Pagan?

[Spirits Reborn]

Okay, Now I know religious discussions are to be avoided. But I'm trying to find out what people define this word as. So lets take this in a more definitive manner than a religious discussion.

I've had people around me use the word pagan alot, and everyone gives me a different definition of it.

So what exactly does pagan mean? is it simply not being Christian? Or is there something more?

[VulcanRider]

IMO Christians use it to mean a person who is not Christian/Jewish/Islamic. Wikipedia says mostly the same thing.

[robertthebard]

That's close enough to the truth for me. Being a Pagan, I can live with that definition. Trying to define specifics could take a while, but in so far as I am aware, all Earth based religions are Pagan.

[Kyrvias]

Earth based religions? Like Celtic gods?

[Captain Obvious]

forgive the ignorance, but arent all relgions based on earth? Ive never heard of a mars based religon for example.

[Spirits Reborn]

Okay, I think what Robert Means by earth based is that the gods are based in earth? As opposed to heaven and such.

The reason I ask such a question is because, my school has a pagan group. And my friend had a conversation with a member it went as
"So you're in the pagan group?"
"Yep"
"What exactly is pagan?"
"The religion of the group I follow"
"yeah, what is that?"
"The pagan group"
"What does it mean to be a pagan"
"I'm pagan".

.... safe to say the person who was in the group didn't know what he was talking about. lol;

[VulcanRider]

Originally posted by Spirits Reborn: .... safe to say the person who was in the group didn't know what he was talking about. lol;

I'd bet he's chasing after a girl in the group, and he's hoping that joining will help him get laid...

[robertthebard]

Earth based religions would be religions that follow the cycles of Nature, seasons, equinoxes, etc. Not all religions are Earth based, even though they are on Earth, that's the wrong kind of base. The pre-Christianity Celts were Pagan, as well as the Native American cultures that were here before the Europeans took over. You'll notice that pattern a lot. All of the peoples native to Mexico were also Paganistic, prior to the Spaniards coming in.

[SpiritWarrior]

Yes, that is my definition of it too. Wicca also is a big one. The whole "earthbound" deity is a good rule of thumb but not a 100% definitive factor in deciding paganism. Like some wiccans pay tribute to heavenly gods or goddesses.

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

To me, pagan is an umbrella term for those who follow... for the lack of a better term... disorganized religion [img]tongue.gif[/img]

There are the mainstream faiths, and there are a bunch of pagan faiths, loosely tied together by a reverence towards the earth and a certain independent streak. But that's my opinion.