by Gretchen956 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
With all the knee-jerk "Christian" opinion on these kind of things, I wouldn't be looking for an accurate definition from that quarter.
i agree little toe ... its synonimous with evil. as apostate and demons are in dubland ... to be talked about only in hushed tones.
taylorS
I understand "paganism" as a negative concept made up by "monotheistic" (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) or "revealed" religions (Zoroastrianism, Buddhism) for the "outside" or "before" (the same goes for "satanism", which builds on an even more negative Judeo-Christian concept).
I think ancestral, natural or traditional religions would be better defined without this negative notion.
But what "paganism" or "neo-paganism" may mean in the mind of (mostly American) adepts I haven't a clue.
Narkissos, a LOT of things have a negative connotation, I usually try to reclaim those words. I know that paganism has that sort of flavor because of the misinformation about it for centuries, but when I tell someone I am pagan it sometimes starts a dialogue about what that really means to me. The common perception about paganism:
As to the first, people may make that judgement just based on the pagan thing, but they would be underestimating me (thats okay). To the second, I do have a very strong moral code, I am very monogomous, pretty vanilla sexually if you discount that I'm a lesbian , don't believe in harming another human if I can help it (don't preach that to anyone else, just try to follow it for myself), don't believe in breaking laws. As for worshipping rocks and trees, I have a reverence and a respect for the earth because I think the ecosystem is fairly fragile and interdependant, but I don't worship it. I do believe in a higher power, that power may be more omnipresent than some others believe but thats fine too. And finally I don't believe in satan and don't like dark energy.
When I said earlier that paganism is a vast pantry for a lot of belief systems it may be because there is no structured "governing body" telling any of us what to believe. We tend to have beliefs in common, and even get attitudes about others (we're human), but in general we follow our own path.
You may not know that pagans can be VERY deeply spiritual.
Just some random thoughts as I get ready to go make some lunch.
Sherry
Sherry,
Thanks for the clarification (except... erm... what does "for flakes" mean? Please bear with me as I'm French and my dictionary didn't help with this one).
Am I correct in assuming that in your mind "pagan" means drawing on any religious/spiritual tradition (from Ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia to Native American for instance), with some emphasis on "nature"?
Btw, I just referred to the "negative" connotation of pagan as a concept made up by monotheistic and/or "revealed" religions. I would not rate the reality behind the word as negative.
Thanks for the clarification (except... erm... what does "for flakes" mean? Please bear with me as I'm French and my dictionary didn't help with this one).
flake = Slang. A somewhat eccentric person; an oddball
Am I correct in assuming that in your mind "pagan" means drawing on any religious/spiritual tradition (from Ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia to Native American for instance), with some emphasis on "nature"?
In my mind all those traditions call themselves pagan. There are Celtic traditions, Gardnerian traditions, Romony traditions, Norse traditions, Native American tradtions, Greek traditions, Egyptian traditions, then there are those like me who are more of a kitchen/green witch, many many eclectic witches (who take from all traditions). So yes, I think so.
Btw, I just referred to the "negative" connotation of pagan as a concept made up by monotheistic and/or "revealed" religions. I would not rate the reality behind the word as negative.
Yea I gotcha, thats why I brought up the "flake" issue! lol And I don't regard it as negative either, I take it on for myself with pride, actually.
Sherry
I don't think I can add much to Gretchen's definition of Pagan. That's pretty much the way I'd describe my own brand of spirituality, as well. A common misperception is that we all worship a goddess; in actuality, I worship "The Divine" in both its feminine and masculine aspects. At times, I pray to Him, while other times I pray to Her, but it's the same person- someone too infinitely complex to be confined to just one gender. I don't worship Satan, as I don't believe he exists.
I guess the one defining tenet of my personal faith is that I don't have all the answers; for that matter, who among us does? Therefore, getting into arguments (or wars) over religion is madness. I worship as seems best to me, but it's not the "correct"path for everyone- neither is Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, or any one religion. We each need to find our own spiritual path, and try not to judge others whose spirituality differs from our own; I speak from experience, as my partner is a Lutheran.
And peacefulpete- I'm actually really likeable, once you get to know me!
