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What does Pagan really mean?

post #1 of 12
8/6/07 at 2:52pm
Thread Starter 
One of my high school friends just contacted me a few days ago. I haven't seen her in 20 years. We have nothing in common except a warped sense of humor. She said she is pagan. I am so confused as to what "Pagan" is. What do pagans believe? What do you think of when you hear the word "pagan"?

She is such a funny person!! I think I am one of the few in high school that understood her. She's an artist and goes to the St. Louis Pagan Festival (which I think occurred last month). I think we would have stayed friends if we hadn't of lost track of each other. People would have never thought we could be friends since we are so totally different. But I think that is what I like about her..she's different.

Anyways...if I'm going to pick up our friendship where we left off, I just want to learn more about the pagan part of her and what others think it means.

Sorry if I'm babbling.
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post #2 of 12
8/6/07 at 4:30pm
Here is what Wiki has to say about it.
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post #3 of 12
8/6/07 at 5:08pm
I thought that Pagan was just a general classification for people who don't acknowledge any God or religion but I've recently learned that some Wiccans and Druids use the term to describe themselves so I really don't know.
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post #4 of 12
8/6/07 at 6:08pm
As I understand it, pagans do acknowledge a god or "higher power" - sometimes more than one. They may or may not belong to an organized group for worship and prayer, or may operate alone (solitary). Wiccans and druids are both a form of Paganism, as are some other, non-Christian religions.

Pagans may walk amongst us, without us even realizing it.
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post #5 of 12
8/6/07 at 7:27pm
Atheists and agnostics are not pagan. We were sometimes confused with them, but pagans are followers of preJudeo-Christian religions. Atheists and agnostics do not believe in a higher power/s that control the universe.

I recently read that atheists and agnostics were as old as religion. Interesting.
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post #6 of 12
8/6/07 at 11:12pm
Thread Starter 
I guess Pagan is really a general term for those who don't follow Christianity yet they follow some kind of god/goddess or higher power?

My high school friend studied eastern healing processes (or whatever you call them) which kind of sounds like new age? Is New Age a part of Paganism?

So much to learn. I know it is big enough that they have pagan festivals. Not my type of thing but I would still like to learn more about it just for knowledge sake.
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post #7 of 12
8/6/07 at 11:54pm
"New Age" philosophy has brought Paganism back into the spotlight in some ways, though I expect it's been around all along in some form. "Neo-Pagan" is a term sometimes used.

I think it's great that you are keeping an open mind about it, Cheryl. There are lots of interesting things to learn and study out there.
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post #8 of 12
8/7/07 at 8:45am
Thread Starter 
I have heard the term a lot more lately, along with Wiccan, and got curious about it. This way if my friend and I start hanging out together I'll kind of know what she believes vs what I believe. I'm sticking to Christianity but it's always good to have a grasp of other religions/beliefs out there.
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post #9 of 12
8/9/07 at 8:48am
Yeah, I think it encompasses New Age, Wiccan, worship of multiple gods/goddesses. It doesn't include Christianity, Judaism, or the Muslim faith.
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post #10 of 12
8/28/07 at 9:17am
being Pagan basically believes you believe in Higher Powers. So in a nutshell you think there is more than one. It encompasses a lot of religions...
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post #11 of 12
8/28/07 at 9:21pm
Pagan faiths typically believe in multiple dieties, rather than the idea of one God. Also there is the God and Goddess structure to the faiths that encompass the male and female aspects of the religion. IN a lot of cases, these elements are also used in tandem with worshiping the earth from which we came.

Wiccan, Druidism, are the first two that come to mind.

You can read some interesting articles at www.witchvox.com.

I now go back to being the hidden Pagan on the board
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post #12 of 12
8/28/07 at 9:32pm
I dunno about that when I took the religion quiz I was 100% Pagan
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