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Paganism and Neo-Paganism

What IS Paganism And Neo-Paganism?
One of the purposes of the this body is to diffuse true and factual facts concerning Paganism to not only the common public, but also Law enforcement agencies, divine organizations, governmental agencies, etc.
In the former there keep been many misconceptions about Paganism or Neo-Paganism. Therefore, I own prepared this article, which I hope bequeath offices you to accept this ecclesiastical movement.
Paganism has existed in all cultures, from the paleolithic era to the current time period. The senile Egyptians are an standard of a highly pagan society; so are the senescent Romans; and all paleolithic cultures from the Old Stone Age to the allot own strong sceptic elements.
But, for the last thousand years or so, since the centuries sequential the Fall of Rome, Western culture has been influenced fresh and more by mainstream religions, and driven most true unbeliever religions underground.
Wiccans and Witches sometimes name themselves “Pagans” or Neo-pagans” when utterance about Wicca or Witchcraft. But this is confusing to others who may not be close with the complexity of different religious belief systems. Just as all Christians are not Lutheran or Baptist or Catholic, so not all pagans are Witches or Wiccan.
Pagans do not “recruit” outsiders into their midst by promising a eternity or minatory a hell. those practices, obviously based on fear, only progeny mis-understanding. Pagans (generally) manner what is often referred to as “Earth Religions”
In the not-too-distant past, pagan witches and mystics were seared at the stake, and some immense Pagan teachers were ridiculed, rebuked and even crucified! Thus, in the delayed middle ages, when the presiding political forces in Europe, came into major conflict with the mighty doctrinal leaders of those times, Politics and Religion became “friends”, and both were corrupted. The formation of The United States of America had (at the time) as much to do with holy freedoms as political. The “outcasts” of the circumstance were those who believed in the “Earth Religions”, as they were thought to possess magical powers.
Those that were not scorched and jailed were forced underground to routine their beliefs, and those teachings, paired with further Ancient Mystery Schools beliefs (such as Masonic teachings) fall within the spectrum of these once illegal and feared practices. Interestingly, the majority of our “Founding Fathers” were secretly practicing Masons, and that symbolism passive exists on our paper currency today.
Pagan practices and beliefs model impair to no one, and the concepts unpunctual the terms Pagan and Neo-Pagans are, in fact, older than mainstream religions and the political firmness systems on the planet today. If there is one standard behavior of all Pagans and neo-Pagans, it is NOT to arise a personal concept procedure wittily because it is convenient to the King, or the Pope, or the Potentate, or even your mom and dad… it is to transpire a idea practice that is meaningful to their lives, … so, They do tend to be a moderately radical stack !
There are as many paths to inner gospel and sympathy as there are people, and no-one front of yourself possesses your answers. Once you arrest “your truth”, hug on to it tightly, lease no-one manage it from you, and absence no-one to validate it for you. Seeking your obtain inner gospel and living it honestly and quite is not only your right… it is your liability as a human being!
DEFINITION: WHAT IS PAGANISM AND NEO-PAGANISM?
Confusion arises when two or additional relatives divulge without harmony the meaning of the language each fresh are using. Some connections prate about paganism without reflecting on what they and others really mean by that term.
The spell “Pagan” originally comes from the Latin term “paganus” which meant “country dweller.” However, this meaning is not used at present. There is no generally accepted, single, existing definition for the name “Pagan.” In fact, it has so many mutually exclusive definitions that the name is midpoint devoid of meaning. A reader must often look at the context in which the duration is used in rule to guess at the intent of the writer. I recommend that the spell never be used unless it is carefully defined in advance. Given that there are hundreds of definitions regarding the meaning of the term paganism, I have settled on five categories which seem to be the most inclusive:
WICCANS AND OTHER NEOPAGANS:
Wiccans and more Neopagans sometimes promote the talking Pagan and Neopagan (a.k.a. Neo-pagan) as synonymous. Neopagan religions are latter faiths which hold been recently reconstructed from beliefs, deities, symbols, practices and further elements of an mature religion. For example, the Neo-Druidic religion is based on the faith and practices of the senescent Celtic priesthood class; followers of Asatru adhere to the ancient, pre-Christian Norse religion; Wiccans trace their roots back to the pre-Celtic era in Europe. Other Neo-pagans chance Roman, Greek, Egyptian and supplementary traditions. Some common quotations which present this meaning of the interval “Pagan” are:
“Witchcraft, or Wicca, is considered portion of the occult, but has no pure relationship to Satanism. Wicca is pagan (pre-Christian, as opposed to anti-Christian) and is currently gaining popularity.”
“Witches do not worship the devil…Witches are further interested in magical arts and the divinity of nature…Wiccans are considered pagans because they worship several nature gods instead of a single god.”
“The World Christian Encyclopedia estimates 6 million Americans profess to be witches and engage in practices like these. They are a sub-group of over 10 million people the encyclopedia says christen themselves pagans, who style “primitive” religions such as Druidism, Odin worship and Native American shamanism.”
SOME CHRISTIANS IDENTIFY PAGANS AS PEOPLE TO HATE:
Religious fundamentalists and social conservatives sometimes use “Pagan” as a usual purpose “snarl” term to consult to cultures or religions that are remarkably different from the speaker’s. There is no common consensus as to its meaning. It can be experimental directed at any divine or cultural troupe that the preacher hates. Some examples:
“Gods and goddesses are attack to re-inhabit the Western world. Infant yielding -– there are 52 million a year. It is paganism.” Dr. John Patrick, professor at the University of Ottawa, Canada. (He was referring to the quantity of abortions performed worldwide)
“We went into post-Christian and neopaganism remarkably quickly…We want the culture to change, we scarcity some spiritual sanity, but we want to conjecture that this is a pluralistic and even neopagan society.” Dr. Richard Swenson, supervisor of the Future Health Study Center.
ANCIENT POLYTHEISTS:
The duration “Pagan” is sometimes used to touch to senescent polytheistic religions:
The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) contains many references to the societies surrounding the Israelites — Babylonians, Canaanites, Philistines, etc. These are commonly referred to as Pagan: There are allegations that these societies engaged in human sacrifices:
II Kings 3:26-27: “…the emperor of Moab…took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall.”
Psalms 106:37-38: “Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed naive blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the anchor was polluted with blood.”
Their altars were often referred to as “high places:”
II Kings 16:4: “And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the lanky places, and on the hills, and subservient every unfinished tree.”
Surrounding tribes were viewed as committing idolatry by worshiping prosperous images of animals:
II Kings 17:16: “And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshiped all the owner of heaven, and served Baal.”
Some examples of this usage are:
Referring to sun wheels and obelisks: “…These symbols of infidel sun worship were associated with Baal worship, or Baalim, which is strongly condemned in scripture. So why are they so pandemic in the Roman Catholic Church, if they are associated with paganism and apostasy?” An anti-Catholic essay on a conservative Christian lattice site.
Ancient faiths of old Celtic, Egypt, Greece, Norse, Rome, and more cultures are frequently referred to as Pagan religions. Even though many of these religions had strict social and sexual behavioral codes, their followers are often portrayed as hedonist and immoral:
1 Peter 4:3: “For the instance bygone of our life may suffice us to posses wrought the commit of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, reveling, banquets, and abominable idolatries.”
ABORIGINALS:
Paganism is occasionally used to remit to animistic, spirits-and-essences filled thought systems. It is based upon conclusive perception of the forces of attitude and usually involves the use of idols, talismans and taboos in decree to convey malleability for these forces and beings. Many native, aboriginal religions dovetail this definition.
NON-ABRAMICS:
A incidential use of “Pagan” is to narrate a companion who does not follow an Abramic religion. That is, their faith does not distinguish Abraham as a patriarch. The comrade is neither Christian, Muslim or Jew. This includes Agnostics, Atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, Humanists, Taoists, etc. About 45% of the connections of the universe are Pagans, by this definition.
MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT PAGANISM AND NEO-PAGANISM. WHAT DO PAGANS DO?
Today’s standard man thinks of Wicca, Druidry, Witchcraft, Asatru and supplementary heathen religions as synonymous with Satanism, Orgies, and Drugs, and surmise that Pagans means a jumble of Devil Worship, Ungodly Rituals, Inhuman Cruelty and Human Sacrifice. Most Fundamental ministers bequeath advise you that pagans are badness folks who posses sold their souls to the Devil, and who venture to annihilate traditional religions. These images unquestionably do not depict any lair of “Pagan” practice, and are obviously presented from a status of trepidation and ignorance. Ironically, this trepidation based presentation is possibly the paramount ground that most students who are able to believe for themselves, carry the time to explore the many forms of paganism, and understand the “truths” for themselves.
In order to alert you what paganism is, I must elite apprise you what paganism isn’t. Paganism isn’t the Devil’s work; it isn’t Satanism; it doesn’t involve Sacrifices of mortals or animals; it isn’t becoming bound to Demons; it isn’t dark, dangerous or evil; it isn’t anti-Christian, anti-religion, or anti-anything. These are myths cleverly born from those who terror the unknown, and unfortunately most radical theologies hold been brainwashed their “believers” into believing that their version of “Truth” is the only real religion.
In reality, paganism is a status of elderly form religions which retain existed in many forms for thousands of years. In prehistoric times, people respected the substantial forces of the Universe and noted the cycles of the seasons as they pertinent to agriculture, animal husbandry and so on. They saw divinity in the Sun, Moon, the Earth, running water, and all life. The creative energies of the system were personified: virile and feminine principles and became interpreted as gods and goddesses. These were not semi-abstract, superhuman figures thicken apart from nature: they were embodied in lair and sky, women and men, and plants and animals. This dogma is inert cash to present-day paganism and neo-paganism. To most pagans, everything in character — and all gods and/or goddesses — are true aspects of the Deity. In this respect, paganism is selfsame to many Native American spiritual traditions, as well as fresh Earth Religions. Some pagans reckon that paganism had its beginnings in Atlantis before the deluge.
There is some evidence that Pagan Earth Religions existed in all parts of the universe during Paleolithic times (from at least 7,000 B.C.). Hence the ordinary hieroglyphics of the Earth Mother Goddess and the Sky Father God representing the vegetable and animal life of the Earth, and the light and life giving Sun, respectively. These religions were remarkably much in accordance with Nature and its junket of life, birth and death, expressed seasonally.
Pagans system their bond of detail as individuals, as well as in active congregations (covens or groves) throughout the British Isles, the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain and even Russia. There is no money instruction or dogma imperative on all congregations, and person groups vary. But most meet for services once or twice a month, embrace adult ecclesiastical order on a natural basis, and celebrate eight major dogmatic days throughout the year. Services are highly participatory, and may include meditation, prayer, singing and occasionally course dances not unlike some Native American ceremonies. Though some pagans practice their faith alone or with only their families, many pagans are organized into congregations of from three to twenty-three members. Clergy are called priests and priestesses, and many groups are led by a priestess/priest couple. Other congregations are less formal, and quota guidance roles among the participants. In either case, membership is considered to be an noted commitment, and often extensive bidding is imperative before entire membership is conferred. There are many branches or traditions of paganism in the United States, Great Britain and elsewhere.
Most Pagans adhere to a charter of ethics. Pagans salute sisters and brothers, but not disciples or victims. Pagans are encouraged to question, to evolve spiritually, and to surmise liability for their own lives. This includes mastering varying psychological and spiritual skills such as pondering and energy-channeling, which are used for positive goals such as corrective or insight. These techniques posses much in average with the shamanic religious traditions of the native peoples of the world. Pagan beliefs do not include such Judaeo-Christian concepts as original sin, vicarious atonement, ecclesiastical judgment or bodily resurrection. Most do reckon in a beneficent universe, the Law of Karma, reincarnation, and divinity inherent in every human being and all of nature. They boost to have a happy scene on life; and while their services can be remarkably dignified, laughter and pleasure are an celebrated part of their holy tradition. All of the mammoth festivals of the Pagan religions, wherever found, correspond to standard cycles of Nature (animal mating, seasons, planting and harvest) or the cycles of the Sun (Solstices and Equinoxes). Most remain today in the more or less disguised lair of: Christmas (Yule), Valentines Day (Candlemas), Easter (Spring Equinox), May Day (Bealtaine), St. Johns Day (Midsummers), Loaf Mass Day (Lammas), Fall Equinox (Harvest Home), and Halloween (Samhain), comprising a number of eight festivals. The Church renamed these festivals because of it’s intolerance for pursuit and it’s deficiency to fashion holidays of it’s own.
Despite sensational headlines, pagans do not worship Satan, never perform Black Magick, do ill toward others, or desecrate any person, cranny or thing. Pagan religions do not hold a nook in their notion systems for a Satan, or immorality protagonist. They do conjecture in Evil. But, They think that dishonesty is the result of possibility by people, not a devil or a Lucifer. Evil is created by letting the selfish side of human temperament gentle the irony moulding process. This collision in the thinking and physical injure of kin and all lawbreaker behavior. Satan is really only a unit for Humankind’s inhumanity to others and its inability to subdue its base instincts. An Evil Satan was invented by the Roman Catholic haven in the top century A.D. in decree to explain the erratic behavior of Humanity, and blame an appearance agent for all human ills. This allowed the Church to hold its members, even though they continually sinned, but now they could blame it on: The Devil made me do it! If the Church had to admit that the blame for all humanities ills rested squarely on the shoulders of humanity, the guilt would be too much to bear.
The refuge adopted the profit image vs wickedness hero logic of Mithra and Zoroaster and blamed a Satan for all evil, the temple pleased their members of accountability and form itself up as the Good half of the duality. Pagans rebuff this philosophy. They transact duty for all their actions. There is no Devil or Satan to make them do anything. Humans do unethicalness things by choice. Everyone has the emancipate entrust to sin or do good, to heal or hinder. Most Pagans are guided by virtuous systems which preclude the harming of others for benefit or animosity. Paganism is a routine of religions which teach love, nurturing, healing, and creativity. As you consign learn in their the discipline on definitions, the duration Pagan is derived from the Latin paganus (peasant) deriving, in turn, from the Latin pagus, (village).
There are many groups of Priests and Priestesses practicing what I term Paganism or Neo-(from the Greek expression for new) Paganism. You may hear their many names: Dynion Mwyn, FeraFeria, New Reformed Order of the Golden Dawn (NROGD), Huna, Amerindian, Gardnerian Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca, Saex-Wicca, Irish Witta, Dianic, Scots-Gaelic, Pagan Way, Celtic Traditional, Continental Traditional, Strega and others.
Pagan religions are regular religions both in origin and in way of period as opposed to artificially created ideological religions. Ideological religions are like buildings: an architect (prophet) gets an afflatus (revelation) and lays down his visions in blueprints (ideology/scriptures); then contractors, carpenters, masons, etc. (disciples/followers) build the buildings other or less according to specifications. It is assembled, but when it is finished, it cannot evolve and begins to reduce (unless it is rebuilt or renovated) until it is eventually an discarded and synopsis building. It is then demolished and fashion is made for new buildings that correct serve a new reproduction of needs.
Paganism on the supplementary hand, improve resembles a tree. It emerges from the Earth, grows, changes (both cyclically in seasons and continually upward and outward), bears flowers/fruit, and shares its life with other living creatures. It is not made, it becomes. When its case ends (for many trees are potentially immortal, never dying of old age,) it does not gorge from this world, for its “children” have, in the interim, sprung up from the Earth, each matching yet unique. The religions of paganism are like a forest: NATURAL! Most Pagans obtain a distaste for rigid dogmatic organizations and so called messiahs and gurus. Obviously, this places their priesthood in an delicate position: It needs enough theological order to list it’s organization, but not so much as to allow it to become oppressive. Since most Pagans disown the existence of any One True and Only Way, and since most Pagans insist upon being fallible, paganism is steered gently between totalitarianism and chaos.
Pagan religions do not seek converts! It is up to each seeker to convince a coven or grove that they are sincere and worthy of membership. Paganism and neo-paganism offer a New/old means of life, discharge from pain, guilt and fear. They advance love, wellbeing will, friendship and the belief of the Universal Laws of Truth. Their religion guides them no debate where They are and what They are doing. It’s teachings encompass every feature of their physical, reasoning and holy experience. These guidelines backing them to make the redress decisions. Foremost among these guidelines are: If it harms none, do what you will. This dogma is corresponding to: “Do unto others as you would retain them do unto you.” Many heathen traditions have beliefs in average with Native American Shamanism, but They obtain furthermore adopted concepts from more sources.
Pagan Religions are committed, as a divine movement, to attempt to correct humanities interaction with Nature, from one of fear, separation, arrogance, domination and destruction, to a relationship of mutuality, empathy, conscious evolution and duteousness for the ancestors of the human species. They endure they are helping to transforming humankind’s human-to-plant interaction from one of greed motivated exploitation, non-sustainable agriculture and ecological damage to a Right Relationship that preserves and protects habitats, optimizes bio-diversity and acknowledges retaliated interdependence. They furthermore dream to transform the interaction of mortals with the elemental environments of earth/land, soak and orchestration from the donate domain of “chemical warfare”, pollution, toxification and degradation to a Right Relationship in which they acknowledge, re-balance and amend the disastrous ruination that has already occurred. Pagan Religions are ordinary religions which find blessed values in reason, nature, and the unconditional experience of the Gods.
Pagans are individualists, and keep no capital scriptual book, seer or haven authority. They invent insight and stimulation from nature, tradition, the arts, science and personal experience. Their theological organizations are usually loose federations of autonomous local congregations, structured in a procedure corresponding to Congregational churches. To pagans, every religion is experimental as having its obtain valuable perspective on the attitude of Deity and humankind’s relationship to it.
Pagans suppose there is no One True Faith: rather, pagans stroke that religious diversity is essential in a universe of varying societies and individuals. Because of this belief, pagan groups do not actively recruit or proselytize: there is an assumption that kinsfolk who can behalf from the sceptic style consign find their system home when the juncture is right. Despite this lack of evangelistic zeal, many congregations are fairly sensitive to gossip with interested people, and even make efforts to caution their communities about the beliefs and practices of paganism Pagans prospect humour as a manifestation of Deity. The masculine divinity famous without the countess divinity is, at best, only half of the whole. Both sexes exist in nature. As mind is a manifestation of divinity, then divinity is manifested in both mainly and woman forms. Therein lies paganism – centered around reverence of the Goddess and the God as aspects of the extensive heart – both halves creating the whole. Most pagan religions are founded upon the duality of the Goddess and the God. The duality is balancing energies or non-physical manifestations of the Great Spirit.
Pagans surmise the Goddess and the God are the primal woman and masculine forces. They are two parallel but denial aspects of the Great Spirit. Pagan ritual celebrates this duality. Contained within the God and the Goddess are all the deities that ever existed. The Goddess is: maiden, mother, crone; she is all-women, all fertility; she is empitic in the moon, waters, affection and life. The God is: masculine force; morsel in the fields; the Sun; fire; sensation and life. pagans often cultivate personal relationships with the God and Goddess. Pagan deities are not cold or distant – they are veritable – as pure as rain, trees, folks and the Earth.
Pagan traditions are assorted and usually linked to a specific culture or country. Each tradition possesses its retain qualitative crystallize of rituals, laws and magickal rites. A unbeliever group’s story is sometimes collected in its consecrated books or said traditions.
CONCLUSIONS:
1. Most Internet references to Paganism direct to Wiccans and further Neopagans.
2. Conservative Christians generally use the term Pagan to direct to a big variety of polytheistic, shamanistic, and unrevealed non-monotheistic religions, that in their mind adversely stilted the sprinkle of Christianity.
3. In modern day usage the phrase ‘pagan’ has been corrupted to reflect the prejudices of Christian dogmatic dogma. Historically, a unbeliever was simply a rural comrade whose life fashion was guided by a respectful co-existence with nature. This was reflected in both their religions and social organization. Eventually, the term was used to define people who would not convert to Christianity. This was then corrupted to define a individual whose sacred element was decadent and immoral.
4. For most purposes the interval ‘paganism’ should be correctly defined as ‘a religion which encourages a spirituality whose life routine tends to reflect the intention of living in cooperation with all of existence’ .
5. Paganism has existed in all cultures, from the paleolithic era to the existing technological period, but Paganism has historically further waxed and waned in its popularity. The ancient Egyptians are an gauge of a highly sceptic society; so are the aged Romans; and all paleolithic cultures from the Old Stone Age to the give own strong heathen elements. An example of a less atheist culture would be the West for the last thousand years or so, since the centuries next the Fall of Rome. The domination of the Middle East by Christians and Moslems obtain moreover largely repressed sceptic ideas.
6. Pagans system a variety of positive life affirming faiths that are dedicated to theraoeutic the folks of the Earth as well as the Earth. As such, they do not lawyer or condone any acts that victimize others, including those proscribed by law. They quite censure the practices of youngster abuse, sexual abuse, and other forms of misuse that do damage to the bodies, minds or spirits of individuals.
7. Pagans do not acknowledge, reckon in, or worship a “Satan” or “Devil”. These are Old Testament Christian hieroglyphics that have been connected in many ways to Pagans and New-Pagans out of horror and misunderstanding. Pagans do not method “Black Magick,” or desecrate any person, niche or thing.
8. Pagans do not proselytize. No-one will try to convince you to become a pagan.
They own simply created this Web platform to provide you with what They reckon to be their detail in the hopes that it entrust edit some of the erroneous mis-perception about their genus of religion. They tend you to quest these pages and conceivably it leave aegis you validate your keep path.
Finally, You will find that this thing contains a thumping “generalized” introduction to Paganism that (hopefully) cede guide most of your questions as openly and honestly as possible. I also hope I retain created a roadmap of sorts which you can use to explore those things that are most interesting to you and your needs. I did not push a particular circumgyration or tradition, but if this object can support atom you in a order of sincere advantage and pure understanding, then I hold done my job.
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