All Comments on 'Paganism'

As someone working on the study of Druidry ("no, only a small faction practiced animal sacrifice, and as with every style of religion, there can be a dark side--should we bring up the current problems of the Catholic preisthood...??"), I found this to be a wonderful explanation of something that truly is hard to define. Thank you!!

As a Pagan myself it's nice to hear someone tell it like it is,instead of what people wanna hear.

This explanation is not entirely correct. I base this on my own formal college training in Theology. Pagans do have a god of sorts and some Christians will even define Catholicism as a form of Paganism. And some traditional Christians will define Penecostals as being just slightly off Paganism because of their strong beliefs in Revelations in the Bible. Some of us Jews define the New Testament as being Pagan-affiliated, and other Jews will call Christianity a form of Paganism.

Witchcraft, the Occult, and similar all have a form of God to their beliefs, although He (or She) may not be the same God as the all-encompassing Judeo-Christian God. British covens in the eastern Suffolk and western Norfolk areas of the UK very definitely have a God that they worship often out in the Thetford Forest in their naked covens on moonlit nights around bonfires. For any of a continuing need for knowledge on this, you may contact me at waucondaone@nctv.com and I will be glad to discuss this with you.

This is, as the description says, my definition of Paganism. There are as many types of Paganism as there are people who practice it. What you have stated, Don, is true for most Wiccans. It is not correct, however, for most Pagans. All Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan. As such, my essay stands firm in its assertation of it being my definition of Paganism. I am writing what I believe. *shrugs* Just because what I believe doesn't fit in with what most people does not mean it is "not quite correct". It is quite correct for me and that is all that I claim it to be.

I am seeking to revive the worship of the Ancient Gods of various nations. That means Zeus, Hera, etc. I am definitely not New Age per se, although there is an overlap in the ideals that I share with Druids, Wiccans, and New Agers. To me, Gods are symbols for the forces of Nature and ideas we as humans have developed through evolution. That is essentially the Roman view of Deity, which was more correct than the Greek Superhuman concept. Thanks for writing this essay and getting some ideas out there.

Not bad at all...I have studied Wicca for over twenty years now...

Good luck from an old Pagan

Merry meet...and merry part.

Not bad at all...I have studied Wicca for over twenty years now...

Good luck from an old Pagan.

Merry ye meet...and merry ye part.

I don't want to be confrontational, but your definition sounds more like a definition of Wicca or New Age, which you sort of address near the end. Many Hellenic Reconstructionists, Heathens, and other reconstructionists don't believe in what you say modern pagans believe. Neo-Platonists, for instance, do not believe in multiple gods, but consider themselves and are considered pagans. Also, most reconstructionists don't believe in reincarnation, even if they believe in the immortality of the soul, but rather have their own afterlives. Neo-Platonists also problematize what you say about what is being what is, though this is more because they don't view the percievable world as being absolute - it's just an allegory, but the cave is still somewhat accurrate in what it describes.

But I guess you're right, if you put ten pagans in a room, you'll get fifteen definitions. Sorry if I sounded mean, but I just wanted to clear a few things up.

pretty much the best way you could have defined it tbh :3