Re: Pagan Pet Peeves
Source: http://www.tengerism.org/native_americans.html
Personally, I prefer the more academic terms myself. Polytheist, pantheist, panetheist (yes, there are tribes around the world which have or used to have this later belief). If there is need for me to refer to the specific beliefs of a certain group, then I can always look it up and call them by their chosen name. I.e.: Tengerist Shaman, Umbanda Pai, etc.
Many Native Americans get insulted by being called “shamans” because this is a foreign word to them and it does not necessarily define what they are. Just because a tribe has a similar spiritual practitioner in their culture, does not necessarily make them a shaman. Furthermore, it is more respectful of aboriginal peoples to be referred to by their own names and titles from their own language.
Personally, I prefer the more academic terms myself. Polytheist, pantheist, panetheist (yes, there are tribes around the world which have or used to have this later belief). If there is need for me to refer to the specific beliefs of a certain group, then I can always look it up and call them by their chosen name. I.e.: Tengerist Shaman, Umbanda Pai, etc.
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