What are some general pagan beliefs? Because a friend asked and my mind isn't working right now.
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Kick Ass Little Crow
- Oct 2010
- 2413
- Eclectic Hellenic
- He/Him
- New York
- Because I knew nothing, nothing was beneath me.
Re: General Question
Pagan is a very broad area. Pagan can refer to any religeon that does not worship an abrahamic god. So you would have to be more specific. There are heathens, wiccans, kemetics, eclectics, and more.Circe
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Re: General Question
To be honest, that still doesn't help much. "Nature based religions" still covers a lot of ground - a lot of individual paths and different traditions. What one group/person believes may be totally different from another group. There aren't any beliefs that are truly universal among all pagans.
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One with the Force
- Nov 2005
- 5164
- Polytheist with Pan-/Panen- tendencies.
- male
- Elk River, MN
- In the darkest recesses of your twisted mind, a G-rated version of me resides.
Re: General Question
Yeah. Even "nature-based religions", as ambiguous as it is, doesn't encompass all this is pagan. Many traditions and world views have little to nothing, whatsoever to do with nature, seasons or the observation of such.
The one and only, generally observed, widely held belief that most pagans have is that there is no one, single, generally observed, widely held belief.
"Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it." - Ayn Rand
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." - Marcus Aurelius
"The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice." - Mark Twain
"The only gossip I'm interested in is things from the Weekly World News - 'Woman's bra bursts, 11 injured'. That kind of thing." - Johnny Depp
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Re: General Question
Druid ... Native American ... Shamanism ... Green Witch ... Farmer ...I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them ... John Bernard Books
Indian Chief 'Two Eagles' was asked by a white government official; "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done."
The Chief nodded in agreement.
The official continued; "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"
The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied.. "When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work, Medicine Man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex."
Then the chief leaned back and smiled; "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that."
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Re: General Question
Originally posted by TearDropStar View Postsorry it was a stupid question and I realized after I asked
1. People who aren't pagan love to ask it and then say "Ah, see, you don't even know!"
2. People who have a genuine interested ask it because where else do you start?
It's nigh impossible to answer because there is no definite answer. However, the question can be tweaked so that you can get/give a better answer.
"What are some general wiccan beliefs?" "What are some general shamanic pagan beliefs?" "What are some general kemetic pagan beliefs?" "What are some general hedge witch beliefs?" "What are some general celtic pagan beliefs?"
You just have to know which one you (or they) want answered.�Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.�
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
Sneak AttackAvatar picture by the wonderful and talented TJSGrimm.
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Re: General Question
Not a stupid question, it's a good topic to have around since it does come up a bit. I'm sure we're all asked this question by friends or family who aren't very familiar with paganism at some point. It can sometimes be a difficult question to answer. I try to explain that pagan is an umbrella term that covers a lot of different traditions (and yes, some identify as just 'pagan' which can make things more confusing to explain) - that there really are no universal beliefs, be it deities worshiped (if any!), ethical codes, holidays, ritual structure... it all varies. You can follow that up with some of your personal beliefs, or maybe a few examples of the variety of pagan beliefs/traditions out there, to help give an idea of what some pagans may believe.Last edited by Gardenia; 05 Feb 2011, 12:41.
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Silver Member
- Oct 2010
- 3338
- solitary pagan witch with a strong interest in Anglo Saxons
- South Wales Valleys, UK
- Phantom Turnips never die. They just get stewed occasionally....
Re: General Question
Another point worth making is that the idea of what pagans believe rather depends on who is actually using the term. So a devout Christian might use the term 'pagan' to describe a range of people who might never think of describing themselves as such. I well remember once being accosted by a man distributing Christian leaflets in the street and he told me he believed all Hindus were atheists something I am quite sure the average Hindu - let alone a devout one - would strenuously disagree with. So it is with paganism. Many people get lumped under the pagan umbrella who really don't want to be there.
If you consider yourself a pagan, and your friend asks you again, one of the best ways of answering (IMHO) is to say - 'well I can't speak for ALL pagans, obviously, but I believe....' and go from there. Even - when you have time - make a list with some of your key beliefs so you can rattle them off when necessary.
Nobody knows everything about their spiritual path. And certainly nobody knows as much as they would like to - which is why it's a path and not a cul-de-sac.
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One with the Force
- Nov 2005
- 5164
- Polytheist with Pan-/Panen- tendencies.
- male
- Elk River, MN
- In the darkest recesses of your twisted mind, a G-rated version of me resides.
Re: General Question
TearDrop, I'd like to throw my two cents in here, too, and repeat the bit that it was not a stupid question. It's just not a question that has one single answer for simply all of that which is considered Paganism. Or Neo-Paganism. Or Traditional, Recon, Lineaged or otherwise.
It's been said, 'ask 10 Pagans the very same question, about their religion, and get 10 completely different answers.' It really isn't that much of an exaggeration.
"Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it." - Ayn Rand
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." - Marcus Aurelius
"The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice." - Mark Twain
"The only gossip I'm interested in is things from the Weekly World News - 'Woman's bra bursts, 11 injured'. That kind of thing." - Johnny Depp
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Re: General Question
Pagan is a horrid term to nail down because it has an exclusionary definition. Basically, it means "not Christian" (originally "not Christian because they live in the country and haven't converted") and has been broadened a bit to include the other Abrahamic religions; so "not JCI".
Imagine if you asked someone "What country do you come from?" and they replied "Not Italy". How helpful is that? That's why I personally try to seldom use the term.
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