 |
F.A.Q. |
|
What is Paganism ?
The dictionary tells us that Pagan simply means county dweller but by todays terms it means so much more. Today the word Pagan in its broadest term refers to any religious belief system that is Earth or Nature based in its worship. This covers everything from Wicca and Witchcraft to Druidism and Native American Shamanisn. Most Pagan religions are rooted in belief systems that are thousands of years old and see the divine as part of nature and the world , not separate from it.
What is the difference between Pagan, Wiccan and Witch ?
What exactly are the definitions of each of these are to this day still being debated among scholars within Pagan theology, so I am going to offer the simplest definitions of each.
As stated above Paganism covers a large number of belief systems so a Pagan is anyone who follows any of these paths. Wicca is a denomination under Paganism just as baptist is a denomination under Christianity. There many types of Wicca but most work with strong afliations to nature and the cycles of nature. Its important to remember that not all Pagans are Wiccan but can be of any path. A Witch is anyone regardless of gender that practices the art and science of magic. Some say that the total definition of Witchcraft or the Craft is simply this practice, then there are others who claim that Witchcraft is a religion in and of itself. Personal here on this page I will leave it to the seeker which way they believe.
Is any of this evil or Satanism ?
It is absolutely absurd to believe Paganism is evil or has anything to do with Satan. First off Pagans do not even believe in a total evil entity.To have such a entity you must be able to define evil absolutly and in our world we find that evil can vary from culture to culture and sfrom situation to situation. Second,The whole idea of the devil did not even exist in early Christianity it was an invention of the early church and the Holy Roman Church .This was done to turn people away from the Pagan gods that the masses had worshipped for centuries. It was a simple proagada method to convert people. These days mainstream religon automatically puts any belief system that isn’t their own into the category of evil whether it is true or not.
Isn’t the Pentagram (five pointed star) a symbol of the devil ?
NO, Unfortunately Hollywood has made the general public believe that the pentagram has some evil purpose, this along with the propagada from mainstream religion has created tons of mis-information with our society. The facts are the pentagram in modern Paganism represents the five elements of creation, of life itself. These elements are Earth, Air, Fire, Water and most importantly Spirit. These five things are sacred in our religions and we use them with great reverence.
Are the Pagan religions really religions ?
Despite what followers of other religions may say the Pagan religions are valid religions. Most Pagan religions are rooted in traditions thousands of years old and have lineages just as valid as any other. Many of the Pagan clergy are legally ordained Priest or Priestess with the very came rights and validity as the local minister or priest down at your Christian church. We are also recognized by the United States Government and the government of other countries as legally recognized alternitive religions.
Are Pagans really against Christianity ?
NO, we are not out to try and destroy the Christian religion, we are not out to convert and brainwash your children and we are not part of some secret society plan to take over the world. These are all delusions of paraniod minds, people that are afraid of what they don’t understand. The only problem we have with Christianity or any other religion is there belief that they are the only way to truth and so forth they feel they have the right to try and force their beliefs on other people and on society in general. We are strong advocates of freedom of religion. Which means everyone has the right to worship as they wish in peace and society is set up so that we all have that right and no one religion influence how the government run or what laws are made.
What is the Pagan concept of God ?
Again I will speak on this question from my own veiwpoint and the veiwpoint of just a percentage of my fellow Pagans. First off we do not worship a different deity then the Jews or Christians do, we just do not share their viewpoints on who or what god is and we worship in the forms we find more appropriate to us and our relatioship with the Divine Creator. There is only one source os all things in the universe by what every name you choose to call that source. But in the Pagan religion we do not believe that god is a strictly male deity that simply created everything then sits back and sees if the creature he created chose to worship him. He is not some white bearded old man who sits back and judges every move you make and then will punish you if you don’t do things his way. These are human concepts and put god in a box and takes away the endless possibility of existence.
First of all we believe not only did the Divine Source create everything, but the Source IS everything. Every single atom of existence everywhere is “God”. Even science tells us that the entire universe is made of energy of one kind or another. We believe this energy is at least part of the very body of “God.” Which is why we worship the natural world because it is all parts of the essence of “God.” It is also why we believe “God” is in each of us because we believe every part of us mind, body and spirit is made of “God.”
Second we do not believe that the Divine Creator is a male deity nor do we believe the Creator is a female deity but is both and much more all in one. The Divine Creator is everything and is so vast and beyond our ability to understand that to refer to it as male or female is completely irrelevant, because the Divine is both. We don’t believe that it cares by what name or names you choose to refer to it by because it is all of them. A popular saying in our community that “All Gods are One God.” We feel the gender and names we use are only important to us not to “God.” What is important is that we have a deep personal relationship with the Divine and that we hold all of creation as sacred because it is “God.” So we in the Pagan community choose to view the Divine source as male and female because we feel that the creation reflects the creator, so to us to have both a Mother and a Father that created all life makes more sense to us and makes us feel more comfortable and closer to the Divine. Then a majority of us will use the names for the Divine used by ancient cultures. Again simply as enhancements that makes us feel closer to the Divine. Not to try and understand the Divine better as humans that’s simply impossible, but to understand our personal relationship with the Divine and why we are here and what the Divine would have us do while here on this earth.
Finally in our concept of the Divine there is one word that describes the Eternal Source of the universe that no one of any religion can deny and that one word is LOVE.
What is the Pagan concept of death ?
We believe that death is not the end, that we die and its over nor do we believe that we die and go to heaven and that’s it. We believe that death is just another step in a eternal journey, a continuing circle. We are the Divine experiencing itself. We believe that spirit is our true form, is our true selves not these bodies we live in. So when these bodies no longer serve any purpose, we shed them and become spirit only which is our true form. When our bodies die we are back in our true homes if you could call them that. And yes many of us do believe in reincarnation. That fact that like the cycles of nature we are born, we live, we die then we are reborn and live again. A cycle of the Divine experiencing itself in every form and everyway possible. Yes much of this is just theory and why this would happen, well the best and brightest minds for centuries have been trying to solve that puzzle and make no more nor less sense the the Christian concept of being born, living and dying and going to wherever forever. I don’t believe in human form we will ever truly understand the reasons behind either of these theories nor do I believe we are meant to.
On a personal note I don’t believe the the death of a loved one is a time to mourn but should be a time to celebrate. Celebrate the fact that that person is now home where they truly belong.
Do Pagans cast spells on people ?
I am beginning to sound like a a broken tape, but again Hollywood, the media and mainstream religion has distorted this into something that’s not even close to the truth.
Yes we cast spells, we cast spells to improve our lives or the lives of others. We cast spells to protect ourselves or to protect others and we cast spells to help heal ourselves or help heal others. A true follower of the Pagan paths do not go around hexing or cursing people, we do not cast spells to harm people. We do not cast spells that take away a persons right of free will their right to make choices for their own lives. Our highest law is “Do what thou will, harm none.” Which means exactly what it says,w e can cast spells as long as no one is harmed. We will not cast a spell even a healing spell on a person without their permission. Even with their permission its up to our discretion whether we cast the spell or not. For example even if a person came up to me and begged me to curse them I still would not do it.
Do all Pagans wear black or dress oddly ?
The answer to this is absolutely NO. Where it is true that many pagans do have their own sense of fashion, but this can be said about many groups in the world from Rappers to Mormons all have their own ways of dressing. Many of us in the Pagan community also wear a lot of black simply because it is a tradition among many religions for the clergy of that relgion to wear black as a sign of their position. We in the Pagan world are no different we are a religion of clergy so we where a lot of black. Really have you ever heard anyone ask why a Catholic Priest why they wear so much black.
But the reality of this whole thing is no we do not all dress in black or oddly. Most pagans dress just the same as everyone else, most Pagans you would never know they were Pagan by the way they dress. We are not some strange fringe on the outskits of society we are just people that have a different religious belief system.
How do I as a Pagan feel about how Paganism is presented by Movies, TV and the
Media ?
This is a simple question to answer. Where it is nice that some movies and TV shows are presenting the Pagan religions in a more positive light NONE of them have ever portrayed an accurate view of Paganism. They are always hyped up and distorted for the purposes of selling the movie of TV show. As far as the news media goes I personally have yet to see one newscast or read one newspaper article that presents the Pagan religions in a true light. Stories about us that do reach mainstream media are still to this day in the 21st century treat like a report of bigfoot or like a local feak show. Luckily there are many groups today working to change this.
Whats the best way to learn more about
Paganism ?
The best way is read every book you can lay your hands on, explore every website you can find on the subject, talk to people that have been in the Pagan religions for sometime. More importantly don’t believe exactly what anyone book or website has to say on the subject, because with each person and/or each denomination of Paganism their will be different points of view and different interpretations. So read as much as you can before forming any type of opinion and if you are interested in following any of the Pagan paths there are an overwhelming number of people and group out there that are more then happy to help you.
For anyone who wish to ask further questions about Paganism or wishes to debate me on the subject Please feel free to e-mail. I will answer all those asking questions but will only debate with those who send civil and intelligent e-mails. I will not hesitate to report those whom simply wish to send harrassing e-mails to their ISP’s.
E-Mail Me
Back to Religion Page
