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    Why do you call youself Pagan?

    Hi,

    I wonder, why do people call themselves Pagan? Historically, the term meant anyone who do not worship a Christian god, that is all non-christian religion.

    I myself have many aspects in my beliefs that could be considered pagan an ecclectic but it seems strange to use a term that has been invented to define that which is not Christian. As such I prefer to say that I am a panentheist, a polytheist or pantheist ect. and explain my beliefs from there.

    What do you think?

    #2
    Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

    "Pagan," is a general term. Its a way of describing yourself simply without a ten-page long description of your practices/beliefs. In short you're saying "Polytheist, non-Christian, probably has a great deal of respect for animals and nature." In a society that is fond of using shorthand communication it's just a matter of getting your message across when a more detailed account isnt the center of focus. Its also worth considering that a lot of ppl outside of the culture might not be familiar with more specific terminology. Most ppl do have some idea of what "pagan" means.
    On a side note "Christian" is also a very broad term as there really is no abrahamic sect that is simply "Christian." However, many modern christians will describe themselves as "Just Christian," or "Regular Christian," whatever that means, whereas most people who tell you they are "pagan" are capable of specifying further if prompted to do so.

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      #3
      Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

      Originally Pagan was a disparaging term for a county dwelling person during the roman empire, figure county bumpkin type usage. More equated to the republic period than the later imperial and empire period. In that regard similar to how Heathen was used in the same sense of rural dwells in the Northern regions. It often implied uneducated and lacking in social skills. In that regard it really had nothing to do with religion but social / cultural position.

      More recently it has been corrupted to be assumed to speak about non-Christian beliefs. A fact that seemed to have started in the 80's and 90's as during that time frame we more often referred to ourselves as Occultist due to its meaning of "Hidden Knowledge" though the term itself seemed more applicable to the ceremonial / high magics categories. Family trads were also pretty big though no one could prove a true academic definition of a continuous family tradition so most of us I was around or aware of us folk, granny, applachain, etc as means to identify us. Though some said we were simply touched.

      During the 2007-2010 time frame there was a move being pushed in Europe to define it as any practice based off of or utilizing archaic cultist practices originating from Rome, Hellas (Greece), Egypt (Kemetic) or some middle eastern influences such

      There was a point where Isaac Bonewitzs suggested the pagan community employ the categories of paleo-pagan, Meso-Pagan and Neo-Pagan to properly identify which periods the influences were being drawn from and the historical continuation of a given practice. http://www.neopagan.net/PaganDefs.html It in some forms does continue with the more frequent usage of Neo-Pagan considering there are no uninterrupted pagan practices. Older groups didn't seem to have a problem using those categories but newer book taught people seemed to dislike the idea of being new pagans and I suppose tried to expand pagan to make paganism a religion vice a collective umbrella term.

      Many new agers like to call themselves pagan and include the Nature loving aspect to things. Yet the older practices from the 1900's to the 1980's didn't include nature as an aspect of practice for the most part. We saw nature as both the extreme creative and destructive force and nothing to idealize or look upon via rose colored glasses.

      Myself I tend not to identify as a pagan nor do I identify as a Pagan. Yes there is actually a difference between pagan and Pagan. You see the capitalized version used more to suggest or denote a religion while the lower case is more identified towards the older concept.
      I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

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        #4
        Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

        I don't.

        /10don'ts
        life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

        Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

        "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

        John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

        "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

        Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


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          #5
          Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

          Me neither. I do have my beliefs that could fit under Neo-Paganism, but right now I choose not to call myself that because I don't follow a religious practice. Maybe someday I might find myself walking the Pagan path. But then again, maybe not. I'm actually not sure where I want to go yet.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

            Originally posted by Hagazusa View Post
            Me neither. I do have my beliefs that could fit under Neo-Paganism, but right now I choose not to call myself that because I don't follow a religious practice. Maybe someday I might find myself walking the Pagan path. But then again, maybe not. I'm actually not sure where I want to go yet.
            Same here until I found a place in which I am comfortable with under the umbrella of Deism. My beliefs in an eternal cosmic force (or God) are based on reason and observation of the natural world. I do not follow any religon, I am basically a ''free thinker'' in a natural belief-system. As such I may share some beliefs in common with (Neo)Pagans. For one, I like to think that the Earth (Gaia) and the Uinverse as a whole may be a living system of it's own. That kind of thinking would have been considered heresy by Christian authorities and I would have been deemed a Pagan! Anyway, many Deists might disagree with me and have their own ideas, all which are based on reason and life experiences.

            If you have a not, I can suggest you to take a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism
            Last edited by Wonder; 20 Sep 2014, 13:04.

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              #7
              Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

              I do not like labels so I dont worry about what box I fit in as long as the peoples are nice and they have cheesecake I will sit in any box.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

                Words change.

                Gay used to mean happy. Awful used to mean full of awe. Redneck used to mean a supporter of organized labor.

                I'm Pagan, (with a big-P, little -agan...which sounds a bit like bacon.....mmmmm, bacon....I like bacon....drool....but I digress, sorry) because I don't want to spend 20 minutes explaining the ins and outs of my beliefs. I just want you to go away and stop inviting me to church (while I might admire the architecture, but the beliefs usually leave something to be desired) on Sunday.

                I think we are all (er, mostly all) smart enough to figure out the difference between little-p pagan. Little-p pagan, meaning non-Abrahamic, and big-P Pagan, meaning the stuff that showed up after Wicca.
                "I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will of God. Holiness is in right action and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, and goodness. What God desires is here
                (in your head) and here (in your heart) and what you decide to do every day, you will be a good man - or not."
                ~from Kingdom of Heaven

                "But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
                ~Thomas Jefferson

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                  #9
                  Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

                  I don't really call myself a Pagan but.... when I first took this turn on my path the word "Pagan" past the all important feel test, when I would say in my head "I'm a Pagan" it felt like a reality, and it made me happy. I will admit I use the word to correct people when they call me "Wicca, Wiccan, or a Hippy", but if you ask my what I am I will tell you "Kindred with the Earth".

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

                    Because it is an undefinable term, just as I am an undefinable individual.

                    - - - Updated - - -

                    What am I? What am I not?

                    I have no idea until I get to the very edge of the precipice, and have to choose.

                    Why anybody would willingly define themselves before coming to the point of decision is completely beyond my comprehension.
                    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

                      Originally posted by Ticklebits View Post
                      "Pagan," is a general term. Its a way of describing yourself simply without a ten-page long description of your practices/beliefs. In short you're saying "Polytheist, non-Christian, probably has a great deal of respect for animals and nature." In a society that is fond of using shorthand communication it's just a matter of getting your message across when a more detailed account isnt the center of focus. Its also worth considering that a lot of ppl outside of the culture might not be familiar with more specific terminology. Most ppl do have some idea of what "pagan" means.
                      On a side note "Christian" is also a very broad term as there really is no abrahamic sect that is simply "Christian." However, many modern christians will describe themselves as "Just Christian," or "Regular Christian," whatever that means, whereas most people who tell you they are "pagan" are capable of specifying further if prompted to do so.

                      ^^ good answer!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

                        Perhaps rather than pagan one might just call yourself a "seeker"...because it feels like that is the path we trod...
                        MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

                        all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
                        NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
                        don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




                        sigpic

                        my new page here,let me know what you think.


                        nothing but the shadow of what was

                        witchvox
                        http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

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                          #13
                          Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

                          Usually I refer to myself as Pagan because it's easy and I'm lazy. I used to be very concerned about 'getting it right' and 'educating' other people.

                          Now it's easier than telling people Rainbow-Vision Serpent sits on my head, or that I'm a Moon-worshipper. I only get down to the nitty-gritty specifics when I'm among other Pagans/pagans or people who continue to ask questions beyond, "Would you like to go to church with us next Sunday?"
                          The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

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                            #14
                            Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

                            "Technically agnostic, ideologically pantheist, functionally soft polytheistic, philosophically hylozoist, religiously Unitarian Universalist bioregional witch with a twist of Druidry, a dash of Greek and Roman religions, and a penchant for global aquatic mythologies" just takes too long, and is meaningless for anyone that isn't Pagan (and a great deal of people that are).

                            And I'm with the hubby that words change. Sometimes they change faster than people's hidebound conventions.
                            Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
                            sigpic

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                              #15
                              Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

                              Originally posted by thalassa View Post
                              "Technically agnostic, ideologically pantheist, functionally soft polytheistic, philosophically hylozoist, religiously Unitarian Universalist bioregional witch with a twist of Druidry, a dash of Greek and Roman religions, and a penchant for global aquatic mythologies" just takes too long, and is meaningless for anyone that isn't Pagan (and a great deal of people that are).
                              And I'm with the hubby that words change. Sometimes they change faster than people's hidebound conventions.
                              Maybe but from personal experience, a lot of people have some sort of preconceived ideas that a 'pagan' is a New Ager weirdos dabbling with the occult. So it may well be that clarifications will be required as well.

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