NationStates Jolt Archive

Yes, I know this is a strange topic and one that can't easily be answered. I realize that most people judge people as people and not as groups. But this is for a paper I am doing on the acceptance of "alternate" religions for a class of mine. I could use a few quotes from the populace. So I'll try to pose the question a bit better. Firstly, have you ever actually met a pagan? Secondly, do you know anything about general pagan belief? Thirdly, if you have met a pagan, did you feel they conformed to the stereotypes society still holds about them? And lastly, if you knew the person well enough of course, did they seem at all hostile to other religions? Any help is appreciated.

1: Yes.
2: From what I can see, pagan is something of a catch all category that can be used to cover everything from goddess worship to the ancient egyptian, celtic and roman faiths. I have a good grounding in the mythology, but not so much the practices.
3: I've met a couple who were so stereotypical it was scary and others who really didn't seem to conform at all.
4: Again, I've run the gamut. Some were actively hostile towards what they saw as oppressor faiths - others were chilled enough to engage in active debate (not that that gets anywhere, faith being what it is :) ). Some even go so far as to get positively unitarian about it all, meshing beliefs.

My forefathers were "pagans" and many of my family still are and in some ways I am too.
Yes, I have met many pagans.
Yes, I know all there is to know of my nations pagan religion.
No, they are just like any other person and do the same things. Just normal.
No, they are not hostile to other religions. It is not an issue.

Edit: I am talking about the Norse 'pagan' religion.

I know a girl from school who practices a new form of Druidism. What I know about the religion is that it is very in tune with nature, and value balance and equilibrium. The holidays are based around the lunar cycle.

She seems like "normal" person. She's friendly, witty and insightful (kinda cute too!). As for her being hostile towards other religions...other than some bitterness from stereotypes that come from Christianity, she really seems to have no problem and is perfectly accepting.

Firstly, have you ever actually met a pagan? Secondly, do you know anything about general pagan belief? Thirdly, if you have met a pagan, did you feel they conformed to the stereotypes society still holds about them? And lastly, if you knew the person well enough of course, did they seem at all hostile to other religions? Any help is appreciated.

Yes, I have known quite a few pagans. I am familiar with some varieties of pagan belief. Im not sure what the stereotypes society holds about them are alleged to be, so I cant answer whether they conformed to those stereotypes. Most of the pagans I have known were hostile to other religions, a few were not.

What I have learned about pagans is that most people calling themselves pagan are angsty kids trying to rebel against society or trying to be hip with their goth buddies. Ive also learned that a few pagans are psychologically disturbed individuals who live in their own fantasy world, and paganism provides them with a beleif system that encourages their delusions. Lastly, Ive learned that the pagans who dont belong to either of the aforementioned categories tend to be nice people.

What I have learned about pagans is that most people calling themselves pagan are angsty kids trying to rebel against society or trying to be hip with their goth buddies. Ive also learned that a few pagans are psychologically disturbed individuals who live in their own fantasy world, and paganism provides them with a beleif system that encourages their delusions. Lastly, Ive learned that the pagans who dont belong to either of the aforementioned categories tend to be nice people.

Ditto.

90% of the self-styled pagans I've met have been real fruitcakes, and about half of them were boy-crazy besides. Even the male ones. No, especially the male ones.

I've met two sorts of pagans.

One (which onlys consist of Wiccans), I can't stand. They're simply children (sometimes 20-something year old children) who think their religion is ancient (even though it only dates back to 1950's, or something along those lines), hate how Christianity has "opressed them for centuries", and who believe they are somehow differnent that most of the people they know. Even though their group of like-minded friends is larger than mine.


The other pagans I've meet simply believe that Paganism is the religion of the European people, as well as anyone of European decent. They do have some bitterness towards other more mainstream religions, but tend to be good, nice people.

Aren't pagans everybody how doesn't believe in christian God.
So there is like 4 billion pagans in the world???
Please correct me if I'm wrong...

I don't think about the pagans.

Aren't pagans everybody how doesn't believe in christian God.
So there is like 4 billion pagans in the world???
Please correct me if I'm wrong...

Neo-paganism has become a religion of sorts. It is not everyone who does not believe in a christian God. Paganism is a blanket term for the earth based religions, many of them being polytheistic, some being nearly atheistic. I chose to term it pagan because it is more encompassing than saying wiccan or druidic. According to recent censuses, some suggest the number of pagans in the U.S. are mid-hundred thousands.

Aren't pagans everybody how doesn't believe in christian God.
So there is like 4 billion pagans in the world???
Please correct me if I'm wrong...


Buddhists are not considered pagan, at least by the Catholic Church, so no.

Neo-paganism has become a religion of sorts. It is not everyone who does not believe in a christian God. Paganism is a blanket term for the earth based religions, many of them being polytheistic, some being nearly atheistic. I chose to term it pagan because it is more encompassing than saying wiccan or druidic. According to recent censuses, some suggest the number of pagans in the U.S. are mid-hundred thousands.


Okay

So me, not believeing in god of any sort, am not a pagan
as you ment in your post???? Did that make any sense??? :confused:

Well anyway I think pagans are cool... Though I have met only
few. They seem very passionate. I like that. And also
they come out very realistic :)

Buddhists are not considered pagan, at least by the Catholic Church, so no.

Why? what so special about them??

Good for Buddhists though :p

Okay

So me, not believeing in god of any sort, am not a pagan
as you ment in your post???? Did that make any sense??? :confused:

Well anyway I think pagans are cool... Though I have met only
few. They seem very passionate. I like that. And also
they come out very realistic :)

Heh heh, sorry for my not being entirely clear. What I had meant to get at was: some pagans believe in many gods, some pagans believe in no real defined god entity (often they suggest god is nature --"god" is just the personification of a natural balance), and pagans can run the range anywhere in between. :) Hope that clarifies things some.

I am pagen


Sort of..

I don't go into the ceramonie of Pagen, But I understand them the best I can..

Witca now that is different then pagen..

Yes, I know this is a strange topic and one that can't easily be answered. I realize that most people judge people as people and not as groups. But this is for a paper I am doing on the acceptance of "alternate" religions for a class of mine. I could use a few quotes from the populace. So I'll try to pose the question a bit better. Firstly, have you ever actually met a pagan? Secondly, do you know anything about general pagan belief? Thirdly, if you have met a pagan, did you feel they conformed to the stereotypes society still holds about them? And lastly, if you knew the person well enough of course, did they seem at all hostile to other religions? Any help is appreciated.

Pagans? The motorcycle gang? They seem pretty cool. Especially if they're not around me. :)

I'm sorry, every time I think of pagans, I think of the weird little dudes in Thief 3 who run around saying "He bes sacrificed to the leafy one." and the like.

Heh heh, sorry for my not being entirely clear. What I had meant to get at was: some pagans believe in many gods, some pagans believe in no real defined god entity (often they suggest god is nature --"god" is just the personification of a natural balance), and pagans can run the range anywhere in between. :) Hope that clarifies things some.

Yeah thanks...
I've met those who blieve in 'perfect' natural balance...
As I said passionate but realistic... :)

Yes, I know this is a strange topic and one that can't easily be answered. I realize that most people judge people as people and not as groups. But this is for a paper I am doing on the acceptance of "alternate" religions for a class of mine. I could use a few quotes from the populace. So I'll try to pose the question a bit better. Firstly, have you ever actually met a pagan? Secondly, do you know anything about general pagan belief? Thirdly, if you have met a pagan, did you feel they conformed to the stereotypes society still holds about them? And lastly, if you knew the person well enough of course, did they seem at all hostile to other religions? Any help is appreciated.
Yes, I've met a few.
I do, but the problem is that you can't really put in under one umbrella. Pagan simply means many gods, so you'll find a crapload of different religions lumped in there, from the hippie "Mother Earth" types to the "sacrifice a goat to Zeus" fellas.
Most of them have, actually. They tend to be hippie-types who follow this brand of religion simply as a fad. However, that usually applies to Wiccans, as they are considered "in" amongst college feminists, and most other pagans seem normal.
Again, the Wiccans were, because they were usually the feminist hippie types who feel the whole "establishment" is out to get them. Most other pagans didn't really care.

Yes, I know this is a strange topic and one that can't easily be answered. I realize that most people judge people as people and not as groups. But this is for a paper I am doing on the acceptance of "alternate" religions for a class of mine. I could use a few quotes from the populace. So I'll try to pose the question a bit better. Firstly, have you ever actually met a pagan? Secondly, do you know anything about general pagan belief? Thirdly, if you have met a pagan, did you feel they conformed to the stereotypes society still holds about them? And lastly, if you knew the person well enough of course, did they seem at all hostile to other religions? Any help is appreciated.

Actual Pagans seem a bit thin on the ground here today don't they although everyone seems to know one.
OK I'm a Druid. Not a silly, white robe wearing twit. Jeans and a T shirt work just as well.
I celebrate the 8 Pagan festivals as part of a grove of between 30 and 40 active members. We have more but they rarely turn up.

Our website says " Charnwood Grove are a group of pagans, based in the East-Midlands of the UK, from various traditions and backgrounds who meet together to celebrate the eight seasonal festivals. Our focus is celebratory, and our rites, while encompassing many different approaches to spiritual expression, are conducted within the Druidic tradition. We seek inspiration from nature, and wisdom in the ever changing cycle of the seasons."
which must be true cos it's on a web site. Check it out at http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/rainbird/charnwood/
It's small yet perfectly formed.
Another good source of info is the Pagan Federation at http://www.paganfed.demon.co.uk/

Your second point yes I know a bit but tend to formlate my own ideas after listening to others opinions. Pagans tend to respecct other different views on how to approach celebration. Wiccans, sisterhood of Isis, strict druids, and northern traditionalist (our friends from Iceland) tend to be more ridgid in their beliefs. This could be because they have more of a tradition or because they're by nature slightly more anal. Who knows.I respect there belief systems as as valid as mine.

Do Pagans conform to stereotypes. No. Well some do and you notice them but I celebrate with a museum curator, a publisher, a computer engineer,a farmer, a nurse etc etc and you wouldn't know by looking at them that they like to stand in a cold, rainy wood and welcome the spirits of spring.

Are we hostile to other religions? mostly not. We get a lot of stick from christian groups for being devil worshippers (not a pagan deity prehaps a minor spirit) which is stupid and I have met people who feel they were indoctrinated into mainsteam religion as children some are even quite scarred by their experiences and so are resentful. We do a lot of interfaith work to help explain ourselves. Sometimes it works and sometimes we meet fundementalism and hatred. We have better relations in our area with muslims and hindus (the largest Pagan religion) then with Christians.

Sorry to go on I thought you might like something more than the standard "I once met a witch" postings

Well, I find there's a sharp difference between other pagans and Wiccans, as the Wiccans have been infiltrated with many who view it as a "cool" way to rebel against the establishment, while other types of pagans are just like normal people.

Firstly, have you ever actually met a pagan? Secondly, do you know anything about general pagan belief? Thirdly, if you have met a pagan, did you feel they conformed to the stereotypes society still holds about them? And lastly, if you knew the person well enough of course, did they seem at all hostile to other religions? Any help is appreciated.

1] Yes. I come from a whole family chock full of Pagans.
2] See #1.
3] Tough question. I really wouldn't know what society has stereotyped them as ... except being savages who want to scalp you then rape your woman then drink all your booze. I guess nobody in my family is like that.
4] Yes. My family has a deep mistrust and dislike for Christians.

Firstly, have you ever actually met a pagan?

I am one, but before I became one a had met a few.

Secondly, do you know anything about general pagan belief?

Yes. Its a term used for anyone that believes in more than one God. Most are earth based religions.

Thirdly, if you have met a pagan, did you feel they conformed to the stereotypes society still holds about them?

Yes, there were a lot of people back in high school that fit the stereotype, but they claimed to be Satanists.

And lastly, if you knew the person well enough of course, did they seem at all hostile to other religions?

Anyone that read half of the stuff that they sell at Border's and takes it to heart has hostility because they think that every religion is out to get them. Most don't, but some of the younger high school kids, and even some naive adults think that way.


One (which onlys consist of Wiccans), I can't stand. They're simply children (sometimes 20-something year old children) who think their religion is ancient (even though it only dates back to 1950's, or something along those lines), hate how Christianity has "opressed them for centuries", and who believe they are somehow differnent that most of the people they know. Even though their group of like-minded friends is larger than mine.

I am a Wiccan and I never believed that Wicca was an ancient religion dating back to like 4000 BC. Those that read that somewhere and believe it are severely misinformed. I have nothing againt Christianity, I just get annoyed with the ones (mostly my family) that want to convert me. Christianity has flaws like all religions do, but there is no need to push it on everyone like its the only path worth following.

druidry and wicca are very respectable religions, along with those ones of the people who lived in america before the europeans arrived

1. I'm married to one so I guess that's a pretty big yes.

2. I know bits and pieces, I know that the foundation of belief from one pagan to the next can be incredibly different.

3. Nope

4. Nope - in the instance I quoted above (my wife), she chooses to believe in all the gods (including the monotheistic ones). Something to do with them all being facets/manifestations of the God & Goddess.

My best friend is a pagan. Sweetest gal in the world.

I've studied mythology a great deal, but I haven't gotten in to her particular set of mythos, nor have I studied the practices. Hers are fairly personal, anyways.

The stereotype is that they eat babies and bathe in blood, so, no, not fitting the stereotype. She's more emo than anything else, but much more cheerful.

She's not hostile towards anyone that leaves her alone.

Many thanks to everyone that has responded and given me a hand with this paper! As for those pagans who responded, if you'd be interested in an exchange of ideas or would like to talk about your particular belief, feel free to TG me. I'd be more than happy to chat about my own. :) Oh and a big thanks to Eternal Green Rain for the link, I'm gonna check it out.

All religions are ridiculous.

All religions are ridiculous.

Religious people taste better. All the time spent in prayer and ceremony makes for an extra layer of juicy goodness within the muscle strata.

No, I have not met other pagans. I live in a small town. There's a church in practically every neighborhood. I wouldn't know about others, but I do know that I do not conform to the general idea of pagans. And referring to someone else's post, all of my friends are extremely religious, so no, I am not pagan to impress goth friends. Hostility towards other religions? I try to avoid the subject of religion with my friends. Not because I hate religious people, most of them are really wonderful, but generally it's the other way around: religious people being hostile to me. So I stay away from that topic. I want them to accept me, so it would be hypocritical not to accept them. I used to be purist mormon, so I know what it's like in a church. I'm not unschooled in that department. :rolleyes:
Anyway, I hope your report turns out well! ;)

Yes, I know this is a strange topic and one that can't easily be answered. I realize that most people judge people as people and not as groups. But this is for a paper I am doing on the acceptance of "alternate" religions for a class of mine. I could use a few quotes from the populace. So I'll try to pose the question a bit better. Firstly, have you ever actually met a pagan? Secondly, do you know anything about general pagan belief? Thirdly, if you have met a pagan, did you feel they conformed to the stereotypes society still holds about them? And lastly, if you knew the person well enough of course, did they seem at all hostile to other religions? Any help is appreciated.
1: I have met some...

2: 'pagan belief' is about as diverse as 'non-pagan belief', and if you take 'pagan' in its strictest meaning (i.e. non-christian) even more so.
Myself, i make the distinction between pagan (with lower case p), meaning every non-judeo-christian-islamic or same-derivative belief, and Pagan (with capital P), meaning all European pre-christian believes, and their modern derivatives.
Even (what i call) Pagan believes are very diverse...

3: I'd say, some do, some don't. Some are even the complete opposite.

4: Again, some are, some aren't...and as far as i can tell, more are not than are.

1.Yes, i have met a Wiccan. It was actually on the bus on my way to NYC the first time i went.

2.I know a little bit. I know that most Pagan religions are earth religions and they believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses.

3.No, she didn't at all. She didn't sit there casting spells or sacrificing anything. Religion didn't even come up after she told me she was Wiccan.

4.As i said, we didn't discuss religion, so i couldn't say for sure, but she wasn't hostile to anything else we talked about. She was a really nice person, it was nice to have her to talk to for the leg of the trip to Edmonton.

I think people should be able to believe in whatever they want as long as they don't hurt other people. If your faith makes you happy, if it gives you something that nothing else can, than more power to you.

1. Yes
2. The term Pegan seems to describe other religions than those of the mainstream, not well publicised, or not understood religions.
3. No
4. No

Try checking out www.religioustolerence.org for a more indepth study on that belief as they have a great section on it.

Yes, I know this is a strange topic and one that can't easily be answered. I realize that most people judge people as people and not as groups. But this is for a paper I am doing on the acceptance of "alternate" religions for a class of mine. I could use a few quotes from the populace. So I'll try to pose the question a bit better. Firstly, have you ever actually met a pagan? Secondly, do you know anything about general pagan belief? Thirdly, if you have met a pagan, did you feel they conformed to the stereotypes society still holds about them? And lastly, if you knew the person well enough of course, did they seem at all hostile to other religions? Any help is appreciated.

Are followers of Odin and Thor...etc considered pagans?

Norse religions kick ass. If I wasn't a christian, I would probably follow one of them.