Any Pagans here?

gandhara · 07-17-2022, 02:38 AM

Just curious.. I'll describe my beliefs if there are any more here.

Ayn Marx · 07-17-2022, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gandhara

Just curious.. I'll describe my beliefs if there are any more here.

I’m not a pagan of any kind but a few pagan ceremonies I’ve been invited to were great fun, even if I wasn’t a believer. Pagans certainly know how to lay on the threatre although I’m sure they experience their ceremonies as more serious than theatre.

Trollheart · 07-17-2022, 05:29 AM

Isn't paganism a religion in itself? I mean, I know eff-all about it really, but whether you pray to God or Allah or Buddha or the tree in your garden or the sun, isn't it all a form of worship? So are pagans really pagans, or is it just a term the organised religions, ie Christianity, used and uses for those who are not of its faith? Would not a true pagan believe in nothing, like an atheist or agnostic? I guess it would be enlightening to find out. To me, with my massively inferior and uninformed notions, paganism is more a worship of the earth and nature, but just more really one of the more ancient forms of belief, no?

Lisnaholic · 07-17-2022, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gandhara

Just curious.. I'll describe my beliefs if there are any more here.

As Ayn's answer is the very first reply to a question from 13 years ago, I think we can assume the answer has been "No".

As for "pagan", I think it's a relative term like "foreigner", which is connected to where you are as a person, and is used to describe people in another cultural bubble. I imagine that technically, most of us here on MB could apply it to anyone outside that whole Middle-Eastern religious trilogy: Christian-Jewish-Muslim. But these days it's used as you suggest, TH and Ayn, for people with some minority faith like Druid. My guess is that's because of the word's lingering derogatory meaning, and because we are a little more respectful about the other big religions, preferring to calling Hindus Hindus and Buddhists Buddhists.

In the same way, TH, I would say that yes, an atheist could technically be called a pagan*, but people try to be more polite, more specific, and call us what we are: atheists.

* or perhaps that scathing description, "godless" could be used more widely: AFAIK it only shows up in the rants of TV evangelists in the US at the moment.

Guybrush · 07-17-2022, 08:26 AM

I think of religious people as pagans. It's like church. The priest has some fancy robe. Religious paraphernalia everywhere. They drink the blood and eat the body of christ. They make appeals to an invisible spirit in the sky. Sure it's biscuits and juice, but it's obviously rooted in weird cannibalism and funky ass magic rituals like pagans or other weird and ancient religions.

It's 2022. I wish we could lay off dumb superstitions, paganism and other religions included.

Trollheart · 07-17-2022, 09:19 AM

I watched... something, can't remember what, but they were saying how must the Romans have felt? "There's this new cult, Caesar, and - wait for this, you're not gonna believe it - they EAT FLESH AND DRINK BLOOD! I mean, yeah sure we sacrifice animals to our gods, but this is beyond the pale!"

It was an interesting point I had never considered, and easy to show how uneasy the Romans must have been at this new upstart sect.

Ayn Marx · 07-18-2022, 04:17 AM

Pagans I’ve known define themselves not by being non-believers in Judeo-Christian theology etc but as having a belief system that’s self-defining. Granted Christians et al will use the term ‘pagan’ as an insult often meaning something like ’Not saved, like us’.

https://www.paganfederation.org

Guybrush · 07-18-2022, 08:01 AM

A different flavour of idiocy.

Paganism may seem cute, but if some branch of paganism got super popular and got to make the new world order, it would've been awful, same as the rest of them.

gandhara · 07-18-2022, 01:24 PM

13 YEARS ago?! lol I just made this like 2 days ago... where are you getting 13 years!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

As Ayn's answer is the very first reply to a question from 13 years ago, I think we can assume the answer has been "No".

As for "pagan", I think it's a relative term like "foreigner", which is connected to where you are as a person, and is used to describe people in another cultural bubble. I imagine that technically, most of us here on MB could apply it to anyone outside that whole Middle-Eastern religious trilogy: Christian-Jewish-Muslim. But these days it's used as you suggest, TH and Ayn, for people with some minority faith like Druid. My guess is that's because of the word's lingering derogatory meaning, and because we are a little more respectful about the other big religions, preferring to calling Hindus Hindus and Buddhists Buddhists.

In the same way, TH, I would say that yes, an atheist could technically be called a pagan*, but people try to be more polite, more specific, and call us what we are: atheists.

* or perhaps that scathing description, "godless" could be used more widely: AFAIK it only shows up in the rants of TV evangelists in the US at the moment.

gandhara · 07-18-2022, 01:34 PM

There are hundreds of various Pagan religions...All different kinds of faiths within that umbrella term, which is all it is. Paganism doesn't refer to any one particular religion.

There's Neo Pagan religions like Wicca, which I'm not a part of..

I'm more interested in what's called "Reconstructionist" paths...that is... Reviving ancient Polytheist cultural religions from the bronze and iron age Europe, Middle East, The Americas, etc......such as Norse, Celtic, Hellenic, Roman, Canaanite, Phoenician, Mesopotamian, etc..... I myself am part of the ancient Near Eastern branches..specifically Mesopotamian traditions.

07-17-2022, 02:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
gandhara Hi NRG fanatic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: West Virginia Posts: 135	Any Pagans here? Just curious.. I'll describe my beliefs if there are any more here.

07-17-2022, 05:29 AM	#3 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Isn't paganism a religion in itself? I mean, I know eff-all about it really, but whether you pray to God or Allah or Buddha or the tree in your garden or the sun, isn't it all a form of worship? So are pagans really pagans, or is it just a term the organised religions, ie Christianity, used and uses for those who are not of its faith? Would not a true pagan believe in nothing, like an atheist or agnostic? I guess it would be enlightening to find out. To me, with my massively inferior and uninformed notions, paganism is more a worship of the earth and nature, but just more really one of the more ancient forms of belief, no? __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

07-17-2022, 08:26 AM	#5 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	I think of religious people as pagans. It's like church. The priest has some fancy robe. Religious paraphernalia everywhere. They drink the blood and eat the body of christ. They make appeals to an invisible spirit in the sky. Sure it's biscuits and juice, but it's obviously rooted in weird cannibalism and funky ass magic rituals like pagans or other weird and ancient religions. It's 2022. I wish we could lay off dumb superstitions, paganism and other religions included. __________________ Something Completely Different

07-17-2022, 09:19 AM	#6 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	I watched... something, can't remember what, but they were saying how must the Romans have felt? "There's this new cult, Caesar, and - wait for this, you're not gonna believe it - they EAT FLESH AND DRINK BLOOD! I mean, yeah sure we sacrifice animals to our gods, but this is beyond the pale!" It was an interesting point I had never considered, and easy to show how uneasy the Romans must have been at this new upstart sect. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

07-18-2022, 08:01 AM	#8 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	A different flavour of idiocy. Paganism may seem cute, but if some branch of paganism got super popular and got to make the new world order, it would've been awful, same as the rest of them. __________________ Something Completely Different Last edited by Guybrush; 07-18-2022 at 12:21 PM.

07-18-2022, 04:17 AM	#7 (permalink)
Ayn Marx Music Addict Join Date: May 2022 Location: Sometimes Posts: 556	Pagans I’ve known define themselves not by being non-believers in Judeo-Christian theology etc but as having a belief system that’s self-defining. Granted Christians et al will use the term ‘pagan’ as an insult often meaning something like ’Not saved, like us’. https://www.paganfederation.org

07-18-2022, 01:34 PM	#10 (permalink)
gandhara Hi NRG fanatic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: West Virginia Posts: 135	There are hundreds of various Pagan religions...All different kinds of faiths within that umbrella term, which is all it is. Paganism doesn't refer to any one particular religion. There's Neo Pagan religions like Wicca, which I'm not a part of.. I'm more interested in what's called "Reconstructionist" paths...that is... Reviving ancient Polytheist cultural religions from the bronze and iron age Europe, Middle East, The Americas, etc......such as Norse, Celtic, Hellenic, Roman, Canaanite, Phoenician, Mesopotamian, etc..... I myself am part of the ancient Near Eastern branches..specifically Mesopotamian traditions.