Trying to learn more

[Bitzies]

Currently I am not here to disrespect anyone at all, I was hoping to be able to ask a few questions related to the Pagan religion to learn more about it, and also complete a paper for my religions course. Some questions I hope to be able to be answered are:
Is there anything particular in your worship, nature, god, angels, devil, animals etc?
Are there many gods and goddesses, or are there mainly spirits? If so could you go into a little more detail about one or two of them?
Are there any particular books used along with the teachings?
Is there a story that leads up to this religion like how there is with adam and eve?
Within the Pagan faith, is there and afterlife and if so, is it something worth being afraid of? or is it something you are intrigued in and are excited for life after death?
Was the Pagan faith something you were born into, or a faith you sought out?
What are some of the traditions or rituals of the Pagan faith?
How do you feel personally about other religions?
and finally,
are there any specific rules or laws set by the religion that is supposed to be followed?

I am excited to hear the responses to learn more about your faith,
Thank you, Sarah.

[Noir]

Re: Trying to learn more

Hey there, Sarah.

You're saying 'Pagan religion', and it's hard to answer some of these questions since that's a very board term.
It's important to distinguish that Paganism is not a solitary religion. That is, it’s not like Hinduism or Judaism or Wicca, it’s own religion. Paganism is an umbrella term, under which many different religions fall under. An exploration into Paganism is an exploration to see which particular facet is right for you. Druidism, Neo-Paganism, and Wicca all fall under that umbrella term, for example.

So in that way, you’re not going to find a place that gives you a solid guideline of the Pagan religion, like you could read the Bible to find out the basics of Christianity.

I would recommend to read the very first Paganism article on Wikipedia. Yes, yes, I know it’s not the most reliable source, but it’s a decent starting point when you have no clue at all what you’re looking for.

Also swing by your local library and see if they have a section on religion. Chances are they do, and hopefully you can find some books to start with there. If not, try checking the mythology or ‘new age’ sections.

A few things to note I will mention:

-A lot, but not all, put an emphasis on worshiping (or at least respecting) nature or the earth.
-Many, but not all, worship gods and goddesses, though who those may be vary depending on what you end up believing.
-It’s okay not to nail yourself down to one religion. There is such a thing as ‘eclectic paganism’, which is basically just taking what you believe from various religions and leaving what you don’t.

I hope this gives you a good starting place! I know there are way more knowledgeable folk here at PF on this subject that will take it from here, and I'm sure they'll clear anything else up that I may have mis-mentioned or forgot to.
Good luck.

[Gardenia]

Re: Trying to learn more

I have to agree. There really isn't a single 'pagan faith,' rather paganism covers a whole ton of different traditions, beliefs, ideas, and practices. Two pagans could give completely different answers for all of these questions, so it makes it pretty hard to generalize.

[Thorbjorn]

Are there many gods and goddesses, or are there mainly spirits?

There are Gods, Goddesses and spirits, many of them in different classes and hierarchies. The chief group are the Aesir I mentioned. They include Gods such as Odin, Thor, Heimdall, Baldr, Freyr and many more; Goddesses such as Frigg, Freyja, Eir, Idunn; spirits of the land (landvaettir), house spirits (husvaettir), the spirits of our ancestors and others.

If so could you go into a little more detail about one or two of them?

My personal God is Thor. He is generally known as the God of Thunder, but he is way, way more than that. He protects humanity: farmers, workers, the common person. He makes crops grow by sending rain. For all his seemingly fierce manner as a God of storms, and having a quick temper he's equally quick to calm down, eat, drink and parrrr-taaay!!! To his followers he's a big brother, a buddy, a protector. He's the kind of guy that would take you out to a bar, get you drunk, get you both into barroom brawls, all for fun, but make sure you stay OK and get home safely.

Are there any particular books used along with the teachings?
Is there a story that leads up to this religion like how there is with adam and eve?

Within the Pagan faith, is there and afterlife and if so, is it something worth being afraid of? or is it something you are intrigued in and are excited for life after death?

Was the Pagan faith something you were born into, or a faith you sought out?

I knew about it from the time I was a kid, and was fascinated by Norse mythology. But it was only within the past year or so I felt a strong pull towards it. Then one day, like a thunderbolt (yes pun intended), I felt pulled by Thor. I say he grabbed me in a headlock.

What are some of the traditions or rituals of the Pagan faith?

We offer food and drink to the Gods, Goddesses, ancestors and spirits, just like we'd offer to guests to our homes. Some of us have small home shrines and altars for our particular God(dess). Mine of course, is dedicated to Thor. I say prayers, pour a beer or some mead (honey wine) in a drinking horn (traditional), make a toast to the deities and spirits, and spiritually share the drink with them. Then I drink it.

How do you feel personally about other religions?

They have their deities, I have mine, and it's all good. Everyone sees God(dess) in their own way. I don't force anyone to believe my way, and I don't expect to be forced to believe the way someone else does. Live and let live.

and finally,
are there any specific rules or laws set by the religion that is supposed to be followed?

No, there are no "commandments" or "thou shalts" or "thou shalt nots". There's something called the Nine Noble Virtues that have been gleaned and reconstructed in the recent past from the old texts. They emphasize courage, truthfulness, honor, faithfulness, self-discipline, hospitality, self-reliance, work-ethic, perseverance. These were attributes very important to get by in daily life during the Viking Age.