Why do you call youself Pagan?

[Hagazusa]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

Same here until I found a place in which I am comfortable with under the umbrella of Deism. My beliefs in an eternal cosmic force (or God) are based on reason and observation of the natural world. I do not follow any religon, I am basically a ''free thinker'' in a natural belief-system. As such I may share some beliefs in common with (Neo)Pagans. For one, I like to think that the Earth (Gaia) and the Uinverse as a whole may be a living system of it's own. That kind of thinking would have been considered heresy by Christian authorities and I would have been deemed a Pagan! Anyway, many Deists might disagree with me and have their own ideas, all which are based on reason and life experiences.

If you have a not, I can suggest you to take a look:

Hey, thanks for the advice! Deism sounds really interesting. I'll look straight into it.

[thalassa]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

Maybe but from personal experience, a lot of people have some sort of preconceived ideas that a 'pagan' is a New Ager weirdos dabbling with the occult. So it may well be that clarifications will be required as well.

I've rarely run into that. Either people have no clue what it is, or they ask if its "like being Wiccan"* (and I'm not so uptight as to be offended by that), or they are Pagan (or know someone that is also Pagan). Yeah, some of them (based on past experience with shitty examples of Pagans or too much Charmed) are surprised...I look like an urban professional soccer mom that belongs to the Sierra Club (which isn't far off the mark, I'm a scientist, my kids do gymnastics, and we do, indeed, belong to the Sierra Club) rather than Laurie Cabot (Hubby looks like a giant bearded redneck...he's imposing and bearded and has a red neck, but is more progressive than I am)...no one would ever confuse us with a New Age wierdo. The way to break a stereotype is to not *be* one. I'm Pagan--my religious beliefs are rooted in nature and they incorporate ancient mythologies and a world full of gods...the rest of it is window dressing.

[Gleb]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

Why call myself a pagan? I AM a pagan, since Kemetism is a branch of paganism, after all.
I am a pagan, I am NOT a monotheist. So if I have to identify myself, then it's definitely pagan.

[callmeclemens]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

I've rarely run into that. Either people have no clue what it is, or they ask if its "like being Wiccan"* (and I'm not so uptight as to be offended by that).

For myself it has nothing to do with being uptight, its simply incorrect.

[thalassa]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

For myself it has nothing to do with being uptight, its simply incorrect.

So, you would get offended if someone asked if "that was like Wicca" in response to saying you were Pagan?

Really? I mean, sure, I've met people that have a conniption fit over the topic, but most people are more reasonable and laid back than that. They just politely correct the misconception. I mean, I generally just say "While Wicca is a religion that falls within Paganism, just like Baptist falls within Christianity, I'm not Wiccan and my beliefs and practices aren't Wiccan." I don't get offended that easily.

Maybe you just misread what I wrote...because I'm pretty sure I connected the idea of being uptight with the act of being offended by someone mistakenly wondering if being Pagan was "like Wicca". Personally, I think that is a perfectly reasonable, if incorrect, assumption since Wicca is probably the most established and well known contemporary Paganism. Sort of how a goodly number of Pagans lump all Christianity under evangelical fundamentalist or Catholicism, despite the fact that there are some 38,000 denominations and some of them are quite progressive, inclusive, and liberal (both religiously and politically)......

[callmeclemens]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

So, you would get offended if someone asked if "that was like Wicca" in response to saying you were Pagan?

Really? I mean, sure, I've met people that have a conniption fit over the topic, but most people are more reasonable and laid back than that. They just politely correct the misconception. I mean, I generally just say "While Wicca is a religion that falls within Paganism, just like Baptist falls within Christianity, I'm not Wiccan and my beliefs and practices aren't Wiccan." I don't get offended that easily.

Maybe you just misread what I wrote...because I'm pretty sure I connected the idea of being uptight with the act of being offended by someone mistakenly wondering if being Pagan was "like Wicca". Personally, I think that is a perfectly reasonable, if incorrect, assumption since Wicca is probably the most established and well known contemporary Paganism. Sort of how a goodly number of Pagans lump all Christianity under evangelical fundamentalist or Catholicism, despite the fact that there are some 38,000 denominations and some of them are quite progressive, inclusive, and liberal (both religiously and politically)......

I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion at all, I simply said I correct them because that is incorrect.

In my experience people don't ask me about my spirituality unless they want to know and when they ask I am honest and forward with them, I actually find people ask me about mine while seeking deeper spirituality for themselves, so as I see it I don't want to misrepresent Wicca to them. In my opinion to be Wicca you must practice a craft, which I do not currently do in any traditional sense at this point and time. If I were to allow myself to misrepresent Wicca to an individual contemplating a Wiccan path, and my lack of knowledge of Wiccan history, magic, theology, and practice discouraged them from their path, I feel as if I would have committed a great wrongdoing.

I'm not sure how I conveyed myself as being offended but I assure you that is not the case, and I apologize if I have offended. On my unconventional path the most kindred spirits I encounter define themselves as Wicca, and I have a great deal of respect for them and their craft.

- - - Updated - - -


I feel like I should also add this as a variant to my circumstances; As I have posted in threads in the past, I live in a very small, very christian town and most people know the highlights of the "odd" things going around town. Now while I am a modest individual who keeps my spirituality to himself, especially at work, and generally in the public, I am not afraid to openly practice my spirituality as I see fit. For example I like to ride my bike into the nearby by nature preserve, where I consider my sacred place for ritual. On this bike ride I have my walking stick "staff" attached to my backpack, last year my 16 year old brother informed me kids in town now refer to me as "Bike Wizard", and on one separate occasion I was telling a co-worker about some interesting things I had seen on my morning walk through the woods before work when another fellow co-worker interrupted bluntly asking "What is it you do back in those woods anyway?" so questions of my spirituality do come up, and I feel it is my responsibility to provide an accurate an informed answer should I see fit.

[Wonder]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

Why call myself a pagan? I AM a pagan, since Kemetism is a branch of paganism, after all.
I am a pagan, I am NOT a monotheist. So if I have to identify myself, then it's definitely pagan.

But why not identifying yourself simply as a Kemetic? Paganus is a latin word used by a religion - Christianity - to define an heretical and ''false'' belief system. I guess that's the idea of my thread, I wonder why people prefer to define themselves according to a Christian theological point of view.

''The adoption of paganus by Latin Christians as an all-embracing, pejorative term for polytheists represents an unforeseen and singularly long-lasting victory, within a religious group, of a word of Latin slang originally devoid of religious meaning. The evolution occurred only in the Latin west, and in connection with the Latin church. Elsewhere, "Hellene" or "gentile" (ethnikos) remained the word for "pagan"; and paganos continued as a purely secular term, with overtones of the inferior and the commonplace.''

[...]

''The term "pagan" is not attested in the English language until the 17th century.^[20] In addition to infidel and heretic, it was used as one of several pejorative Christian counterparts to gentile (גוי /נכרי) as used in Judaism and to kafir (كافر, unbeliever) and mushrik (مشرك, idolater) as in Islam.^[21]''

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism

[thalassa]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

But why not identifying yourself simply as a Kemetic? Paganus is a latin word used by a religion - Christianity - to define an heretical and false belief system. I guess that's the idea of my thread, I wonder why people prefer to define themselves according to a Christian theological point of view.

Because words change.

I reject the idea that Pagan is a descriptor of what something is not, or that it is defined by what someone 1000 years ago decided it had to mean. It we accepted things just because there were as how they should continue to be I'd still not be allowed to vote on the basis of my gender.

[Gleb]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

But why not identifying yourself simply as a Kemetic? Paganus is a latin word used by a religion - Christianity - to define an heretical and false belief system. I guess that's the idea of my thread, I wonder why people prefer to define themselves according to a Christian theological point of view.

''The adoption of paganus by Latin Christians as an all-embracing, pejorative term for polytheists represents an unforeseen and singularly long-lasting victory, within a religious group, of a word of Latin slang originally devoid of religious meaning. The evolution occurred only in the Latin west, and in connection with the Latin church. Elsewhere, "Hellene" or "gentile" (ethnikos) remained the word for "pagan"; and paganos continued as a purely secular term, with overtones of the inferior and the commonplace.''

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism

I identify myself as Kemetic. But when it comes to "either pagan/polytheist or monotheist" - definitely pagan.

[thalassa]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion at all, I simply said I correct them because that is incorrect.

I'm not sure how I conveyed myself as being offended but I assure you that is not the case, and I apologize if I have offended. On my unconventional path the most kindred spirits I encounter define themselves as Wicca, and I have a great deal of respect for them and their craft.

No, I was just confused--you quoted the part of my comment where I said "Either people have no clue what it is, or they ask if its "like being Wiccan"* (and I'm not so uptight as to be offended by that" and then you said "it has nothing to do with being uptight, its simply incorrect" and I read that as "when someone doesn't know what it means and comes to the wrong conclusion, you are offended because they are wrong, but don't consider that to be uptight".


...I hadn't had any caffeine yet, and the children have been particularly exuberant today. I apologize for missing your meaning there!

[Aakosir]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

I was always under the impression that pagan meant "someone of a nature based religion". And as it's been said earlier, words change. *shrugs* I don't really talk to many about my spiritual path, but I feel pagan fits, along with half a dozen other words.

[Rae'ya]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

I wonder, why do people call themselves Pagan? Historically, the term meant anyone who do not worship a Christian god, that is all non-christian religion.

This is why I call myself pagan. At least when someone outside of the pagan community asks me about my faith. If they are interested in knowing more they ask and I'll go into further depth. Every now and then I will reply with 'I'm more spiritual than religious' if I'm worried about offending an elderly client at work. But mostly people just go 'oh, that's nice' and leave it at that (I have the good fortune of living in Australia, so we don't have the same level of negative backlash to not being Christian as what there is in some other countries).

I've found that the general public usually a) wont know what the hell you're talking about if you tell them the name of your path and b) wont care anyway and you've just created a great deal of confusion over something that doesn't need to be a part of your interaction with them anyway.

[Heka]

Usually I refer to myself as Pagan because it's easy and I'm lazy. I used to be very concerned about 'getting it right' and 'educating' other people.

Now it's easier than telling people Rainbow-Vision Serpent sits on my head, or that I'm a Moon-worshipper. I only get down to the nitty-gritty specifics when I'm among other Pagans/pagans or people who continue to ask questions beyond, "Would you like to go to church with us next Sunday?"

This^^^ and Thals. And Rae'ya's.

No one in Australia really gives a s***.

[Wonder]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

I've found that the general public usually a) wont know what the hell you're talking about if you tell them the name of your path and b) wont care anyway and you've just created a great deal of confusion over something that doesn't need to be a part of your interaction with them anyway.

I can relate to this, I had two Jehova Witnesses knocking at my door today and when I said ''No thanks I am a Deist'' to decline their pamphlet, they looked at each other in confusion, seemingly they didn't heard this term a lot in the neighborhood.

[Aelle]

Re: Why do you call youself Pagan?

Labels are what they are. But, each conversation has its context, and sometimes, to call myself pagan, helps the other person to start understanding it a little bit. Or at least, it sets the mood for a deeper conversation. Specially these days, when if you say you are not a Christian, or part of any other abrahamic religion, you may be labelled as a Satanist, for example. I guess it's like my own personal name. I am who I am, regardless my name, regardless having a name. But, of course, people need to call me, to address me, and I need to identify myself, too, so, it's always useful to have a name =)

I also would like to tell an interesting episode, in which some Mormon young adults approached me, in order to talk to me about their religion, and I ended up talking to them about my own heathen conceptions, about the gods, what they represent, the cosmic energies, nature energies, etc. In the end, I talked a lot about paganism, and they were very interesting in hearing about it. Lots of people end up in the "wrong religions", because they feel some sort of spirituality, and go along with the best offer. Or at least, with the offer they are taught to subscribe, and follow.