Pagan religions

[Starcrystal]

Cabbitgrrrl,
Your kidding right? have you looked at the old testament? First off just having a leading male god makes the religion patriarcal. Second, the old testament has several things about relating menstration and child-birth to being unclean. I'm sure I could dig up more if I just looked lol. Not to mention the male priests only gig, if it were non-partriarcal there would most likely be priestesses

It's actually that the MEN perceived it as a "male god" but it wasn't. They suppressed the feminine parts of God, but it seems God made sure that they used the proper Hebrew words when writing the OT so some of us would know God was both feminine & masculine.
It was people (males) who made a male god out of a perfectly balanced divine being. No wonder God & ess were constantly having to purge the temple, crush the priesthood, and finally overthrow it with it's temple sacrifices completely! Didn't they ever learn?

 

[Volos]

I'll try to do a rough explanation based on two of my favorite works (one of which primarily focused on defining ancient paganism, the other of which focused on characterizing modern Paganism.)

Paganism is actually an umbrella term used to describe a number of unique, yet related religions. The most general description that could be given is that they are at least somewhat loosely based on the practices and beliefs of the pre-Christian religions of Europe (and at least according to some authors like Jones and Pennick, India).

Beyond that, there probably aren't any universal beliefs that every Pagan group holds to. However, there are a rough list of beliefs that are common to the point that any Pagan group will hold to a large number of these "common threads" and each individual belief is held by a large number of Pagan groups.

1. The belief in multiple gods on some level (even if it's a matter of those many gods being "aspects" of a greater Divinity, such as the case in eclecticism).

2. The belief that Divinity is both masculine and feminine.

3. The belief that Divinity is immanent. (Often, Pagans believe that Divinity is both immanent and transcendant.)

4. The belief that the natural world is beautiful, precious, and valuable.

Hrm...For some reason, those are the only four items I can think of at this time. The original list I'm trying to pull from memory (compiled by Gus diZerega in "Christians and Pagans") listed three other "common threads." Unfortunately, they escape me at the moment.

I hope that helps.

If you would permit me to add:





Paganism usually encompasses the following beliefs



Polytheism AND monotheism – This is not a contradiction. The many Gods and Goddesses exist as masks or personas of the ultimate Divine. By definition the Divine is rather abstract and as such incredibly difficult to form a personal relationship with. The intermediary Gods and Goddesses by contrast can accommodate this. While Pagans believe in a huge number of Gods and Goddesses (technically all of them are real to some degree to a Pagan) We worship only a small number and form personal relationships with one or two. This allows Pagans to participate with believers of other religious traditions without problems as we know that our prayers all get to the Divine no matter what the intermediary rout we use.



Panenthiesim – the universe is contained within and dependant upon the Divine. The Universe is not a separate or created object but is part of the divine that the Divine chose to bring forth. This means that the Divine is simultaneously immanent AND transcendent. The Divine is experienced in the here and now but exists far beyond the mere physical plane.





Animism (in the non-traditional sense) – not necessarily that all things have an indwelling spirit such as tree nymphs and river spirits or Rusalka, or Norns or whatever but rather that since the spirit of the Divine inhabits all of the Universe there is nothing that is without that spirit. This provides all things with intrinsic worth and is the basis for Pagan ethics



Contextual ethics – Ethical dilemmas are considered to be unique to the situation and the individual. The Wiccan Rede and the Threefold return are used not as laws but as reminders that the best solutions to ethical dilemmas come from seeking the best possible outcomes of any situation. Genuine concern for the well being of others is the primary motivation for ethical decisions.



Cyclic nature of time – time is viewed as a repeating cycle of events. Time is not linear and has no beginning and no end.



No personification of evil – the world or universe is not a battle ground for opposing spiritual forces. There is no evil beyond our perceptions and the decisions that we ourselves make and permit. The Devil did not make us do it, and in the end the only boogie man hiding in the closet is ourselves.



No special creation – human beings are not any better or any worse than any other creature on this planet.

 

[morningstar2651]

It's actually that the MEN perceived it as a "male god" but it wasn't. They suppressed the feminine parts of God, but it seems God made sure that they used the proper Hebrew words when writing the OT so some of us would know God was both feminine & masculine.
It was people (males) who made a male god out of a perfectly balanced divine being. No wonder God & ess were constantly having to purge the temple, crush the priesthood, and finally overthrow it with it's temple sacrifices completely! Didn't they ever learn?

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

 

[ravenscape]

Volos,

Well said! I wish I could express these concepts half so well!

 

[Believer-in-Christ]

Paganism is simply worship of worldly things. God tells us that we should not get involved in such things as it will give us nothing. What harm does it do? This was one the first things I learned on becoming a christian. It harms the spirit, of which is part of God. If we abandon all regard for the spirit within us we are abandoning faith in Jesus Christ.