?
|
|
|
|
|
|
To your first question: No, Paganism is in no way devil worship. Paganism is an umbrella term for many religions that are Earth and nature based. If they believe in deity, most Pagans worship old nature gods or gods of a specific pantheon, like the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, etc. Paganism includes Wiccans, Asatruar, Hellenics, and many other re-constructionalist or nature-based paths. For the most part, Pagans don't even believe in the devil. You can't worship something in which you don't believe. To your second question: Again, no. Witches are not all Pagans. Witchcraft is a craft, and is not affiliated with any religion. Witch comes from the Anglo-Saxon word wicce which means wise one, so witchcraft is the craft of the wise. Whether you want to practice witchcraft while being Christian or not is up to you. I guess it would depend on your interpretation of the Bible and whether or not you believe that God gives power to witches or not. To the third question: First, not everyone says witchcraft is evil, just fundamental Bible thumpers. They say that it's evil because of a mistranslation in the Bible that should say "Thou shalt not suffer a poisoner to live" but actually says witch instead of poisoner. King James wanted his translation of the Bible to more openly condemn witchcraft, and since his is the most common translation of the Bible, people take it too literally. Witchcraft isn't evil; it's simply the practice of directing your energies to influence the world. A spell is just a form of prayer. I hope that helps. Venus Bless. |
|
|
|
|
|
What's the difference between I am doing a Personal Interest
Project on Witchcraft and i
was wondering if someone would
be able to clearly articulate
what the difference between
Luciferian Witchcraft and
Paganism/ Wicca is. i know
there is a major difference,
and that magick is used for
different purposes within each
path, but i am unable to
clearly define the differences
between the two. please help!
:)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wicca is a fairly new religion that is founded on "earth-based" spirituality and originally purported to be the reestablishment of an ancient, pagan religion and folk culture. In some respects it is, in that it draws on preChristian Celtic and Druidic traditions and myth celebrating the wheel of the year within which are milestones important to agrarian life. In its inception, it also drew on romanticism about what European witchcraft was about and also borrowed a lot from Thelema--a form of ceremonial magic--and from Freemasonry. What we call magick was an integral part of ancient/pagan religion and in fact also was part of certain paths within medieval Christianity and Judaism. Medieval Hermetic and occult Christianity evolved into ceremonial magic but it mostly lost its Christian influences during the occult revival of the late 19th/early 20th century. Ceremonial magic is more about spiritual development than "magic," btw. Post-modern magic/sorcery, on the other hand, is full of results-based experimentation about causing change in accordance with will. But these things aren't considered to be "pagan" or Wiccan. Some moderrn paganism is purely "religious" and seeks to reconstruct ancient pagan paths. Some is new, eclectic and syncretic. Some forms of paganism incorporate magic in the form of spell work and divination. The magic is usually for healing, wish-fulfilment, banishing, or protection. Wiccans have a moral code about not engaging in negative or coercive magic, but other traditions do not necessarily share these values. As far as consorting with demonic entities or performing "black magic," this generally is not a part of paganism, Wicca, or traditional European witchcraft. It is called "goetia" and was ironically a part of medieval ceremonial magic, whose practitioners often happened to be highly educated men who belonged to the Christian clergy. Witchcraft--as in spell craft or folk superstition --is just that--the magic and folkways of folk people. Sometimes European shamanism or traditions related to women's mysteries in ancient pagan religions that carried over into medieval times were also labeled as "witchcraft." It has become popular/fashionable in some magic circles--not pagan or Wicca groups--to celebrate Satanism or Luciferianism.Some of these groups have very sophisticated philosophy and don't necessarily interpret their beliefs as being diabolical. Some followers of these groups participate in practices related to ceremonial magic or post modern sorcery. I don't know if this is what you mean by "Luciferian witchcraft." As for diabolic witchcraft, it has been a fringe thing--with psychopathic people acting out fantasies about what they thing witchcraft is. |
|
|
|
|
