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 Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 10:19 pm
I used to live with my parents, who are EXTREMELY Christian. I have nothing against Christians, but I have my path, and they have theirs' and I'm tired of them trying to drag me off of mine and down theirs'. So, since this is my first year at college, I'm planning on 'coming out of the broom closet' so to speak. My friends already know about me, but my family....well, thats a whole other story. And I plan to get with a few friends and try to set up a nice little Samhein ritual this year. It'll be my first ever Sabbat. :3
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Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 10:58 am
I'm still an apprentise, I will, once I am initiated to the practice, become a solitary practitioner, however I need to study the religion more and become more enlightened in the ways of the old. I also don't want to come out of the broom closet where I'm at because of how right-wing ultra-conservative they are here, not that that is a bad thing, it just is, and being a witch in a red state isn't something I want to broadcast.
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Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:10 pm
i used to be catholic but then several things happened to me and i found out allot of stuff and i converted to a secret polythiestic religion. Im also part of an orginization that is seperate from my religion and aims to achieve a goal one day. I believe in allot of wierd things and if anyone has seen me on the forums then yaaaaaaaaaa its sad that so mnay people crucify me the second i start talking about politics religion and my beliefs
Well you would have to be veryyyyyy open minded to understand what i beleieve in so unless you are then dont ask any questions, another reason why i dont like people asking questions is that i dont have any proof of what i say at hand (its not my fault that those idiots hid everything stare )
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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 1:31 pm
my boyfriend and i are wiccan/pagan and we both think that christianity is hypicritical
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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 1:53 pm
YAY PAGANS!!!!!!!!!!! dramallama cheese_whine 4laugh rofl
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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 2:06 pm
Seamus Weatherborn insomniatic_leo_faerie Seamus Weatherborn insomniatic_leo_faerie lol. hi! I'm pagan i guess you could say. i do believe in a god. i just call that god the great spirit. my mom trained me some. and shes also a medicine woman in training, so i guess that kinda falls into that category. i'm able to do things like astral project, dream skip i guess its called. um, i can also feel colors, shapes, and numbers. ya I've cast a couple spells before. but not for personal gain or causing harm to others. thats basically my pagan side. my dads side of the family keep trying to force their Catholicism and Christianity on me and it irritates me a lot. even my dad does it. so i usually wear my pentagram star pendant. um, so how bout you? (if i get offline before you reply its cuz i'm starting to fall asleep at my comp. its around 12:30 a.m. here and i have school tomorrow. if not tonight i will reply back tomorrow) Im very happy to meet you. Ive been pagan for about 7 years. Getting on this path has taught me that in order to follow the goddess you have to take alot of peoples crap. DEATH TO THE NON BELIEVERS! they will say but you just have to deal. Just know that no matter what you see when you look to the skys for answers, there will always be somone different that thinks theyre right and your evil. Just the way it goes. Im mostly just good with my energy work but I take my greatest joy in the everyday ritual and the sabbots. Ive been hosting a Lammas ritual for about 3 years now. A bread bake, meditation, chanting...you might be surprised at what you can feel when you just get into the non whimsical side of paganism. awesome. happy to meet you to. ya, I know what you mean about taking peoples crap. it amuses me how most people think that paganism is satanism when its really not. I could be wrong, but I was not aware that paganism was satanism. lol. That's really cool that you have been hosting a Lammas ritual for about three years Well I was aware of a hoofed and horned guy who has no real morals in paganism in general but his name is Pan and hes not evil...hes just an a*****e. please dont tell me you have one of those books from B+N with spells to get rid of a bad boyfriend or something...do you? um no. i cant stand that s**t. and besides. i get rid of bad boyfrendz by dumping them. not casting spells and s**t on them. sorry it took forever to reply, school started last Monday and its been hectic. and i dont even know what the hell B+N is.
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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 2:09 pm
renkurasaki I used to live with my parents, who are EXTREMELY Christian. I have nothing against Christians, but I have my path, and they have theirs' and I'm tired of them trying to drag me off of mine and down theirs'. So, since this is my first year at college, I'm planning on 'coming out of the broom closet' so to speak. My friends already know about me, but my family....well, thats a whole other story. And I plan to get with a few friends and try to set up a nice little Samhein ritual this year. It'll be my first ever Sabbat. :3 I know what you mean. my dad's side of the family is extremely religious. they keep trying to tell we when to pray, how to pray, and who to pray to. its very annoying. they wont listen to me. this is one of the only things my mom did rite for me tho. she let me explore tons of religions. she said that i could choose what i wanted to be. i could even be atheist if i wanted. just as long as i was happy.
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Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 7:27 am
My parents and I are the only ones in my family who are pagan! I had to grow up with a lot of jeering for this, but I have started on a website that can make it easier for others!!! http://pagansoftheearth.weebly.com/This is the site and I highly recommend this to everyone who is, or interested in pagan!
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Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 12:52 pm
Hello I'm a pagan, have been for a few years now.
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Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 4:09 pm
insomniatic_leo_faerie lol. hi! I'm pagan i guess you could say. i do believe in a god. i just call that god the great spirit. my mom trained me some. and shes also a medicine woman in training, so i guess that kinda falls into that category. i'm able to do things like astral project, dream skip i guess its called. um, i can also feel colors, shapes, and numbers. ya I've cast a couple spells before. but not for personal gain or causing harm to others. thats basically my pagan side. my dads side of the family keep trying to force their Catholicism and Christianity on me and it irritates me a lot. even my dad does it. so i usually wear my pentagram star pendant. um, so how bout you? (if i get offline before you reply its cuz i'm starting to fall asleep at my comp. its around 12:30 a.m. here and i have school tomorrow. if not tonight i will reply back tomorrow) that awesome that you're pagan, and i bet it sucks to have people shove their religion on you. There was a time where i was starting to get interested in paganism, and i tried to teach my self a lot of things but i was very discouraged by my parents because they though it was crap, so i gave up. i regret it though, i could've learned so much. sad
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Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:42 am
I have a hard time believing everyone of you who called themselves a Wiccan practioner actually are Wiccan. neutral
Non-religious strong Atheist, which by default makes me a pagan.
And alot of you also seem to forget that Pagan is a term for those who do not follow God/Allah, not just those di/poly/pan-theistic nature-worshipping herbal magic practioners.
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Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:56 am
Witches do it in circles. Just thought I'd share that. 4laugh
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Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 9:44 pm
MayaWynona I have a hard time believing everyone of you who called themselves a Wiccan practioner actually are Wiccan. neutral Non-religious strong Atheist, which by default makes me a pagan. And alot of you also seem to forget that Pagan is a term for those who do not follow God/Allah, not just those di/poly/pan-theistic nature-worshipping herbal magic practioners. Im not sure you understand. I didnt invite only those who rest within the category of dirt worshiping, tree hugging, many god loving people. I want this to be a place people dont have to deal with people telling them what to get on their knees for
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Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 9:46 pm
XcaithressX Witches do it in circles. Just thought I'd share that. 4laugh but they also fly off their broomsticks!
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 7:20 am
MayaWynona I have a hard time believing everyone of you who called themselves a Wiccan practioner actually are Wiccan. neutral Non-religious strong Atheist, which by default makes me a pagan. And alot of you also seem to forget that Pagan is a term for those who do not follow God/Allah, not just those di/poly/pan-theistic nature-worshipping herbal magic practioners.
{Provided by: http://www.religioustolerance.org/paganism.htm}
~~~ Who is a "Pagan?"
Everybody has their favorite definition of the word "Pagan." Most people are convinced that their meaning is the correct one. But no consensus exists, even within a single faith tradition or religion as to the "correct" definition of "Pagan." The same problem happens with the definition of "Christianity," and probably with many other religions.
Origin of the term:
There is general agreement that the word "Pagan" comes from the Latin word "paganus." Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the precise meaning of the word in the fifth century CE and before. There are three main interpretations. 16 None has won general acceptance:
bullet Most modern Pagan sources interpret the word to have meant "rustic," "hick," or "country bumpkin" -- a pejorative term. The implication was that Christians used the term to ridicule country folk who tenaciously held on to what the Christians considered old-fashioned, outmoded Pagan beliefs. Those in the country were much slower in adopting the new religion of Christianity than were the city folks. They still followed the Greek state religion, Roman state religion, Mithraism, various mystery religions, etc., long after those in urban areas had converted.
bullet Some believe that in the early Roman Empire, "paganus" came to mean "civilian" as opposed to "military." Christians often called themselves "miles Christi" (Soldiers of Christ). The non-Christians became "pagani" -- non-soldiers or civilians. No denigration would be implied.
bullet C. Mohrmann suggests that the general meaning was any "outsider," -- a neutral term -- and that the other meanings, "civilian" and "hick," were merely specialized uses of the term. 17
By the third century CE, its meaning evolved to include all non-Christians. Eventually, it became an evil term that implied the possibility of Satan worship. The latter two meanings are still in widespread use today.
There is no generally accepted, single, current definition for the word "Pagan." The word is among the terms that the newsgroup alt.usage.english, calls "skunk words." They have varied meanings to different people. The field of religion is rife with such words. consider: Christian, cult, hell, heaven, occult, Paganism, pluralism, salvation, Witch, Witchcraft, Unitarian Universalist, Voodoo, etc. Each has so many meanings that they often cause misunderstandings wherever they are used. Unfortunately, most people do not know this, and naturally assume that the meaning that they have been taught is universally accepted. A reader must often look at the context in which the word is used in order to guess at the intent of the writer.
We recognize that many Wiccans, Neopagans, and others regularly use the terms "Pagan" and "Paganism" to describe themselves. Everyone should be free to continue whatever definitions that they wish. However, the possibility of major confusion exists -- particularly if one is talking to a general audience. When addressing non-Wiccans or non-Neopagans, it is important that the term:
bullet Be carefully defined in advance, or that
bullet Its meaning is clearly understandable from the text's context.
Otherwise, the speaker or writer will be referring to one group of people, while the listeners or readers will assume that other groups are being referred to.
Seven definitions of "Pagan:"
First meaning: Pagans consist of Wiccans and other Neopagans:
We recommend that this should be the primary definition of "Pagan," for the simple reason that many Wiccans and other Neopagans embrace the term for themselves. "Paganism" in this sense refers to a range of spiritual paths. These are generally Neopagan religions based on the deities, symbols, practices, seasonal days of celebration and other surviving components of ancient religions, which had been long suppressed. For example:
bullet The Druidic religion is based on the faith and practices of the ancient Celtic professional class;
bullet Followers of Asatru adhere to the ancient, pre-Christian Norse religion;
bullet Wiccans trace their roots back to the pre-Celtic era in Europe.
bullet Other Neo-pagans follow Hellenismos (ancient Greek religion), Religio Romana (ancient Roman religion), Kemetism (ancient Egyptian religion) and other traditions.
Some Neopagan religions, like Wicca and Druidism, are Earth centered: emphasizing living in harmony with the Earth and observing its cycles. Others, like Hellenismos and Religio Romana, are deity centered.
Some typical quotations which demonstrate this meaning of "Pagan" are:
bullet "Witchcraft, or Wicca, is considered part of the occult, but has little relationship to Satanism. Wicca is pagan (pre-Christian, as opposed to anti-Christian) and is currently gaining popularity." 1
bullet "Witches do not worship the devil...Witches are more interested in magical arts and the divinity of nature...Wiccans are considered pagans because they worship several nature gods instead of a single god." 2
bullet "The World Christian Encyclopedia estimates 6 million Americans profess to be witches and engage in practices like these. They are a sub-group of over 10 million persons the encyclopedia says call themselves pagans, who practice "primitive" religions such as Druidism, Odin worship and Native American shamanism." 3
In this sense, "Pagan" refers to a group of religious traditions, and should be capitalized, as Christianity, Islam and Judaism are.
Second meaning: Pagans are people to hate:
bullet Religious and social conservatives sometimes use "Pagan" as a general purpose "snarl" word to refer to cultures or religions that are very different from the speaker's. There is no general consensus as to meaning. It can be seen directed at any religious or cultural group that the speaker hates. Some examples:
bullet Dr. John Patrick, professor at the University of Ottawa, Canada was discussing at a conference the number of abortions performed worldwide. He said: "Gods and goddesses are beginning to re-inhabit the Western world. Infant sacrifice -' there are 52 million a year. It is paganism." 4
bullet Dr. Richard Swenson, director of the Future Health Study Center. said at the same conference: "We went into post-Christian and neopaganism very quickly...We want the culture to change, we want some spiritual sanity, but we need to understand that this is a pluralistic and even neopaganist society." 4
bullet Jerry Falwell appeared as a guest on Pat Robertson's "700 Club" program on 2001-SEP-13. He said that God became sufficiently angry at America that he engineered the terrorist attack on New York City and Washington-- presumably to send Americans a message. He said: "I really believe that the Pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians ...all of them who have tried to secularize America - I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.' " Pat Robertson responded: "Well, I totally concur..." 15 [We asked Falwell's office via repeated Emails to tell us exactly to whom he was referring with the word "Pagans." They declined to respond. Since he died on 2007-MAY-15, we suspect that the question will never be answered.] More details.
Third meaning: Pagans are ancient polytheists:
The term "Pagan" is sometimes used to refer to ancient polytheistic religions. The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines "pagan" as: "belonging to a religion which worships many gods, especially one which existed before the main world religions." 18
The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) contains many references to the societies surrounding the Israelites -- Babylonians, Canaanites, Philistines, etc. These are commonly referred to as Pagans:
bullet There are allegations that these societies engaged in human sacrifices:
bullet II Kings 3:26-27: "...the king of Moab...took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall."
bullet Psalms 106:37-38: "Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood."
bullet Their altars were often referred to as "high places:"
bullet II Kings 16:4: "And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree."
bullet Surrounding tribes were viewed as committing idolatry by worshiping golden images of animals:
bullet II Kings 17:16: "And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal."
Some current examples of this usage are:
bullet Referring to sun wheels and obelisks: "...These symbols of pagan sun worship were associated with Baal worship, or Baalim, which is strongly condemned in scripture. So why are they so prevalent in the Roman Catholic Church, if they are associated with paganism and apostasy?" An anti-Catholic essay on a conservative Protestant Christian web site. 5
bullet Ancient faiths of ancient Celtic, Egypt, Greece, Norse, Rome, and other cultures are frequently referred to as Pagan religions. Even though many of these religions had strict social and sexual behavioral codes, their followers are often portrayed as hedonist and immoral:
bullet 1 Peter 4:3: "For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries."
Fourth meaning: Pagans follow Aboriginal religions:
Paganism is occasionally used to refer to animistic, spirits-and-essences filled belief systems. These are based upon direct perception of the forces of nature and usually involves the use of idols, talismans and taboos in order to convey respect for these forces and beings. Many native, aboriginal religions fit this definition.
Fifth meaning: Pagans are followers of non-Abrahamic religions:
bullet A rare use of "Pagan" is to describe a person who does not follow an main Abrahamic religion. That is, their faith does not recognize Abraham as a patriarch. The individual is neither Christian, Muslim, Baha'i nor Jew. This includes Agnostics, Atheists, Buddhists, Hindus, Humanists, Taoists, etc. About 45% of the people of the world are Pagans, by this definition.
Sixth meaning: Pagans don't belong to any of the main religions of the world:
The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary gives an alternative definition of the word "pagan" as: "relating to religious beliefs that do not belong to any of the main religions of the world" 18 This definition is rather vague, because it does not describe how a "main religion of the world" is defined. If it is any religion with more than, say, 1% of the world's population (i.e. 60 million members, then: Aboriginal religions, Atheism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Taoism would be non-pagan, whereas Judaism, Sikhism, Confucianism, the Baha'i Faith, Wicca, Zoroastrianism etc. would be pagan. I doubt that many members of the latter religions would be happy with their classification.
Seventh meaning: Pagans are Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists, etc:
The term "Pagan" was widely used by Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists, etc. to refer to themselves. The word was also used by others to describe these groups. The usage dropped after the rise of Neopaganism in the middle of the 20th century, and is rarely seen today.
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