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    Once a pagan, always a pagan?

    So, within the past couple of years, i have studied so many different religious paths, so many different beliefs...and yet something keeps calling me back to my pagan beliefs. Is this my true calling? In your opinion, would the gods be still trusting in me after all of my "jumping" around? Are there others like me out there who have studied so many religions, even labeling themselves as the religion at the time of study, and then just move on to the next religion after a time?

    #2
    Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

    Don't know about your gods, but mine won't trust me if I go through life with a sack pulled down over my head. They'd figure I was an idiot, and write me off as a loss.

    Nobody and No Thing that values freedom forbids reasonable experimentation or research. If the Gods don't value human freedom, then they can all go to hell.

    But I think the better ones do value freedom, and enjoy it when they see people using it wisely. At least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

    And welcome to the Forum, MichaelRusso!
    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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      #3
      Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

      I think your curiosity is a healthy thing. I believe the more we explore, the wiser we are and so the more secure we can feel that when we settle on a path (even if it is one's own unique blend), that it likely the right one. It is one of my regrets that I settled for the first path I came across. It's not too much a part of me to be comfortable wondering too far from, and I always wonder if, had I cast my net wider in my teens, would I still believe what I believe.

      Don't ever lose that thirst for knowledge and open mind. It's who you are and surely the gods will respect you for that.

      I haven't explored like you have, but I did try to walk away from paganism. I fell apart without my faith and I am still struggling against the horrendous body dysmorphia I developed in that time. I'm by far happier and healthier with my faith, so in my case, it'd definitely 'once a pagan, always a pagan!'

      Welcome to PF.
      Last edited by Jembru; 22 Feb 2012, 11:53.
      夕方に急なにわか雨は「夕立」と呼ばれるなら、なぜ朝ににわか雨は「朝立ち」と呼ばれないの? ^^If a sudden rain shower in the evening is referred to as an 'evening stand', then why isn't a shower in the morning called 'morning stand'?

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        #4
        Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

        I think beliefs and ideas are not called facts for a reason. Similarly, the concept of faith requires a certain trust in something without verifiable proof.

        I dont think anything is really cemented, 100%-and anyway religion and spirituality exist to soothe the psyche, to make sense of the world, and to provide a basic framework from which you live your life. Whatever works for you now may not work for you next year.
        Please disregard typos in above post. I browse the web on a Nook and i suck at typing on touch screens.

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          #5
          Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

          Welcome to the forum!

          Something else you might want to consider; that wandering might include a need for a less literal belief. That's ok, too...in fact, there are a lot of members on here who are some variation of agnostic or atheist, as well as pagan. Sometimes it works better that way.
          Great Grandmother's Kitchen

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            #6
            Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

            If you're still wandering, I think it means you simply haven't found your way yet; no more, no less. I don't think you're "jumping" around so much as trying to discover what the divine has for you. Paganism seems to be a very evolutionary way; I don't believe exactly what I believed a year ago, or even a month ago. I'm constantly discovering new things.
            Army of Darkness: Guardians of the Chat

            Honorary Nord.

            Habbalah Vlogs

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              #7
              Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

              I just find what works for me,Being eclectic I have picked up many truths from many different paths and beliefs. I am I guess a DIY type of Pagan, and I study many different aspects of the vast array of knowledge in seeking enlightenment.
              MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

              all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
              NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
              don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




              sigpic

              my new page here,let me know what you think.


              nothing but the shadow of what was

              witchvox
              http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

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                #8
                Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

                Thank you all for the responses...maybe it wasn't that i went away completely from being pagan either, because i had an open pagan path, nothing defined to a capital T. Maybe i was just branching out more to try and define bits and pieces

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                  #9
                  Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

                  If a Power condemns you for honestly seeking Truth then odds are that the Power in question isn't worth your allegiance in the first place. Past that, the Powers are quite capable of pointedly demonstrating displeasure. Until one does, don't manufacture unnecessary worries. Life provides enough necessary concerns without help.
                  life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.

                  Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

                  "But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."

                  John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper

                  "You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."

                  Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis


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                    #10
                    Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

                    I've gone through many transitions over my life, and I believe spirituality is, for many people, fluid and evolves. I believe I was born with a leaning towards Paganism (I'm drawn to it because of how I see the world, and how I've always seen it), but I've also been a Christian, a Buddhist, and Agnostic. Some people need to explore to find out who they really are.

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                      #11
                      Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

                      The fact is, curiosity is what led most of us to a pagan path in the first place, so it can't be all bad.
                      If you want to be thought intelligent, just agree with everyone.

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                        #12
                        Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

                        I enjoy studying various religions and tend to take things away from most paths I come across. I also feel to truly form an opinion towards something one way or the other first you must understand it. To me it doesn't make sense to say "I don't believe in that religion" if you know nothing of said path. I, like some of the others, feel exploring is the only way to find your true path. In time the winding road will lead you to your destination, or at least point you in the right direction.

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                          #13
                          Re: Once a pagan, always a pagan?

                          I think it is very healthy to explore, but when something keeps ringing a bell in your head it might be time to rethink of this whole spiritual thing works. There is no reason you can't draw from sources outside paganism to mix up your full on personalized pagan path. Also last I checked the Gods and Goddesses don't care. They are the ones who gave us free will after all. They know what we do and why. If they were to get upset about it, well, that would be childish in my opinion. They care about you even if you've wandered off for a bit because now you are better educated to make the best decision for you and that is what matters.

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