What is a "Pagan?

The webster's new dictionary list pagan and paganism as follows

Pagan: noun a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions. adjective relating to pagans or their beliefs. DERIVATIVES paganism noun. ORIGIN Latin paganus 'rustic', later 'civilian' (i.e. a person who was not a soldier in Christ's army)

When I was growing up, I was taught that pagan and paganism were to mean any religion other than, Christian, Hinduism, Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, or Buddhism. For us,that it was a simple term to mean a village dwellers.

The term "Pagan" is still sometimes used to refer to ancient polytheistic religions. The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines "pagan" as: "belonging to a religion which worships many gods, especially one which existed before the main world religions."

The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) contains many references to the societies surrounding the Israelites Babylonians, Canaanites, Philistines, etc. These are commonly referred to as Pagans

On the Internet. Asatru'ers, Wiccans and other earth centered beliefs groups have made extensive use of the Internet, they probably have more web pages per capita than followers of any other religion reffering top pagan and paganism. Hence the interest for this term.

...So I would say that this latter term should be the definition of "Pagan," for the simple reason that many The Asatru's, Wiccans and others, embrace the term for themselves. "Paganism" in this sense refers to a range of spiritual paths which are Earth centered involving their members living in harmony with the Earth and observing its cycles. These are often pagan religions based on the deities, symbols, practices, seasonal days of celebration and other surviving components of ancient religions, which had been long suppressed.

 

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