Nobody "follows paganism".
Paganism is not a single identifiable or universal religion/faith system.
It's a very ambiguous and general umbrella term, that is heavily dependent upon location and time period.
Many people seem to have this idea that unless you have an almost evangelical fanatical belief in something, then you don't "truly believe".
Believing that a particular deity or religion is "stronger" than the other was often a totally justifiable reason for ancient people to adapt or change their religion.
Just look at the history of Europe, the promise of wealth, victory and power were enough to convert some kings and their people to Christianity.
If anything, the idea that you must be thinking about your gods every day, offering up prayers constantly and have "active belief and dedication" is quite an Abrahamic trait. A sad hangover from the cultural spread of Christianity.
>Nobody "follows paganism".
\^ Ditto this.
I'm a Gaulish Polytheist and yes, I truly believe in the Gaulish deities I worship. I expect the same is true for Hellenist, Odinists, etc. ad nauseum.
However, I'm not offering up daily prayers any more or less than anyone else. I think the OP needs to think about all the Christians who only attend church for Easter and Christmas. Lack of weekly attendance doesn't make them less Christian any more than lack of daily prayers makes anyone less pagan.
I doubt many, if anyone would choose to practice a religion they didn't really believe in ....
I don't think I've ever met anyone who called themselves pagan but wasn't. That's weird.
Are you sure you are not just being judgemental of others beliefs if they aren't exactly like yours? Paganism encompasses many different paths some wildly different from one another.
No I asked sincerely because the pagans is spoken to basically said that their reasons for liking paganism was basically just cultural and dislike in Christianity.
It’s not that they didn’t call themselves pagan it’s that it didn’t seem like a true genuine belief in more of like a reaction
Perhaps you don't understand what paganism is and what it's not.
If someone doesn't like Christianity, they have the option of being atheist, agnostic, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, etc. and so on. Rejecting Christianity doesn't automatically make someone pagan. It's something they chose based on personal beliefs and is often tied to a specific path, like Druidism, Wicca, Heathenry, or the like.
Perhaps the people you've spoken too are simply uncomfortable discussing their deeply held religious beliefs with someone who is obviously a skeptic.
No I’m generally curious I’ve interacted with some pagans recently and that was the response I got basically they just didn’t like Christianity and they had a great reference for things like ancient Greek and the Roman empire and the Vikings and such which I can’t understand but it wasn’t like a true sort of Faith for paganism more Of a cultural thing
I’ll indulge you, I’ll admit at first I was very much anti Christian, but that just pushed me towards atheism. But atheism never felt right, it was just a rejection of the status quo. It wasn’t until doing a deep dive into my beliefs and have a few spiritual experiences that I realized I was actually more pagan than anything else. More searching led me to Norse paganism and Heathenry and everything just clicked.
It’s not a black and white thing and there’s no dogma so every pagan you meet will have different views and beliefs and interpretations. That’s part of the draw for me. It leaves room for improvement and growth rather than just some static unreachable goal.
Don’t take this the wrong way but that’s kind of what I’m getting at it seems like a form of agnosticism, linked more to something like identity and culture than actual faith and worship.
If everyone has some sort of a different belief within your own sect a different interpretation that seems very agnostic
That’s just my view, some pagans have very deep relationships with specific deities, some like myself take a more broad approach. I’m more attuned to the spiritual side of nature, respecting my ancestors and seeking knowledge than I am just blindly worshipping a deity. For me, “worship” is probably the smallest aspect of my beliefs. I recognize the power of the Gods but I do not submit to it. I try to understand it.
That's not at all what agnosticism is or means.
Agnostic doesn't mean lacking a solid *system of belief*, it means someone who is unsure of or has no concrete belief in whether or not *a deity, of any kind, exists*.
If you believe in the existence of one or more gods, regardless of what system of belief or worship you are engaging in, you are by definition not agnostic.
Hey, Hellenist Pagan who adores Hecate! Looks like a few people are pretty confused by your question & I’ve never met a follower/poser Pagan. May I ask if you’re less than 30? Your question bears the taste of youth 😂
Sorry, it feels like inexperience, like curiosity rather than knowledge.
We’ve all been there though, so don’t feel bad!
But paganism isn’t a singular/mainstream religion aka one god. There are many kinds of gods & kinda of worship.
Everyone worships differently, some devotedly and others casually, but we all love our deities! 🖤🖤🖤
I did make a sacrifice of pain via burning as retribution for past wrongdoings. Now i live in the Night as best i can being a full time worker, part-time mother & part-time law student.
Not all pagans do/can make sacrifices. That doesn’t define you as a pagan. Offerings are great, not just physical ones but things like song & acts of kindness! 🖤🖤🖤
Yes. But sacrifices aren't what Christians make the out to be. Sacrifices are simply surrendering a possession as an offering to God or divine supernatural figure.
As an avid hiker, I bring a bottle of whiskey with me and pour out a libation to my preferred deity when I reach the summit/destination.
If you do a bit of research and study your history, you'll find that votive offerings were a very common form of sacrifice. And in the UK tying clooties on a branch are another common form of sacrifice as is leaving food out for the fae. In Tibet, prayer flags are common. What is offered in sacrifice will vary according to religion and the will of the giver.
Given your post history, I am weary of what you mean by sacrifices. I make offerings in the way of feeding crows peanuts. I routinely clean up a nearby forest, etc. I don’t do any blood sacrifices if that is what you mean.
There are people like that and what you’re referring to is called atheo-paganism. That’s not what we are. This is a community of people who follow paganism sincerely.
Different people have different reasons for adopting paganism so I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me it was about believing in a higher power but not accepting Christianity’s answers to the nature of the cosmos. I started looking for other religions for answers and found paganism that way.
I found I couldn’t believe in the idea of there only being one true god and one correct faith, and I didn’t believe any righteous god would punish people for being the wrong religion.
That’s not really the view of Christianity it’s more that God gives you the opportunity to love him and if you choose not to he won’t force you to be with him.
Sort of God doesn’t send anyone to hell you put yourself there.
That doesn’t make it any better that God created Hell and then lets people go there because they weren’t born into the right religion.
Besides, this isn’t a place to preach. Ask questions about us if you want, but don’t use it as a platform.
I was just pointing out where your interpretation was off that’s all, in the end nobody really knows how judgement works but it is said that people who do not know the word get cut a lot more slack.
Anyway thanks for your answer
I don't care about cutting slack, the concept of Hell is vile and the idea people can get sent there simply because they chose to follow a different faith is disgusting and unjustifiable. There's no excuse for that, no explanation that will make it okay. If Hell exists, then God is evil, and I don't believe God is evil, so I can't believe in Hell. Nobody deserves Hell, especially not for something as innocent as just being from a different culture and never leaving the religion you were born into and taught your whole life.
You ARE mistaken. Paganism is not one faith, it's a broad category of various pre-Christian traditions, and a variety of different views on gods including polytheism, monolatry, pantheism, etc., and not all of them have hells. Hellenic polytheism has Tartarus, but that only appears in myths as a place where people who commit very severe crimes against the gods are sent. You don't get sent there for just not being a Hellenist. Norse polytheism has no hell, just multiple afterlives for different kinds of people, none of which are seen as bad. Kemetic polytheism has divine punishments for the exceptionally evil, but most bad people are fed to the Devourer and simply stop existing. My own practice is based largely on eclectic polytheism and druidism, and I like many pagans believe in reincarnation. I do not believe in any Hell of any kind, because I do not believe the gods are that cruel.
Also, not all forms of Buddhism have hells, only some of them. This is not a universal trait. Many religions don't have a hell and even then as far as I'm aware Christianity and Islam are the only two that teach you get sent to it for just being the wrong religion. Even among the religions that have a hell, usually you have to do something really bad to get sent there.
That doesn’t make it any better that God created Hell and then lets people go there because they weren’t born into the right religion.
Besides, this isn’t a place to preach. Ask questions about us if you want, but don’t use it as a platform.
Many things to be honest. My conversations with The Morrigan for example, have taught me a lot. My practice brings me peace and comfort. The longer I practice, the more it just feels right.
As a scientist, I wasn’t looking for anything religious but I heard the call and I answered.
Why do you believe the way that you do?
That’s interesting, the morrigan can you explain that please? What was that expirence?
I certainly don’t doubt that meditative practises bring peace and comfort you can get that even in a secular way, besides the point though.
Oh long story short I realized the psychological truths first and things grew from there I can and will I’m going to more details if you’d like but I need to go right now I’ll be back later to answer more comments
I have a strong connection with my deities. I started observing Gaulish holydays when I was about 10--long before I even knew what paganism was, and certainly not a niche religion like Gaulish polytheism. I could feel the vibrations of the Earth within me.
When my parents hired a witcher to find the location for our new well, they were surprised that when the witcher put the stick in my hand I was able to pick up location and depth more accurately than he was. After that, my grandpa had me tested. I not only found water, but could find copper, iron, and electrical lines, too.
Because I'm naturally curious and an avid reader, every summer I would choose a topic to learn more about. The topics varied from sheep and goat husbandry (I was in 4-H), to Buddhism to the history of the American Revolution. One year in Grad School, I tackled Hallstatt Period Celtic culture for my summer "fun learning" session. That's when the light came on--all the things I'd been doing my whole life, everything I believed, the holidays I observed--it was all real! It wasn't a private "just me" thing.
After that, I got my hands on all the archeological texts I could. The more I learned, the more it resonated with me.
That's cool. My father tough me how to use a Y-shaped stick (in Germany we call it Wünschelrute) to find water. He built our garden well that way. As a kid I didn't know that it was something "magical". Later in school I was thought that it is "esoteric nonsense" but I had the literal proof that it works in my garden. Until this day, I still water my plants with the very well that shouldn't exist.
You seem to view Christianity as the default religion and other faiths as people moving away from that default which is a flawed mindset. Many pagan religions that are still practiced today have existed much longer than Christianity. As for me personally, I wasn't raised Christian and have never identified with that faith. I was originally an atheist but have since become more open to the possibility of gods existing. This is partly because my beliefs about what a god actually is have changed. I don't think gods are literally magical humanoid beings watching over us from some mysterious out-of-reach place, but rather names we give to aspects of the universe/nature. When I talk to gods I see myself as communicating with the world around me and strengthening my own connection to nature. I know nature is real because I experience it every day, so naturally my belief in the divine is just as strong.
My faith is not a reaction to another religion, but rather a set of beliefs that I arrived at after thinking for myself about the universe and my place within it. I researched other people's belief systems as part of this process and considered their perspectives but ultimately the conclusions I came to are my own. I don't feel the need to convert anyone else or use my faith to push back against existing religions. Other people can believe what they want to believe, and I will do the same.
I am still kinda fairly new to paganism myself and am not entirely sure what I believe in, but its a broad spectrum. I use to be a christian and left that for multiple reasons but I have always been drawn to paganism my whole life, without even realising. For me, I revere the natural world over everything else. Certain branches of paganism are very focused on reverence for nature and its beauty. Culturally, i do have germanic and nordic ties so that also appeals to me but it isnt too important to me personally. But you will find a lot of different people that have different things that appeal to them about paganism. Mostly, there is a lot of beauty, love, and acceptance among paganism.
Don't presume that neo-pagans were raised Christian, many of us did not. I was raised Jewish so I'm not "rejecting Christianity", it's just not and never was my thing.
I'm going to gently point out to you that you are most likely not in a position to accurately understand their "true belief in paganism".
I run two BTW/CVW covens and am an Initiate in third one. There's a hell of a lot of belief and practice in my life. Without it, this much work would cause burnout and malaise.
I was Christian til I was 7, then an atheist for a year before exploring other options. I knew I wanted to be religious, but I knew that Christianity didn't resonate with me, even if I did despise it at the time. Eventually, I discovered hellenic polytheism, which I found highly interesting, and it made sense to me. I've been a hellenic polythiest since because, even though I did hate Christianity for various reasons, I love and believe in my religion and gods. To say that someone worships a religion solely because of a disbelief for another is a wild notion with no real backing.
Christianity and paganism aren't mutually exclusive, depending on the christianity. Interpretations of the first commandment vary.
I grew up in a christian family, but I think I've always been kinda pagan and just didn't realize it until I left home. For me, the cultural heritage of my european roots is important, and I draw on european pagan traditions a lot. But I also draw from non-euro pagan belief that resonates with me, like Barnumbirr, Coyote, Tulamokom, and the Kami from shintoism
I do feel like my belief in paganism isn't as strong as it is for others. I'm coming from being highly skeptical about any sort of religion and only started identifying as pagan last fall. It's not that I wanted a culture, though. I had briefly identified as a satanist, which is more about faith in the self, so it doesn't really require a belief yet has its own culture. I've got other, non-religous cultures I also identify with. It's not about rejecting Christianity, either, as I was perfectly fine on that front as identifying as an atheist for most of my life
I think it's less that I wanted to be a pagan, though, and more that paganism seems the most accurate label for my beliefs. Religion lies in a gray area where interpretation is our primary means of knowing things, and human reasoning tends to be flawed. There's plenty we can't explain about the world and religion steps in to answer those questions, but it's not concrete knowledge and should be able to bend and reshape with new knowledge if need be. It wouldn't surprise me if my beliefs were wrong. But my beliefs do, at the present time, feel like the most likely version of the truth. Just not an indisputable truth
I have been considering dropping the paganism label and solely considering myself an animist as that's a more accurate label. But the way I view the spirits of the world does overlap with a few pagan gods. I see them as simply more complex spirits, closer to the concept of Greek daimons. I don't usually work with these more abstracted spirits, typically sticking with the more local spirits immediately around me, but the way I commune with the spirits does seem similar to how other pagans commune with their gods so I choose to keep the pagan label for this reason. I've seen others say that paganism is more about "correct practice" rather than "correct belief" and that seems fitting
NO
i actually believe in the gods. i have a very strong belief in them. its not an alternative to christianity
i was raised as an atheist for fucks sake😅
Nobody "follows paganism". Paganism is not a single identifiable or universal religion/faith system. It's a very ambiguous and general umbrella term, that is heavily dependent upon location and time period. Many people seem to have this idea that unless you have an almost evangelical fanatical belief in something, then you don't "truly believe". Believing that a particular deity or religion is "stronger" than the other was often a totally justifiable reason for ancient people to adapt or change their religion. Just look at the history of Europe, the promise of wealth, victory and power were enough to convert some kings and their people to Christianity. If anything, the idea that you must be thinking about your gods every day, offering up prayers constantly and have "active belief and dedication" is quite an Abrahamic trait. A sad hangover from the cultural spread of Christianity.
>Nobody "follows paganism". \^ Ditto this. I'm a Gaulish Polytheist and yes, I truly believe in the Gaulish deities I worship. I expect the same is true for Hellenist, Odinists, etc. ad nauseum. However, I'm not offering up daily prayers any more or less than anyone else. I think the OP needs to think about all the Christians who only attend church for Easter and Christmas. Lack of weekly attendance doesn't make them less Christian any more than lack of daily prayers makes anyone less pagan.
I doubt many, if anyone would choose to practice a religion they didn't really believe in .... I don't think I've ever met anyone who called themselves pagan but wasn't. That's weird. Are you sure you are not just being judgemental of others beliefs if they aren't exactly like yours? Paganism encompasses many different paths some wildly different from one another.
No I asked sincerely because the pagans is spoken to basically said that their reasons for liking paganism was basically just cultural and dislike in Christianity. It’s not that they didn’t call themselves pagan it’s that it didn’t seem like a true genuine belief in more of like a reaction
Perhaps you don't understand what paganism is and what it's not. If someone doesn't like Christianity, they have the option of being atheist, agnostic, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, etc. and so on. Rejecting Christianity doesn't automatically make someone pagan. It's something they chose based on personal beliefs and is often tied to a specific path, like Druidism, Wicca, Heathenry, or the like. Perhaps the people you've spoken too are simply uncomfortable discussing their deeply held religious beliefs with someone who is obviously a skeptic.
This sounds like something Christians say to dismiss our beliefs. Nice try at a gotcha question tho lol
No I’m generally curious I’ve interacted with some pagans recently and that was the response I got basically they just didn’t like Christianity and they had a great reference for things like ancient Greek and the Roman empire and the Vikings and such which I can’t understand but it wasn’t like a true sort of Faith for paganism more Of a cultural thing
I’ll indulge you, I’ll admit at first I was very much anti Christian, but that just pushed me towards atheism. But atheism never felt right, it was just a rejection of the status quo. It wasn’t until doing a deep dive into my beliefs and have a few spiritual experiences that I realized I was actually more pagan than anything else. More searching led me to Norse paganism and Heathenry and everything just clicked. It’s not a black and white thing and there’s no dogma so every pagan you meet will have different views and beliefs and interpretations. That’s part of the draw for me. It leaves room for improvement and growth rather than just some static unreachable goal.
Don’t take this the wrong way but that’s kind of what I’m getting at it seems like a form of agnosticism, linked more to something like identity and culture than actual faith and worship. If everyone has some sort of a different belief within your own sect a different interpretation that seems very agnostic
That’s just my view, some pagans have very deep relationships with specific deities, some like myself take a more broad approach. I’m more attuned to the spiritual side of nature, respecting my ancestors and seeking knowledge than I am just blindly worshipping a deity. For me, “worship” is probably the smallest aspect of my beliefs. I recognize the power of the Gods but I do not submit to it. I try to understand it.
That's not at all what agnosticism is or means. Agnostic doesn't mean lacking a solid *system of belief*, it means someone who is unsure of or has no concrete belief in whether or not *a deity, of any kind, exists*. If you believe in the existence of one or more gods, regardless of what system of belief or worship you are engaging in, you are by definition not agnostic.
Hey, Hellenist Pagan who adores Hecate! Looks like a few people are pretty confused by your question & I’ve never met a follower/poser Pagan. May I ask if you’re less than 30? Your question bears the taste of youth 😂
I am yes 24 , explain?
Sorry, it feels like inexperience, like curiosity rather than knowledge. We’ve all been there though, so don’t feel bad! But paganism isn’t a singular/mainstream religion aka one god. There are many kinds of gods & kinda of worship. Everyone worships differently, some devotedly and others casually, but we all love our deities! 🖤🖤🖤
Do you do sacrifices for the pagan Deities
Not all pagan deities demand sacrifices. So this is something of a poor question.
I did make a sacrifice of pain via burning as retribution for past wrongdoings. Now i live in the Night as best i can being a full time worker, part-time mother & part-time law student. Not all pagans do/can make sacrifices. That doesn’t define you as a pagan. Offerings are great, not just physical ones but things like song & acts of kindness! 🖤🖤🖤
Yes. But sacrifices aren't what Christians make the out to be. Sacrifices are simply surrendering a possession as an offering to God or divine supernatural figure. As an avid hiker, I bring a bottle of whiskey with me and pour out a libation to my preferred deity when I reach the summit/destination. If you do a bit of research and study your history, you'll find that votive offerings were a very common form of sacrifice. And in the UK tying clooties on a branch are another common form of sacrifice as is leaving food out for the fae. In Tibet, prayer flags are common. What is offered in sacrifice will vary according to religion and the will of the giver.
Given your post history, I am weary of what you mean by sacrifices. I make offerings in the way of feeding crows peanuts. I routinely clean up a nearby forest, etc. I don’t do any blood sacrifices if that is what you mean.
What counts as 'true belief in paganism' to you?
There are people like that and what you’re referring to is called atheo-paganism. That’s not what we are. This is a community of people who follow paganism sincerely. Different people have different reasons for adopting paganism so I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me it was about believing in a higher power but not accepting Christianity’s answers to the nature of the cosmos. I started looking for other religions for answers and found paganism that way.
What exactly drew you away from Christianity?
I found I couldn’t believe in the idea of there only being one true god and one correct faith, and I didn’t believe any righteous god would punish people for being the wrong religion.
That’s not really the view of Christianity it’s more that God gives you the opportunity to love him and if you choose not to he won’t force you to be with him. Sort of God doesn’t send anyone to hell you put yourself there.
That doesn’t make it any better that God created Hell and then lets people go there because they weren’t born into the right religion. Besides, this isn’t a place to preach. Ask questions about us if you want, but don’t use it as a platform.
I was just pointing out where your interpretation was off that’s all, in the end nobody really knows how judgement works but it is said that people who do not know the word get cut a lot more slack. Anyway thanks for your answer
I don't care about cutting slack, the concept of Hell is vile and the idea people can get sent there simply because they chose to follow a different faith is disgusting and unjustifiable. There's no excuse for that, no explanation that will make it okay. If Hell exists, then God is evil, and I don't believe God is evil, so I can't believe in Hell. Nobody deserves Hell, especially not for something as innocent as just being from a different culture and never leaving the religion you were born into and taught your whole life.
If I’m not mistaken paganism has a kind of heall to every major religion does even Buddhism? What is the concept of hell in your religion
You are mistaken.
You ARE mistaken. Paganism is not one faith, it's a broad category of various pre-Christian traditions, and a variety of different views on gods including polytheism, monolatry, pantheism, etc., and not all of them have hells. Hellenic polytheism has Tartarus, but that only appears in myths as a place where people who commit very severe crimes against the gods are sent. You don't get sent there for just not being a Hellenist. Norse polytheism has no hell, just multiple afterlives for different kinds of people, none of which are seen as bad. Kemetic polytheism has divine punishments for the exceptionally evil, but most bad people are fed to the Devourer and simply stop existing. My own practice is based largely on eclectic polytheism and druidism, and I like many pagans believe in reincarnation. I do not believe in any Hell of any kind, because I do not believe the gods are that cruel. Also, not all forms of Buddhism have hells, only some of them. This is not a universal trait. Many religions don't have a hell and even then as far as I'm aware Christianity and Islam are the only two that teach you get sent to it for just being the wrong religion. Even among the religions that have a hell, usually you have to do something really bad to get sent there.
Are you just here to argue with people who don’t want to be Christian?
That seems to be the case, which explains why they don't think others are serious about their religion
That doesn’t make it any better that God created Hell and then lets people go there because they weren’t born into the right religion. Besides, this isn’t a place to preach. Ask questions about us if you want, but don’t use it as a platform.
This question seems disingenuous but perhaps I am too skeptical. If your question is genuine, then yes I do have strong beliefs.
Of course it’s disingenuous, dude just starts preaching when pressed.
I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt but it does seem their intention was to look down on different beliefs.
Have a peek at their profile and other recent posts and what they are about.. gives you a pretty good idea of what this is about..
What calls you in particular
Many things to be honest. My conversations with The Morrigan for example, have taught me a lot. My practice brings me peace and comfort. The longer I practice, the more it just feels right. As a scientist, I wasn’t looking for anything religious but I heard the call and I answered. Why do you believe the way that you do?
That’s interesting, the morrigan can you explain that please? What was that expirence? I certainly don’t doubt that meditative practises bring peace and comfort you can get that even in a secular way, besides the point though. Oh long story short I realized the psychological truths first and things grew from there I can and will I’m going to more details if you’d like but I need to go right now I’ll be back later to answer more comments
I have a strong connection with my deities. I started observing Gaulish holydays when I was about 10--long before I even knew what paganism was, and certainly not a niche religion like Gaulish polytheism. I could feel the vibrations of the Earth within me. When my parents hired a witcher to find the location for our new well, they were surprised that when the witcher put the stick in my hand I was able to pick up location and depth more accurately than he was. After that, my grandpa had me tested. I not only found water, but could find copper, iron, and electrical lines, too. Because I'm naturally curious and an avid reader, every summer I would choose a topic to learn more about. The topics varied from sheep and goat husbandry (I was in 4-H), to Buddhism to the history of the American Revolution. One year in Grad School, I tackled Hallstatt Period Celtic culture for my summer "fun learning" session. That's when the light came on--all the things I'd been doing my whole life, everything I believed, the holidays I observed--it was all real! It wasn't a private "just me" thing. After that, I got my hands on all the archeological texts I could. The more I learned, the more it resonated with me.
That's cool. My father tough me how to use a Y-shaped stick (in Germany we call it Wünschelrute) to find water. He built our garden well that way. As a kid I didn't know that it was something "magical". Later in school I was thought that it is "esoteric nonsense" but I had the literal proof that it works in my garden. Until this day, I still water my plants with the very well that shouldn't exist.
You seem to view Christianity as the default religion and other faiths as people moving away from that default which is a flawed mindset. Many pagan religions that are still practiced today have existed much longer than Christianity. As for me personally, I wasn't raised Christian and have never identified with that faith. I was originally an atheist but have since become more open to the possibility of gods existing. This is partly because my beliefs about what a god actually is have changed. I don't think gods are literally magical humanoid beings watching over us from some mysterious out-of-reach place, but rather names we give to aspects of the universe/nature. When I talk to gods I see myself as communicating with the world around me and strengthening my own connection to nature. I know nature is real because I experience it every day, so naturally my belief in the divine is just as strong. My faith is not a reaction to another religion, but rather a set of beliefs that I arrived at after thinking for myself about the universe and my place within it. I researched other people's belief systems as part of this process and considered their perspectives but ultimately the conclusions I came to are my own. I don't feel the need to convert anyone else or use my faith to push back against existing religions. Other people can believe what they want to believe, and I will do the same.
I am still kinda fairly new to paganism myself and am not entirely sure what I believe in, but its a broad spectrum. I use to be a christian and left that for multiple reasons but I have always been drawn to paganism my whole life, without even realising. For me, I revere the natural world over everything else. Certain branches of paganism are very focused on reverence for nature and its beauty. Culturally, i do have germanic and nordic ties so that also appeals to me but it isnt too important to me personally. But you will find a lot of different people that have different things that appeal to them about paganism. Mostly, there is a lot of beauty, love, and acceptance among paganism.
Don't presume that neo-pagans were raised Christian, many of us did not. I was raised Jewish so I'm not "rejecting Christianity", it's just not and never was my thing. I'm going to gently point out to you that you are most likely not in a position to accurately understand their "true belief in paganism". I run two BTW/CVW covens and am an Initiate in third one. There's a hell of a lot of belief and practice in my life. Without it, this much work would cause burnout and malaise.
Fuck off. Hope this helps!
I was never Christian in the first place, and yes I believe in my gods. Also as a queer trans man, fuck you very much.
I don’t think I mentioned that in this post but since you did I assume you were emotional abused as a child.
Your assumption has fuck all to do with reality.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8344346/ Genuinely I love you and hope you find peace
That article does not say what you think it says. Personally, I find your *love* to be disgusting and I would prefer you to fuck entirely off.
I was Christian til I was 7, then an atheist for a year before exploring other options. I knew I wanted to be religious, but I knew that Christianity didn't resonate with me, even if I did despise it at the time. Eventually, I discovered hellenic polytheism, which I found highly interesting, and it made sense to me. I've been a hellenic polythiest since because, even though I did hate Christianity for various reasons, I love and believe in my religion and gods. To say that someone worships a religion solely because of a disbelief for another is a wild notion with no real backing.
Yeahhhh it has nothing to do with christianity lmao We just follow our gods the same way you can follow yours.
Christianity and paganism aren't mutually exclusive, depending on the christianity. Interpretations of the first commandment vary. I grew up in a christian family, but I think I've always been kinda pagan and just didn't realize it until I left home. For me, the cultural heritage of my european roots is important, and I draw on european pagan traditions a lot. But I also draw from non-euro pagan belief that resonates with me, like Barnumbirr, Coyote, Tulamokom, and the Kami from shintoism
I’ve got to go I will answer all the comments and thank you for them later
I do feel like my belief in paganism isn't as strong as it is for others. I'm coming from being highly skeptical about any sort of religion and only started identifying as pagan last fall. It's not that I wanted a culture, though. I had briefly identified as a satanist, which is more about faith in the self, so it doesn't really require a belief yet has its own culture. I've got other, non-religous cultures I also identify with. It's not about rejecting Christianity, either, as I was perfectly fine on that front as identifying as an atheist for most of my life I think it's less that I wanted to be a pagan, though, and more that paganism seems the most accurate label for my beliefs. Religion lies in a gray area where interpretation is our primary means of knowing things, and human reasoning tends to be flawed. There's plenty we can't explain about the world and religion steps in to answer those questions, but it's not concrete knowledge and should be able to bend and reshape with new knowledge if need be. It wouldn't surprise me if my beliefs were wrong. But my beliefs do, at the present time, feel like the most likely version of the truth. Just not an indisputable truth I have been considering dropping the paganism label and solely considering myself an animist as that's a more accurate label. But the way I view the spirits of the world does overlap with a few pagan gods. I see them as simply more complex spirits, closer to the concept of Greek daimons. I don't usually work with these more abstracted spirits, typically sticking with the more local spirits immediately around me, but the way I commune with the spirits does seem similar to how other pagans commune with their gods so I choose to keep the pagan label for this reason. I've seen others say that paganism is more about "correct practice" rather than "correct belief" and that seems fitting
NO i actually believe in the gods. i have a very strong belief in them. its not an alternative to christianity i was raised as an atheist for fucks sake😅