Here's
what members of our group had to say about this question.
If
you'd like to contribute your own definition of paganism send an email
to kanon@eden.rutgers.edu.
What
is a Pagan?
Easy:
Someone who is a believer in Paganism.
What
is Paganism? The fast answer: Paganism is belief in any religion not Christian.
Some
more detail -
Most
people further restrict the religions which can be called Pagan. The first
religions they cut from the list are usually other Yahweh-based religions:
Judaism and Islam. From there, people often cut "Other Major World Religions,"
which is usually taken to mean Hinduism, Shintoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.
What
about atheists and agnostics? Are they Pagan?
There's
two basic religious beliefs which underly every religion known to humans:
Either you believe in the existence of Deity, or you believe in its nonexistence.
The first has incredible variation, but the second is quite simple, and
atheism consists entirely of that belief, that there is no Deity.
Within
that first basic religious belief comes a second, almost equally important
one: Can one know Deity in _any_way_? Agnostics believe the answer is "no",
and every other religion left on the planet says "yes". The rest of the
religious beliefs in the world (and they're as varied in detail as every
human who ever lived) all center on one question, with many answers: Since
one _can_ know Deity, _how_ does one do so, and what
is
Deity like?
So,
Paganism can be seen in its broadest possible sense as including atheists
and agnostics (they sure aren't Christian!), but the very nature of those
two religions is such that they are fundamentally different from every
other religion. So most people set them apart from Paganism.
What
is Neopaganism? What are Neopagans?
Neopagans
are are people who follow Neopaganism, a category only slightly narrower
than Paganism. Neopagans include Wiccans, Asatru, Heathens, and most other
religions often considered to be "Pagan" in a modern conversation. A Neopagan
religion is any religion which is related to the Pagan religions which
have existed (but typically do not still exist) and originated in the last
century or two (there's some debate on
the
'deadline').
This
obviously includes Wicca, which is heavily based in so-called Old Religions,
both in choice of deities to worship and in some of the manners and times
in which they are worshipped. It also includes Asatru (and other Germanic
spiritual paths), whose followers try to rebuild the practices once used
in worship of their deities. It includes Druidry as seen in the ADF (Ar
n'Draoicht Fein) and in England at Stonehenge, and
many
other religions.
It
_doesn't_ include current believers in religions which have unbroken practice
through the centuries, such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Most Americans who
refer to themselves as "Pagan" can more specifically refer to themselves
as "Neopagan."
Paganism
is NOT:
Satan
Worship, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism,
Shinto, Mormonism, Bahai'i, New Age
Paganism
IS:
Herding
Cats.
Paganism
is a religion, but its also a culture and worldview. Its a way of living
your life and a community to live in. |