Difference between revisions of "Paganism"

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'''Paganism''' is a group of religions in which practitioners worship a deity, or deities, usually based on the earth or nature, and not [[Christian]], [[Muslim]], or [[Jewish]].  Paganism, from Latin paganus, literally means (as a noun) "country dweller." Alternatively, pagan is used as a pejorative to describe anyone not of a certain faith, similar to the pejorative '[[heathen]]'. Originally to term Pagan was used by the romans to describe  those living in provincial regions of the Roman Empire, unsophisticated country folk, their religious practices later came to represent the main focus of this.<ref>[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pagan merriam-webster.com]</ref>
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'''Paganism''' is a group of religions in which practitioners worship a deity, or deities, usually based on the earth or nature, and not [[Christian]], [[Muslim]], or [[Jewish]].  The adherents worship a diety or deities that are not related to the Abrahamic God. Paganism, from Latin paganus, literally means (as a noun) "country dweller." Alternatively, pagan is used as a pejorative to describe anyone not of a certain faith, similar to the pejorative '[[heathen]]'. Originally to term Pagan was used by the romans to describe  those living in provincial regions of the Roman Empire, unsophisticated country folk, their religious practices later came to represent the main focus of this.<ref>[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pagan merriam-webster.com]</ref>
  
 
==Subdivisions==
 
==Subdivisions==

Revision as of 04:09, June 28, 2009

Paganism is a group of religions in which practitioners worship a deity, or deities, usually based on the earth or nature, and not Christian, Muslim, or Jewish. The adherents worship a diety or deities that are not related to the Abrahamic God. Paganism, from Latin paganus, literally means (as a noun) "country dweller." Alternatively, pagan is used as a pejorative to describe anyone not of a certain faith, similar to the pejorative 'heathen'. Originally to term Pagan was used by the romans to describe those living in provincial regions of the Roman Empire, unsophisticated country folk, their religious practices later came to represent the main focus of this.[1]

Subdivisions

Pagan subdivisions coined by Isaac Bonewits:

  • Paleo-Paganism: coined to contrast with "Neopaganism", denoting a Pagan culture that has not been disrupted by other cultures. The term applies to Hinduism, Shinto, pre-Migration period Germanic paganism as described by Tacitus, Celtic Polytheism as described by Julius Caesar, the Ancient Greek religion and religion in ancient Rome.
  • Meso-Paganism: Groups begun as an attempt to revive, recreate, or perpetuate what their founders believe(d) to be original Paleopagan beliefs and practices, which is, or has been, significantly influenced by monotheistic, dualistic, or nontheistic worldviews, but has been able to maintain an independence of religious practices. This group includes Native Americans and Australian Aborigine Bushmen, Viking Age Norse paganism. Other examples include: Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, Spiritualism, as well as Sikhism, early (pre-1970) Wicca, and the many Afro-Diasporic faiths like Haitian Voudou and Santería.
  • Neo-Paganism: Groups begun as an attempt to revive, recreate, or perpetuate what their founders believe(d) to be original Paleopagan beliefs and practices, but consciously attempting to avoid monotheistic, dualistic, or nontheistic influences. This definition may include anything on a sliding scale from re constructionist to New Age and non-reconstructionist groups such as Celtic reconstruction and Wicca. Gods from ancient mythology may be worshiped in this context.

The terms may be spelled with or without hyphens after the prefixes.


References

See also